Pittswood Birds

Morning cloud gave way to some pleasant sunshine by midday, making it feel very springlike  :-)

I spent 3 hours on my patch this morning, and another 2 this afternoon, finding a few interesting bits a pieces. Eight LESSER REDPOLLS (63,57) that fed in a Silver Birch at the side of the small lake were the first this year - at last! On the lakes themselves nothing unusual was found, but the KINGFISHER was heard, and 8 CANADA GEESE plus the farmyard white goose were visiting again.

Canada Goose

A SKYLARK was singing from the arable fields adjacent to High House Lane, where I also saw a couple of YELLOWHAMMERS, the LITTLE OWL called from the nearby Greenhouse Copse and at the Greenhouse Grounds the long staying GREY WAGTAIL remains, along with the 3 BULLFINCHES.

A sky watching session from my seat at Migrant Alley proved very rewarding today, I watched the KESTREL pair up hunting, plus up to 4 BUZZARDS were seen, a SPARROWHAWK went over high up, as did a CORMORANT and a GREY HERON, but the star bird today was a PEREGRINE FALCON (64,58) that sped low over the sheep pasture, putting up over 100 BLACK HEADED GULLS, the 2 COMMON GULLS, the 200+ mixed flock of corvids and the 50-60 WOODPIGEONS that were feeding there. I watched the Peregrine speed through the flocks of birds and then pluck a Woodpigeon out of the sky, dropping down with it just 40 meters from me, as the Peregrine tried to subdue the stricken Woodpigeon, a gang of CARRION CROWS mobbed it so intently that the Woodpigeon escaped. The Peregrine then took off and circled my position, allowing me to get a few snaps of it.

 Peregrine Falcon. It has a BTO ring on its right leg and a red plastic ring on its left