Pittswood Birds

Wall to wall sunshine first thing this morning gave way to patchy cloud, ideal for my full patch visit, which lasted 5 hours, from 06:15 to 11:20.

As soon as I left home, I was treated to the sound of YELLOW WAGTAILS calling as they flew over my house, 8 in all were seen. Once again though, as it has been over recent mornings, the Greenhouse Grounds proved the pick of the habitats I visited, with WHITETHROATS, BLACKCAPS, and CHIFFCHAFFS all being seen, along with a mixed flock of CHAFFINCH, GREENFINCH and GOLDFINCH, plus all the common regulars of WREN, ROBIN, DUNNOCK, PIED WAGTAIL, BLACKBIRD, SONGTHRUSH, BLUE TIT, GREAT TIT, GREEN WOODPECKER, and LINNET, quite a busy little area  :-)

A WILLOW WARBLER was at the Wooded headland to the north of Migrant Alley, the latter place still not giving up a visiting Wheatear on the paddocks for me yet, but another 3 Yellow watails were heard, then seen as they went over the sheep pasture there. The bean fields just beyond the Wooded Headland were full of Chiffchaffs, the sun had warmed up a strip of the crop against a hedgerow, and at least 15 of them were seen flitting in and out.

Walking back through Migrant Alley, more Yellow Wagtails were heard, this time two singles and a pair, the GREYLAG and CANADA GEESE did their morning commute south, and a GREY HERON was also noted along with a few HERRING GULLS.

Making my way over to the Scrubby woods, I walked along the western end of Ashes lane, to enter the Small Holding, where I was at last put out of my misery, when I found a MISTLETHRUSH (67) right at the top of a yew tree, I've found one for the months list at last! So the months list limps along into 6th place out of the twelve Augusts, still eleven behind the best August tally, achieved in 2010, and still 6 species behind the average August total for the previous five years.

I added NUTHATCH, TREECREEPER, BULLFINCH and JAY to the day list as I walked the Small Holding, but only a GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER was found for the list in the Wet Woods.

Over at the Lakes and Scrubby Woods, more Blackcap and Chiffchaffs were seen, as well as more Bullfinches, a COAL TIT called, but still no sign of any long tailed Tits to add to the months tally. On the lakes a few Canada Geese had found their way on to the main lake, the only other species on the water were MOORHENS.

I made my way back over to my sky watching seat next to the Greenhouse Grounds at Migrant alley, via the Ashes lane field, and there, with the 40 or so SWALLOWS, were 5 HOUSE MARTINS. Another look around the fencelines and posts of Migrant alley didn't produce a Wheatear, but my 40 minute Sky watch added KESTREL, 3 BUZZARDS and a SWIFT, to the days list, the first swift since August the 7th, most will have gone by now, but I may well get the odd one right through until September, the Median average last sighting of Swift here, is the 26 August, with the latest ever Swift being recorded on the 2nd October, that was back in 2010.

I didn't get any bird photo's at all today, but got a few Dragon shots, and later this afternoon, after a third fruitless check of the paddocks at Migrant alley, I got a whole 'blog Folder' full of Butterfly shots, something for later posts  ;-)

Migrant Hawker

Migrant Hawker

Migrant Hawker

Common Darter

Common Darter