Here comes the rain again.

Overcast, constant bloody rain, 5º, light to moderate NE.

Lollingdon hill very quiet, 2 Buzzards were displaying briefly overhead and distantly a flock of around 80 Lesser Blackback Gulls and a Mute Swan still on the floods near the pig fields and also a fairly distant Thrush flock in the fields to the NW of the hill.

A brief visit to Cholsey marsh.............. 2 Water Rail calling quite frequently, a Kingfisher flew upstream, and a handful of Lesser Blackback Gulls, a single Lapwing and 32 Black-headed Gulls on a flooded field also a flock of 200+ Fieldfare, Redwing and Starling further along.

 

♀ Blackcap in garden again today.

Didn’t even get the camera out today due to the rain but a few pics taken on my phone!

Lollingdon Hill

Cholsey Marsh

Garden bits

Sunny, 8º, light WSW.

♀ Blackcap in garden again this morning proving to be a very erratic visitor and up to 5 House Sparrows enjoying the suet balls on the bird table, the Moorhen and the 2 Stock Dove still visiting on a regular basis.

A Red Kite calling quite frequently nearby most of the morning as was a Green Woodpecker, a Coal Tit singing in the garden again and Goldcrest singing in the front garden.

Another Goldcrest singing in a Leylandii hedge opposite the Red Lion pub.

 

 Blackcap

 House Sparrows

Storm driven seabirds

A storm driven Kittiwake found in Wallingford - 

http://stuffthatricharddid.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/keeled-over-kittiwake.html

The recent winter storms have caused many seabird casualties with mainly Puffins, Guillemots, Razorbill and Kittiwakes being washed up along coasts in Western Europe, i.e. an estimated 21000 dead birds being found on the French coast so far. The full effect has not been assessed yet but the impact has been massive. The birds that winter in the Bay of Biscay and the western Atlantic have been unable to feed in the stormy weather. More information to follow.

An RSPB article on Puffins -

https://www.rspb.org.uk/news/343346-storms-raise-fears-for-popular-seabird

Spring concerto

Sunny spells, showers, 10º, light SW, felt cool in the wind.

Lollingdon was alive with song and other bird sounds today, Fieldfare, Redwing and Starlings were in the tree tops and chattering away, several Skylark were in the air in song, a few Robins at various points around the hill singing, also several other species in song.

Quite a spring like day today in the sunshine and a new Stonechat found on Lollingdon hill today (and with another yesterday in the east of the village) suggests some early spring movement starting. Also on the hill were a small flock of Fieldfare and Redwing with a couple of Starling, 4 Red Kite and a single Buzzard.

A few Skylark in the air and in song and 5 Robins all in song in various spots around the hill, a Yellowhammer, 2 Grey Partridge and 4 Red-legged Partridge also noted, also noted in song today were Great Tit, Blue Tit, Chaffinch and Wren.

The fields to the north held a larger thrush flock of several hundred birds, mainly Fieldfare and Redwing and around 50+ Starling, also 10+ Blackbird and a few Song Thrush along the hedgerow.

A marked reduction in the number of gulls seen today with 80+ Lesser Blackbacks, no Black-headed Gulls and no Lapwing in the area again.

2 Coal Tit in the garden this morning (1 in song) and both Green and Great-spotted Woodpeckers heard and a Peacock butterfly in the garden.

 Stonechat

 Stonechat

 Skylark

 Skylark

Buzzard

 Fieldfares

 Fieldfare

 Fieldfare

 Fieldfares

Fieldfares

 Redwing

East End Birds

An email received from the Eastender regarding 2 species that appeared in his garden yesterday.

“Today we have had two birds here that are virtually unknown for the site.

In the 27 plus years we have been here, today was the first time I have seen a Nuthatch, although I have heard one on two past occasions. Also a female Stonechat has been here for most of the day, we have just a single record in the past of a male that stayed for a day.”