Pittswood Birds

After work this afternoon I paid a visit to the Lakes and Scrubby Wood area of my patch, via the Small Holding and Wet Woods, this is the default Autumn/winter walk, now that the summer migrants have stopped passing though. There is a slim chance of a passage bird still, so if time permits I will end up at the fields and Paddocks of Migrant Alley for a Little time yet.

Passing through he Small Holding, a small flock of some half a dozen CHAFFINCH were feeding on the well rotten, fallen crab apples, also in the old orchard were three GREEN WOODPECKERS. The Wet Woods are now completely bone dry, nothing at all was heard or seen in here, but thats not unusual for this time of year, once the rains come and the ditches fill up, it will become more active.

Walking the path from the woods to the lakes, which is flanked by two large gardens, two more Green Woodpeckers were seen in the more formal of the two gardens, whilst in the well wooded garden a NUTHATCH called, but it was all very quiet really.

On the Main Lake today 13 MALLARD and and four MOORHEN were the only occupants, while the satellite lakes held just 5 Moorhens between them. Whilst tucked in the bankside vegetation, scanning the main lake, I got a glimpse of a small falcon as it appeared to come down to the surface of the lake, presumably to drink, however it was right in front of the sun, so all i could see were backlit primaries really, almost immediately a SPARROWHAWK came in and saw off the small falcon, making it call in a high pitched Ki-Ki-Ki, sounding like a squeaking bicycle wheel! I've no real idea what it was, Kestrel, Hobby or maybe even a Merlin, views were so brief and into the sun - something missed there I think!

I carried on through he bankside scrub and looked over the Scrubby Woods, and found the familiar birds, most were in a mixed Feeding flock comprising of LONG TAILED, BLUE, GREAT and COAL TITS, with a TREECREEPER and two GOLDCRESTS.

I made my way over to Migrant Alley in a strengthening SW wind and falling light, but little was seen here of note today, apart from the resident LINNET flock, a few GOLDFINCH and a flyover MEADOW PIPIT, the KESTREL was up hunting, and another sighting of a Sparrowhawk was also had.

No photo's today!