Pittswood Birds

A relatively short 3 hour patch visit this morning, under clear skies and an initial frost, didn't turn up any new species for the month or year list, but i'm sure the first Linnet to return to the area, plus the first singing Chiffchaff of the year cant be too far away now  :-)

A visit to the lakes first off found that the MUTE SWAN pair had returned, also a GREY HERON, 13 CANADA GEESE and 9 GREYLAG GEESE visited the main lake.

Few winter thrushes were seen today, but around 15 were seen out on the Ashes Lane Fields, where there were also 5 REDWING and a MISTLETHRUSH pair, as well as 4 MEADOW PIPITS.

Two BUZZARDS were up displaying over the area, and the KESTREL pair were displaying over the Greenhouse Copse, where one of the LITTLE OWL pair sat in it's roost tree.

Out on the sheep pasture at Migrant Alley the BLACK HEADED GULL flock of around 150 birds was joined by 3 COMMON GULLS, but the Mediterranean Gulls seem to have moved on for the time being.

Little Owl at the Greenhouse Copse

Another obliging DUNNOCK !

One of the largest trees on my patch, if not the largest, was brought down today, dont ask why, I suppose someone thought it a nuisance  :-( You can see how big it was by looking at the size of the ''executioner'' in the left of the tree. I took this photo from at least 600 meters away.