Pittswood Birds

Clear blue skies first thing this morning were a welcome sight, allowing for a full patch walk to be undertaken, only the second this month.

As can be expected in July, today was a case of finding all the usual suspects on my patch, with just a slim chance of a passage species turning up, it was with this in my that I started my walk around the sheep pasture and paddocks of Migrant Alley, but no migrants were seen. The ROOKS, JACKDAWS, CARRION CROWS, WOODPIGEONS, a flock of 30-40 STARLINGS, plus a scattering of LINNET families were the only birds on the fields today. Overhead I saw a few HERRING GULLS and two BLACK HEADED GULLS fly through, plus the KESTREL family were making hunting forages to and from the Greenhouse Grounds, where CHIFFCHAFF, BLACKCAP and WHITETHROAT were the only the Summer migrants species seen.

I walked through the Small Holding and found a MISTLETHRUSH, they are quite scarce birds here in July, walking on to the Wet Woods, then onto the Scrubby Woods and Lakes, I noted at least 5 TREECREEPERS, they must be dispersing from their breeding areas. Two BUZZARDS ''mewed'' loudly as they flew up from the Wet Woods, where a couple of STOCK DOVES sang/called, and both GREEN and GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKERS were heard.

The only species not recorded at the Scrubby Woods that could have been was the Long tailed Tit, all the other scarcer species were found easily enough, with COAL TIT and GOLDCREST singing, and the BULLFINCH, JAY and NUTHATCH all calling. Whilst at the Scrubby Woods, photographing a Broad Bodied Chaser, and attempting, but failing to photograph both Brown hawker and Emperor dragonflies, I at last found a couple of recently fledged Chifchaffs, both still being fed by an adult bird, that brings up the 40th species to have bred successfully on my patch so far this year  :-)

A check of the 3 water bodies was made, but the GREY HERON was the only species that had joined the regulars of MUTE SWAN, COOT, MALLARD, MOORHEN, CANADA and GREYLAG GEESE there.

Not a bad visit, with 45 species seen in all, thats about average for a July day.

On the way Home I stopped of at the ever drying out run off pool at the Ashes lane Field, where I was pleased to find, as well as get a few photo's of, my first Ruddy darters of the year  :-) I'll post the Broad Bodied Chaser images up tomorrow  ;-)

Most were immatures

There were at least 4 adult males and a female about too