Pittswood Birds

Low lying fog at Migrant Alley

The low lying fog this morning soon cleared to leave another unseasonably warm and sunny day, great to be out in it  :-)

A misty view NW across the sheep pasture

An early circuit of the paddocks and sheep pasture at Migrant Alley didn't produce many birds, a few ROOKS, JACKDAWS, WOODPIGEONS and CARRION CROWS were about it, while overhead in the mist SKYLARKS and MEADOW PIPITS could be heard going over.

I checked the Greenhouse Grounds for the Stonechat that was there yesterday, but it had moved on, the only migrants found there were a couple of CHIFFCHAFFS, a few ROBINS and BLACKBIRDS that were probably also migrant birds. The GREY WAGTAIL was seen at the water intake again, but was far to clever for me to creep up and get a photo, unlike this WREN  :-)

Wren

I decided to give the lakes a visit, via the Ashes Lane Field, a LITTLE OWL called from the private garden at Ashes lane, the place it now seems to call home, then crossing the Ashes Lane Field I scanned the wire fence and saw small bird perched up, closer inspection showed it was another STONECHAT! Not yesterdays bird, as this one was an immature male, yesterdays was an adult, amazing, two Stonechats on consecutive days  :-)  It didn't allow any sort of approach to take a photo, so i left it alone to forage for food, I did snap these HERRING GULLS as they went over in the now blue sky though.

Herring Gulls

Over at the lakes my hope for a new duck species to increment the months or year list failed to materialise, only MALLARD and MOORHEN were on the water, a GREY HERON was also fishing, and a KINGFISHER was a nice sight as it whizzed over the Main Lake.

A walk around the Scrubby Woods, then the Wet Woods, was quite productive, with both GREEN and GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKERS, NUTHATCH, TREECREEPER, GOLDCREST and BULLFINCH all seen, I even found the troop of LONG TAILED TITS, carrying along another Chiffchaff with them.

To end my 3 hour visit, I once again made my way to my sky watching seat at Migrant Alley, seeing the Stonechat still on the fence wire as I went past. The 40 minute sky watch wasn't too productive though, the highlight being a pair of REDWING that flew through. More Meadow Pipits and Skylarks also went over, as well as a skein of six CANADA GEESE then shortly after a SKEIN of 22 GREYLAG GEESE. Raptor wise, it was the usual 3 suspects, those being KESTREL, SPARROWHAWK and BUZZARD  :-) No Swallows or Martins today, have we seen the last of them I wonder?