Lucky find

Mainly sunny, 8°, light to breezy NW.

Highlight of the day was finding a 2nd winter Mediterranean Gull amongst a flock of c150 Black-headed Gull in a field out along the Bunk line this morning.

Took around 30 minutes to clinch the ID so I called Alan who was not that far away but we could not locate the bird again as they were fairly mobile with many flying off towards CSW.

I went back an hour or so later and there were no gulls left at all in the field.

Alan had earlier found 3 Brambling with a good number (70+) of Chaffinch in the area of a cover crop.

We both went back to check that area out and found 10+ Reed Bunting, several Yellowhammer, large numbers of Linnet plus a few Goldfinch and Greenfinch plus Brambling again.

Also logged: 2 Grey Heron, a Little Owl, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Skylark, Bullfinch, a single Teal, a couple of Mallard, 20’ish Lapwing overhead, 3 Lesser Blackback Gull and 2 Herring Gull plus good numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing.

Mammals: Roe Deer.  

Did not get a photo so this will have to do 😬

Roe Deer courtesy Alan

Garden Birdwatch plus

Sunny, 7°, light SW.

RSPB’s garden birdwatch today. A little quieter than usual and nothing unexpected. Although a male Blackcap turned up to partner the female that has been visiting.

Around 40 birds of 15 species.

A Sparrowhawk also visited out of the hours birdwatch and a couple of Tawny Owl last night.

8 Shovelor and a single Teal along Green lane. Per Richard Broughton.  

A male Brambling reported from a garden. Per MA.

Down on the river today, the boat clubs were out and 15 cars unloading paddle boards down Ferry lane. A lot of disturbance!

There is 6.5 km between Benson lock and Cleeve lock making it good stretch for sculling crews.

Alan visited Day’s Lock yesterday and got some good pics of Goosander on the river.

And still 200+ Golden Plover on Cholsey Hill.

Blackcap

Goosander courtesy Alan ↕

Not a lot 'appening

Cloudy with very light rain, sunny later, 11°, light WNW.

Probably the quietist time of year out at Lollingdon with the situation very static.

A Little Egret seen albeit distant and the 2 Stonechat still on situ on their usual patches.

A lot of Redwing still and good numbers of Fieldfare today. Apart from that it was relatively quiet.

 

The Thames and The Bunk

Cloudy at first the sun breaking thru, 7°, light WSW.

Alan along the river today: 3 Stonechat, Little Grebe, Peregrine, Goldcrest, Chiffchaff, Nuthatch, Grey Wagtail, Reed Bunting, Meadow Pipit, Song Thrush and Mistle Thrush in song and a couple of pairs of Buzzard thermalling.

I was out along the Bunk line area with 2 (m) Bullfinch, a few Yellowhammer and good numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing feeding in fields.

A cover crop had a good finch flock present with c100 Linnet, 50’ish Chaffinch, 1 pos 2 Brambling, several Redpoll, Greenfinch, Goldfinch and Reed Bunting.

Also several Pied Wagtail, 3 Mistle Thrush, a Grey Heron, a Herring Gull and 200+ Black-headed Gull.

Bullfinch

The Spider hunter, a Wren scouring the undergrowth

Buzzard courtesy Alan

Grey Heron

Moorhens in the garden

The two Hills

Overcast, 5°, light ESE.

Lollingdon Hill still somewhat quiet, a Stonechat still present and a Raven overhead. Plenty of Redwing scattered around the fields but very few Fieldfare.

A Little Owl and a Mistle Thrush nearby.

Alan around the Cholsey area Hill and noted c220 Golden Plover, a Barn Owl, Little Owl, Fieldfare, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Reed Bunting and Stonechat.

Mammals: Brown Hare (3) & Roe Deer (5 & 6).

Another grey day

Overcast, 5°, light SSW.

