Pittswood Birds

It was mostly cloudy today, with just a few brighter moments, a keen SE wind developed as the morning went on.

I carried out a full patch walk this morning, in which the three and a half hours out produced a good tally of 45 species, the likes of Coal Tit, Treecreeper, Pheasant, Siskin and Lesser Redpoll weren't seen though and no new species were added to my months or year totals.

The lakes were quite busy with birds - unusually, with a lone COOT and the MUTE SWAN pair being the highlight, but there was also a CORMORANT present, as well as 7 CANADA GEESE, one of them was the individual that has paired off with a GREYLAG GOOSE and they had their two hybrid young with them, MALLARDS and MOORHENS made up the rest of the water dwellers.

Two of the three regular raptor species were seen, the KESTREL at its usual haunt over at the Greenhouse Grounds, where I saw a GREY WAGTAIL again, and a BUZZARD that was sitting out on the fence line by the Greenhouse Copse. A SKYLARK sang over Bustard Hill, plus the BLACK HEADED GULL flock was on the sheep pasture at Migrant Alley, around 40 in all were joined by a few HERRING GULLS and 2 COMMON GULLS.

I noted just 1 MEADOW PIPIT at the Ashes Lane Fields, where the FIELDFARE / REDWING/ STARLING flock were seen again.

Later in the morning, as I sat at home with a mug of tea watching the COAL TITS, SISKINS and LESSER REDPOLLS at my garden feeders, (so thats where they were!), a SONGTHRUSH flew in and posed nicely on one of my perches, I just had time to grab the camera and get a couple of images of it  :-)

Songthrush - good bird to get in my garden now a days  :-)

This WREN visits my garden regularly too, I took this image yesterday.

Another from yesterday to brighten the post - GREAT TIT

One more from yesterdays session - This BLACKBIRD has learned to take the Sunflower Hearts from the hole in the log  :-)