Pittswood Birds

A cold NE wind blew this afternoon, making it feel a lot chillier than yesterday. An overnight frost had meant there would be no thaw on the lakes, so I again went over to the Greenhouse Grounds and Migrant Alley, but unfortunately for me today, there was a student work crew mending the fence along the drainage ditch, you can imagine the noise! There was nothing of note about, apart from two SONGTHRUSHES in the Greenhouse Grounds.

I had no choice now but to visit the lakes, so I set off across the Tree Nursery, seeing 4 MEADOW PIPITS, a GREEN WOODPECKER, and more unexpectedly for here, 2 LAPWING.

Lapwing

Lapwing

When I arrived at the lakes they were, as expected, frozen from bank to bank, apart from one lake that had a small piece of open water, where both the COOT were seen, and a MOORHEN. A look around the surrounding Scrubby Woods, wasn't particularly fruitful, but the regular sightings of BULLFINCH, GOLDCREST, LONG TAILED TIT, a singing TREECREEPER, a NUTHATCH making all sorts of whistles and calls, and a small flock of SISKIN made for some interest.

I walked back home the way of the Small Holding, via Wet Woods, here too all was frozen, I spent a bit of time in the woods, on the lookout for a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, or maybe a Brambling, but I was unlikely to find either, and didn't! The Small Holding had the usual mixed finch flock of GOLD, GREEN and CHAFFINCH, not much else though, but I did watch a CARRION CROW on a large snow covered garden lawn, it was obviously looking for something, it walked purposely over to a spot, flicked up the snow a found a lump of bread, I wonder if he stashed it there or he watched another crow hide it there  :-)

Clever Crow  ?

Not much to ''Crow'' about for this afternoons walk then, not adding any new species to the year or month, but a late afternoon look over my Garden Feeders provided me with good views of the male Bullfinch again, which I just missed with the camera, however the visiting Songthrush, which is just as scarce in my garden, did pose for some pics, it was lit by some lovely soft light that was reflecting from the windows of my house, otherwise the bird was in shadow.  :-)

Songthrush

Songthrush

Songthrush