Pittswood Birds

The fine warm and  sunny weather didn't arrive until gone midday, leaving me with the cool and cloudy conditions for the patch walk, only half of which could be covered as it's the ''Hadlow College Lambing Weekend'' and I had no intention of covering the college grounds with that lot going on  :-)

That said, I did have quite a good 3 and half hour visit around the rest of the patch, finding 47 species in all, and again it could easily have been 50 had the regular Nuthatch, Bullfinch and Kestrel showed up! I didn't find the first spring migrant today, but a few of the winter species were still about, those being 4 REDWING in the Small Holding, at least one SISKIN over the Wet Woods, two MEADOW PIPITS at the Tree Nursery and five LESSER REDPOLL at the Scrubby Woods, two came down to the nearby feeding station for a Niger breakfast.

The adjacent lakes had a GREY HERON and a CORMORANT, 3 pairs of MALLARD and probably 3 pairs of MOORHENS, the COOTS numbers were down to just the paired up couple, the other two singles weren't seen today, also, a KINGFISHER (57) my first this month was seen flying low over the water, - I'm still 14 species behind the best ever March total though!

There were at least 8 YELLOWHAMMER in the bird crop at the west end of Ashes Lane, with two giving some song, other noteworthy species were a COMMON BUZZARD sitting on a fence post at the NW patch boundary, numerous sightings of the male SPARROWHAWK hunting on patch, and 3 LINNET at Migrant Alley.

MISTLE THRUSH song had increased this morning, and one pair were seen carrying nest material, a pair of LONG TAILED TITS were also seen collecting feathers for their nest building  :-)

In the gloomy conditions, I only got the chance to photograph one subject - a CARRION CROW which was foraging on a manure heap at Migrant Alley.

Carrion Crow

Carrion Crow

In the sunny conditions later that afternoon a quick scan round the paddocks and fields at Migrant Alley was had, as well as an hours sky watching, but nothing else was added to the days sightings. A few garden bird photo's were obtained from the obliging finch's, here's the SISKIN, but i'll save the rest for tomorrow :-)

Siskin