Another grey day and a Moorhen appeared in the garden and a Pheasant flew over

The female Blackcap still visiting and being very feisty with other birds, chasing off all comers including the Robin and Nuthatch.

A Woodcock flushed yesterday near the path from the Bullshole to the Church. Per Mitchell Fraser-Jones. And a Barn Owl seen over Cholsey Hill. Per Hugh Pope.

Moorhen

Great-spotted Woodpecker breaking in to a bird house, courtesy Bill Nicholls

Great Crested Grebe

Has anyone seen a Great Crested Grebe on the river between Winterbrook and the 4-Arches railway bridge recently?

There has been up to 4 pairs breeding on that stretch over the last few years but there was only one record of one individual last year as far as we can ascertain.

What is the cause of their absence? Possibly pollution with Thames Water dumping sewage in to the Thames or the increase in activity on the river. i.e. Wild Swimming, Paddle Boarding, increases in other river traffic or speeding traffic, Dogs, Mink etc.

Just putting it out there, any thoughts?

Note: Speed limit on the Thames is 5mph and boats have to be registered and Jet skis are not allowed on the river upstream of the Thames barrier.

 

A Chilly one

Overcast, 4°, light WNW.

A very frost start, ground quite frozen earlier on the outward walk then turning to mush on the way back as it got warmer.

A Stonechat still present on Lollingdon Hill and a lot of Redwing scattered widely on the fields today and fewer Fieldfare.

A flock of Pied Wagtail and Meadow Pipit still out in the drying flooded field and a few Yellowhammer nearby.

2 Little Egret out between the Bullshole and Lollingdon today seen by both Alan and I.

Alan also along the river: with a Linnet roost of 100’ish birds. Stonechat and Reed Bunting also logged.

According to reports I'm receiving there are up to 15 Blackcap wintering in Cholsey at this time.

Another quiet day

Cloudy, 8°, light NW.

Another quiet day with both out along the river.

4 Mute Swan heading down river and a flock of Geese flew in with 30+ Canada, 2 Greylag and 4 Egyptian Geese.

2-3 Cormorant up and down the river, 2 Kingfisher, a Common Snipe, 3 Kestrel and a Sparrowhawk.

I put some apples out last night and………. A female Blackcap feeding on them today.

And 2 Mistle Thrush in the Brook meadow.

4 Stonechat and a Grey Wagtail around the Long Ditch out by the Lees recently. Per Vicky Gilson.

A Corn Bunting in song on Cholsey Hill yesterday.  

Mammals: An Otter reported by a fisherman and a Mink seen on the islands by the 4-Arches recently. Per Stephen Haigh.

Static

Sunny, 6°, light NW.

Alan along the Marsh this morning with Water Rail, Kingfisher, Stonechat, Siskin, Chiffchaff, Reed Bunting and the usual Thrushes.

Later in the Millennium Wood there were 3 Siskin and a Redpoll present.

Lollingdon rather quiet this morning, just the 1 Stonechat found on the hill. I guess the other one is still around but not seen today.

The usual smattering of Fieldfare and Redwing roaming the fields and a flock of Meadow Pipit and Pied Wagtail still feeding in a flooded field and a small flock of Yellowhammer and a couple of Goldcrest in the Millennium Wood but little else noted.

Goldcrest courtesy Alan

Bunk

Cloudy, 6°, light WNW.

Alan out along the Bunk line area: usual Redwing and Fieldfare, Mistle Thrush, Grey Wagtail, the regular Finch flock that included a single Brambling and up to 4 Goldcrest near the Church.

Goldcrest

Nuthatch

Garden

Cloudy, 6°, light SW.

Nuthatch, Coal Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Treecreeper, Stock Dove, Pheasant, Moorhen and Song Thrush amongst 24 species in the garden today.

Not a lot happening

A sunny frosty day, 5°, light ENE.

Bunk line area exceptionally quiet today, 100+ Black-headed Gull plus the usual 2 Herring Gull and lesser numbers of Fieldfare, Redwing plus a Grey Heron and Kestrel present.

