Pittswood Birds

Yet another very overcast and gloomy morning, barely getting light at all, but again, it was dry and windless, so not all bad  :-)

My 3 hour patch visit this morning was about as exciting as the weather, with periods of my walk being birdless! The most activity was centered around the Greenhouse Grounds, where, as for a couple of weeks now, the 40-50 strong SISKIN / GOLDFINCH flock and 3 - 4 LESSER REDPOLLS were in the Alder Trees, entertaining the female KESTREL as she sat 50m away on a greenhouse roof.

Small numbers, just one's and two's, of MEADOW PIPIT and SKYLARK flew over, but a bigger flock of FIELDFARE, around 60 birds, flew SE, plus a couple of REDWING flocks of 20-30 birds headed the same way, the only other flyovers were HERRING GULLS and BLACK HEADED GULLS, 43 of the latter came to feed on one of the paddocks at Migrant Alley as I sat sky watching.

A GREY WAGTAIL flew over Bustard Hill as I walked along High House Lane, I watched it fly all the way over to the Greenhouse Grounds.

The lakes were disappointing again, just 6 MALLARD and 4 MOORHEN were present. A walk around the Scrubby Woods, in the hope of finding a Woodcock, only produced GOLDCREST, BULLFINCH and LONG TAILED TIT of the scarcer woodland birds. A NUTHATCH called from the Small Holding Area, where 3 GREEN WOODPECKERS were also seen. A bit of an uninspiring day!

WREN, at my new photo prop, awful light, but a useful excercise to see how things may need to be adjusted  :-)

Back home, early this afternoon, I did some test shots at my new bird bath, which had, at various times, attracted a Goldfinch, a GREENFINCH, a BLUE TIT, a GREAT TIT and a ROBIN, plus this Wren, but none stayed more a few seconds, the birds are ultra wary because of the SPARROWHAWK, which made three unsuccessful garden sorties while I was in my shed / hide. I can already see a few things that will have to be adjusted in the birdbath  :-)