Pittswood Birds

This morning was mostly sunny with patchy cloud at times, but a cool NE wind negated any warming effects from the sun.

I made the 6th full patch walk of the month today, with the 5 hours producing an acceptable 46 species, but it was the 44th one that pleased me the most, that being the first WHITETHROAT (84,71) of the year, which was seen at the Greenhouse Grounds towards the end of the visit. This is the fourth of the regularly breeding summer migrants to arrive on my patch, I probably wont get any more that breed, maybe Lesser Whitethroat, Turtle Dove and Spotted Flycatcher will prove me wrong, as there was a single pair of each breeding here last year, but I fear they will go the way of the Cuckoo, Nightingale, Garden Warbler, Willow Warbler, House Martin and Swift, all of which no longer breed here.

Another pleasing sighting of a RED KITE was had, when one flew over the Ashes Lane Field making it a four raptor day, with BUZZARD, KESTREL and SPARROWHAWK all turning out as well this morning.

Most of the scarcer Woodland species were recorded today, except Long Tailed Tit and Nuthatch, while the lakes had only the MANDARIN DUCK of note. GREYLAG GOOSE and CANADA GOOSE are both nest sitting, plus I found a MALLARDS nest with 8 eggs in on the bank of the main lake.

View to the North, over ''Bustard Hill'' where a couple of SKYLARKS were up singing.

The LITTLE OWL was heard to call from the Greenhouse Copse as I sky watched, but little flew over, just a couple of HERRING GULLS plus the local Corvids and WOODPIGEONS, I did get to photograph the male KESTREL as it hunted over the nearby greenhouse Grounds though, pleasing to photograph the male rather than the usual female  :-)

Kestrel

The only Butterflies about today were this Small Tortoiseshell and a couple of Peacocks