Lollingdon 30th Apr

Few sunny spells, 14°, still a bit breezy WNW.

Singles of Whinchat and Wheatear on the hill today but little else.

A walk out to the hill today noted 4 Mistle Thrush, 10 Whitethroat, 3 Lesser Whitethroat, 8 Chiffchaff, 7 Blackcap, 5 Corn Bunting, 4 Yellowhammer, Green Woodpecker, Grey Heron, 2 Grey Partridge.

Mammals: Roe Deer, Brown Hare.

Butterflies: a few around in sheltered areas, Brimstone, Orange Tip, Large White, Speckled Wood, and Small Tortoiseshell.

 Roe Deer buck

 Mistle Thrush

Wet then Windy

Sunny, 12°, a little milder than yesterday but still very windy, WSW, rain this morning.

3 Whinchat and 2 Wheatear on the hill today, 5 Lesser Blackback Gull and a single Black-headed Gull flew over NW.

Managed a rather snatched shot of one of the Whinchat before they were flushed by a walker and flew well out of range.

The usual Red Kite and Buzzard around, most small birds appeared to be keeping to cover in the windy conditions however Yellowhammer, Pied Wagtail, Chiffchaff, Whitethroat and Blackcap and both Green and Great-spotted Woodpecker all noted.

A Song Thrush visiting garden on a regular basis this week gathering food so probably nesting nearby.

Butterflies: very few seen with only Brimstone and Small Tortoiseshell in sheltered areas.

First Hedgehog of the year in the garden tonight.

Two more for the year!

Sunny spells, 11°, cool and breezy, WSW.

Both Tufted Duck and Whinchat new for the year.

A little livelier on the hill today with 5 Pied Wagtail, 6 Yellowhammer, a Meadow Pipit and 6 Goldfinch in amongst the sheep.

Also a Whinchat halfway down the track leading away from the hill and another single Lesser Blackback Gull drifted over.

A pair of Tufted Duck on the pond and a Grey Heron fishing there.

Plenty of Red Kite (10) and Buzzard (6) in the air today and a Kestrel also present.

Chiffchaff (5), Blackcap (3), Whitethroat (3), Swallow (6) and Corn Bunting (6) also noted.

Recycling

Sunny, 8°, chilly westerly.

A scarce visitor to the garden this morning in the form of a Jackdaw collecting feathers to line its nest.

The demise of a Wood Pigeon has further uses beyond feeding a predator, natural recycling.

Quiet and cooler

Cloudy with sunny spells, 11°, cool SE.

Fairly quiet on the hill this afternoon, a Yellow Wagtail with the sheep, 2 Whitethroat in the hawthorns, 3 singing Corn Bunting and 2 singing Yellowhammer and 5 Swallow feeding over the hill for a time.

A single Lesser Blackback Gull drifted north.

Several Chiffchaff and Blackcap and a couple more Whitethroat present around the meadows.

A Kestrel, a Green Woodpecker and a Grey Heron also around.

Butterflies: very few today, a couple of Brimstone, 1 Peacock and 10+ Small Tortoiseshell.

Dawn Chorus

Overcast after heavy overnight rain, 8°, and no wind.

04:00 – 05:45 (sunrise was 05:47) more of a pre-dawn chorus.

The chorus got off to a sluggish start along the river.

Both groups started with Robin as was expected and we logged the following.

For the record, the village group saw/heard 29 species as follows:-

Robin (4.15); Skylark (4.30); Tawny Owl (4.40); Blackbird; Red-legged Partridge; Reed Bunting; Wood Pigeon; Great Tit; Wren; Swallow;

Magpie; Pheasant; Chaffinch; Green Woodpecker; Mistle Thrush; Mallard; Kestrel; Goldcrest; Collared Dove; Dunnock; Rook; Blackcap;
Heron; Carrion Crow; House Sparrow; Blue Tit; Chiffchaff; Goldfinch; Song Thrush.

On arriving home, was surprised to hear a Lesser Whitethroat by our meadow. Per Tony Rayner.

The river group saw/heard 32 species:

Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Mallard, Pheasant, Great Crested Grebe, Red Kite, Water Rail, Moorhen, Coot, Wood Pigeon, Skylark, Dunnock, Robin, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler, Reed Warbler, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Wren, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Reed Bunting.

When we arrived back home it looked as though a feather pillow had exploded in the garden and found a carcass of a Wood Pigeon about 5 metres away. I am assuming a Sparrowhawk had paid the garden a visit.

Treecreeper in the garden again early evening.

The 15 ducklings that hatched on the brook around a week ago are now down to 9, per RB!

East End news

24th April: we had a Sedge Warbler most of the day in one of our garden hedges.

22nd April: a Yellow Wagtail beside the Agatha Christie Trail.

Small Copper butterfly in our meadow. (For the second year running, we had the first one reported in the Upper Thames area.)

21st April: A Whitethroat beside the Thames near Bow Wood (several on the same day in various places).

A Lesser Whitethroat in a hedge beside Wallingford Road beyond Caps Lane.

15th April: First House Martin over our meadow and first Speckled Wood and Green-veined White butterflies here also.

per the Eastender.

Lollingdon 24th Apr

Cloudy with a few sunny spells, 14°, light SW.

A Wheatear, 2 Yellow Wagtail and 2 Pied Wagtail feeding on the hill today in amongst the sheep.

3 Whitethroat and 4 Yellowhammer in adjacent hedgerows, 14 Swallow over, a Meadow Pipit flew west, 11 Corn Bunting flew over south, also 5 Corn Bunting present on the hill.

15 Linnet, 5 Chiffchaff, 6 Blackcap, a Grey Heron, 1 Kestrel also noted and a Lesser Whitethroat heard in song to the north of the hill.

2 Grey Partridge Manor Farm.

A Chiffchaff frequenting the garden, a Blackcap singing closeby and a Yellow Wagtail over.

 

Butterflies: fewer today, Brimstone, Large White, Peacock, Orange Tip, Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood.

Chiffchaff

Chiffchaff

Corn Bunting

Swallow

Yellow Wagtail

Corn Bunting