Pittswood Birds

When I leave for work on these dark winter mornings at 07:00hrs, I always stop at the back door and listed for Owls, well today was one of the few times I got lucky, a TAWNY OWL (57) was hooting from the direction of the Wet Woods. That keeps the December list ticking over, and puts this month at joint 6th spot with December 2004 and 2005.

After work, the usual trip to the lakes was had, but despite some lovely winter sunshine (for an hour!) very few small passerines were noted, a few CHAFFINCH and GREAT TIT were in the Small Holding and a GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER in the Wet Woods, which was virtually ''drumming''  the earliest one I've ever heard drumming here. On the lakes just a few MALLARD were hiding under the tree overhang, the area had obviously been disturbed, as is often the case by the time I get to them for the afternoon visits. The adjacent Scrubby Woods had a small gathering of LONG TAILED TITS, with a few BLUE and Great Tits, plus TREECREEPER, and GOLDCREST, also here, were a few REDWINGS, BULLFINCH, and an assortment of the common stuff, WRENS, ROBINS, DUNNOCKS, BLACKBIRDS etc.

I once again went over to the Pub Field to see if the LAPWING were there, and I wasn't disappointed, I counted 362, but there were a few more I must have missed, hidden in the dips of the field, overall more than 400 birds I suspect. 15 BLACK HEADED GULLS fed with them, but unfortunately, no Golden Plover  :-(

There was just time to have a quick wander through the Tree Nursery, where 8 MEADOW PIPITS were seen, two GREEN WOODPECKERS and the first 10 LINNETS of the evening dropped down to their pre-roost tree. I could see the big black clouds rolling in from the west, heralding a storm that's due to hit later this evening and over night, hopefully it wont be too bad, and will have blown itself out by tomorrow!

Just the one chance of a photo this afternoon, an obliging Blue Tit  :-)

Blue Tit

Blue Tit