Quiet

Overcast, 9º, very dull, no wind.

c200 Thrushes still around the hill, most were Fieldfare, with 30+ Redwing, 9 Blackbird and a Song Thrush, also 50+ Chaffinch flying with them. Only other species of note were 2 Goldcrest seen.

The garden still busy with up to 20 Goldfinch, 12 Chaffinch, 5 Greenfinch, 3 Moorhen, 3 Mallard, 2 Stock Dove, a Great-spotted Woodpecker, a Green Woodpecker plus all the other regulars, . 2 Goldcrest present today and 5 House Sparrow in the front garden and a ♀ Sparrowhawk overhead.

A few scenic pics from Loren

Cholsey, 21st Nov

Rain again at first, then sunny spells, 6º, light to mod N.

A walk along the “Bunk line” to Winterbrook, then along the Thames path to Cholsey Marsh for dusk.

The “Bunk line” route was fairly quiet with a scattering of Fieldfare & Redwing, a few Song Thrush & Blackbird especially on hawthorns in the hedgerows, also a couple of both Green & Great-spotted Woodpecker and 2 Jay.

The walk along to Cholsey Marsh again Fieldfare & Redwing were frequent along the hedgerows and also a few Song Thrush & Blackbird with them.

At least 3 Kingfisher seen along with 4 Little Grebe, a Buzzard, 3 Bullfinch and a high flying Cormorant.

Also a light movement of Black-headed Gulls upriver and some high flying Lesser Blackback Gull seen.

Arrived at Cholsey Marsh at 15:00 and the first Corn Bunting appeared at 15:27 eventually to swell to 120+ roosting there this evening along with 30+ Reed Bunting.

Other species noted were 80+ Starling flew west in 3 small flocks, 21 Golden Plover flew over heading west also. 2 Common Snipe at least on the marsh along with a Water Rail, 2 Kestrel hunting the area and 2-300 Thrushes mainly Fieldfare in the area.

A ♀ Great-spotted Woodpecker in the garden this morning.

A flock of Canada Geese flying around to the east of the village tonight at 23:45.

A few pics of the Little Grebe and a Kingfisher on the opposite bank.

 

The Lees area.

Heavy rain clearing around midday then sunny spells, 6º, light to mod SW.

After the rain cleared around midday I took a walk out to the Lees area to see if the other Stonechat was still present but unable to find it. However a couple of Common Snipe present in the long ditch along with 3 Reed Bunting and around a 100 Skylark present in the fields.

A Tawny Owl heard calling from the Lees, a few Redwing & Fieldfare overhead, 2 Mistle Thrush and quite a few more Blackbirds in the hedgerows.

A lot of corvids around with 200+ Rook, 40+ Jackdaw and several Carrion Crow, in addition 5 Pied Wagtail and a scattering of Black-headed Gull and Lesser Blackback Gull.

The small flock of Golden Plover still on Cholsey hill.

 

 Rook

One of the garden Stock Doves

Amur Falcon: a conservation success!

Good news for migrating Amur Falcons in Nagaland, India.

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/11/20/safe-passage-for-amur-falcons-via-nagaland/

Autumn Plovers

Sunny, 4º, light NW, decidedly colder!

A flock of 50+ Lapwing with the Gulls & Corvids in the pig fields to the south west of Lollingdon hill today, also a flock of around 80 Starling present foraging the area.

c50 Golden Plover still intermittently present on Cholsey hill.

Redwings passing overhead from the garden this evening.

Wet & Soggy

Overcast with low drizzly cloud, 9º, and a very light SW breeze. Yucky day!

Poor visibility and damp weather today, the Stonechat was still present on the hill today along the lower fence line, not as many thrushes today with c100 Fieldfare, 20’ish Redwing a couple of Blackbird and 1 Song Thrush. Also a few Goldfinch with the thrushes and elsewhere on the hill were a couple of Yellowhammer and 2 Kestrel.

 

Stonechat & Thrushes.

Sunny, 8º, light W.

A late afternoon visit to Lollingdon hill found the Stonechat still present, seen initially feeding on the ground and subsequently in the hedgerow to the west. A sizable scattered flock of thrushes around the hill with 250+ Fieldfare, 100+ Redwing, 20+ Blackbird, 10+ Mistle Thrush and 6+ Song Thrush, also 8 Yellowhammer, 6 Skylark, 2 Pied Wagtail, a Meadow Pipit, a Great-spotted Woodpecker, a ♀ Sparrowhawk and several Linnet, Goldfinch and Chaffinch present.

The 3 Moorhen and 2 Stock Dove very regular in the garden now the weather has gotten colder and a Chiffchaff occasionally visiting over the last few days.

A very pale Buzzard sat on wires between South Moreton and Didcot today.

 Stonechat

 Fieldfares in the late afternoon sun

 Fieldfares

 Fieldfares & Redwings

Juv Moorhen has discovered the bird table.

Lollingdon, 12th Nov

Sunny, few clouds, 14º, light NW.

Lollingdon hill rather quieter than of last week and certainly fewer thrushes with c 50 of each Fieldfare & Redwing feeding on Hawthorn berries, a few Blackbird, 2 Song Thrush and 5 Mistle Thrush including one in song.

