Pittswood Birds

It was pretty dire this morning, misty, murky, dark and wet, the heavy drizzle was particularly wetting, and as I passed through the Wet Woods, the cascading water from the half leafed canopy wet me further as I passed through  :-(

I'd seen a COMMON BUZZARD earlier, feeding on worms in a field of seedling wheat that's adjacent to Ashes Lane, but that was about the limit of any interest until I reached the Lakes and Scrubby Woods, there on the Ornamental Lake, I found the MUTE SWANS, and fed them with the few old slices of bread I had brought over with me. The KINGFISHER was seen as I threw the bread out onto the water, and a GREY HERON dropped in, the adjacent Main lake had 2 pairs of MANDARIN DUCK sitting under the overhanging tree's, all good birds for November, but not new. I checked the dozen MALLARDS in case a female Gadwall, or Shoveler was hiding among them, but it wasn't to be.

I was quite wet by now, and took shelter in one of the out buildings, where I ate my Banana breakfast and listened to the singing of the MISTLETHRUSH and SONGTHRUSH again, they couldn't care less how wet it is! I heard BULLFINCH and COAL TIT call from the nearby Scrubby Woods, but I didn't walk through it this morning, I was wet enough, and decided to head over to the Greenhouse Grounds via the Ashes Lane Field. The latter had 5 female PHEASANT feeding in it, and 3 SKYLARK plus a MEADOW PIPIT flew over it, the old shack was scanned from a distance, and I just picked out the dark blob that was the LITTLE OWL.

The rain had all but ceased when I got to the Greenhouse Grounds, where the workers had got a huge roaring bonfire going, although it looked inviting to me, the birds thought little of the smoke and disturbance, so little was to be found in the nearby habitat, just a handful of GOLDFINCH and two SISKIN in the Alder Trees of note.

I had a short sky watch from my seat at Migrant alley, and noted at least 100 BLACK HEADED GULL out on the sheep pasture and paddocks, but not the hoped for Common Gull to add to the months list. My sky watch was pretty poor, not surprisingly in the misty murky conditions, but I did watch the male KESTREL up hunting, and a fly by SPARROWHAWK. I'd hoped for a Yellowhammer or Lapwing to go over, they and the Common gull are just about the most likely species to be added to the November list now, which has frustratingly stalled at 60 species.

The weather looks to be on the change from tomorrow, cooler and dryer conditions are set to arrive, that might bring in something new, maybe I can get the camera out again ?  :-)

All I have left in the ''Blog Photo Folder'' now are these two GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER images  :-(

Great Spotted Woodpecker, taken at my garden last week

Great Spotted Woodpecker, Female