All quiet on and around the hill today apart for a flock of 50+ Swallow and some unusual behaviour observed.
Whilst the some of the Swallows were flying around aerial feeding or sitting preening on nearby telegraph wires and fences which is the usual behaviour, some were feeding on the ground and appeared to be actively chasing insects and taking prey from the ground.
A feeding strategy? that I do not recall having seen before.
I came off the hill a couple of hours later and the Swallows were still present and was greeted by a few alarm calls. On looking up I could see a Hobby high above the flock, the Hobby circled a few times and then went in to a steep dive as if it had picked out a target. Unfortunately lost to view behind some trees so could not see if it caught anything.
Several Jay still present in the area and a few Common Whitethroat, Blackcap and Chiffchaff all noted.
Several hundred Gulls loafing out by the pig fields only a few ID’d Black-headed Gull and Lesser Blackback Gull, most were too distant.
3 Common Redstart seen nearby but outside the Cholsey boundary. Per BJW.
Mammals: Brown Hare and Roe Deer.
Dragonflies: Southern Hawker and Common Darter.
Butterflies: very few: Large White, Small White, Small Copper, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Comma, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown.
Swallows
Large Yellow Underwing (courtesy Alan Dawson)
Silver Y (courtesy Alan Dawson)
Yes to Large Yellow Underwing.
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