Bunk: Cattle Egret

Mainly cloudy, 21°, light WNW.

Bunk area:

A Cattle Egret in cow field opposite school, the highlight of the day and just the 5th record plus 2 Yellow Wagtail present.

Gravel pit: 15 Lapwing, 6 Little Grebe, 4 Tufted Duck and a Coot. 500+ large Gulls seen high and most descended in to the GP area and lost from view.

Elsewhere: a Hobby, initially seen consuming a dragonfly, c20 Chiffchaff, 10+ Blackcap, 8 Swallow, 2 Yellowhammer, 2 Kestrel and a Grey Heron and c250 Starling in the vicinity of CSW.

A Kingfisher seen flying over the brook from the garden and 2 Tawny Owl calling near garden tonight.

Blackbird: I have hardly seen a Blackbird in the last 3 months. I’m guessing they have been affected by the Usutu virus which has a high mortality rate.

First detected in 2020 in the UK and is spreading. A Mosquito born pathogen which has expanded the mosquitos range north, driven by climate change.

Butterflies: a single Small White and the Hummingbird Hawkmoth in the garden.

Dragonflies: Migrant Hawker, Southern Hawker and Common Darter.

Lollingdon

Mainly cloudy, 18°, light to breezy NW.

Lollingdon: Common Redstart, Spotted Flycatcher, 8+ Blackcap, a Garden Warbler, 6 Chiffchaff, Reed Bunting, 5 Yellowhammer, 2 Kestrel and a Jay and my first local Bullfinch of the year.

A very light passage of c50 Swallow and a few House Martin.

A Blackcap, Nuthatch and Coal Tit in the garden.

Dragonflies: Southern Hawker, Migrant Hawker and several Common Darter.

Butterflies: only ones seen on the wing today were Small White and a single Clouded Yellow.

 

A bit of VizMig and the Bunk

Mainly cloudy, 20°, breezy WSW.

VizMig 12:00 – 16:00, c200 Hirundines, a Tree Pipit and 4 Mistle Thrush over.

Passage fizzled out around 16:00. Then approx. another 50 Swallow around 18:00.

A brief walk later along Bunk produced a Willow Warbler, 3 Chiffchaff, 4 Yellow Wagtail and 5 Yellowhammer.

Yesterday 6th Sep: Chiffchaff, Migrant Hawker, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Peacock and Common Blue in garden. Church Road Swallows appeared to have left.

Dragonflies: several Common Darter.

Butterflies: a few Whites, 2 Common Blue, 2 Peacock and a Red Admiral. Plus the Hummingbird Hawkmoth in the garden.

Cholsey

Cloudy, 22°, breezy SW

12:00 – 14:00, 6 Swift, 32 Swallow and 24 House Martin south over Church Road.

2 Swallow still feeding young, Church Road.

Chiffchaff, Migrant Hawker, Common Darter, Small White, Peacock, Red Admiral, 2 Painted Lady and Hummingbird Hawkmoth in garden.

"A Whinchat on the long ditch just beyond the Lees this afternoon.

Lots of passage Yellow Wagtail are being attracted by the cattle along the Bunk/Church Rd lately. Numbers vary day by day, but have had up to 30 together over the past week, and there was about 30 Meadow Pipit with them for one morning only.

The female Reeves’s Pheasant still around. Per Richard Broughton."

There is a lot of Shooting on Cholsey Hill this evening. Presumably after the Canada Geese and no doubt that they will also shoot other species of Geese. Why?

Hirundines, Geese and a Whinchat

Cloudy with rain showers, 20°, breezy SSW.

A better day than expected, waited until the rain cleared and went out along the Bunk line.

Initially I could see rain a few kilometres to the east and west of me and Hirundines were passing overhead in some numbers. The birds appeared to be channelled through a gap in the rain. After around an hour the rain to the west cleared and the numbers dropped but overall, I estimate 600+ Hirundines passed through with both Swallow and House Martin in roughly equal numbers.

Walked out in the garden around 18:00 to be greeted by 30+ Swallow and a handful of House Martin passing overhead.

Approx. 250 Starling in and around CSW along with several Gull species.

I only made it to green lane and on the walk was a Whinchat, a Willow Warbler, 9 Chiffchaff, 3 Blackcap, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 6 Yellowhammer, a Grey Heron and a Kestrel and a Spotted Flycatcher by the church.

c120 Canada Geese flew from the gravel pit area towards Cholsey Hill. As Loren drove back home this evening she saw the Geese on Cholsey Hill and took some pics and a video. Probably around 200 Geese of 3 species.

Mammals: Roe Deer.

Butterflies: a couple of Whites and singles of Clouded Yellow, Common Blue, Red Admiral and Painted Lady.

Getting cooler

Mostly cloudy, 22°, light SW.

Thankfully we have had some rain over the past week, still need more.

Not been out walking for a week or so due to tweaking my Achilles tendon and making it painful to walk.

Decided to put the Trailcam out to see what turns up in the garden.

Have been doing a spot of sky watching in the mid-evening and have been seeing good numbers of House Martin moving over and heading south. Today, 75+, yesterday 100+.

Have had a Painted Lady still visiting the garden but the Hummer has not been seen recently

A few video clips from the last few days of the garden trail cam.

Bunk

Mainly cloudy, 26°, light ESE.

Too much human activity at the gravel pit today. the Coot still present along with 3 species of Geese but little else.

A large Tit flock along Green Lane comprising 50+ birds including 12+ Chiffchaff and at least 2 Blackcap.

