Pittswood Birds

Comma - still a few on the wing today

The full patch walk today was a bit more lively than yesterdays, I was out for a bit longer as well, allowing me to record 50 species, that's 8 more than yesterday.

Once the temperature got up a bit, the birds started to appear, the college Grounds was good for a few species, with a flock of 8 - 12 LONG TAILED TITS seen feeding along a line of Douglas firs, with them were at least 2 COAL TITS, 2 GOLDCREST, a NUTHATCH, a GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER, and small numbers of BLUE and GREAT TITS. A GREY WAGTAIL flew over whilst I watched the feeding activity, always a good species to find on my patch.

Walking back out into Migrant Alley, I saw hundreds of HOUSE MARTINS feeding over the paddocks and pasture, the flock extended out over the Greenhouse Grounds and beyond into the Tree Nursery, with them were fewer SWALLOWS, some migrant, but the local ones are still on patch and were mixed with them, a nice bonus within the House Martin flock was finding at least 4 SAND MARTIN (68) a new species for the September list, the hirundine passage continued on for most of the day as did the MEADOW PIPIT passage, with singles and groups of up to four passing through all morning. It was nice to see the STARLING flock out on the sheep pasture, up to 60 were present, hopefully numbers will build throughout he Autumn  :-)

The walk through the Small Holding, Wet Woods and Scrubby Woods was more active than of late, I found GREEN WOODPECKERS, a couple more Great Spotted Woodpeckers, another Coal Tit, another couple of Nuthatch, small groups of GOLDFINCH, CHAFFINCH and GREENFINCH and at least 4 more Goldcrests, a couple of warbler species were seen in the Scrubby Woods, they being CHIFFCHAFF and BLACKCAP.

The adjacent lake was bust today ( relative to normal that is!)  4 MALLARD, 6 MOORHEN, a GREY HERON and a KINGFISHER were all seen, then as I watched over the water, 2 CORMORANTS dropped in to fish  :-)

I made my way over to the Tree Nursery, which is just too over grown to search properly now, but I did what I could and found a couple more Green Woodpeckers, as well as the regular WRENS, DUNNOCKS, ROBINS, BLACKBIRDS and WOODPIGEONS, the latter had two STOCK DOVES with them as they flew up. A PIED WAGTAIL flew over, and as I watched it through my bins, a gull was seen behind it, this turned out to be my first COMMON GULL (69) this month, a bit of luck  :-)

I ended the visit back at the Greenhouse Grounds, where a WHITETHROAT was still present, I had a look over the Raspberry dump, which had at least 6 Wrens creeping about all over it, plus DUNNOCKS, BLACKBIRDS and two Chiffchaffs, all of which I declined to take photo's of, as you're all probably fed up with 'Raspberry Dump' shots of these species!  ( ok, later in the afternoon, I succumbed, and took a couple of Chiffchaff photo's!) A COMMON BUZZARD was seen flying low over the Greenhouses, but against the light it wasn't a candidate for a photo.

During the afternoon I had a sky watch for Raptors, which produced more KESTREL and SPARROWHAWK sightings, but nothing much else. Not a bad visit today  :-)

So here's the 'Raspberry Dump' Chifchaff, at least I got it doing something different today!

Chiffchaff enjoying a good scratch!

Chiffchaff - post itch!

This BLACKBIRD was nearby, they have started on the supply of Hawthorn Berries, they will soon have to share with the winter thrushes though  :-)

No Wheatears or Whinchats on the fence lines at Migrant Alley today, just another Green Woodpecker

Green woodpecker one of at least 6 seen today