Pittswood Birds

Early cloud dispersed during the morning and it became sunny and warm...ish for the time of year.

Whilst the weather was settled, I took the opportunity to do a full patch walk, which despite starting off very unpromising, with very few birds about, I ended up with a good species tally of 48. I found 5 new species for the month, the first of those was a SISKIN (48) which fed on the cones of an evergreen tree over at the lakes, where the second addition to the months list was seen when a GREY WAGTAIL (49) flew over the main lake. Despite the presence of a fly through SPARROWHAWK, there were plenty of BLUE TITS, GREAT TITS, GOLDCRESTS, CHAFFINCH, BULLFINCH and GOLDFINCH around the Scrubby Woods and lakeside edges, with them were single COAL TIT, a couple of GREENFINCH and a NUTHATCH, plus the third addition to the November list, a TREECREEPER (50).

When I crossed the Ashes lane Fields I was dismayed at seeing one of the fields being stripped of its perimeter Bramble and nettle cover, for no other reason than making the field boundary tidier  :-(  The sound of the brush cutter meant little was noted here, or on the adjacent Pub Field.

Over at The Greenhouse Grounds I encountered a flock of 6 LONG TAILED TITS, and watched the KESTREL pair hunting around the greenhouses. The nearby Greenhouse Copse was scanned carefully, and I got lucky when I spotted the first LITTLE OWL (51) of the month.

I was soon on my sky watching seat and the 2 hour vigil provided me with a good few of todays species, with BLACK HEADED GULL, HERRING GULL, ROOK, CARRION CROW, SKYLARK, MEADOW PIPIT, GREYLAG GOOSE, 93 CANADA GEESE with the BARNACLE GOOSE (52) in tow, a GREY HERON, a COMMON BUZZARD and a STOCK DOVE. If the habitat on my patch keeps getting destroyed at the rate it is, I might just as well sit and watch the sky all morning, the landowners / farmers cant destroy that, can they!

 HOUSE SPARROW