5 Yellowhammer, 20+ Swallow and a few House Martin.

A Merlin seen from Westfield Road and a Barn Owl, Halfpenny Lane. Per Mike Amphlett.  

Mammals: Stoat.

Dragonflies: Common Blue Damsel, Emperor, Migrant Hawker and Common Darter.

Butterflies: Clouded Yellow, Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Peacock and Small Heath.

Moths: Hummingbird Hawkmoth in garden again.

Bunk & Gravel Pit

Mainly sunny, 23°, mod breeze E.

Not too much human activity at the gravel pit today.

A Green Sandpiper and a Common Sandpiper, 15 Lapwing, a Coot, Little Grebe, 2 Tufted Duck, 4 Egyptian Geese, 20+ Greylag Geese and c100 Canada Geese,

100+ large Gulls and a similar number of Black-headed Gull.

Elsewhere along the Bunk it was very quiet. A single Yellow Wagtail, a Swallow, Grey Heron, 2 Yellowhammer and 5 Chiffchaff.

Dragonflies: Migrant Hawker and Common Darter.

Butterflies: 2 Clouded Yellow, both Whites common, Common Blue and Meadow Brown.

Hard work

Mainly cloudy, 20°, light N.

Hard work finding stuff today on a 4 hour walk out to the Lees then around to Lollingdon.

Singles of Common Redstart, Lesser Whitethroat and Yellow Wagtail, a couple of Blackcap, several Chiffchaff and Yellowhammer, good numbers of Swallow moving through (100+) and 20+ House Martin.

Green Sandpiper over the gravel pit. Per Brian Wyatt.  

Mammals: Brown Hare and Roe Deer.

Dragonflies: Migrant Hawker and Common Darter.

Butterflies: 7 Clouded Yellow, Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Painted Lady, Meadow Brown and Small Heath.

A few oddities today, a Helmeted Guinea Fowl running across a field and a Falconer hunting Hares with a Red-tailed Hawk (didn't catch any).

Bunk

Sunny, 23°, breezy SW.

Bunk line: A Spotted Flycatcher in the small wood near the gravel pit and 5 Yellow Wagtail with the cattle near Church Road.

The gravel pit was quite busy with heavy machinery and around 200 Canada Geese and 20+ Greylag all congregating on one side of the pit and a lone Coot with them.

Approx. 200 Lesser Black-back Gull flushed from the pit and flew off towards Cholsey Hill.

100+ Black-headed Gull at CSW along with 2 Herring Gull.

A flock of c50 Goldfinch feeding on thistle heads along one of the field margins, 6 Yellowhammer, several Chiffchaff and a Blackcap.

Dragonflies: Migrant Hawker and Common Darter.

Butterflies: numbers down. Large White, Small White, Red Admiral, Meadow Brown and Small Heath.

A Moth and a couple of Shieldbug in garden.

Yellowhammer

Flounced Rustic

Hairy Shieldbug

Red-legged Shieldbug

Lollingdon

Mainly cloudy, 27°, light SW.

Lollingdon: A Common Redstart near Little Lollingdon and a Wheatear on the hill. A Lesser Whitethroat also on the hill plus 2 Common Whitethroat and several Chiffchaff and a Tree Pipit over.

Blackcap and several more Chiffchaff nearby and 2 Raven overhead.

And a trickle of Swallow and House Martin over.

RB had a Reeve’s Pheasant in his garden recently.

2 Tawny Owl in the garden last night.  

Mammals: Short-tailed Vole.

Dragonflies: Banded Demoiselle and Common Darter.

Butterflies: 9 Clouded Yellow, Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown and Small Heath. Plus Hummingbird Hawkmoth on the hill.

Moths

Sunny, 36°, light SE.

Another scorcher and not an incentive to get out for a walk, so occupied myself looking around the garden and building for moths.

And came up with a few. just hope I've ID'd them correctly.

Orange Swift

Rusty Dot Pearl

Scorched Carpet

Small Blood Vein

Small Dusty Wave

Turnip Moth

Jersey Tigers plus

Sunny, 32°, light SE.

A couple of pics from Geoff Wyatt today of a Jersey Tiger Moth (red form) and a Hummingbird Hawkmoth.

I had a Jersey Tiger (yellow form) in the garden today along with a Migrant Hawker Dragonfly, a Painted Lady Butterfly and Peacock, Red Admiral and Holly Blue.

The Jersey Tiger is polymorphic. i.e. the underwing can show either red or orange/yellow.

Later that day we went out to watch the partial eclipse. Slightly disappointing as I had seen the one in 1999 in Cornwall which was total.

But it was an experience. At one point a flock of c80 Canada Geese flew from the Bunk area, maybe thinking it was dusk and fly to the fields to feed and then it started to get brighter again and they flew back to the Bunk area.

Hummingbird Hawkmoth, above and Jersey Tiger, below. Courtesy Geoff Wyatt

Jersey Tiger

Eclipse photos courtesy Loren

Canada Geese courtesy Loren

Lollingdon

Hazy sunshine, 26°, light NNE.

Lollingdon: Common Redstart, Lesser Whitethroat, 4 Common Whitethroat, 3 Blackcap, 10+ Chiffchaff, 2 Yellowhammer, a Hobby, a Kestrel, a Sparrowhawk and 20+ Swallow.

House Martins have just fledged their second brood (2 young) on Church Road.

Mammals: Brown Hare.

Dragonflies: Migrant Hawker and Common Darter.

Butterflies: 5 Clouded Yellow, Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown.