Pittswood Birds

An early appointment elsewhere meant I wasn't able to get out until 10:15hrs today, typical then, that I should receive a phone call to say that the WATER RAIL (54) had been sighted again, it was in the same garden where it was seen last month, over by the lakes.

I arrived at the lakes about 10:30hrs, but not before seeing the first SPARROWHAWK (55) of the month hunting over the Ashes Lane Field as I walked across it. On the lakes very little was about, not surprising, there was a lot of noise and disturbance from nearby gardens, but the MUTE SWAN and COOT pair remained on the ornamental lake despite that. There were 2 CANADA GEESE on the small lake and a total of 17 were in the adjacent grazing field, with them was the feral BARNACLE GOOSE (56) putting in its first appearance for the month :-) Just 2 MALLARDS and 2 MOORHEN were on the main lake today.

I then spent the best part of an hour, some of it in heavy rain, waiting around the garden where the Water Rail had been seen, hoping for a glimpse of it, but it wasn't to be, maybe if I get out early tomorrow i'll have better luck  :-)

I wasn't out for much longer, the rain was coming on again, just for enough time to have a look around the Greenhouse Grounds and associated copse, the latter again being home to the LITTLE OWL. Whilst not finding much of note  in the Greenhouse Grounds, except 3 MEADOW PIPITS, 6 FIELDFARE flew over, as did a flock of mixed Gulls, mostly HERRING GULLS, but at least 4 LESSER BLACK BACKED GULLS were with them.

Not much of a patch visit today, but 3 species have been added to the March list, although it would be good to catch up with the water Rail for myself! Thanks for the call Ken  :-)

Not much left in the ''blog photo folder'' not even a Siskin! here's whats left though. These were taken in my garden during a sunny afternoon last week, so much better with a bit of light !

NUTHATCH

.

GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER

.

.