Also on the hill were several Skylark, Linnet, 5 Yellowhammer and 30+ Goldfinch, also a couple of Snipe in the damp fields to the north and 2 Pied Wagtail frequenting the outbuildings of the manor house.

A Chiffchaff still frequenting the garden this week.

100+ Corn Bunting roosting at Cholsey Marsh this evening (per Tony Williams).

Moorhens

Rain, 10º, light SW

3 Moorhens visited the garden this morning and used the bird bath, whats wrong with the brook its full of water? Also a visit from 6 Long-tailed Tit and a Treecreeper.

 

 Checking that the coast is clear!

Family bath time.

 

 

Raptors, Thrushes and a couple of Stonechat.

Overcast, a few sunny spells 10º, light SW.

A 5 hour bash around Lollingdon and the Lees proved very worthwhile today.

Raptors were very much in evidence with 30+ Red Kite, 14 Buzzard, 3 Kestrel, and 2 Sparrowhawk, a ♂ Peregrine flew west over Lollingdon hill and a ♂ Merlin zipped through the fields near the Lees.

Good numbers of Thrushes about especially around Lollingdon, with up to 500 Fieldfare, 120+ Redwing, 15 Mistle Thrush, 20+ Blackbird and at least 8 Song Thrush, also c100 Goldfinch and at least 6 Siskin with the flocks.

2 Stonechat also seen with 1 on Lollingdon hill feeding mainly from the Hawthorns on the hill and another along the long ditch near the Lees.

Also good numbers of Corvids, 500+ Rook, 50+ Jackdaw and numbers of Carrion Crow, Magpie and 2 Jay, also 2 Raven flew SW over Cholsey Church.

A scattering of Lesser Blackback & Black-headed Gulls in the area with c200 LBB’s around the pig farm.

The fields near the Lees held 200+ Skylark and at least 30 Corn Bunting and a handful of Linnet.

Also noted were a Grey Heron, 11 Yellowhammer, 5 Reed Bunting, 5 Great-spotted Woodpecker, several Meadow Pipit and Pied Wagtail.

A few Tit flocks noted with one on Lollingdon hill comprising 16 Long-tailed Tit, 9 Blue Tit and 4 Great Tit.

2 Common Darter dragonflies also seen during one of the brief sunny spells.

A Chiffchaff in the garden this morning and a Tawny Owl being mobbed by a Robin & a Wren just before dawn and evidence of a Hedgehog in the garden recently.

5 Stonechat pics

 Long-tailed Tit

 Grey Heron

Rubbish pic but the thrush on the left appears to be flying upside down?

A Birdless Wittenham Wood

Overcast, 10º, quite windy SW. Not the weather we expected!!!!

A visit to Wittenham Wood this afternoon proved rather fruitless, the wood was virtually devoid of birds except for a few Jay and there were a few Corvids & Pigeons passing overhead and Fungi was also difficult to find.

4 Redwing over Little Wittenham church.

Around 50 Golden Plover frequenting Cholsey hill still and a Merlin seen there on the 3rd Oct (per Michael Pocock).

Not sure why the wood is so birdless but it was incredibly quiet, no calls or movement etc (more birds in the garden)!!!!!

Hunting arrests

Thames Valley Police have arrested twelve men in connection with hunting act offences and trespassing in Cholsey, near Wallingford.

The men were arrested at 10am on Thursday 31 October, in relation to offences in Church Road, Cholsey, at 8.58am on the same day.

Seven of the men were arrested under the Hunting Act 2004, on suspicion of hare coursing and five men were arrested on suspicion of trespassing on private land, believed to be in pursuit of game.

Two men aged 25 and 41 from Walsall, a 26-year-old man from Axbridge, Somerset, a 27-year-old man from Witney, and a 22-year-old man from Horley, Surrey, have been bailed until 29 November.

Three men aged 16, 17 and 20 from Walsall and a 21-year-old man from Surrey, have been bailed until 4 December.

An 18-year-old man from Wallington, Surrey, and a 28-year-old man from Walsall, have been bailed until 5 December.

A 22-year-old man was released with no further action.

Carol Rudd (Police, NHW & Community Messaging Co-ordinator, South Oxon & Vale LPA)

Garden 3rd Nov

Cloudy, few sunny spells, showers, 12º, light to mod SW.

The garden being dominated by Finches recently with c20 Goldfinch on a regular basis, also up to 5 Greenfinch and 8 Chaffinch.

A Treecreeper visited the garden today along with 2 squabbling Great-spotted Woodpecker and both the Moorhens still regular visitors, also a Green Woodpecker in the meadow and the Tawny Owls still around most nights.

Several Redwing in the garden trees this afternoon and a few more Blackbirds in the garden of late and a Grey Wagtail still frequenting the brook next to the garden.

There was a visit of a Chiffchaff in the garden on the 1st Nov.

There have been between 50 - 150 Golden Plover on Cholsey Hill in the last week.

(of interest, a Slavonian Grebe, a Red-necked Grebe & a Long-tailed Duck at Farmoor res this week end & a Great Grey Shrike in the county)