Pittswood Birds

The cloud came and went during this mornings patch visit, where it eventually turned very warm again.

I was out for another 5 hours, but found very little indeed to excite, a female MANDARIN DUCK flew over Migrant Alley as I did a circuit first thing, the Corvid flock there had increased to around 300 birds, a few PIED WAGTAILS, LINNETS and GOLDFINCH were also on one of the paddocks. The Wooded Headland to the north of Migrant Alley had a calling CHIFFCHAFF and at least 3 BULLFINCH.

A short skywatch was made from my usual seat, where the skeins of both GREYLAG and CANADA GEESE were watched going over, the only gull species today were HERRING GULLS, but a few SWIFTS were also seen today, with many more seen flying SW just to the south of my patch, a lone HOUSE MARTIN flew over, and the regular 3 raptor species were seen, those being KESTREL, SPARROWHAWK and BUZZARD, although I probably saw both peregrine and Hobby in the far distance too. Behind my seat, in the tall hedgerow that marks the Greenhouse Grounds boundary, a noisy family of WRENS had fledged, and two WHITETHROATS were seen.

Over at the lakes it was very quiet today, nothing but the usual MUTE SWAN family, MOORHENS and two MALLARDS, with just 2 of the four COOT family seen again.

The Scrubby Woods was full of feeding BLACKCAPS, helping themselves to the berry laden Elder trees, a few of the regulars turned out, GOLDCREST and COAL TIT, more Bullfinch, plus TREECREEPER and NUTHATCH, but there is no sign of a mixed feeding flock that can often be found at this time of year.

Once again I ended up chasing Dragonflies around, finding Southern Hawker, Brown Hawker, Common Darter and White Legged Damselfly, I even got a shot of the Brown Hawker today, only a distant record shot, but it's the closest i've got this year!

I watched this one catch a moth and settle in an Elder tree to eat it, alas, there was a bank of Nettles and Brambles between it and me!

I tried to push my way nearer, but the Hawker took just a minute to devour the moth, and off it went again.