Pittswood Birds

Last nights dusk

A difficult morning today, in overcast and dull conditions birding was not easy, in fact the visit was more beneficial as a bit of exercise than anything else  :-)  In the 4 hour visit, just 38 species were found, well down on what I would expect, species such as Great Spotted Woodpecker, Skylark, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Coal Tit, plus the lack of any Raptor species, all which should have been easily found, were not!

There were a couple of scarcer species found though, a KINGFISHER (52) on the main lake joined the December list, and the RED LEGGED PARTRIDGE was found on the Pub Field today, it flew up as I passed and headed to the Greenhouse Complex Grounds.

Not much is moving to or from my patch at the moment, two flocks of FIELDFARE, one of 24 and one of 18, a flock ( if you can call it that) of 4 REDWING, plus singles of LESSER REDPOLL and YELOWHAMMER were just about the only clue that it is actually now winter.

At least my garden feeders have become a little busier, this afternoon I sat and watched them for a couple of hours, and didn't have the Sparrowhawk in at all ( hence busy feeders!) Some of the missing species arrived to feed, including two GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKERS, 5 GREENFINCH and 6 GOLDFINCH. It was good to see a WREN amongst the shrubs, and a GOLDCREST in the Elder, two NUTHATCH came in together and both BLUE and GREAT TIT have increased in numbers, with 15 and 6 respectively, even two HOUSE SPARROWS turned up, the first for a fortnight! I did try to get some photo's, but the light was shocking, the only one I didn't 'bin' was of this ROBIN.

Looking at the weather it seems a brief cold spell is coming into the NW of England, maybe that will force a few species down here, a Snipe or Woodcock would be nice :-)

Robin