Pittswood Birds

The early cloud had burnt back by the time I got out on patch after work this afternoon, leaving a bright day but with a cold wind.

As is usual at this time of year, I wandered over to the lakes again, seeing KESTREL, BUZZARD and SPARROWHAWK up hunting over the Tree Nursery as I passed through, but little passerine activity was noted.

Two TREECREEPERS chased around the trunk of an Oak that stands on the sunny side of the Wet Woods at this time of day, also seen there was a GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER.

I always feel a surge of anticipation as I approach the Lakes, what would I find ? The majority of the time I just record the Mallards and Moorhens, sometimes a few Geese, with maybe a Cormorant or Grey Heron, the Coot pair have recently added some interest, but i'm always on the lookout for a duck species :-) Having seen Gadwall, Teal and Goosander on recent visits, I was pretty much resigned to that being it for a while, but no, after quickly locating the COOT pair, and seeing a KINGFISHER fly past, I soon had great views of a GOOSANDER, another female, thats the 3rd Goosander record this month! That wasn't the big excitement though, for as I tried to manoeuvre for a photograph of the Goosander, a pair of WIGEON (74, 66) swam out of the overhanging tree branches, wow! Another year tick, and just the sort of thing I was hoping for, this is the best winter yet for ducks on these small lakes  :-) Just one pair of MALLARD, 5 CANADA GEESE and 6 MOORHEN were also present.

I watched the Goosander and Wigeon for a few minutes, and heard NUTHATCH, BULLFINCH, and COAL TIT call from the Scrubby Woods as well as a few SISKIN flying over.

I got some sort of record photo, only of the male Wigeon though, as they quickly swam into another tree overhang and didn't re-emerge again.

Wigeon - a cracking drake :-) Not a good image, as the only real place to photograph anything on the water is always facing into the light at this time of day

Goosander

Coot

After creeping back out of the lake area, so as not to flush the Goosander and Wigeon, I made my way over to the Greenhouse Grounds, but again passerine activity was very limited, only a GOLDCREST and a couple more Siskin in the Alder Trees were of note. A scan across Migrant Alley provided me with views of 2 COMMON GULL, as well as about 40-60 FIELDFARE and 2 MISTLETHRUSH on the sheep pasture.

Knowing that the LITTLE OWLS like a bit of sunshine, I decided to walk over to the Greenhouse Copse where they can be found, if not already disturbed, sunbathing at their favourite perch. Today I got lucky and found two, but only one was in a position to photograph  :-)

Little Owl

Little Owl

So yet another good patch visit, the Wigeon takes the year list to 74 now, I might get a tilt at the quickest 100 bird species recorded on my patch at this rate, that was achieved back in 2009, when I had amassed 100 species by May 17th, Ive not got anywhere near that record since! Interestingly, in that year I had one less species on the list by todays date  :-)

The months list is moving at a pace now, 66 species is the 3rd best February, and is just 3 off setting a new record.  Ive got the rest of the week off work now, so i'll be all out to achieved it, the likes of Yellowhammer, Lapwing, or one of the local Peregrines may well turn up, or maybe my luck will continue at the lakes, a Mandarin Duck isn't out of the question :-)