Pittswood Birds

Wind, rain and dark skies were inevitably encountered this morning, some ''brighter'' interludes occurred later, but drizzly rain returned before long.

Fed up with the weather, I conceded defeat, I did no more than walk over to the Greenhouse Grounds to replenish the seed for the finches, a bit unlike me, but even my obsession with patch watching has it's limits! Other parts of the country have had it much worse, but my enthusiasm has been sorely tested over the past 6 weeks or so!

Whilst on my brief foray into the gloomy drizzle, I saw a BUZZARD fly low over Ashes Lane, it battled against the wind briefly, before alighting into the Wet Woods for shelter. On entering the Greenhouse Grounds the GREY WAGTAIL flew up from the water intake area and 4 PIED WAGTAILS were seen up on the roof of one of the Greenhouses. BLACKBIRDS, SONGTHRUSH, WREN, DUNNOCK and ROBIN flew from cover as I approached the hedgerow to put out the sunflower hearts, where waiting for breakfast were a flock of 30-40 birds, mainly CHAFFINCH, but a few GREENFINCHES and GOLDFINCHES were with them. After spreading the seed I awaited a few meters away to watch the feeding, but only 3 LESSER REDPOLLS came down to join the incresing numbers of finches.

A quick check of the nearby Alder Trees revealed half a dozen SISKIN, with about the same number of Redpolls, plus a MISTLETHRUSH dropped in very briefly. A 180 degree turn to scan the 100 or so BLACK HEADED GULLS on the sheep pasture at Migrant Alley for that elusive Med Gull didn't turn one up, but the female KESTREL flew low past me, as I followed it in my bins a blast of wind blew the drizzle onto my lenses............that was it I'd had enough ! Bugger this weather !

Garden Starling