Pittswood Birds

It was considerably warmer for my patch visit this morning, but low cloud soon moved in, and it became dull and humid for the rest of the day.

View from the bean fields at the new part of my patch

I visited most parts of my patch today, in a four hour walk, mainly trying to find evidence of successful breeding from the local birds, and I was reasonably successful in that. Sightings of a JACKDAW fledgling at the Greenhouse Grounds, early on in the walk, was the 30th species for the breeding list so for this year, it even gave me a chance of a distant photo  :-)

Recently fledged Jackdaw

Not long after the Jackdaw, I added COMMON WHITETHROAT to the years breeding list, when a family were seen flitting from one of the broad bean fields to a small Oak tree, on the new part of my patch. My good fortune continued as I walked along High House Lane, when a recently fledged MAGPIE was seen on the telephone wires, being attended by one of the adult birds.

The final newly fledged species seen this morning was a GOLDFINCH, spied along Ashes Lane, later in the day I took this record photo of a young Goldfinch, in some poor light, at my garden feeders, along with an immature GREENFINCH - in equally poor lighting unfortunately  :-(

New fledged Goldfinch

Immature Greenfinch

So a good haul of species to join this years patch breeding list, but nothing new was added to the months list, I cant expect much more for that now. Other highlights from the total of 46 species seen today were ; Flyovers from the KESTREL pair and a SPARROWHAWK, and seeing two LITTLE OWLS hanging around the old shack at the ashes lane field, with a third heard calling from the Small Holding area. A TURTLE DOVE was heard singing again from the Scrubby Woods, where COAL TIT,  BLACKCAP and CHIFFCHAFF also sang. On the lakes today there were 20 CANADA GEESE, with 2 sets of different aged youngsters, and a pair of GREYLAG GEESE with their four youngsters, the COOTS were also with their 3 young, but the only other water birds seen were a single MOORHEN and a single MALLARD.

Still got a few photo's from the weekend to put on, so here's a few more of the SWALLOW family :-)

Swallow feeding young

Swallow feeding young

Swallow feeding young

Swallow feeding young

Swallow feeding young

Swallow feeding young