Pittswood Birds

Early cloud broke up this morning to leave another mainly sunny warm day  :-)

I visited most parts of my patch this morning and turned up 46 species, not bad for an August walk, with plenty of summer birds about to add interest. Most of those were CHIFFCHAFFS, with a couple seen at the Greenhouse Grounds, and again a gathering of at least 7 in the bean fields behind Migrant Alley, but fewer were in the Scrubby Woods, with a minimum of 3 seen.

A couple of BLACKCAPS and 3 WHITETHROAT were at the Greenhouse Grounds, with another couple of Whitethroats in the bean fields, also a couple of Blackcap families were seen feeding on Elder berries in the Scrubby Woods. A WILLOW WARBLER was also present this morning, it was found in the Greenhouse Copse, along with..........at last........ LONG TAILED TITS (68) good to have them on the August list at last  :-) Of the other summer birds, SWALLOWS were seen on mass over Migrant Alley and the Greenhouse Grounds, a minimum of 60 birds were seen, but just 5 HOUSE MARTIN were noted amongst them, a minimum of 4 YELLOW WAGTAILS flew over the sheep pasture, a star bird in itself, but the star summer bird today, was a superb WHEATEAR (69) on the paddocks at Migrant Alley, I suppose I had to find one sooner or later, after all that fence post watching I do!

KESTREL, SPARROWHAWK, and 2 BUZZARDS were representing the raptors today, but the only Gull species seen were HERRING GULLS. The morning ( and evening) spectacle of hundreds of GREYLAG and CANADA GEESE flying over was again enjoyed.

Lots of photo's taken today, here's a few, i'll put more on later posts :-)

Wheatear

I would have expected this species a bit earlier than now

What superb birds these are, one of my favourites  :-)

Finding Wheatears on passage in spring and Autumn is a highlight in the year

I got a couple of record shots of the ever moving Willow warbler

Willow Warbler