Pittswood Birds

There were gales and heavy rain overnight and into the early morning, meaning I didn't get out until gone 09:00hrs, once the rain and wind cleared it remained dull and overcast for the rest of the day.

I headed for the lakes, Wet Woods and Scrubby Woods, via the Ashes Lane Fields, then re-traced my steps and had a look around the Greenhouse Grounds and Migrant Alley. It was very hard going to find anything of note though, a few MEADOW PIPITS remain on the grassland at the Ashes lane Fields, the Wet Woods had GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKERS and GREEN WOODPECKERS calling, plus a TREECREEPER was also seen there, on the pools of water a few MALLARDS and a couple of MOORHEN foraged about.

The main lake was totally devoid of any wildfowl today, as was the small lake, but the ornamental lake had 12 more Mallards, another 4 Moorhen and the COOT pair, plus most pleasing to see was the immature MUTE SWAN back with its parents for the first time since it's escapade with the barbed wire a week ago  :-)

Good views of rosy breasted male BULLFINCHES were had in the Scrubby Woods, but of the other scarcer woodland birds only GOLDCRESTS were seen, as I left the area I heard, then saw the KINGFISHER fly across the main lake.

Arriving at the Greenhouse Grounds the female KESTREL was seen hunting over the grounds, spooking up the many DUNNOCKS, WRENS and ROBINS as it did so, a pair of PHEASANTS and a flock of a dozen GOLDFINCH were about the best of the rest there.

Out on the sheep pasture and paddocks of Migrant Alley it was all much the same as yesterday, with 250 STARLINGS, 40-50 BLACK HEADED GULLS, and the mixed ROOK/JACKDAW flock of around 100 birds. The only flyovers were a single FIELDFARE and a few HERRING GULLS, not a very inspiring visit today then!

Back at home the garden filled with birds......then emptied just as quick as the SPARROWHAWK kept coming in, I'll never get a Brambling visit for my year list all the time the Sprawks about!

I eventually gave in to the temptation of photographing said sprawk, despite the poor light!

I took these Great Spotted Woodpecker images earlier in the week, they are the last images in my blog photo folder. However the weather forecast is for a frosty, sunny day tomorrow, so I should be able to photograph something else!