Clouded Yellows

Sunny, 24°, light WNW.

A walk out to the Lees and an unprecedented number of Clouded Yellow butterflies (7) seen. They were present in a field of Lucerne along with c8 Painted Lady, numerous Common Blue and a Hummingbird Hawkmoth.

It is certainly the most CY’s I’ve seen in one go in the UK.

As for birds, they were in short supply. Although the first Willow Warbler of the autumn was a good one, a few Chiffchaff, c20 Swallow passing over, a Reed Bunting, Yellowhammer, Blackcap etc.

Dragonflies: Beautiful Demoiselle and Ruddy Darter.

Butterflies: Clouded Yellow, Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown and Small Heath.

Clouded Yellow with an un-identified Bee in the top right. Enlarged crop below.

A bit of light precipitation

Cloudy with a few sunny spells, 26°, light WNW.

A cooler day and a walk along the Bunk area up to the gravel pit and back.

A bit of light precipitation which I believe is called rain!

Still pretty slow bird wise with the gravel pit being the most active from what little I could see.

100+ large Gulls, mainly, if not all Lesser Blackback Gull, c50 Black-headed Gull, a Mute Swan, c100 Canada Geese, 6 Greylag Geese, 2 Tufted Duck, loads of Mallard and 6 Lapwing.

Elsewhere, several Chiffchaff and Yellowhammer, 3+ Blackcap feeding on ripened Elderberries and few Swallow, House Martin and Swift overhead.

Dragonflies: Emperor, Migrant Hawker, Common Darter and Ruddy Darter.

Butterflies: Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown and Small Heath.

Garden: a Blackcap bathing, and Painted Lady and Hummingbird Hawkmoth. The latter 2 species have been around for approx. 6 weeks on and off. Possibly not the same ones but seen virtually every day.

And an impromptu productive meeting with the gravel pit manager.

Lesser Stag Beetle, courtesy Bill Nichols

 

A warm one

Cloudy to start with, but the sun kept breaking through, warm at 25° with a light northerly breeze.

A gentle sort of day along the Bunk — nothing dramatic, just steady bits of wildlife popping up here and there.

The highlight was a Common Redstart tucked into the hedge between the gravel pit and Green Lane. It stayed on the far side over the railway, so I only managed those teasing little glimpses of the red tail flicking about.

The gravel pit was pretty subdued: just a Mute Swan and a handful of Mallard keeping things ticking over.

A few Swallow and House Martin drifted overhead now and then, and the odd Swift shot through to keep the sky interesting.

Around the hedges, I picked up a couple of Chiffchaff, a Common Whitethroat, and a Yellowhammer. Raptors were limited to a single Kestrel and a lone Sparrowhawk cruising through, plus a few Buzzard and the usual Red Kites.

Dragonflies were represented by Common Blue Damselflies, a Migrant Hawker and Common Darters, and the Butterflies added a nice splash of colour: Clouded Yellow, Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Peacock, Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown and a Hummingbird Hawkmoth near the gravel pit.

Nothing too hectic today — just a relaxed wander with enough variety to make it a good outing.

The only pic I managed was a Buzzard but it kept looking away. 

Red Kites courtesy Bill Nicholls

Allotment

Sunny with variable cloud, 22°, light to breezy NNE.

A few hours spent on Loren's allotment this afternoon with plenty of insects around. Esp several species of Bee, Butterfly and Dragonfly.

Emperor Dragonfly, Migrant Hawker and Common Blue Damsel.

Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Peacock, Comma, Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown.

Only had my phone for pics so not great quality.

Bunk again

Hazy sunshine, 29°, light to breezy NNW.

Very quiet birdwise along the Bunk area this afternoon. The odd Yellowhammer and Common Whitethroat, 2 Herring Gull at CSW and a few Black-headed Gull that appeared to be feeding on flying ants, was about it.

Mammals: Brown Hare.

Dragonflies: Beautiful Demoiselle and Common Blue Damsel.

Butterflies: a drop in numbers: Small Skipper, Large White, Small White, Small Copper, Small Blue, Brown Argus, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Peacock, Comma, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown.

Moths: Jersey Tiger.

Bunk

Sunny with light cloud, 28°, light ENE.

Birdwise, very quiet again. A single Lapwing seen at the gravel pit and a Reed Warbler nearby but little else.

Several Swift, Swallow and House Martin over.

