Pittswood Birds

I got out for most of the morning in some dry and bright conditions, before rain moved in for the afternoon.

It felt cold this morning, so I kept on the move, recording 42 bird species, which wasn't too bad as I didn't visit all habitats on my patch. Few of the summer species are left now, but the Greenhouse Grounds held 4 CHIFFCHAFFS  and a single male BLACKCAP, with another 2 Chiffchaffs in the Greenhouse Copse. SWALLOWS and HOUSE MARTINS fed in the sky, covering the area of Migrant alley, the Greenhouse Grounds and the Ashes Lane Field, hard to say how many of each, as they came and went, but at least 100 birds in total at times. The ashes lane field was full of MEADOW PIPITS again, at least 40 moved around the weedy field and pasture there, at times lining the dividing fence between the two fields. I again, as yesterday, found the LITLE OWL in an adjacent garden, I was ready for it this morning and managed a photo or two  ;-)

Little owl

Little Owl

Little Owl

A visit to the Lakes and Scrubby Woods was again made, the lakes were a little busier this morning, as there was less disturbance, with 18 MALLARD, 6 MOORHEN, and a GREY HERON found there, while in the Scrubby Woods 4 more Chiffchaffs and another Blackcap were found, these were with a feeding flock of LONG TAILED TITS, which also had with them, NUTHATCH, TREECEEPER, BLUE TIT, GREAT TIT, a couple of really smart looking COAL TITS and 2 GOLDCRESTS, a family party of BULLFINCH were loosely associating with them all too.

Making my way back to my skywatching seat at Migrant Alley, I noted 5 CORMORANT go over, the most seen here for many months. The skywatch was a reasonable hours entertainment, with the KESTREL pair seen up hunting, more Meadow Pipits flitting around the sheep pasture, and the usual HERRING GULLS passing through, but what made it worth the effort today was watching the PEREGRINE (70) pair on the Tower just off my patch at Hadlow village, fortunatley one of them decided to come over and have a chase of the STARLINGS on the paddocks, a good species to bring up the 70th of the month  :-)