Pittswood Birds

Another hard overnight frost meant there wasn't much point in visiting the lakes this afternoon, they will still be frozen solid, so I walked over to the Tree Nursery, Greenhouse Grounds and Migrant Alley. I dont think ive seen the Tree Nursery so devoid of bird life, just a lone MAGPIE scolded me from the top of a young pine tree, my walking of the shrub rows didn't even produce a Wren or Dunnock, very unusual!

The Greenhouse Grounds did have a few birds about, notably the flock of 30 or so MEADOW PIPIT, which were joined by 6 GOLDFINCH. An adjacent garden had a pair of BULLFINCH in a fruit tree there, otherwise it was down to BLACKBIRDS, SONGTHRUSHES, WREN, DUNNOCK, ROBIN and flyover PIED WAGTAIL.

I walked the drainage ditch that runs along the NW boundary of Migrant Alley and flushed up a SNIPE, always a good bird to find here, and a few minutes later I crossed over to the sheep pasture a found 30 LAPWING resting out in the middle of the field, these were sadly disturbed by the football team that trains over at the college sports pitch, they were out for a x country run, ignorant that their actions were putting the birds under more pressure, forcing them to use up precious energy in these very cold conditions.

A skywatch from my seat was not too productive, just the KESTREL, a YELLOWHAMMER, a few CHAFFINCH, and one each of HERRING and BLACK HEADED GULL. The walk home was enlivened by a flock of 5 LONG TAILED TITS in the Ashes Lane hedgerow, as well as watching the LINNETS come down into their pre-roost tree, I counted 35, but more would join them before dusk no doubt :-)

Another reasonably quite visit then, with nothing to add to the month or year list, but maybe i'll get luicky with the full patch walk tomorrow morning, which promises to be a very chill one!!

A distant shot of some of the 30 Lapwing on the sheep pasture

Meadow Pipit from the Greenhouse Grounds

Meadow Pipit