General Bird Atlas and BBS recording

For the last couple of days or so a lesser whitethroat has been singing in our garden hedge. Its quite a thick mainly blackthorn and hazel hedge but not quite the usual breeding habitat for this species. Its not the first summer we have had a male lesser whitethroat singing here in mid summer. Possibly this one is a wandering unattached male?

A BBS visit to Minwear and Pickle Woods this morning produced large numbers of fledged birds of many species - titmice all over the place (esp juv coal tits); good numbers of fledged long-tailed tits, plus juv treecreepers, nuthatches, marsh tits (all these and more in mixed flocks). Some 20 or more juv siskins, loads of young blackcaps, chiffchaffs, wrens etc.

Two male wood warblers were still singing and a couple of juvs seen. A family of grey wags at Blackpool Mill, plus a single kingfisher feeding there. At least 3 great-spotted woodpecker families noted in a single 1 km sq. They have become even more numerous in this forest over the last few years.

At least 6 territorial spotted flycs in the woodland (along BBS route) but so far still could not find any evidence of redstarts breeding in this area this year and tree pipits (if they are still around?) could not be found today.