Pittswood Birds

Heavy overnight rain only cleared at 07:30hrs, making for a very wet full patch visit early on, but in sharp contrast it ended with some lovely sunshine some 4 hours later  :-)

I walked the Small Holding and Wet Woods first thing, not finding much but the regular Tits, Finch's, ROBINS, WRENS and DUNNOCKS, plus BLACKBIRDS, GREAT SPOTTED and GREEN WOODPECKERS, but with the rain dropping through the trees and it being almost still dark, there wasn't much more to be found. I was more hopeful of finding something of interest on the lakes, but there wasn't much to see on the water when I got there, just 4 MOORHENS and the COOT, the adjacent Scrubby Woods had at least 3 BULLFINCH calling from it, plus the first of 3 CHIFFCHAFF found today. A pair of MISTLE THRUSH were perched at the apex of a fir tree, while both COAL TIT and TREECREEPER were heard to call, no Nuthatch or Long tailed Tits were found here today.

I cut across to the Tree Nursery, finding a hunting SPARROWHAWK on the way, the rain had ceased by the time I reached the Nursery, where a few MEADOW PIPITS flew up from the vegetation, but overhead scores of HOUSE MARTINS were feeding low over the shrubs, along with the few local SWALLOWS that are still around. A BLACKCAP was seen in the Greenhouse Grounds, along with the resident KESTREL and a Chiffchaff.

Crossing Migrant Alley, more House Martins and Swallows were seen over the sheep pasture, a couple of SKYLARKS were seen to drop down on one of the rougher paddocks, where both LINNETS and GOLDFINCH were already feeding, overhead, two small flocks of half a dozen SISKIN were seen.

The College Grounds, by now, was busy with various staff working there, so it was well disturbed by the time I looked through it, but I still found the likes of SONGTHRUSH, MALLARD, PIED WAGTAIL, GOLDCREST, and another Chiffchaff to add to my daylist, which was on a rather average 40 species. I added LESSER BLACK BACKED GULL and pair of COMMON BUZZARDS to that, these were found as I walked back homewards across Migrant Alley, where the only new species for the month was also found - a flyover CORMORANT (56)

Not many chances with the camera today, but I grabbed a couple of shots towards the end of the visit  :-)

Blackbird, in moult

WOODPIGEON

This Dark Bush Cricket ( I think that's what it is!) is a rare insect on my patch, it looks like a female