Pittswood Birds

Heavy overnight rain had fizzled out into a wetting drizzle early this morning, and it didn't take me long to realise I was wasting my time being out in it! Only a LITTLE OWL calling from the Greenhouse Copse was of any note, heard whilst I checked the pasture and paddocks at Migrant Alley, where just 3 BLACK HEADED GULLS and the ROOKS were present.

Later in the morning I took a walk over to the lakes and Scrubby Woods, where on the water there were 2 pairs of GREYLAG GEESE, 3 pairs of CANADA GEESE, one male MALLARD and the feral BARNACLE GOOSE, I found the COOT pair feeding their young, and was quite surprised to see six little black balls of downy feathers, I suspect that only 2 maybe thre will reach fledging age though.

One of the six Coot young  :-)

I spent some time in the area of the Scrubby Woods, I was hoping to here a Blackcap singing, but in the still very dull and overcast conditions just a few of the regulars sang, MISTLETHRUSH, DUNNOCK, ROBIN, SONGTHRUSH, BLACKBIRD and GREAT TIT were doing their best to make light of the weather. I heard then saw a pair of TREECREEPERS and a NUTHATCH, then 14 FIELDFARE dropped into an Oak for a few moments before setting off again, if they hang about for 3 more days they will be the latest staying Fieldfare I have recorded  :-)

I decided to spend a couple of hours over on my seat at Migrant Alley, I first walked around the pasture and paddocks to check for any Wheatear but that proved fruitless, so i perched up on my seat to see what passed over. In the 2 and a quarter hours I was there, the sun almost broke through a couple of times, but ultimately it failed to do so, and I recorded, of note, 3 SKYLARKS, 7 single SISKIN heading NW, 5 single, one pair, and one group of 8 MEADOW PIPITS also heading NW, and the star bird for the month so far a COMMON TERN (81,62). These are only occasional flyover migrant species here, and I do well to get one or two in any year, so far 6 out of the 12 years of recording have Common Tern on the year list, well pleased with that sighting  :-)

Raptors seen whilst I watched the sky were -  a single COMMON BUZZARD, both the KESTREL pair, and of course the SPARROWHAWKS  :-)

I need just 19 more species to get to 100, but can I get them before May 17th, and set a new record for the fastest 100 species of the year  ?  :-)

Blog brightener from my garden feeders - male CHAFFINCH