Pittswood Birds

Early sunshine warming the Scrubby Woods

A totally different morning from yesterday, with bright blue skies from the off, giving me the chance of a five hour full patch walk.

I recorded a good tally of 48 species while out, this was made up to 50 when two species not seen on my walk, NUTHATCH and LESSER REDPOLL were seen at my garden feeders during my snack break at home  :-) I took these images of it later in the afternoon, the light was just a bit strong to show it's lovely rosey breast properly, but it's a shot I was after, so its a keeper  :-) I took a few more photo's of the garden birds which i'll post tomorrow, as the weather looks to be returning to wet and windy!

Male Lesser Redpoll

He's been visiting for a while, at last I've got an image of him

Back to this mornings walk and the day's tally could have been much larger, as no Gulls or winter thrushes were seen, unusual for this time of year. The lakes had plenty going on, with 7 GREYLAG GEESE dropping in to join the 8 CANADA GEESE and the BARNACLE GOOSE that were already there. The MALLARDS and MOORHENS were busy nest building, and the COOT pair look to be readying themselves to do the same, I wonder if the MUTE SWANS will find a place to nest ? As i waited around the waters edge for something to happen, it did, when 5 GOOSANDER arrived with a splash, 3 of them being females, shortly after I watched a pair of BUZZARDS fly low over, they were encountered more than once today!

Common Buzzard, seen later in the walk over the Ashes Lane Field

The Scrubby Woods and Wet Woods were good for a whole host of woodland species, nothing too unusual but good to hear and see the likes of LONG TAILED TIT, COAL TIT, TREECREEPER, GOLDCREST, BULLFINCH, GREENFINCH, SISKIN, STOCK DOVE, SONGTHRUSH, MISTLETHRUSH, GREAT SPOTTED and GREEN WOODPECKERS, plus a pair of MANDARIN DUCK on the pools of water in the Wet Woods.

Out on the Fields I found a LITTLE OWL in the old shack thats in the Ashes Lane Field, the first sighting of one there for ten days, a couple of SKYLARK were also up singing. Not much but ROOKS, JACKDAWS and WOODPIGEONS were out on the paddocks and pasture of Migrant Alley, but in the adjacent Greenhouse Grounds a couple of YELLOWHAMMER were present, as well as 3 LINNETS, 2 PIED WAGTAILS and 8 MEADOW PIPITS a nice little collection for here! The only flyovers that were of any note during my sky watch, were a SPARROWHAWK and the female KESTREL.

DUNNOCK at the Greenhouse Grounds

Closer Dunnock

Plenty of ROBINS at the Greenhouse Ground s too  :-)

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