A visit to Cholsey marsh early morning saw the mist over the
river and a slight frost at 04:15, then a sunny morning with cloud moving in
later and a couple of rain showers later in the day.
The marsh is still very wet, not been like that for a few
years and the growth seems to be several weeks behind.
Two Tawny Owl
calling to each other in the trees at Little Stoke on the opposite bank just prior to dawn.
My first Cuckoo
of the year heard and it moved on fairly swiftly over the marsh and towards the
village, a good number of Sedge Warbler
singing along with two Reed Warbler,
several Chiffchaff, Garden Warbler, Blackcap and Whitethroat,
two Lesser Whitethroat further
upstream and a single Willow Warbler
on the other side of the river, also three Song
Thrush in song on the marsh.
Later in the day a walk out to Lollingdon and the farm land
out to the west of the village, Whitethroat
was the common warbler with fourteen noted in song, a few Chiffchaff and Blackcap
and two Garden Warbler also heard in
song. A Hobby seen out at Lollingdon
and a flock of thirty plus Swift over
the hill and three Lesser Blackback Gull
flew east.
Other species noted were six Sedge Warbler and a Reed
Warbler along the “reedy” stream and six ♂
Reed Bunting along the dyke and a
few singing in fields of Oil seed Rape. Two pairs of Yellow Wagtail noted in usual breeding areas and several Yellowhammer, Corn Bunting and Linnet in
usual locations, Song Thrush and Mistle Thrush also seen.
Finch numbers down in the garden with four Chaffinch, and two of each Greenfinch and Goldfinch, several Blackbird
and a Song Thrush (Blackbird and Song Thrush both seen
collecting food) still visiting along with a Moorhen, two Stock Dove
and up to six Mallard.
Goldcrest, Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Mistle Thrushin the meadow and a few Swallow overhead and very few House Martin (one nest site being visited).
Reed Bunting
Corn Bunting
Moorhen
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