Pittswood Birds

It was overcast and cool this morning until around 09:00hrs, when the sun broke through, giving some warm sunshine, cloud returned by mid day however.

After seeing so many bird species yesterday, I didn't have to make a list today, I just ticked the off the species on yesterdays list as I found them  :-)  Well, most of them, as I didn't find Yellowhammer, Peregrine or House Martin today, but I did add the TREECREEPER and BULLFINCH that were missing from yesterdays list, so the species total for my 5 hour visit was another high one - 50 in all.

Lots of species then, but no new arrivals, the most likely spring migrant to arrive next would be the Common Whitethroat, or the Cuckoo, both have first sighting dates of the 11th April, but they were the earliest arrival dates for my patch. It's disappointing not to have seen a Wheatear this month yet, they have been recorded in every April so far, but with habitat changes and disturbance at Migrant Alley, where most sightings occur, finding this species has become very difficult.

The Cuckoo didn't breed on my patch last year, the first time it has failed to do so, last year it was seldom heard and was only recorded as a passage migrant. It remains to be seen if the likes of Lesser Whitethroat, Garden Warbler or Turtle Dove return to breed on my patch this year, they have declined to just one pair of each in recent years, so may only be recorded as passage birds in 2014, the same goes for Spotted Flycatcher, the only pair here last year were recorded at the College Grounds, which I no longer visit as part of my patch due to the changes in habitat and disturbance that have ruined the area.

On a more positive note, Yellow Wagtails are seen in most Aprils as they flew over Migrant Alley, plus there is always the chance of an early hobby or swift flying through, maybe a Sedge or Reed Warbler will drop in briefly too, plus if my luck is really in, a Stonechat, Whinchat or Redstart might turn up around the Greenhouse Grounds  :-)

Not much said about todays sightings as nothing has changed since yesterday!

I got the odd photo today, but i'm not having too much luck in that department :-(

LONG TAILED TIT from my garden

A pair make frequent raids on the fat feeder

Where they are ambushed by a pair of territorial BLUE TITS

Orange Tip, from my garden, I had time for one image before it flew off, not a good one!

Also seen in my garden was this tiny moth

It had a wingspan of no more than 5mm, it was visiting the mint and Marjoram