Just about the garden

Sunny, 24°, light SSE.

Just about the garden today as I spent some time just pottering about and tidying a few bits.

The Rook squad come in early along with a few Jackdaw and decimate the bird feeders whilst the Mallard flotilla and the Stock Dove posse wait underneath and clean up the copious spillage.

The Great Tit brood has fledged with at least 2 young and the Blue Tit family are still feeding young.

A few songsters in or near the garden include, a Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Chaffinch, Blackcap, Goldcrest, Coal Tit, Wren and Chiffchaff. A male Great-spotted Woodpecker made a brief visit.

And just looking up watching Swift, Swallow and House Martin wheeling and feeding overhead and alarm calling every time a Red Kite drifted over.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Small White, Orange Tip, Holly Blue, Painted Lady and Peacock.

Tony Rayner left me a message today: he had his moth trap out last night and when he opened it up this morning 2 Great Tit flew out. Obviously tempted by a moth breakfast!

Rook ↕

Stock Dove

Jackdaw

Mallard

New Bug Hotel

Big Foot

Cloudy with very light drizzle, 16°, light NNE.

The long loop walk today to the Lees and Lollingdon and back thru Little Lollingdon.

2-3 Sedge Warbler, 2 Reed Warbler, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, several Common Whitethroat, Blackcap and Chiffchaff and a pair of Spotted Flycatcher close to Aston Tirrold.

Several Yellowhammer, Corn Bunting, Reed Bunting and Yellow Wagtail, several Goldcrest, a Sparrowhawk, a Kestrel and 3 pair of Grey Partridge.

A Coal Tit singing in the Brook meadow and another at the Bullshole.

And a Moorhen feeding in the garden.

Moorhen ↕

Burnet Companion Moth

Blackcap

Overcast, 2°, light but cold N.

Another walk out to the Lees area with Loren today and rather quiet.

Very few Thrushes seen but a lot of Gulls with a flock of 350+ out on the floods. Mainly Lesser Blackback Gull but too distant to identify any other species that may have been present.

The male Blackcap feeding on suet balls in the garden again and a singing Coal Tit in the garden.

A good mix

Light cloud with the occasional sunny spell, 14°, light WSW.

2 Stonechat still present around Lollingdon Hill also 100+ Fieldfare and several Redwing and a couple of Kestrel.

2 Corn Bunting with 1 in song and several Yellowhammer and Meadow Pipit.

Nearby a lot of Skylark noted today with 100+, including a flock of 38. Also an increase in Chaffinch numbers and good numbers of Meadow Pipit.

Another flock of c60 Fieldfare and a few Redwing in the cattle field/Amwell Spring area.

Another Corn Bunting in song near Little Lollingdon and a flock of c30 Yellowhammer and a few Reed Bunting and 2 Lapwing flew overhead.

Some activity around the Bullshole with a Grey Wagtail and a Tit flock of around 40 birds. Mainly Long-tailed Tit with 2 Goldcrest, 2 Coal Tit and 3 Chiffchaff and the rest made up of Blue and Great Tit.

Alan had 6 Siskin in some Alders briefly down along the river at Cholsey Marsh plus a Kingfisher and a flock of c50 Lapwing over Cholsey Hill and Mistle Thrush on the church.

Dragonflies: several Common Darter and Alan saw several Migrant Hawker along the river.

Fieldfare

Mistle Thrush courtesy Alan

Kingfisher courtesy Alan

Migrant Hawker courtesy Alan

Stonechat

A bit more action

Cloudy, 6°, light SE.

A walk along the Bunk line/Green lane area where I bumped into Alan also out birding.

Between us we notched up a few species: Quite a few Fieldfare and Redwing, good numbers of Blackbird and Robin and a scattering of Song Thrush and Mistle Thrush (higher numbers than usual).

Several Common Snipe dropped into one of the fields and a Chiffchaff ,Treecreeper and male Blackcap noted.

The garden busy again today with a Pheasant appearing, also Nuthatch, Coal Tit, Long-tailed Tit and Treecreeper along with the usual suspects.

 Redwing

Treecreeper (courtesy Alan Dawson)

 Pheasant

 Goldfinch, Greenfinch & Great Tit

Roe Deer from yesterday, came to a full stop when it realised Alan was in front of it. (photo courtesy Alan Dawson)

Sparrowhawk............again!

Overcast, 6°, light E.

The male Sparrowhawk spent several minutes atop the bird feeders in the pouring rain this afternoon and constantly looking around. As if he is working out his future attack strategies. What's the best direction to approach from, what speed and height etc. Fascinating to watch.

The garden has been busy over the last few days with Blue, Great, Long-tailed and Coal Tit, Nuthatch and Treecreeper and the odd Finch.

Everything saw him coming again so no luck today.

Blackcap

Sunny intervals, 12°, light NNW.

A visit by a male Blackcap to the garden this morning. I am assuming it is one of the overwintering birds that is still around rather than a newly arrived migrant.

Several species singing in the garden today: Coal Tit, Treecreeper, Goldcrest, Song Thrush, Chiffchaff, Robin and Great Tit.

From the office window

Cloudy with drizzly rain later, 8°, light SW.

Waited in for a delivery today so did not venture out, however the garden and meadow were quite busy with a Little Egret and a Grey Heron both fishing in the brook and making occasional appearances.

Usual Nuthatch (2), Coal Tit, Treecreeper and Great-spotted Woodpecker (2) all visiting along with the other regulars.

Busy Garden

Cloudy then rain, 8°, fresh SSE.

A windy and wet day and not particularly fond of birding in those conditions, so a watch kept on the garden and a busy garden it was!

A lot more Finches today, the usual Tit flocks with associated species including Coal Tit, Treecreeper, Great-spotted Woodpecker (2), Green Woodpecker and a few House Sparrow.

More from the Garden

Sunny spells and rain showers, 11°, fresh SW.

A busy garden today with a couple of Tit flocks accompanied by 2 Treecreeper, 2 Great-spotted Woodpecker (♂ & ♀), 2 Nuthatch, a Coal Tit and several Long-tailed Tit.

Several transient Redwing in the garden trees on and off and a couple of Fieldfare over and a brief visit by a Grey Wagtail.

24 species noted in the garden today.

Another rainy day

A dull day with on/off rain showers, 12°, light SW.

Again some action in the garden with a Coal Tit and 2 Nuthatch amongst others.

Also a Little Egret seen again to the north of the village. Per AD.