Pittswood Birds

After a wet morning, the skies cleared a little for my afternoon patch visit, just 90 minutes were spent out, but it was quite eventful. The walk through the Small Holding was again notable for the GREENFINCH and CHAFFINCH'S there, which had grown in number to 30-40 birds, mostly chaffinch, also no fewer than 4 GREEN WOODPECKERS were feeding on a nearby large lawn, with another one in the old orchard. As I scanned through the finch's, up went the alarm call, and a couple of seconds later in came the SPARROWHAWK, it alighted briefly just 3-4 meters from me in a patch of sunlight, but it was off before I could get focused on it!! Just before entering the Wet Woods, a KESTREL flew purposely by.

The walk through the Wet Woods was uneventful, just calling GREAT TITS, the footpath from here to the lakes had a GOLDCREST feeding along it, and up above a COAL TIT sang from a large Oak tree. On reaching the lakes, the COOT was still pesent, but everything else all seemed as normal, a few MALLARD and MOORHEN moved around under the overhanging branches, but then as I scanned around the lake margins a movement caught my attention, as something dived below the surface of the water, i waited a few seconds and up popped a LITTLE GREBE (61), superb!! My first Little Grebe since November 2009, well, the almost daily lake visits have finally paid off  :-) Little Grebe was first recorded on my patch in Feb. 2005, and then in the years of 2007, 2008, 2009, making this year just the 5th year out of the now eleven of recording that one has turned up, very pleased with that  :-)

A grub around the surrounding Scrubby Woods had its moment of excitement too when a WOODCOCK flew up and then dropped further into the woods, always a good species to find here. Some of the more regular species were also found, GOLDCREST, TREECREEPER, NUTHATCH and a small troop of LONG TAILED TITS, plus 3 female BULLFINCH'S that sat up in a blackthorn tree, eating the buds, they were just a couple of meters away from me, but the tangle of branches prevented any photo's being taken - shame.

After spending more time at the Lake area than normal, I had just enough time to visit the Tree Nursery and Pub Field. I was a bit disappointed to find that the 250 Lapwing with the Golden Plovers, seen yesterday, had left the Pub Field, it now being completely empty, although as I walked to work past the field early this morning I could hear the LAPWING calling in the darkness.

Only a few DUNNOCKS, WRENS, ROBINS, MAGPIES, BLACKBIRDS, with a couple of SONGTHRUSH were in the Tree Nursery, mind you thats more than there has been of late, no Meadow Pipits though. flyovers whilst there included a YELLOWHAMMER and the odd BLACK HEADED GULL, and surprise, surprise 10 FIELDFARE, just the second record of this species of the year! Not a bad visit again  :-)

I just got the one photo opportunity, that was of a Chaffinch in the Small holding - better than nothing though  :-)

Male Chaffinch

Male Chaffinch