Pittswood Birds

My usual Sunday full patch walk was quite an exciting affair this morning, with some great species seen ( for my patch!) In the five hours I was out I just  about the escaped the showers that roamed the area, recording a good tally of 49 bird species.

The first scarce bird seen on my patch this morning was a flyover CORMORANT, I watched it fly south as I walked Ashes lane first thing. Reaching the Greenhouse Grounds, I had a good look around and found two WHITETHROAT, so they haven't left yet after all! A BLACKCAP and 2 CHIFFCHAFF were also of note there. Another Whitethroat was seen in the Greenhouse copse, with at least 4 more Chiffchaff, one singing, plus another Blackcap, yet another Whitethroat was seen later as I walked High House lane, this one was heard to sing a few phrases, from the hedgerow.

Migrant Alley didn't have any Yellow wagtails this morning, but a superb looking WHEATEAR was sat on the fenceline, until flushed off by the college stable lot, and on it went to continue its migration south. A GREY WAGTAIL was another scarce species to turn up this morning, one flew over the pasture as I carried on through Migrant Alley, then an even scarcer species was seen flying over, a MUTE SWAN (63) no less, the first here since May, I managed a record shot of it  :-)

Mute Swan - a bit too high for the camera!

At the Scrubby Woods and Lakes area, I found a few CANADA GEESE, 2 GREYLAG GEESE and the BARNACLE GOOSE on the main lake, and whilst there 6 MALLARD dropped in, at the adjacent Scrubby Woods there was much activity from the likes of CHAFFINCH, GREENFINCH, GOLDFINCH, BULLFINCH, BLUE and GREAT TIT, plus a singing COAL TIT,  there were ROBINS, WRENS, DUNNOCKS, JAYS, BLACKBIRDS, a SONGTHRUSH, plus GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER, and a couple of GOLDCRESTS. It wasn't until reaching the Small Holding that TREECREEPER and NUTHATCH turned up though.

I ended the walk with my usual sky watch at Migrant Alley, seeing SWALLOWS and HOUSE MARTINS feeding over the sheep pasture and Greenhouses, HERRING GULLS and and BLACK HEADED GULLS were also seen going over. Within ten minutes my first sighting of a KESTREL for the morning was had, and a little later a SPARROWHAWK was also seen, better still, a HOBBY was watched as it chased the Swallows for a few seconds over the Greenhouses, but the bird to really excite me this morning was the OSPREY (103, 64), one flew over from the SE, quite high up, it spent a minute or so circling over Migrant Alley, then the Greenhouses, before moving off to the NW -  A fantastic addition to the year list!!!   This is the 5th year I have seen Ospreys over Pittswood, their migration is so punctual, as you can see by looking at the first autumnal sightings for the years they have been sighted ;
2008 - 2nd September
2010 - 7th September
2011 - 2nd September
2012 - 6th September
2013 - 8th September
I of course got a record shot of it,   :-)

Osprey! unfortunately it was too small a target for the camera to focus on  :-(

Always worth getting some kind of image though - brilliant bird for my patch!