A better day

Mainly cloudy, 14°, light SW.

The highlight of the day was a Turtle Dove that arrived off the sea and spent some time moving around the bill area before departing.

An intermittent sea-watch produced: 2 Pomarine Skua, 2 Arctic Skua, 3 Red-throated Diver, 6 Common Scoter, 10 Mediterranean Gull, 6 Common Gull and 3 Manx Shearwater etc.

The land was more varied in species if not numbers: 5 Chiffchaff, 3 Willow Warbler, a Garden Warbler, Blackcap, 8 Common Whitethroat, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, a Reed Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Common Redstart, a Whinchat, Stonechat, 4 Wheatear, 3 Yellow Wagtail, a White Wagtail and c30 Swallow.

Dragonflies: Broad-bodied Chaser.

Butterflies: Large White, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Speckled Wood and Wall Brown.

Is it Spring yet?

Overcast, 14°, mod W.

Lollingdon Hill was somewhat quiet with just a small flock of Linnet and Goldfinch feeding on Dandelion seeds and several Skylark in song.

Nearby a male Common Redstart, heard calling and then flew off towards the Amwell Spring area.

The Lollingdon flood is now the mud, as it mainly dried up. Just 2 Lapwing in the vicinity.

On the walk out, a Common Whitethroat, 5 Blackcap, 9 Chiffchaff, 4 Yellowhammer and 10 Fieldfare.

Geoff Wyatt had 2 Ringed Plover fly north over Ilges Lane repeatedly making alarm calls. A Sparrowhawk had just flown over heading north with Starlings mobbing and alarm calling.

A Swallow over Church Road c18:00 and Loren had one cross her path on Cholsey Hill a little earlier and a Raven heard “kronking” over home at 19:30.

Butterflies: very few on the wing, Brimstone, Peacock and Speckled Wood.

A warm one

Sunny, 27°, fresh SSE.

Fairly quiet out today. singles of Common Redstart, Whinchat and Wheatear out at Lollingdon and 3 Swallow over. Nearby, 3 Blackcap, 2 Common Whitethroat, several Chiffchaff and a Tit flock with Coal Tit and Nuthatch present.

50+ House Martin and a Yellow Wagtail over Church Road.

Mammals: Brown Hare.

Dragonflies: Common Darter.

Butterflies: very few. Several Whites, Red Admiral, Peacock, Speckled Wood and Meadow Brown.

A regular garden visitor

Cooler

Overcast, 19°, breezy NNE.

2 Common Redstart still out at Lollingdon, a Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Common Whitethroat, 3 Blackcap and an unexpected fly-by of a Greenshank and c60 Swallow over.

Nearby a couple of Yellowhammer, c100 Linnet and good numbers of Chiffchaff.

A handful of House Martin still present in the Church Road area and appear to be feeding young still and 2 Swift over.

A Peregrine seen from the garden yesterday and several Swift passing over in the last few days.

Mammals: Hedgehog, Muntjac and Common Pipistrelle regular in garden.

Dragonflies: A Southern Hawker on the allotment yesterday.

Butterflies: very few, Small White, Speckled Wood, a Gatekeeper and a few Meadow Brown.

Moths: Hummingbird Hawk in garden.

Bunk & Lollingdon

Sunny spells, 27°, Light WSW.

2 Common Redstart, Lollingdon. Per RW.

Tree Pipit, Bunk area. Per RB.

Bunk: a Stonechat, a Willow Warbler, 9 Chiffchaff, 3 Common Whitethroat, 5 Blackcap, 12 Swallow, 4 House Martin, 7 Swift, 5 Yellowhammer, 30+ Linnet, 2 Sparrowhawk, a Hobby, 2 Grey Heron, 2 Herring Gull, etc.

8 Swift over garden at 20:10 last evening.

Mammals: Short-tailed Vole. Common Pipistrelle hunting around garden frequently in last few weeks.

Dragonflies: Southern Hawker and Migrant Hawker.

Butterflies: Small White, Common Blue, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown.

Redstart courtesy Roger Wyatt

Stonechat

Lancaster Bomber with a Swallow above but a lot closer

Lollingdon

Mostly sunny, 22°, light SW.

Not a lot happening today: Common Redstart still present out at Lollingdon, present for 3 weeks now. Several Common Whitethroat, Blackcap and Chiffchaff and several Swallow and House Martin over but little else.

6 Swift over garden late evening.  

Dragonflies: Banded Demoiselle, Emperor and Common Darter.

Butterflies: Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Comma, Peacock, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown.

Moths: Jersey Tiger.

Other: Hornet Robber Fly.

Lollingdon

Sunny spells, 23°, light W.

Common Redstart still present out at Lollingdon. A large Tit flock came down the hedgerow, c40 strong and accompanying were 5-6 Chiffchaff, a Lesser Whitethroat, a Garden Warbler and at least 2 Blackcap. Possibly more species but feeding group very active and on both sides of hedge.

