Pittswood Birds

Bluebells in the Greenhouse Copse

The decent weather of late has always been at the expense of fog or early cloud to blight the dawn, but this morning it was sunny from the off, allowing the camera to come out  :-)

After yesterdays mammoth species count, with additions to both year and months lists, todays patch walk was a little more subdued, only to be expected I suppose. The five hour walk produced a much more representative species tally for my patch, with 45 species being found, the only addition to yesterday was a flyover MEADOW PIPIT, they are getting few and far between now, and will cease to be recorded here anyday now.

Dunnock

Plenty of these on my patch, and they always oblige for the camera

I checked the MISTLETHRUSH nest, it was ok, but the male was seeing off a Squirrel that had strayed to near the nest, the GREYLAG GOOSE, CANADA GOOSE, MUTE SWAN and COOTS are all incubating at the lakes, but nothing else was of much note o the water.

Song was much more subdued in the Scrubby Woods this morning, maybe because of the wind, which had picked up a bit, BLACKCAPS, CHIFFCHAFFS, WRENS, DUNNOCKS, ROBINS and BLACKBIRDS dominated, but occasional song from GOLDCREST and COAL TIT was also heard. A pair of MANDARIN DUCK flew from the Wet Woods, where GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER and NUTHATCH called from near their nest sites.

Out on the fields at Migrant Alley there was no sign of a Wheatear for the April list, most unusual not to find one in April, nor much else out there really, just the ROOKS foraging for leather jackets to feed their offspring.

My hour long sky watch was reasonable, with BUZZARDS seen in whatever direction I looked, two of them being local birds, a pair of SPARROWHAWKS were the only other raptors seen today. Only 4 HERRING GULLS went over, and 1 LESSER BLACK BACKED GULL, the local LINNETS, PIED WAGTAILS and GOLDFINCH'S moved around the Greenhouse Grounds and across the sheep pasture, the only other noteworthy sighting was of 3 SKYLARKS chasing about over the Ashes Lane Field.

Lots of Orange Tips about today, males and females, but the males weren't sitting open winged for me today!

Orange Tip, Female

Orange Tip, Female

Orange Tip, Male

Orange Tip, Male