Pittswood Birds

Just a ninety minute patch visit was possible today, early rain and a mid morning appointment with the opticians limited my time out.

Not much was recorded, certainly no sign of any Siskins or Redpoll for the months list, if I don't see a Siskin this month it will be the first siskin-less January ever on my patch!

The MUTE SWAN pair were still at the ornamental lake, the female was checking out last years nest site, so these probably are the pair that bred here last year and will, hopefully, do so this year. A GREY HERON visited the main lake, but no other visitors were seen on the water this morning.

There was not much activity in either the Scrubby Woods or the Wet Woods, just COAL TIT, NUTHATCH, BULLFINCH and GOLDCREST were seen out of the scarcer woodland passerines.

A COMMON BUZZARD flew low over the Ashes Lane Fields, but didn't upset the 30 or so REDWING there, or the MISTLETHRUSH pair that were with them, the male KESTREL was sat on a fence post as well, not to the liking of the dozen MEADOW PIPITS that mobbed it!

Only a few minutes were spent scanning the sheep pasture and paddocks of Migrant Alley, but little was seen, just a few BLACK HEADED GULLS and the corvid/WOODPIGEON flock.

With just one more visit left for January, it's looking like a pretty poor species tally will be achieved, the 61 species seen so far this January make it only the 8th best tally of 14 and the worst tally since 2007, which stood at 58.

Still a few images left from the 'blog folder' these were taken from my garden earlier this week  :-)

GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER

COAL TIT

Coal Tit