A quiet one

Overcast, 9°, light E.

Pretty quiet along the Bunk area today: A single Tufted Duck, 10 Little Grebe and a Grey Wagtail at the gravel pit and elsewhere c50 Fieldfare, c30 Redwing, a Goldcrest and a Chiffchaff.

Bunk

Overcast, 11°, light E.

Bunk and Gravel pit: 120+ Fieldfare, c40 Redwing, 2 Mistle Thrush, 4 Siskin, 3 Chiffchaff and a Goldcrest.

5 Little Grebe, 2 Shoveler, 6 Tufted Duck and a Coot.

The Lees

Overcast, 10°, light E.

The Lees: 6 Stonechat, 4 Meadow Pipit, a Grey Wagtail, 8 Yellowhammer, a Reed Bunting, a Chiffchaff, 2 Mute Swan over, 3 Grey Heron, 3 Kestrel and 2 Jay.

c2000 Corvid on Cholsey Hill plus c30 Linnet, 20+ Skylark and a Barn Owl seen regularly in the area.

Mammals: Brown Hare and Roe Deer.

Bunk

Mostly cloudy with the odd rain shower, 11°, light to breezy NNE.

Bunk area: 2 Stonechat, 300+ Fieldfare, c50 Redwing and 2 Chiffchaff.

Gravel pit: 6 Tufted Duck, 5 Little Grebe, 1 Coot and a Grey Wagtail.

That was about it.

A Short-tailed Ichneumon Wasp (?) found at home as with a Marmalade Hoverfly.

Lollingdon and The Lees

Sunny, 14°, light ESE.

Lollingdon and The Lees:

Generally pretty quiet out today: 6 Stonechat (4 Lollingdon & 2 Lees), 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Reed Bunting, 6 Yellowhammer, 20+ Skylark, 10+ Meadow Pipit, 30+ Linnet and 6 Pied Wagtail.

Mammals: Brown Hare and Roe Deer.

Dragonflies: Common Darter.

Butterflies: 2 Clouded Yellow and singles of Brimstone and Red Admiral.

Cholsey GP

Overcast with light rain, 16°, breezy SSW.

Nothing of note along the Bunk area but the gravel pit had a little more activity.

A Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, 3 Tufted Duck, 2 Coot, 9 Little Grebe, a Grey Wagtail, 18 Redwing, 2 Chiffchaff, a Goldcrest, Grey Heron and Kestrel.

Butterflies: a single Red Admiral.

23rd Oct: A Hummingbird Hawkmoth in the garden trying to find shelter from the rain and 25th Oct a Caddis Fly “Halesus radiatus”.

Bunk, Gravel pit and plenty of birds

Sunny periods, 14°, light to breezy SW.

When out birding you never know what you might come across and today was one of those where something rare turns up. A juv Hen Harrier flew over the gravel pit being mobbed by 3 Rook then disappeared behind some trees heading south east. No photo taken as I was focussed on getting the ID before it disappeared.

Also at the gravel pit. A Green Sandpiper, 6 Tufted Duck, 12 Little Grebe, 2 Coot, a Kestrel and 2 Chiffchaff.

200+ Redwing between the gravel pit and Green Lane plus c50 Fieldfare, 5 Song Thrush and 10+ Blackbird.

A Jay flew over the garden early on.

Dragonflies: A Southern Hawker, a Migrant Hawker and 3 Common Darter.

Butterflies: Just a single Brimstone.

Lollingdon & The Lees

Sunny periods, 14°, light NE.

8 Stonechat today, 4 near the Lees and 4 out at Lollingdon, 2 Kingfisher, 2 Grey Heron, 12 Meadow Pipit, c50 Linnet, 32 Skylark and singles of Chiffchaff and Kestrel.

Mammals: Roe Deer.

Dragonflies: Common Darter.

All quiet

Sunny spells, 15°, breezy NNW.

Again, another quiet one along the Bunk line and gravel pit areas.

A Peregrine, 12 Little Grebe, 3 Tufted Duck, 2 Coot, 2 Grey Wagtail and 5 Chiffchaff was about it.

Shortly after I got back home, 2 Redwing flew over heading to Cholsey Hill area (first of the autumn for me).

Dragonflies: a few Common Darter.

Butterflies: a Peacock and 2 Red Admiral.

Lollingdon & The Lees

Sunny spells, 18°, light SSW.

Lollingdon and the Lees: still pretty quiet locally. 4 Stonechat, 2 Lollingdon and 2 the Lees area, 40+ Stock Dove flushed by a Buzzard, a Kingfisher, 4 Chiffchaff, 3 Yellowhammer and a Grey Heron.

Dragonflies: A Migrant Hawker and several Common Darter.

Butterflies: 3 Clouded Yellow, a Red Admiral and a Small White.

Bunk & Gravel pit

Overcast with light drizzle, 19°, light S.

Bunk line generally very quiet, just 8 Meadow Pipit and 3 Jay.

Gravel pit a bit livelier. A Wheatear, a Green Sandpiper, Grey Wagtail, 12 Little Grebe, 2 Coot, 2 Egyptian Geese, a Grey Heron, 10+ Meadow Pipit and 6 Chiffchaff.

Stonechats

Cloudy, 14°, light WNW.

Lollingdon and the Lees:

13 Stonechat today. 2 near Amwell Spring brewery, 5 Lollingdon Hill, 2 at the Long Ditch and 4 near the Lees.

A Firecrest on the wooded side of Lollingdon Hill appeared to be associated with a Tit flock.

Elsewhere: 6 Yellowhammer, 2 Reed Bunting, 8 Chiffchaff, 4 Meadow Pipit, 14 Skylark, 2 Raven and 2 Kestrel.

Mammals: 2 Stoat, 5 Brown Hare and 3 Roe Deer.

Dragonflies: 5-6 Common Darter.

Ivy Bees

A recent arrival in the UK first noted in 2001 and is spreading north. They emerge later in the year than most Bees to co-inside with the flowering of Ivy which is their pollinator plant.

A nice series of pics by Bill Nicholls.

All quiet

Sunny, 22°, light SW.

Well, it doesn’t feel like October yet and a pretty poor show along the Bunk and gravel pit.

4 Coot, 2 Tufted Duck, a Grey Wagtail and 10 Little Grebe at the gravel pit and elsewhere, a Grey Heron, 2 Yellowhammer, 2 Jay and 8+ Chiffchaff.

Dragonflies: several Common Darter.

Butterflies: several Small White and 2 Red Admiral.

A Hummingbird Hawkmoth in garden.

Not a lot

Sunny periods, 20°, breezy SSW.

Lollingdon and The Lees: pretty quiet all round except for one busy patch out by the Lees.

6 Stonechat out near the Lees, 2 Reed Bunting and a Grey Heron and 10+ Chiffchaff and 8 Skylark on walk.

Mammals: Brown Hare and Roe Deer.

Dragonflies: A Migrant Hawker and several Common Darter.

Butterflies: 4 Clouded Yellow, Lollingdon and 10+ in the usual field near the Lees plus 6 Common Blue and 1 Red Admiral and a couple of Small White.

1st Oct: Chiffchaff, Common Darter, Common Blue & Red Admiral in garden and a Skylark, Jay, 2 Greylag & Buzzard over.