Pittswood Birds

Back to work today  :-(  so it's back to the afternoon patch visits, which was a pretty short affair today, the weather was utterly miserable, being cold, damp and still with a cutting wind that blew spits of rain about.

As usual, I visited the Lakes first, via the Tree Nursery, where my hope of seeing the Barn owl wasn't realised, though I did see quite few FIELDFARE, maybe 75-100, along with 50 -75 STARLINGS and a more countable 8 REDWING plus 2 MISTLE THRUSH, these all fed on the adjacent field of sheep pasture, in the Nursery itself the only birds of note were two GREEN WOODPECKERS and 4 PHEASANTS, ive not seen many of those this month.

Over at the lakes, just 4 CANADA GEESE remained, but it was good to see the GADWALL pair had returned. The COOT pair were feeding on water weeds, and 4 MOORHEN were visible in the bankside vegetation.

I had a quick look and listen around the Scrubby Woods, and heard the drumming of GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKERS, also the calls of BULLFINCH, COAL TIT, GREAT TIT and NUTHATCH rang out, two TREECREEPERS chased through the trees, whizzing past me as I stood listening  :-)

I gave the Wet Woods a cursory looking over, but it was well quiet in there today, just a pair of MALLARDS was recorded, they have forsaken the lakes now, as they do at this time of year, they can safely breed in the dense cover on the pools in the Wet Woods.

A final stake out of the Tree Nursery was had, but the Barn owl ( if it is still around) eludes me and I had to make do with the KESTREL pair, plus a SPARROWHAWK, a lone LAPWING flew over calling, strange to see just one.

I think it's a case of 'treading water' now for the last few days of February, while hopefully Spring will come rushing in very soon now :-)

Obviously not camera weather today, and the 'Blog Photo Folder' is running dry, these are the last of the images from my garden feeders, taken last week.

Robin - On the 'Blog Log'

Coal Tit

Green Woody