Pittswood Birds

Cloud and rain moved across the area from 11:00hrs, before which, there some warm sunny spells.

I made another 4 hour patch visit, finding a few bits of interest, but it was a mainly quiet visit today. Early on two single YELLOW WAGTAILS flew over the sheep pasture at Migrant Alley, not much else was out on the fields and paddocks though, just hundreds Corvids and the local SWALLOW families, feeding up ready for their long southward journey. Flyovers from hundreds of GREYLAG and CANADA GEESE, in various sized skeins, were seen on their morning movement south, they are all watched flying back North in the evening. A continual passage of HERRING GULLS was also noted, with just 4 BLACK HEADED GULLS and a LESSER BLACK BACKED GULL also going over. I also watched 9 SWIFTS feeding up high before moving South West

Two CHIFFCHAFFS and the GOLDFINCH flock were the most obvious birds at the Greenhouse Grounds, where upon further searching a BLACKCAP and a few GREENFINCH were also seen, the KESTREL turned up just as I was leaving.

The Scrubby Woods were much livelier, with plenty of BLUE TITS, GREAT TITS, CHAFFINCH, and BLACKBIRDS feeding on the Elder and Blackberries, these were joined by a SONGTHRUSH, a family of BULLFINCHES, a GARDEN WARBLER and a WHITETHROAT, not a species that appears here in the Scrubby Woods until Autumn. COAL TIT, NUTHATCH, TREECREEPER, JAY GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER, GREEN WOODPECKER and STOCK DOVE were all heard as I searched through the Elder bushes, plus a late family of WRENS were seen.

On the lakes there was an almost fully fledged family of 5 Canada Geese with 6 adults among them, as well as the GREYLAG GOOSE that has accompanied this family since they hatched out! Two female MANDARIN DUCKS and the KINGFISHER were also seen.

I returned to Migrant Alley just before the rain came, but there was no sign of any ''chats'' still, a short sky watch only produced a SPARROWHAWK and a party of 20 more Swifts.

I failed with the camera today, so i'll post up the Little Egret images I took at Sevenoaks Wildfowl Reserve on Thursday.

Little Egret