Pittswood Birds

I didn't get much of a chance for a decent patch visit today, as I had to be back home by 09:00hrs for a delivery, which had a three hour arrival slot. I manged a couple of hours before it arrived and an hour this afternoon, where a few bits and pieces were noted.

During the early visit, under a blue sky that lasted just 45 minutes before it clouded over, I made a circuit of the fields and paddocks of Migrant Alley, then had a short sky watch from my seat there. Nothing remarkable was out on the pasture and paddocks, but 8 CANADA GEESE were a change from the Greylags that are normally there. A few Pied Wagtails and LINNETS had joined the ROOKS and JACKDAWS on one of the paddocks, plus a couple of SKYLARKS drifted over, singing as they went. My sky watch only produced a GREY HERON, A LESSER BLACK BACKED GULL, a few HERRING GULLS, a SPARROWHAWK and one of the young KESTRELS, both were seen together on the Greenhouses as I left for home. SWIFTS were seen up high, It's hard to know now whether they were migrant birds passing through or local birds.

The shorter, afternoon visit was of a bit more interest, even if it was much quieter. I walked along High House Lane and heard a YELLOWHAMMER singing from an Oak tree, as I watched it, a female arrived with food, the male then flying off, I watched the female from a distance, finally she dropped down into the hedge, confirming that Yellowhammer has attempted breeding on my patch, only the second time in 5 years. I shall try and find any fledged young in the coming week or so, to try and prove successful breeding  :-)

Following that small triumph, I headed for the Greenhouse Copse and Grounds, finding a couple of well fledged BLACKCAPS and WHITETHROATS, better still, I watched a pair of GREY WAGTAILS (62) fly over the Greenhouses, a good species for the July list  :-)  I checked up on the Pied Wagtail nest in the Greenhouse Grounds, and was fortunate enough to see two very newly fledged youngsters in the vicinity, the fourth family to to come from around the buildings here.

Not much for the camera today, I snapped one of the Kestrel youngsters as I passed, plus this Large White Butterfly was obliging.

Large White

Young Kestrel - doing really well  ;-)