Pittswood Birds

With a bit of cloud cover, plus some breeze, it felt very pleasant out at 06:00hrs this morning.

I undertook a 5 hour full patch walk, recording an excellent 50 bird species, plus a few Damsels, Dragons and Butterflies, of which two of the latter were new for this month, a Peacock and a Common Blue  :-)

Most of the 50 bird species seen were what I would expect on a July walk, but Long Tailed Tit, Mistle Thrush, and Sparrowhawk, though expected, were not about this morning, so it could of been a real good day list today!

I did get a few of the scarcer patch species turn up, like GREY HERON and YELLOWHAMMER, that both flew over the Greenhouse Complex, also a PEREGRINE was up hunting over Migrant Alley, where over 100 GREYLAG GEESE and 7 CANADA GEESE had gathered on the sheep pasture. A couple of SKYLARK sang above the bean fields on the Arable part of my patch, where JAY, GREEN WOODPECKER, GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER, and a flyover BLACK HEADED GULL were seen, all can be tricky to find here in late July.

The highlight of the day was seen whilst I watched the KESTREL family at the Greenhouse Grounds, the distinctive call of a GREY WAGTAIL (67) was picked up as it flew over, and I got a short view of it as it carried on South, a usual brief encounter, but good enough to go on the July list, which at 67 is now the second best July out of 12, just 2 more species will equal the best ever July tally, where did those Turtle Doves go that were here last month!

More of those harder to find patch species were found as I walked to the Scrubby Woods via the Small Holding and Wet Woods, like TREECREEPER, NUTHATCH, COAL TIT, BULLFINCH and GOLDCREST ( of which another family party were seen) but it was more of a surprise to find a SISKIN at the Scrubby Woods, despite seeing five here last week.

Walking back home across the Ashes lane field 2 BUZZARDS were up soaring, with lots of SWIFTS speeding all around them, I had a brief scan of the Pub Field today, a pointless task really as the maize there is now waist high, and the footpath along the hedgerow is now impassable, so I cant see much, i'll have to wait until October when its harvested to walk there again. The Little Owl wasn't present at the nearby old shack, it's been a regular recently for the daylist, that's another species that could have made todays list a bit nearer that magic 60 figure, talking of which, I think i'll keep September 1st clear, for another crack at that 60 species in a day challenge, surely i'll beat the May 1st effort of 52  :-)

Photo's today  -:

WHITETHROAT, these are on there 2nd brood at the Greenhouse Grounds

Whitethroat, checking me out as I walked past

Whitethroat

Whitethroat

Blue Tailed Damselfly, (Male) been after a nice shot of this species for a while

Red Admiral

Small White

Small Skipper