A walk out through the Lees, skirting Aston Tirrold on to Lollingdon and back to Cholsey. The farmland out by the Lees was very quiet just a few flocks of Rook and the odd Carrion Crow. A small flock of Reed Bunting at the far end of the long ditch.
A Common Redstart still present on the hill but not easy to see as it was sheltering on the leeward side of the Hawthorns at the top of the hill and was only visible when it dropped down to take an insect. Also good numbers of Chiffchaff in all areas (20+), nearly all roaming with Tit flocks.
Again a good passage of Hirundines with Swallow far outnumbering House Martin today.
A single Raven, Little Owl and Sparrowhawk seen.
Mammals: Roe Deer & Brown Hare.
Dragonflies: Southern Hawker, Migrant Hawker & Common Darter.
Butterflies: Large White, Small White, Red Admiral (9), Comma (1) and Speckled Wood.
Long-tailed Tit ↕
Reed Bunting
Common Darter
Robin's pin cushion,
also known as rose bedeguar gall, is an abnormal growth caused by a species of gall wasp (Diplolepis rosae). The adult wasp lays eggs in the buds or developing leaves during mid-summer period. The eggs hatch into small white larvae that secrete chemicals that cause the abnormal growth.Instead of buds developing into normal shoots and leaves, they are converted into hard woody structures that have an outer covering of moss-like leaves, which are either reddish pink or yellowish green. The internal part of the gall contains a number of chambers in which the grubs develop. The galls are fully developed during August and the insects overwinter inside the galls as pupae. During the autumn the outer covering of moss-like leaves tends to decay and this leaves the hard woody centre exposed.
This insect is more frequently found on wild roses or sucker growth but it does also occur on some of the rose species grown in gardens. The feeding activities of the gall wasp grubs do not have any real adverse effect on the rose, apart from creating the galls.
Thank you to RHS for the info.
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