Pittswood Birds

Well things finally fell in my favour for todays patch visit, the fog that had persisted for most of the day cleared as I got home, allowing for the first patch visit in sunshine for ages!

The sun certainly brought out the birds, and the cessation of most (but not all) of the pigeon scarers activities made for a more peaceful visit too. I walked over to the lakes, fearing that after last nights frost they would be frozen over, and I was right, but there was still a few MALLARDS and a couple of MOORHEN standing on the ice, but I could only find one of the COOTS, they do generally leave once the ice forms though. Around the lakes and in the Scrubby Woods, the likes of COAL TIT and the MARSH TIT were again seen, as were a few BULLFINCH, plus a couple of SISKIN.

Earlier in the walk as I passed through the Wet Woods (the pools here are frozen too) I encountered a mixed flock of feeding birds, unusually no Long tailed Tits were with them, but there were at least 2 NUTHATCH, 2 TREECREEPER, a GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER, and 25+ REDWING that were loosley associating with them, plus a few BLUE and GREAT TITS.

I headed off out of the woods and crossed over to the Tree Nursery, where I was passed by a low flying BUZZARD which alighted in a distant tree only to be immediatley mobbed by one of the local KESRELS

The distant Buzzard - what a fantastic specimen !

Sadly it didn't allow a closer approach, and flew off when I tried :-)

This ROBIN perched on a gate at the Nursery

It did allow a closer approach  :-)

Shortly after seeing the Buzzard, a dense fog rolled in again, but I just had time to scan the Pub Field, which produced 9 LAPWING - very nice.

As the fog came in I decided to call it a day, however as soon as I got home it lifted again! So I had a go at some more Garden bird photo's, the first in some sunshine for a long while. I took quite a few photo's, and i'll put them up as the week progresses, but here's a flavour, just some of the regulars again  :-)

Coal Tit ( I think I should have moved that fat food!)

Blue Tit - Much better with some light, superb little birds  :-)

I'm still being visited by the Green Woodpecker, and today I got some fantastic opportunities to photograph it, just as the sun was setting.There are a few more images like this to come ;-)