Dragonflies: Common Blue Damsel, Azure Damsel and Black-tailed Skimmer.

Butterflies: Large White, Small White, Small Blue, Brown Argus, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady (2), Small Tortoiseshell (1), Peacock, Comma, Speckled Wood, Marbled White (1), Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown and Ringlet (1).

Black-tailed Skimmer, F above, M below

A good mix

Cloudy, 20°, light to breezy NE.

A welcome relief from the heat of the last week but warming up again mid-afternoon and just a few bits from around the home and garden incl 9 species of Butterfly.

Jersey Tiger Moth

Hummingbird Hawkmoth

Female Blackcap bathing with Blue and Great Tits

Brown Hare courtesy Loren

White-legged Damsel

Large Tabby, a large micro moth.

Iron Prominent

Garden Pebble (micro)

Lollingdon

Sunny, 28°, fresh ENE.

Just the 1 Common Redstart noted on the hill today along with a couple of Corn Bunting and Common Whitethroat and a single Swallow over.

Nearby, several Yellowhammer, a Kestrel and 4 Raven flew north.

Dragonflies: Only Beautiful Demoiselle seen.

Butterflies: Large Skipper, Clouded Yellow, Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Peacock, Speckled Wood, Marbled White, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown and Ringlet.

The Clouded Yellow was forever on the move and impossible to get a decent shot.

A warm one

Sunny, 34°, light E.

A brief trip along the Bunk area. The bunds around the gravel pit have been mowed, subsequently a small area of the gravel pit can be seen, approx. 1/6th.

2 Mute Swan and 2 Tufted Duck seen plus a handful of Black-headed Gull. That was it.

Little else noted: 3 Yellowhammer in song and the odd warbler heard calling.

Great-spotted Woodpecker taking a drink in the garden.  

Dragonflies: Beautiful Demoiselle, Common Blue Damsel, Azure Damsel, Migrant Hawker and Black-tailed Skimmer.

Butterflies: Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Peacock, Comma, Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown.

Moths: Hummingbird Hawkmoth.

Bunk

Sunny, 31°, light SW.

A walk along the Bunk today and a pretty warm one. Still fairly quiet birdwise but another Lesser Emperor dragonfly at the gravel pit and a Clouded Yellow butterfly near Green Lane.

Birds: a Lesser Whitethroat at Green Lane and the usual warblers present on the walk including a family group of 4-5 Chiffchaff.

Several Yellowhammer in song and Lapwing heard at the gravel pit and a Raven nearby. A single Sand Martin over the pit and several Swallow, House Martin and Swift.

Mammals: Roe Deer.

Dragonflies: Beautiful Demoiselle, Common Blue Damsel, Azure Damsel, Southern Hawker, Migrant Hawker, Lesser Emperor (2nd record) and a Common Darter.

Butterflies: Large Skipper, Small Skipper, Dingy Skipper, Clouded Yellow, Brimstone, Large White, Small White, Brown Argus, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Peacock, Comma, Speckled Wood, Marbled White, Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown.

Moths: Small Scallop & Cinnabar Moth caterpillar.

 

A Dragon, a Bird and a Fire

Sunny, 31°, breezy SW.

A quietish day birdwise but a large fire and a new Dragonfly for Cholsey.

Just after 14:00, I was just leaving the hill when I noticed a large plume of smoke just to the south-west of Lollingdon Hill. A large fire had broken out in one of the fields and was being fanned by a breezy south-west wind. It was eventually subdued by the prompt action of the fire brigade but around 100 acres was burnt to a crisp. 14 fire trucks attended and the A417 was closed for a time between Westfield Road and Aston Tirrold/Upthorpe.

Back to the wildlife: few birds, 2 poss 3 Common Redstart still present on the hill and a Corn Bunting noted.

The walk out produced 5 singing Yellowhammer and the odd Chiffchaff, Common Whitethroat and Blackcap.

A female Sparrowhawk mobbing a Red Kite over the football field.

Mammals: A couple of Brown Hare ran past me, presumably from the fire area.  

Dragonflies: a new species for Cholsey in the form of a Lesser Emperor seen out at Lollingdon, also both Banded and Beautiful Demoiselle, a Hairy Dragonfly, Southern Hawker and Migrant Hawker.

Butterflies: Large Skipper, Small Skipper, Large White, Small White, Brimstone, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Peacock, Comma, Speckled Wood, Marbled White, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown and Ringlet.