Thames & Bunk

Overcast, 11°, light S.

Cholsey Meadows/River and Bunk line covered today.

Initially Alan along the river area, Cetti’s Warbler, Kingfisher, Reed Bunting, Greenfinch, Stonechat and Meadow Pipit.

Then up to the gravel pit where a Little Grebe, 2 pair of Tufted Duck and a pair of Shovelor.

I covered the Bunk/Green Lane area. Large mixed flock of Fieldfare (c200), Redwing (c80) and c 100 Starling.

Another flock of Fieldfare and Redwing near Green Lane totalling a couple of hundred birds.

C120 Black-headed Gull at CSW and 80+ Lesser Blackback Gull towards the gravel pit and 2 Herring Gull between.

A small flock of 22 Skylark, 42 Lapwing, c 80 Linnet, 60+ Chaffinch and 2 Brambling, several Yellowhammer and 3 Reed Bunting.

Mammals: Roe Deer.

Shovelor courtesy Alan

Reed Bunting courtesy Alan

Weekend Bits

Sunny, 8°, light SSE.

3 Stonechat and 4 Stock Dove up at Cholsey meadows on Saturday morning along with a Cetti's Warbler and Kingfisher on the marsh. Per Michael Pocock.

Alan popped over to Dorchester gravel pits to see the Ferruginous Duck again and found 2 Great Egret there.

The first butterfly of the year in Cholsey Church yard, a Comma. Per Alan & Jane Dawson.

Great Egret (above) & Little Egret (below). note differences. Great Egret courtesy Alan.

Comma Butterfly courtesy Jane Dawson

Female Blackcap courtesy Alan

Stonechat

Sunny, 10°, light WNW.

Very quiet today out at Lollingdon and Alan had the same. Although yesterday the Little Owl and Little Egret were both seen.

Only bird of note was the Stonechat that has been wintering in the vicinity of the flooded field.

Possibly first signs of spring movement with a new Stonechat turning up along the Bunk line.

Mammals: Roe Deer & Brown Hare.

First 3 pics are of the Stonechat out at Lollingdon and the 4th is of the Stonechat along the Bunk line (courtesy Alan.

Calmer times

Cloudy with a few sunny intervals, 9°, light (for a change) SSW.

Have not been out for a few days now but Alan has been out and about, Lollingdon, Thames & Bunk Line.

Little Egret, Little Owl, 3 Stonechat. Teal, Blackcap etc.

Little change but some good photos.

Wren

Red Kite

Cormorant

Black-headed Gull (Winter plumage)

Black-headed Gull (Summer plumage, almost)

Little Owl

The calm before

Mainly sunny, 12°, light W.

Not much doing today, Alan out along the river, 2 Stonechat, Little Grebe, Cetti’s Warbler and Meadow Pipit to name a few.

A not out day for me but a busy garden with Nuthatch, Coal Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Treecreeper, Great-spotted Woodpecker etc.

Grey Heron courtesy Alan

Meadow Pipit courtesy Alan

Stonechat courtesy Alan

Collared Dove

Jackdaw

Stock Dove

Moorhen

Blown away

Cloudy with light rain showers and a blustery wind, 14°, gusty WSW.

Very little on Lollingdon Hill today as it was being battered by a blustery wind sweeping onto it. Just a couple of Red Kite and Buzzard overhead seemingly enjoying the challenge of flying in the breezy conditions.

Nearby in sheltered areas, a Stonechat and a fair number of Pied Wagtail and Meadow Pipit.

Good numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing feeding in the cattle field and several Skylark in song and coping with the wind.

A steady stream of mostly Black-headed Gull with a few Lesser Blackback Gull moving south. Up to several hundred birds.

Both Treecreeper and Goldcrest heard singing.  

Alan along the river with the usual pair of Stonechat, several Meadow Pipit and a Mistle Thrush singing from the tree tops. Very appropriate old name of “ Stormcock”.

Stonechat ↕

Red Kite

First Daffs of the year

Stonechat courtesy Alan

All quiet

Bright at first the rain showers, 8°, light W.

Exceptionally quiet all round today. The Bunk line area was very quiet. Around a dozen Yellowhammer and a few Reed Bunting and a small flock of Linnet and Chaffinch around.

Alan along the river and Bunk line earlier another quiet time with just the usual stuff around.

All photos today courtesy Alan.