Nearby 2 Common Whitethroat and a couple of Yellowhammer but little else.

Butterflies: Large White, Small White, Red Admiral, Peacock, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown.

Not a good pic but at least you can ID it.

Redstart

Sunny spells then clouding up, 25°, light WNW.

Lollingdon: The first Common Redstart of the autumn on the hill today, plus a Sedge Warbler, Chiffchaff, 2-3 Common Whitethroat and Blackcap. Nearby a Lesser Whitethroat, several more Chiffchaff, 5+ Yellowhammer and 3 Grey Heron.

A few Swift moving overhead.

The Marsh Harrier seen on Cholsey Hill again yesterday. Per GW. And a young Chiffchaff frequenting the garden over the last few days.

Mammals: Brown Hare, 2-3 Hedgehog and several Common Pipistrelle after dark in garden over the last week.

Dragonflies: Banded and Beautiful Demoiselle and a Southern Hawker.

Butterflies: Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Comma, Peacock, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown.

Moths: A Hummingbird Hawkmoth in garden yesterday.

Penultimate day

Mainly sunny, 14°, Light NE veering E.

The weather has been against us on this trip, clear skies overnight and clear sunny days. Plus, the wind in either north or east does not bode well for VizMig here.

Anyway, no meaningful sea watch, 20+ Manx Shearwater, an Arctic Skua, a Great Northern Diver, a Whimbrel and 3 Sandwich Tern.

A female Marsh Harrier in-off the sea at 07:20, 25+ Swallow, 8 Swift, a Chiffchaff, a Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, a Common Whitethroat, a Yellow Wagtail, 2 Spotted Flycatcher, Whinchat and Common Redstart.

Dragonflies: Large Red Damselfly and Broad-bodied Chaser.

Butterflies: Green-veined White, Orange Tip, Common Blue, Red Admiral and Speckled Wood.

Migrants trickle in

Sunny, 14°, light to mod NE.

Usual spots covered today:

A Common Redstart, Willow Warbler, many Chiffchaff, several Blackcap, Cetti’s Warbler, 10 Swallow, 8 Sand Martin, 2 Treecreeper, several Reed Bunting, a Yellowhammer, 1+ Little Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, 6 Tufted Duck, Water Rail, Kingfisher, a handful of Black-headed Gull, 2 Herring Gull and a Sparrowhawk.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Orange Tip, Peacock and Speckled Wood.

AD & PC.

Chiffchaff

Just over the Oxon border in Streatley, Berks yesterday Alan made the trip for a Hoopoe. One of many to hit the UK’s shores recently.

Autumnal

Sunny intervals, 16°, light S.

With the weather feeling quite autumnal today, TW found a male Common Redstart out at Lollingdon today, quite a late one.

Elsewhere, along the Bunk area: 30 Cormorant over, 2 Grey Wagtail, 20+ Pied Wagtail, 35 Meadow Pipit, c10 Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcap, several Swallow, House Martin and Sand Martin.

Butterflies: a single Small White.

Dragonflies: many Common Darter.

AD, PC & TW.

Meadow Pipit

Cormorant courtesy Alan

Greylag Geese and a single Canada Goose

Portland: Day 10.

Sunny, 18°, light NE.

An on/off sea watch today and a little less walking.

5 Manx Shearwater, 2 Balearic Shearwater, 1 Arctic Skua, 100+ Kittiwake, 15 Knot, 3 Wigeon, 10+ Auk, many Gannet etc.

2 Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, 2 Sparrowhawk, a Short-eared Owl, a Little Owl, 300+ Swallow, 100+ House Martin, 30+ Sand Martin, 25 Yellow Wagtail, 12 Grey Wagtail, 19 “alba” Wagtail, c200 Meadow Pipit, 3 Tree Pipit, 20+ Chiffchaff, 1 Willow Warbler, 1 Sedge Warbler, 2 Blackcap, 1 Common Redstart, 1 Whinchat, 3 Stonechat, 1 Spotted Flycatcher and 1 Pied Flycatcher, etc.

Dragonflies: Migrant Hawker & Common Darter.

Butterflies: fewer numbers of both Whites, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood and Small Heath.

Many Blue-fin Tuna still feeding offshore.

Sunrise

Portland: Day 6.

Sunny, 16°, light WNW.

Skipped a sea watch today as little appeared to be happening so concentrated more on the land.

Quite a good selection with a couple of reasonable figures.

Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, 2 Kestrel, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit over, 1 Whimbrel, 100+ Meadow Pipit, 2 Tree Pipit, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Grey Wagtail, 2 White Wagtail, 3 Wheatear, 2 Whinchat, 8 Stonechat, a Common Redstart, 1 Common Whitethroat, 2 Blackcap, 2 Willow Warbler, 17 Chiffchaff, 200+ Swallow, c40 House Martin and 26 Sand Martin.

Mammals: Red Fox & Grey Seal.

