Pittswood Birds

It was mostly cloudy this morning, with a cool NE wind, thankfully though, by 10:00hrs the cloud burnt off and it became warm and sunny for the remainder of the day  :-)

In the cool conditions early on, very little was noted, even the CHIFFCHAFF and BLACKCAPS had stopped singing, not so the COMMON WHITETHROAT though, one sang from the Greenhouse Grounds, where the KESTREL sat on one end of the Greenhouses and the LITTLE OWL the other.

This WREN shot was taken yesterday morning at the Green house Grounds

Where it was the loudest songster

Crossing Migrant Alley, I noted the GREYLAG and CANADA GEESE on one of the paddocks, but with them today was the EGYPTIAN GOOSE (56), good to get that on the June list - a first for any June  :-) An adjacent paddock had a HERRING GULL sitting out in the middle of it, bold as brass, also a mixed flock of at least 40 LINNET/GOLDFINCH mostly Linnets I reckoned, were seen there.

I didn't manage to find any newly fledged birds at the College Grounds, but heard a TREECREEPER singing, and watched the SPARROWHAWK as it whizzed through.

After a longish breakfast I headed off over to the Lakes and Scrubby Woods, finding the MANDARIN DUCK family on one of the murky pools as I walked through the Wet woods. At the lakes, the first GREY HERON (57) this month was seen, but little else was on the water, just a dozen Canada Geese and a pair of Mallards, plus the COOT family. In the adjacent Scrubby Woods I found my first LONG TAILED TIT young, the 16th species to have bred successfully this year on my patch, and my first Red Admiral Butterfly since January!  :-)

I had a good look through the Scrubby Woods, hoping to find the Hairy Dragonfly I saw on Monday, but it didn't reveal itself to me, I did find more White-legged Damsels though as well as lots of Azures and Large Red Damsels, plus a couple of Broad Bodied Chasers.

Later in the day I went back out to the Wooded Headland at Migrant Alley to get some more demoiselle photo's, at least 10 were seen, as well as lots more Large Red, and Azure Damsels plus 3 more Broad Bodied Chasers, one being a male. Whilst getting loads of images, the first YELLOWHAMMER (58) of the month was heard to call as it went over. A quick look around the ponds at the College Grounds provided me with my first Blue Tailed Damselfly of the year, and also my first Emperor Dragonfly this year.

I took over 400 photo's of the Odonata species, and havn't been through them all yet, here's a selection, but be prepared for lots more of them over the coming days!

Male Broad Bodied Chaser

Male Broad Bodied Chaser

Female Broad Bodied Chaser

Female Broad Bodied Chaser

Immature male Beautiful Demoiselle

Immature male Beautiful Demoiselle

Blue Tailed Damselfly, a female of the rufescens form I think  :-)

Azure Damsels mating