Pittswood Birds

Migrant Alley - Looking SE from the NW corner ( Photo taken yesterday in the sunshine!)

This mornings walk into work produced one more species for my May list, a LESSER BLACK BACKED GULL (47) which flew north over Migrant Alley. My return walk from work produced another new species, when a spanking male WHEATEAR (48) was seen on one of the fence lines also at Migrant Alley ( where else!) This is just my second one this year though.

After something to eat, I decided to venture out to Migrant alley again, it was grey and dull, with a raw north wind, I wanted to check the wooded headland there to see if any Turtle Doves had arrived as this is the only place along with the Scrubby Woods that I record this species. Walking up the main footpath besides the paddocks, I again spotted a Wheatear, but this one was a female, the male was further out in the paddock, two Wheatears, very nice!  I managed a photo of the female, in some pretty poor light and it didn't allow close approach, the male would have been a much nicer subject, but he stayed even further away. Also in the paddocks was a flock of around 30 LINNETS, two MISTLE THRUSH, and a three PIED WAGTAILS.

Wheatear

Wheatear

Pied Wagtail

Turning along the track, past the manure heap, where the above Pied Wagtail was feeding, I passed along the wooded headland, stopping and listening for 20 mins or so, but no Turtle Dove was seen or heard, I did hear BULLFINCH calling, and watched a couple of CHIFFCHAFFS flitting around, I also saw a pair of LONG TAILED TITS, their nest which I had watched being lined yesterday was now in tatters, predated before it had anything in it to predate! Carrying on my circular walk around the fields I was pleased to pick out a YELLOW WAGTAIL (49) after hearing it call several times as it flew over, also seen were one of the KESTREL pair, and a SPARROWHAWK. A calling LITTLE OWL (50) took the May list to 50 species, it was heard in its usual place in the nearby Greenhouse Copse.

I spent some time looking around the Tree Nursery, where both LESSER and COMMON WHITETHROAT were heard, plus the usual GREEN WOODPECKERS, but it was generally quiet here, so I made my way over to the Greenhouse Grounds for a final look round, which proved very fortuitous, I heard the ''hueet hueet'' call of what i thought was initially a Chiffchaff, but Chiffchaffs dont often call like that until the Autumn, so I checked out where the call was coming from and found it to be my first patch REDSTART (91, 51) of the year,  a cracking male too, this a real good species for my patch, especially to have one in the spring, this is just my third record of a spring Redstart, and the first seen in May  :-) Chuffed to bits with this one, such a stunning looking bird, shame I couldn't get a photo of it, despite much waiting for it to show properly, in the end it flew over into the Tree Nursery.  An excellent visit this afternoon, this is what it should have been like in April!