Pittswood Birds

The nagging North wind was stronger this morning and with cloudier skies than of late, it felt cold out this morning.

Maybe it was the temperature that dissuaded many of the birds from singing today, their silence meant there were certainly fewer species found than on the last two visits, but at least the four summer species of CHIFFCHAFF, WHITETHROAT, BLACKCAP and SWALLOW were heard to give short bursts of song.

In the cold wind I didn't really record much to bother my notebook, however, I did add a species to the April list when a pair of RED LEGGED PARTRIDGES (74) were seen on the Ashes Lane Fields, these take the months list to 74, which is, so far, the fourth best April tally out of 14 and is also the mean average tally for the previous 5 Aprils.

Other species I wrote down were the single BLACK HEADED GULL, 2 HERRING GULL and the LESSER BLACK BACKED GULL that were all at Migrant Alley very early on, Gulls are not common here in late April. Also noted were the flyovers from SPARROWHAWK and YELLOWHAMMER, plus the two BUZZARDS that were soaring over the Wet Woods. The only other bird in my book was the male KESTREL, it hunted at the Greenhouse Grounds, the female is presumed to be on her nest, as she has not been seen for a while.

I still await confirmation of any successful breeding from the birds here, there are a few species on nests, but no young of any sort yet, its certainly a late kick off this spring!

Linnet

Whilst sky watching from my seat at Migrant Alley, this Spitfire kept passing overhead, rather annoyingly!  I personally much prefer the 'shark' like appearance of the Messerschmitt BF 109, shame there wasn't one about!