Dragonflies: Migrant Hawker & Common Darter.

Butterflies: Large White, Small White, Small Blue, Small Copper, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood & Small Heath.

Moths: Hummingbird Hawkmoth.

Good numbers of Blue-fin Tuna offshore.

Sunrise

Wheatear mid jump

Wheatear

Linnet

Stonechat (above & below)

Angle Shade Moth landed on my binoculars, Was not aware until I saw a fuzzy shape through them.

A smattering of migrants

Sunny spells, 20°, breezy WSW.

Alan out at Lollingdon and Cholsey Downs today: 3 Spotted Flycatcher, Nuthatch, Bullfinch, Kingfisher, Stonechat and Whinchat etc.

I covered the Bunk area: 60+ Swallow, 20-30 House Martin, 5 Blackcap, 1 Common Redstart, 1 Common Whitethroat, 10+ Chiffchaff, a Raven, 8 Pied Wagtail, 3 Yellowhammer, 40+ Linnet, 4 Mistle Thrush, etc.

Tawny Owl in garden @ 21:40.  

Dragonflies: Common Blue Damsel and Southern Hawker.

Butterflies: Large White, Small White, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown and Small Heath.

Whinchat courtesy Alan.

Long-tailed Tit

A couple of Redstart

Overcast, 20°, breezy SW.

Lollingdon & Bunk: A female type Common Redstart on the hill this morning and Alan found a male on there this afternoon.

A good numbers of Swallow moving through with 50+ in one flock and several more in smaller groups.

Richard Broughton had 3 Spotted Flycatcher out at Lollingdon earlier but not relocated later plus 5 Swift over the Lees early evening..

Elsewhere, 30+ Swallow, a few House Martin, 3 Blackcap, 2 Common Whitethroat, several Chiffchaff, a single Yellow Wagtail and a Little Owl.

Dragonflies: a single Common Darter and Banded Demoiselle.

Butterflies: several Large and Small White, a Red Admiral, several Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper.

Redstart ↕. female type above and male below. Male courtesy Alan

Swallow ↕

Red Admiral

Lollingdon

Sunny, 22°, light SSE.

Almost identical observations out at Lollingdon today compared with Wednesday.

A single Common Redstart and Willow Warbler, 4 Common Whitethroat, 3 Blackcap, several Chiffchaff, a Reed Bunting, 3 Yellowhammer, 2 House Martin and a single Swallow, plus a flyover Raven.

Dragonflies: A Migrant Hawker, 2 Southern Hawker and 6+ Common Darter.

Butterflies: again vey poor abundance. A section of Buddleia that would usually hold around 2 dozen butterflies this time of year had just 4. Overall, the majority being seen today were Small White with a few Large White, several Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper, 2 Holly Blue and a single worn Comma.

Other than the Buddleia and some Bramble in flower there was a complete lack of any other flowering plants.

Common Darter

The Hill

Cloudy with rain showers, 21°, light NNE.

A visit to Lollingdon today: 1 Common Redstart, 1 Willow Warbler, 5-6 Common Whitethroat, 3 Blackcap, c10 Chiffchaff, 2 Reed Bunting, 3 Yellowhammer, 3 Raven over and a few small flocks of Swallow and House Martin and 2 Swift.

Mammal: Roe Deer.

Dragonflies: singles of Southern Hawker, Migrant Hawker and Common Darter.

Butterflies: very few, Small White, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper.

Raven ↕

Bunk

Sunshine, 28°, light SSE.

A Common Redstart and Willow Warbler amongst the birds noted today. Several Chiffchaff, Common Whitethroat and Blackcap.

A Little Ringed Plover heard calling, a Grey Heron, 20+ Swallow, a few House Martin and 100+ Swift.

Swift were passing over very high and some were not visible to naked eye.

Dragonflies: Banded and Beautiful Demoiselle, Common Blue Damsel, Azure Damsel, Emperor, Southern Hawker, Brown Hawker and Black-tailed Skimmer.

Butterflies: Large Skipper, Brimstone, Large White, Small White, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Peacock, Comma, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown and Small Heath.

Very little happening

Sunny periods, 22°, light WSW.

Even quieter than Wednesday along the Bunk with only Yellowhammer still singing. More about the Insects today.

Alan found a Common Redstart this morning but not able to relocate it this afternoon.

Blackcap, Common Whitethroat and Chiffchaff but little else of note.

Several Swift, Swallow and House Martin still hawking overhead Church road.  

Mammals: Short-tailed Vole.

Dragonflies: Beautiful and Banded Demoiselle, Common Blue Damsel, Azure Damsel, Brown Hawker, Southern Hawker and Common Darter.

Butterflies: Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Large White, Small White, Red Admiral, Peacock, Marbled White, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper.

Arachnids: Wasp Spider.

AD & PC.

Gatekeeper

Wasp Spider courtesy Alan

Common Buzzard