Pittswood Birds

Yesterdays fine sunny weather was replaced by much more familiar November weather today, that being rain, drizzle and a grey sky that kept the day dark and dismal.

I had just a couple of hours out on patch, a visit to the Lakes was had, just in case a new duck species had turned up, it hadn't, but a pair of MANDARIN DUCKS were again present, as was the MUTE SWAN pair and the KINGFISHER, I cant complain at that, better than the usual MALLARDS and MOORHENS - sometimes even the Mallard aren't there   :-)

Most of the woodland species showed up in and around the Scrubby Woods, NUTHATCH, COAL TIT, BULLFINCH, LONG TAILED TIT, GOLDCREST, GREAT SPOTTED and GREEN WOODPECKERS the pick of those, LESSER REDPOLL were heard flying over, and a MISTLETHRUSH was once again singing.

Heading off over to the Greenhouse Grounds and Migrant Alley, via the Ashes Lane field, I noted that more winter thrushes were arriving, a flock of 34 FIELDFARE, along with a few singles, as well as four flocks of REDWING, each having 15 - 20 birds in them flew over, heading south west.

A largish flock of BLACK HEADED GULLS was seen on one of the paddocks at Migrant Alley, a good scan of them, all 89, didn't give me a Mediterranean or Common Gull though. On the adjacent sheep pasture a flock of 50-60 STARLINGS were feeding, not had this flock here for a while, two MEADOW PIPITS flew up from further out, and SKYLARK was heard calling as they went over.

My sighting of the day though came from the Greenhouse Grounds, where I watched a pair of REED BUNTINGS (59) drop in, they used a puddle to bath, then flew off North, shame they never stay around on my patch, this is just the 3rd month this year I have had Reed bunting on the months list, so its a good species to find for this month, which is now on 59 species, the 6th best November out of the 12 so far, still hope of a Yellowhammer or Linnet to join the November list, but 'll need more than those to get to the November record of 68 species.

Back to the 'Blog Folder' for photo's today, but not much is left in there, a couple more Long Tailed Tit shots I took at my garden feeders will have to do!  :-)

There were 7 Long tailed Tits on this fat feeder, and 6 on the other  :-)

This one was having a breather  :-)