Pittswood Birds

I decided on a full patch walk this morning, a patchy, thin layer of ice and snow lay over the area, and with the wind now coming from a NW direction, increasing in strength, the hope was that a few different species would be found.

Although nothing exciting got recorded during the 3 and a half hour visit, with just 37 species being found, I did at least add three more species to the months list, two were gulls, when both COMMON GULL (54) and LESSER BLACK BACKED GULL (55) were seen flying over a chilly Migrant alley, where I also heard, then saw, a REED BUNTING (56) flyover.

There was no ice on the lakes, but no ducks either, well, that is apart from the MALLARDS, a GREY HERON dropped in whilst I was scanning the main lake though. Not many passerines were around the Wet Woods or Scrubby Woods, no Treecreeper, Coal Tit or Long Tailed were found, but the NUTHATCHES, BULLFINCHES and GOLDRESTS were very noticeable as they all called loudly.

Few of the FIELDFARE and REDWING remained at the Ashes Lane Fields or Pub Field, where numbers had been building before the snow and just one MEADOW PIPIT was heard as it flew past.

The Greenhouse grounds had just the common birds, BLACKBIRD, SONGTHRUSH, WREN, ROBIN, DUNNOCK, BLUE TIT, GREAT TIT and the likes, but no Pied Wagtails today, unusually. There were no sightings of the Kestrels today, nor were there any other raptors up and about this morning.

Later in the morning, during a hefty sleet shower, I had a surprise visitor to my garden feeders when a RING NECKED PARAKEET (57) turned up to scoff the sunflower hearts, only the second record of this species for my garden, the last being back in April 2005. I also had a MISTLETHRUSH drop in very briefly, another very rare bird to use my garden.......23 species for the January Garden list now, still a long way behind the 28 recorded in January 2013 though!

Although the light was dreadful I took a couple of photo's of the Parakeet, shooting through the double glazing didn't help the quality of the images none!!

Lovely looking birds, that cant be denied, whatever your stance is on their presence in the UK.