Pittswood Birds

A four and a half hour full patch visit, under grey, cloudy skies, was more of a standard one after yesterdays excitement.

The tally of 44 species was just a little over the average for a February day, but plenty of birds were about. There was a flock of mixed REDWING and FIELDFARE again on the Ashes Lane Fields, around 150 in all, split 70/30 in the favour of the Fieldfare, there were also around 30 STARLING with them, but no Mistlethrush today, the MEADOW PIPIT flock of 35+ birds was back on the adjacent field.

The Wet Woods and Scrubby Woods sounded very springlike, despite the cooler cloudier weather, with song from DUNNOCK, WREN, ROBIN, STOCK DOVE, SONGTHRUSH, GOLDCREST and COAL TIT, plus the spring calls of GREAT TIT and NUTHATCH, all knitted together by the drumming of GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKERS  :-)

The Coot was missing/hiding at the lakes this morning, just the MALLARDS, MOORHENS, MUTE SWAN pair and the KINGFISHER were recorded there, good job I got some photo's of the Coot yesterday then!

A scarce patch Coot  :-)

Down for some more delicious water weed  :-)

Around the farmland areas of my patch I had multiple sightings of BUZZARD and SPARROWHAWK, while up above, another sign of spring was the singing of a SKYLARK. Over at the Greenhouse Grounds the male KESTREL was sitting preening on the greenhouses, the GREY WAGTAIL and 3 BULLFINCHES were also still around, as were a flock of 7 LONG TAILED TITS and as yesterday, the LITTLE OWL called from the nearby Greenhouse Copse.

Only ROOKS and WOODPIGEONS were on the sheep pasture of Migrant Alley when I arrived there, obviously the place had been disturbed, there wasn't a single gull to be seen, or did yesterdays encounter with the Peregrine scare them away for good!

Black Headed Gull, photographed yesterday afternoon