Pittswood Birds

Another exceptionally mild day, but still very grey, damp and dreary, ive not seen the sun here since the 22nd December, apart from a very brief spell early on the 23rd,  - it's enough to drive you insane!!

With all this stagnant mild air over us, bird movement is at a minimum, there was certainly no influx of winter species for this mornings walk, in fact not a winter species was recorded, no Fieldfare, Redwing, Siskin, Redpoll, and no Brambling, Snipe or Woodcock thats for sure!

Just 37 of the regular resident species were found, although a bit of a surprise at the lakes was had, when amongst 15 CANADA GEESE, the feral BARNACLE GOOSE was seen, this bird has paired up with one of the Canada Geese ( as it did last year) and is the third year ive recorded it on my patch.

With nothing else to report out of the unusual, and with no wintering flocks of birds to count or resident feeding flocks to scan through, the patch walking now seems to be resigned to recording the first tentative signs of spring, today the GREAT TIT was heard giving its spring, tee-cher, tee-cher call, and a COAL TIT was singing from the Scrubby Woods.

I await the first singing Chiffchaff!!

In an attempt to brighten the page up a bit, I tried to get some garden bird photo's whilst dinner was cooking this afternoon, I got a couple, but the light is awful - I had the ISO up to 3200, and the aperture wide open, just to get a shutter speed of 160!  Oh well, things can only improve from here.......hopefully.
Here's the garden pics  :-)

Thank god for the colourful BLUE TITS!  Thats one nutty feast it's got there  :-)

Also, the just as colourful GOLDFINCH  :-)