Pittswood Birds

It just about stayed dry for the 3 hours I was out this morning, but the rest of the day was miserable, cool and wet.

Whats left of the regular breeding summer visitors for my patch have now arrived, the Spotted Flycatcher might just turn up yet, but hope is fading fast, so  my attention turns to finding evidence of successfully bred species for the area. I had some limited success this morning, when a family of at least 4 young MOORHENS were discovered on one of the small ponds at the College grounds, they are much later in having produced young than the two previous years, in 2011 the first young were seen on the 27th April, and last year it was the 21st April. COAL TIT, BLACKCAP, CHIFFCHAFF, and GOLDCREST were noted whilst I was there, but none carrying food yet.

Walking back through Migrant Alley, yesterdays GREYLAG GOOSE seen there, had attracted another, and both fed on one of the paddocks, a dozen or so SWALLOWS fed low around them, while over head LESSER BLACK BACKED and HERING GULLS were seen, as well as the only SWIFT for today.

Over on the lakes I found my next species, the sixth, to have bred successfully so far this year. A CANADA GOOSE pair were escorting 4 new hatched young around the main lake, with them were the Greylag pair, which had turned up again, having lost all but one of their offspring. On the adjacent lake the COOTS were feeding two well grown young, but the third wasn't seen, but it may still be around :-)

As I watched the young Greylags and Canada Geese, a TREECREEPER called from nearby, but went unseen, then two Goldcrest were seen chasing around a fir tree as I approached the Scrubby Woods, where I had hoped to hear the Turtle Dove sing, but didn't. 3 different Chiffchaff sang there though, and also 3 male Blackcaps, they were having a right old 'sound off'  trying to impress a nearby female, which made for good listening  :-)

A look around the Pub Field, and adjacent Ashes Lane Field ( the old Tree Nursery) only provided 3 STOCK DOVES of note, the Pub Field is now seeded with Maize, and provides little or nothing for wildlife yet, whilst the Ashes lane field is bare earth, and awaits its fate, little survives on it the way it is at the moment, I did see a LITTLE OWL on a fence post by the run off pool at the bottom end of the fields though. Soon after that the rain came, and that was my lot for the day, except for a garden stake out later in the morning, waiting for this little fellow to pop out from under my shed  :-) I must of looked like a right nutter, sitting under my elder tree in the rain, staring down at my shed through a camera lens !  It did appear for a few shots though  :-)

Wood Mouse - checking all is clear   :-)

Then picking up and stashing the dropped bird seed

The only other ''blog brighteners'' left in the blog photo folder are these STARLINGS, photographed yesterday, I'll probably get lots of Starling images when the young arrive in their hoards!

Starling during a sunny spell yesterday, which lasted for about as long as the shutter speed for this shot  ;-)

Starling

I ve been keeping a watch on a BLACKBIRD nest in my garden boundary since day one of the nest construction, they never come to much usually, but there are at least 3 young in the nest now, and are at least 3 days old - can they avoid the Jay and Magpie ? Can the parents avoid the daily attentions of the Sprawk ? We shall see!