A Song Thrush and a Chiffchaff in the garden this afternoon.

Alan has better luck along the River/Marsh area. Cetti’s Warbler, Chiffchaff, Siskin, Fieldfare, Redwing, Both Mistle Thrush and Song Thrush singing, Nuthatch, Little Grebe and Stonechat.

More of the Pallas's

Sunny, 7°, light SSW.

Alan made another trip to Abingdon for the Pallas's Warbler today.

A Chiffchaff in the garden. And 2 more Blackcap wintering in a Cross roads garden. Per Bob Dryden and a Mink seen on one of the islands near the 4-Arches.Per Stephen Haigh.

Stonechats & Finches

Foggy at first then sunny, 6°, light NNW.

The 2 Stonechat still wintering out at Lollingdon in separate locations. Plus a small number of Fieldfare and Redwing present on Lollingdon hill.

The Little Owl seen nearby taking in some early morning sunshine.

Several Pied Wagtail and Meadow Pipit feeding in a flooded field.

Back closer to the village were a small flock of Redpoll in the treetops, a couple of Jay, 2 Mistle Thrush, and a Song Thrush in song and a Goldcrest with a Tit flock.

Alan along the river: Goldcrest, Nuthatch,c9 Siskin and another 20+ later, Water Rail, Chiffchaff, a Raven overhead, both Mistle Thrush and Song Thrush in song, Reed Bunting and Grey Wagtail plus the usual “Winter Thrushes”.

2 male Brambling and a Redpoll on feeders in a West End garden. Per Richard James.

And Nearby Tony Williams has been getting 3 Blackcap (1m & 2f) in his garden.

Stonechat

Siskin courtesy Alan

Brambling courtesy Richard James

Redpoll courtesy Richard James

Siskin courtesy Alan

Stonechat ↕

Quiet times

 Cloudy with light rain showers, 7°, light SSE.

Both out along the Bunk line this morning and Alan out along the river later.

Quite static out there at the moment with little change.

Plenty of Fieldfare out in the fields and a lesser number of Redwing. Alan had a small flock of Siskin and Redpoll (approx. 15 birds).

A couple of Herring Gull with a flock of c100 Black-headed Gull, a Raven, a Grey Heron, a Kingfisher, 4 Common Snipe, a Little Grebe, Grey Wagtail, Coal Tit and Reed Bunting and a small flock of 12 Yellowhammer.

River/Marsh: Sparrowhawk, Mistle Thrush and the usual “Winter Thrushes”.

A Peregrine Falcon flew south over Church road yesterday.

Mammals: Roe Deer.

Correction: The Light Crimson Underwing moth that Tony Rayner caught on the 5^th August last year has now been re-identified as a Dark Crimson Underwing, a rarer moth than the former and a first for the Cholsey area.

Pallas's Warbler

Bright at first the clouding over, 5°, light WSW.

Both Alan and I took a trip out to Abingdon SWT this morning where a Pallas’s Warbler was found by Gareth Blockley on Wednesday. A first for the county.

Could not make it on Thursday so had to make the most of today as the weather looks rubbish for tomorrow.

Arrived onsite approx. 10:30 and the bird was soon located feeding fairly high in the canopy, loosely associated with a Tit flock.

Seen for good periods several times.

“Pallas's Warbler (Phylloscopus proregulus) is a bird that breeds in mountain forests from southern Siberia east to southern Mongolia and northeast China.

This tiny leaf Warbler is strongly migratory, wintering mainly in south China and adjacent areas of southeast Asia, although in recent decades increasing numbers have been found in Europe in autumn and winter.”

Also present in the area were several Common Chiffchaff, at least 1 Siberian Chiffchaff, Several Siskin and 1 or 2 Redpoll.

Always fairly high in the canopy. First 2 shots courtesy Alan and a few rubbish record shots from me.