Pittswood Birds

As yesterday, long periods of hazy sunshine made for a pleasant patch visit this morning, where I felt sure that today I would here the song of my first Migrant Chiffchaff of the spring, but the wait goes on!

I checked the lakes, the Scrubby Woods and the Wet Woods, finding the usual species on the water at the lakes, those being MUTE SWAN, which appeared to be on a nest, COOT, MALLARD and MOORHEN, also a pair of CANADA GEESE visited. COAL TIT, NUTHATCH, BULLFINCH, GOLDCREST, LONG TAILED TIT, GREAT SPOTTED and GREEN WOODPECKERS were the best of it from the wooded areas, until I heard the strange call of MANDARIN DUCK above me in the Wet Woods, I looked up and watched a pair fly from the top of an Oak tree!

Crossing the Ashes Lane Field, there were at least 40 REDWINGS, 50 STARLINGS, a MISTLETHRUSH pair and a lone FIELDFARE, it wont be long before the winter thrushes leave my patch now to head back north.

I made my way over to Migrant Alley, where I might just pick up an early Wheatear on the paddocks, but as I arrived so did a couple of tractors with the attended students, I just had time to scan through the BLACK HEADED GULL flock before they all got flushed off, only finding an immature HERRING GULL among them, it was pointless doing a circuit of the fields after that.

View looking north from Migrant Alley

As I sat at my seat I looked along the adjacent hedgerow, which looked sad and battered, at least it gives a clear view all the way along it just in case something was perched up.

Hedgerow - Hadlow style!

I heard a few passerines flying over whilst doing my skywatch, these included MEADOW PIPIT, YELLOWHAMMER and PIED WAGTAIL, also I had a pair of BUZZARDS flyover quite low.

Buzzard

The KESTREL pair were up hunting around the Greenhouse Grounds, but there was no sign of the Little Owls at the Greenhouse Copse today.