Stonechat

Kestrel

Roe Deer ↕

Grey Heron

Possible Chinese Water Deer

Mainly sunny, 8°, light SSW.

A possible Chinese Water Deer seen Friday in a garden in Caps Lane. No description given by the observer so cannot verify the sighting.

This species is making inroads in the UK moving from strongholds in Norfolk and the east and following river valleys south and west.

There have been a handful of Oxfordshire records.

Although it may well have been a (Reeve’s) Muntjac but we may never know unless we get a confirmed sighting.

Reeve’s Muntjac and Chinese Water Deer are very similar in general appearance.

Slightly larger than Muntjac and have no white on the rump. They have no antlers and have large canine teeth. That give them the nickname of “Vampire Deer”.

Adult male Muntjac have protruding canines, but not as prominent.

CWD also have a broader face, larger ears, a black nose and white chin.

Photos courtesy "The Wildlife Trusts"

Chinese Water Deer ↕

Reeve's Muntjac Deer

Settled

Cloudy at first then brighter later, 8°, light W.

A rather quiet day for both Alan and me and still very settled. I took a walk out to Lollingdon but very little around. The usual Fieldfare and Redwing present and a moderate Bunting and Finch flock out in the flooded field along with a few Pied Wagtail and Meadow Pipit.

2 Bullfinch in the millennium wood were the only other notable sighting.

Alan had very much the same along the river, although he did find the years first Green Sandpiper at the gravel pit.

Mammals: Brown Hare & Roe Deer.

Fudgie Duck

Cloudy, 12°, light N.

Alan out along the river today after a trip to Dorchester GP to see a Ferruginous Duck.

The river area was somewhat quiet, however Cetti’s Warbler. Reed Bunting, a single Siskin, 2 Stonechat, Little Grebe, a Raven overhead, Greenfinch, Fieldfare, Redwing, Mistle Thrush singing, Song Thrush singing and Dunnock singing.

 

Ferruginous Duck (centre), Pochard (left) & Coot (right) courtesy Alan.

The breeding range of the Ferruginous duck is from Iberia and the Maghreb east to western Mongolia, south to Arabia, although in the west is now scarce and localised and locally extirpated in some countries. The duck winters throughout the Mediterranean and the Black sea, smaller number migrate into sub-Saharan Africa via the Nile Valley. Eastern birds winter in south and south-east Asia.

Not a Lot

Bright at first then cloudy, 10°, light SSW.

Not a lot going on out there today with both Alan and I along the Bunk line area. A few smallish flocks of Fieldfare and Starling plus a few Redwing chucked in feeding in some of the fields.

Bullfinch, Teal, Kestrel, Green Woodpecker and a flock of Chaffinch, Linnet, Greenfinch and Goldfinch, and a single Herring Gull but not a lot else noted.

Kestrel

Snowdrops

Bunk and Bow

Rain at first then sunny, 6°, light WNW.

Both along the Bunk line area this morning after the rain but still somewhat quiet.

A Grey Wagtail and Grey Heron along Green lane and 2 Teal flushed from the ditch. A Bullfinch in the hedgerow, along with Chaffinch, Greenfinch and Goldfinch.

The cover crop area had a small flock of Chaffinch with several Linnet, Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer and Alan flushed 2 Teal from another ditch and a singing Goldcrest nearby and a couple of Grey Heron noted.

Alan paid a visit to Bow Bridge later, Nuthatch, 6 Siskin, a Grey Wagtail and a Kingfisher.

Also good numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing around both sites.

2 Jay and 2 Magpie around the garden today.

Jay

Grey Heron courtesy Alan

Grey Wagtail

Reed Bunting

Chaffinch, unfortunately suffering from Trichomonosis. Courtesy Alan.

Milder

Cloudy, 11°, light SW.

Another relatively quiet walk out to Lollingdon today. A male Stonechat still around the hill and the female wintering near the cattle field has now been joined by a male.

A Little Egret seen distantly and good numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing roaming the fields.

A scattering of Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Linnet and Yellowhammer plus 3 Corn Bunting.

Bunk line with Alan: apart from a big flock of Chaffinch and Linnet, not much happening. Although 2 Little Owl made an appearance.

Mammals: Roe Deer and a dead Polecat found along Halfpenny Lane, Per MA.

Stonechat

Little Owl courtesy Alan