Pittswood Birds

Sunrise on the 12th

Frosty Nettle. Need some more practice and a smaller lens for this kind of image!

Anyway, back to the birds, and in the lovely, fine, frosty weather, I undertook a full patch walk, finding 45 species in the 3 and a half hour visit, a little better than the average for a January morning. I was again a bit miffed at still not finding a Grey Heron for the year list, this is just about the only semi regular species not yet found for January, I would expect Common Gull and Lapwing to turn up at some point this month too.

A few good species did get noted today though, on the lakes one of the COOTS had returned to the ornamental lake, and the 4 CANADA GEESE were again on the small lake, but the Barnacle Goose had moved on, the main lake had 2 pairs of MANDARIN  DUCK on it, which were actually awake today, but too far off to photograph, MALLARDS and MOORHEN made up the other water birds this morning.

Around the Scrubby Woods and Wet Woods, only the Coal Tit of the regular woodland species wasn't recorded, others, like the TREECREEPER, GOLDCREST, MISTLETHRUSH, SONGTHRUSH, and DUNNOCK all sang, while the NUTHATCH, BULLFINCH, JAY, and GREEN WOODPECKER, all called and making for quite a springlike feel to the morning. A flock of 8 LONG TAILED TITS were searched for something unusual that might have been with them, but only GREAT and BLUE TITS were found, the springlike feel to the morning was enhanced by not only the drumming of a GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER, but by the amount of new plant life emerging from the woodland floor  :-)

Walking the Ashes Lane Field, Pub Field, and the paddocks and pasture of Migrant Alley was mainly only good for flyovers, which included HERRING GULL, BLACK HEADED GULL, CORMORANT, CARRION CROW and a COMMON BUZZARD that was besieged by the ROOK and JACKDAW flock, just 1 FIELDFARE and 2 REDWING were noted.

The expected LITTLE OWL was in the Greenhouse Copse again, in its usual tree, and the Greenhouse Grounds were good for all four finch species, GOLDFINCH, CHAFFINCH, BULLFINCH and GREENFINCH, the latter I was pleased to see as they are not often found here nowadays, the 2 seen being the peak count so far this year  :-( It was also good to encounter half a dozen HOUSE SPARROWS, another dwindling species on my patch.

I watched at least 7 SISKINS in the Alder Trees, I was trying again for that special photo of one, and whilst trying, I heard a LESSER REDPOLL fly over. Plenty of WRENS and BLACKBIRDS were seen, as well as more Dunnocks, Songthrush and a Bullfinch Pair, 6 MEADOW PIPITS and 4 PIED WAGTAILS were feeding under the poly tunnel frames, last bird on the list today was the KESTREL which flew over and alighted on a telephone pole along Ashes Lane.

In such good light, and with plenty of photo opportunities, I have re stocked my folder with photo's for the next few days, here's a few to start off with  :-)

House Sparrow

Dunnock

Pied Wagtail

Little Owl