Pittswood Birds

Overnight rain was the first for a week or so here, but it soon cleared and the sun was back by 09:00hrs, although it felt cool in the breeze.

With a busy morning ahead of me, I only had time for a couple of hours or so out on my patch, where I had quick looks over the lakes and Scrubby Woods, then a wander around the sheep pasture and paddocks of Migrant Alley. The lakes had an increase in CANADA GEESE, 8 had joined the nesting pair, as had the feral BARNACLE GOOSE, no other change was noted, with the MUTE SWAN and COOT pair remaining, and a few MALLARD and MOORHEN seen. A flock of at least 20 FIELDFARE were noisily chattering in a bankside tree.

There were at least 3 TREECREEPERS in the Scrubby Woods, lots of singing from them was heard, as well as from COAL TIT and 3 maybe 4 CHIFFCHAFFS, no sign of my first spring Blackcap yet though. BULLFINCH, GOLDCREST, and NUTHATCH were also noteworthy finds here.

Another two Treecreepers were heard singing from the Wet Woods as I passed them, and drumming from GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKERS was also heard, but I didn't have time to check up on the Mallard brood seen there yesterday. The LITTLE OWL was again in the old shack in the Ashes lane Field as I passed through.

My walk around the sheep pasture and paddocks of Migrant Alley didn't provide me with a Wheatear, as they so often have in previous March's, but I suppose there is still time yet. I did hear and see a couple of MEADOW PIPIT, plus a couple of SKYLARKS up singing. I scanned the 20 or so BLACK HEADED GULL that were in with the sheep, hoping to find a Med Gull with them, but none was found.

A short skywatch, only produced two raptor species today, a KESTREL and a pair of BUZZARDS, I also saw a few HERRING GULLS going over, but nothing much else. My walk home via the Greenhouse Grounds was good for the usual common species, he best being 4 LINNETS.

This afternoon I had to wait in for some work to be done by the plumber, that at least gave me some time to get some garden bird photo's, the highlight was another ringed LESSER REDPOLL, which I took plenty of images of, you'll be seeing more of it on later posts I think  :-)

Lesser Redpoll

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Nice to have a SISKIN visiting again too

Nuthatch

Great Spotted Woodpecker - took lots of images of this one too!

Good old BLUE TIT