Pittswood Birds

Showery rain moved into the area just around dawn this morning, making for another dreary morning, later in the afternoon a few brighter spells were had.

A rainbow heralded the approach of rain  

Very disappointing, as the weather forecast was for sunshine......wrong again!

I dodged most of the showers as I made my way round for a full patch walk, which yielded a very good tally of  48 bird species, the best for me of which, was a stunning male BRAMBLING (104,66) my first on patch since Oct. 2013. This was found among the CHAFFINCHES at the Greenhouse Grounds, where around 30 LESSER REDPOLLS, 6 GREENFINCHES, 10 GOLDFINCHES, 5 SISKIN, a single LINNET, 2 YELLOWHAMMERS and a GREY WAGTAIL were also seen of note, however, the female Kestrel was nowhere to be found this morning.

Three Gull species were out on the sheep pasture and paddocks of Migrant Alley, those being HERRING, BLACK HEADED and COMMON GULL, also, a small flock of 30-40 STARLINGS were present, plus the odd MEADOW PIPIT popped up.

The Pub Field and Ashes Lane Fields didn't add any species to my day list, few birds were on the ''improved'' silage fields and battered hedges there today, just BLACKBIRDS, DUNNOCKS, WRENS, ROBINS a flyover PIED WAGTAIL and a scattering of MAGPIES were seen.

Two separate flock s of LONG TAILED TITS were seen as I checked the Wet Woods then the Scrubby Wood, with them were the loosely associating species of COAL TIT, BLUE TIT, GREAT TIT, GOLDCREST, NUTHATCH and GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER, also the likes of BULLFINCH, SONGTHRUSH, MISTLETHRUSH, REDWING, FIELDFARE, JAY and STOCK dove were all recorded, the only expected species that was not found was a Treecreeper.

A BUZZARD flew low over the lakes, where the COOT stayed into it's third day, a KINGFISHER was heard, then seen as it flew low over the surface of the main lake, MALLARDS and MOORHENS were the only other birds on water.

There were 4 GREEN WOODPECKERS chasing about the Small Holding area, where there was a concentration of Blue and Great Tits that had found some kind of food source.

Completing my circuit, taking the route along High House Lane and back to the Greenhouse Grounds, I added flyover SKYLARK, COLLARED DOVE, and HOUSE SPARROW to end the species daylist.

The addition of Brambling to the year list takes the 2015 tally to 104, which is the 8th best yearly total out of the 14 years of recording, but the worse since 2007  :-(  I cant really expect to add much else, maybe a flyover Golden Plover or a Duck species such as Shoveler or Wigeon will turn up on the lakes. The months total moves on to 66 though, which is just 4 behind the record tally achieved  last year and is the joint 3rd best November total, equal with 2008 and 2011. The likes of Peregrine, Mandarin Duck, Snipe and Ring Necked Parakeet could well turn up yet this month, but time is running out  :-)

No bird images in the poor weather today, so I'll have plunder the ''blog folder'' for some, yet more Redpoll i'm afraid and a couple of nice Blue Tits  :-)

Lesser Redpoll

Blue Tit