Pittswood Birds

Yesterdays sunshine had been replaced by thick low cloud, making for a very dull and gloomy afternoon. It wasn't the type of day that you would expect the first spring migrant to turn up, and so it proved, however a few of the winter birds were still around. There were two REDWING in the Alpaca enclosure at the Small Holding, along with small numbers of GREENFINCH and CHAFFINCH, plus a GREEN WOODPECKER, which I tried to get a photo of, but they turned out rubbish and you wouldn't want to see them.....you would? Ok then, but be warned  :-)

Green Woodpecker

Green Woodpecker - Female possibly

Further on another two Green Woodpeckers were seen, and 4 FIELDFARE flew over calling. As I entered the Wet Woods GREAT TITS were calling, and GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER drummed, more Chaffinch flew up from a wet area, but much scanning of them didn't find that much wanted Brambling for the year list. I checked the pools of water deeper into the wood and was pleased to see a drake TEAL on one, it may of been the one with the two females, seen recently, but I didn't want to crash through the woods and flush it off just to find out  :-)

Over on the lakes there was a bit of a surprise with the COOT numbers again, the original pair were still present, as was the third bird that arrived yesterday, but I was well happy to see that a fourth bird had arrived, that makes it the highest Coot count for the eleven years of watching these lakes!  Also seen were the CORMORANT, last seen here on the 6th, two pairs of MALLARD, and 5 MOORHENS, a flyover by 3 GREYLAG GEESE was also noted.

Coot, one of a record breaking four birds that were present this afternoon

Moving off to the Tree Nursery and into the cool wind, it felt quite miserable under the grey skies, in which a SPARROWHAWK was seen circling, nothing much was among the young trees and shrubs, just the MAGPIES and the odd SONGTHRUSH, WREN and DUNNOCK. The nearby Greenhouse Complex was equally as miserly with the birds, but the KESTREL was seen again, after going missing since the 2nd.I did some long distance scanning of the fence lines and paddocks at Migrant Alley, hoping for a Wheatear or maybe a Stonechat, but it was a bit of a long shot today.
Below are the last of the photo's I took from the garden yesterday, amazing what difference a bit of light makes, and a more co-operative subject of course!   :-)

STARLING

Starling