Pittswood Birds

What a turn around in the weather today, back to the damp, dull, drizzle!  A patch visit was still made this afternoon however, and the usual winter walk to the lakes, via the Small holding and Wet Woods was not without some nice sightings.

The Small Holding had a flock of CHAFFINCH and GREENFINCH, about twenty five birds in all, they were no doubt the birds flushed from my garden feeders not far away, this is where they gather after the Sparrowhawk comes through my garden :-) Also in the Small Holding was a TREECREEPER, plus both a GREEN and GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER.

The Wet Woods was pretty still and quiet, it needs some more rain to fill the pools up, there isn't adequate water to hold a foraging Teal or Mandarin on them  yet. A flurry of WOODPIGEON wings announced the fly through of a big female SPARROWHAWK, that really sealed the fate of the woods today, so I hurried down to the lakes. They were mostly thawed out now, and 9 MALLARD dozed under the tree overhang, I was pleased to refind the COOT, and just as pleased to hear a KINGFISHER, worth the visit here today  :-)  A party of LONG TAILED TITS with a BLUE TIT and a COAL TIT, plus sightings of BULLFINCH and GOLDCREST were as good as it got in the surrounding Scrubby Woods.

In the now growing gloom, I made my way over to the Tree Nursery, where again it was down to just a Green Woodpecker, a few Wrens, Dunnocks and Magpies, but another Goldcrest was a bit of a bonus here today. The local KESTREL flew over and started to hunt over at the Greenhouse Grounds. Looking through the gappy hedge and onto the Pub Field |I was surprised to see a large flock of LAPWING, at least 250 strong, as usual I scanned every one of them, and today came up trumps with two GOLDEN PLOVER, persistence pays off at last :-) Really good birds for my patch especially on the ground!

I finished off by checking the line of Alders over at the Greenhouse Grounds, where yesterday a dozen LESSER REDPOLL were found, they were still there, and I spent time checking each one for a possible Mealy Redpoll, but it wasn't to be ;-)  So, after a gloomy old walk, I found some good patch birds today, Kingfisher, Coot, Lapwing, Golden Plover, I would have bitten your arm off had I been offered them ten days ago!

No camera outing today, so here's the last of the photo's I took in my garden on Sunday Afternoon, down to the Blue Tits now i'm afraid!!

Blue Tit

Blue Tit