Pittswood Birds

It's almost too dark to see any birds first thing in the morning on the way into work now, but a KESTREL sitting on a fence post at Migrant Alley was just visible.

After work, in some grey and windy conditions, I thought it looked good for a bit of Skywatching, so I went over to my favoured seat at Migrant Alley, but before sitting, I had a walk around the sheep pasture and horse paddocks. I couldn't find yesterdays Whinchat, but I found three WHEATEARS, two of them were probably yesterdays birds. Also there was a flock of around 200 STARLINGS mingling with the 70 - 100 ROOKS, and nearby on the hedge the LINNET flock was making forays out into the pasture and back.

I finished the circuit of the fields and sat on my seat just in time to see a GREEN WOODPECKER fly off the fence beside me, the tall hedge on the other side was mostly empty, just a couple of BLUE TITS and BLACKBIRDS, while the Greenhouse Complex behnd that, had a small flock of GOLDFINCH'S on the thistles and 4 PIED WAGTAILS were on the glass rooves.

In my 90 minute vigil, I noted flocks of HOUSE MARTINS continually coming over, each flock having 20 - 50 birds in it, also 2 SKYLARKS, 1 MEADOW PIPIT, 1 GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER, 2 SWALLOWS, and the months first BUZZARD (57) The Rooks and Starlings were being continually put up, but the only thing I saw annoying them was a large female SPARROWHAWK.

I also saw a Peacock butterfly, which was hardly able to fly, the first ive seen since the 28th July!

Wheatear

Wheatear

Linnet

Linnet