Pittswood Birds

Another slight frost this morning soon dispersed, leaving a day of warm sunshine and light winds.

As is usual on the first day of the month, I undertook a full patch walk, here's what was recorded, in the order it was seen or heard ;

CHAFFINCH, GREENFINCH, GOLDCREST, GOLDFINCH, BLACKBIRD, BLUE TIT, COLLARED DOVE, WOODPIGEON and STARLING were all picked up as I walked the short stretch of Ashes lane to get to the Greenhouse Grounds, where I added WREN, ROBIN, SWALLOW, DUNNOCK, JACKDAW, CARRION CROW, PIED WAGTAIL, KESTREL and LESSER WHITETHROAT to the days list. Out on the sheep pasture and paddocks of Migrant Alley ROOK, MAGPIE, PHEASANT and a flyover skein of 8 GREYLAG GEESE were seen, while the Wooded Headland and then the Greenhouse Copse provided, SONGTHRUSH, GREAT TIT, GREEN WOODPECKER, CHIFFCHAFF, COMMON WHITETHROAT, and BLACKCAP for the monthly tally.

High House Lane and the adjacent Bustard Hill only added LINNET and HOUSE SPARROW to the May list, the next habitat, the Small Holding added TREECREEPER and LITTLE OWL, the latter species sitting in the same place as I saw it two days ago  :-)

Through the Wet Woods, and MALLARD, NUTHATCH, MOORHEN, and STOCK DOVE were found, but the Scrubby Woods only added LONG TAILED TIT to the months total. A couple more species were picked up on the lakes, namely MUTE SWAN, and CANADA GOOSE, plus the bankside scrub had a GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER present.

A circuit of the Ashes Lane Fields and Pub Field provided SKYLARK and MISTLETHRUSH to take the monthly tally into the forties, then an hours Sky watch from my seat at Migrant Alley was made, where I added just HERRING GULL, SWIFT, BUZZARD and lastly, LESSER BLACK BACKED GULL.

A few glaring omissions today then, like Jay, Bullfinch and COAL TIT, but the latter was seen at my garden feeders when I got home, as was a bonus species, the SISKIN, a pair are still visiting the sunflower hearts.

So the May species list kicks off with 48 species, a long way behind the record May haul of 2014, which was 74 species, also a way to go to get to the mean average May tally for the previous 5 Mays, that being 71.

Despite the good weather, just this Whitethroat was photographed today.