Pittswood Birds

Overnight rain stopped before dawn this morning, leaving a dry, but windy day, with a few sunny intervals.

I had a little over two hours out this morning, then another hour out this afternoon, but still couldn't find any new bird species to add to the year list, it was still good to be out though  :-)

As normal on a winters walk, the first port of call is the lake area, where today no less than 4 GOOSANDER had returned to the main lake, this time 3 females and a male, 24 MALLARDS were also with them and 2 pairs of MANDARIN DUCK were asleep amongst the tree overhang, do they ever come out during the day ? The Mute Swans had left the ornamental lake, and only one COOT was found there today, 14 Mallards a 4 MOORHEN were also seen there. The small lake had only 6 Mallards on it, I was hoping to find the years first Grey heron there  :-( A CORMORANT flew over, circled but didn't come down onto the water.

The Scrubby Woods and Wet Woods were good for most of the regular species that can seen there, and whilst watching the likes of TREECREEPER, NUTHATCH, GOLDCREST, COAL TIT, GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER, and BULLFINCH, I more than once heard both SISKIN and LESSER REDPOLL calling as they flew over.

Crossing the Ashes Lane Field, just 2 MEADOW PIPITS flew up of note, and the adjacent large garden had 4 REDWING and 2 FIELDFARE feeding on fallen apples, whilst watching those I heard the call of a BUZZARD and soon found it flying low over the Wet Woods.

Over at the Greenhouse Grounds it was all very much ''as you were'' plenty of common and regular birds about, BLACKBIRD, SONGTHRUSH, WREN, DUNNOCK, ROBIN, PIED WAGTAIL, GOLDFINCH, CHAFFINCH, plus another Bullfinch and a couple more Siskin as well as the male KESTREL.

I took my camera out, but it wasn't until I got home that the sun came out proper, allowing me to get a couple of shots of the usual garden birds, they brighten the page up nicely though  :-)

 LONG TAILED TITS visit every half hour, hard to resist taking a photo of them!

Up to 14 come in and feed on the fat, then quickly disappear again

I always have a Dunnock in the hedge  :-)

The sun was on it today, so I could get a decent shutter speed for once!

GREAT TITS come and go, up to four at a time.