Pittswood Birds

This mornings walk into work was the most productive part of the day, in the 30 minute walk a BLACKCAP was heard at the Greenhouse Grounds, then walking Migrant Alley my first YELLOWHAMMER (66) of the month flew over, calling loudly as it did so, what a poor reflection on this species status on my patch that I have to rely on the odd flyover to record it  :-(

Another few meters along Migrant Alley and a LESSER WHITETHROAT was seen in one of the hedges, while a scan of the fence line gave me two more superb WHEATEARS. A couple of BLACK HEADED GULLS and a GREY HERON were also seen as they flew over.

This afternoon I tried to find the Wheatears again at Migrant Alley, they almost always hang about for a day or so, but not this time, there must have been much disturbance here this morning  :-(  The rest of my walk was very very quiet! I crossed the Pub Field, but just Feral Pigeons were seen, then the Tree Nursery was scanned but just a couple of GREEN WOODPECKERS were found, it really was eerily silent out there this afternoon. I revisited Migrant Alley, and scanned all the fence lines, but nothing was found. Retiring to my seat to watch the sky I fared little better, a few passage HOUSE MARTINS along with the local SWALLOWS was all I could muster, although the KESTREL and SPARROWHAWK were both seen up hunting.

I finished up by staking out the raspberry dump at the Greenhouse Grounds, where a few WRENS, DUNNOCKS, BLACKBIRDS and ROBINS were seen, but more of interest was a couple of CHIFFCHAFF, a WHITETHROAT and a very tatty moulting Blackcap. A bit of a bonus on the walk home was seeing two HOBBIES flying low over the Greenhouses.

I managed a few shots of the Warblers on the Raspberries, but the light was going by then.

This Blackcap wont thank me for showing him at his most unattractive  :-)

Blackcap, in full moult

Chiffchaff

Chiffchaff