Pittswood Birds

I spent a few hours this morning around the Wet Woods, Scrubby Woods, and Lake area of my patch, once again looking for recently fledged young. The weather wasn't really up to much again, being cool and heavily overcast, making it difficult to see much in the darkness under the canopy of the Wet woods. However, I checked up on the GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER nest there, and found it all quiet, a few moments later an adult arrived and started to call, at once it was answered by one of its fledged young high in an Oak tree, I look forward to their visits at my garden feeders later in the month  :-) On the pools of water in the Wet woods I came across a family of well grown MALLARD, and also the MANDARIN family, 4 young were being escorted by two adult females, is this the habit of Mandarins ? One female helping another with a brood ? I'll have to investigate further!

There was nothing on the water at all when I reached the lakes, apart from the COOT family, the young of which are now becoming quite independent. A good look around the Scrubby Woods didn't reveal any newly fledged young for my list, I was especially looking out for the Nuthatch, but ive not even seen an adult this month yet! Whilst mooching about in the wood, I was pleased to hear the 'purring' of a TURTLE DOVE, it would be nice to find a newly fledged one later in the month   :-)

I made some effort at a sky watch from my seat at Migrant Alley, but I didn't last very long, my attention kept getting drawn to the destruction over on the paddocks, and I just kept getting angrier as I watched. I did note both KESTREL and SPARROWHAWK up hunting though, and a few HERRING and LESSER BLACKBACKED GULLS flew down to the disturbed earth on the paddock that the diggers were tearing up. Fewer GREYLAG and CANADA GEESE were on the sheep pasture, and the feral BARNACLE GOOSE had taken place of the Egyptian goose seen yesterday.

A quick look around the Greenhouse Grounds found the LITTLE OWL back on the guttering, and a COMMON WHITETHROAT singing, but it was very quiet apart from those.

The camera stayed at home again today, due to the poor light, and even a few shots of the garden birds later this afternoon proved too rubbishy to save, so its back to last weeks photo's, and they are running low now!

Immature Male Beautiful demoiselle

Immature Male Beautiful demoiselle

More of the Male Broad Bodied Chaser

The last one  :-)