Getting warmer

Sunny, 12°, breezy NE.

A little warmer than yesterday with a lighter wind and reflected with a few more insects on the wing.

No surprises along the Bunk line today, the usual Common Whitethroat, Blackcap, Yellowhammer and Chiffchaff present.

After a few days of not seeing them 2 Swift turned up overhead and then Alan messaged me to say several Swift and House Martin over Cholsey hill.

Around 10 minutes later there were 2 Swift and a handful of House Martin over CSW.

Several Starling flying back and forth from the CSW area collecting food and one of the Herring Gull seen and an immature Gull seen flying over but too distant for an ID..

A Kestrel hunting over the field where they are digging the gravel pit.

When I got back there were 2 House Martin flying around the old headmaster’s house in Church road. Maybe they are back!

No evidence of Lapwing breeding in Cholsey this year. I know there were a few pairs around last month but no sign in their usual haunts this month so far.

19:30: Alan has seen a Hobby flyover at Bow Bridge. First one of the year.

And a Goldcrest in the garden late evening.

Mammals: Brown Hare.

Butterflies: Orange Tip, Large White & Small White.

Chiffchaff taking food to a nest

Hobby (courtesy Alan Dawson)

Baby Moorhen

 Amazing how a fallen tree has given rise to 16 more!

Chicken of the Woods

Spotted Orchid in the garden, the flower spike should start to appear soon.

Spotted a Spotted and another Spotted

Sunshine and showers, 16°, breezy SSW.

Spotted Flycatcher is almost another lost species to Cholsey. However it appears we may have a breeding pair in the village. The location is being withheld to prevent disturbance which is fair enough and this will be the first in approx. 5 years since they last bred in the village.

A flurry of Swift (20+) and House Martin (12+) over Lollingdon Hill today moving ahead of a rain shower that passed over and a few more Swift on the back end of the shower feeding over the hill.

Other sightings very much the same as Wednesday and mainly very static out there at the moment.

Evidence of an active Barn Owl out at Lollingdon as some fresh pellets found (per TW).

The Swallows breeding out at Lollingdon have 3 adults currently hunting for food. It is not unknown for young from the previous year to stay with the parents and help with rearing duties on the current brood. This may well be the case with these.

Mammals: Brown Hare.

Butterflies: 2 Small Tortoiseshell, 2 Speckled Wood and 3 Meadow Brown.

Small Tortoiseshell

Common Spotted Orchid growing in the garden.

Orchid

Sunny, 28°, light S.

At least 2 Nuthatch in the garden this evening along with a Great-spotted Woodpecker.

(Common) Pipistrelle Bats feeding over the meadow tonight.

A Common Spotted Orchid growing wild in the garden again this year.

Dactylorhiza fuchsii

Swift movement

Cloudy, 15º, light NW, a couple of light rain showers.

4 hours on Lollingdon hill today saw an unusual and impressive movement of Common Swift with 1500+ flying north also 100+ House Martin, a feeding movement or something else?

There were Swifts in the air for the whole 4 hours with flocks of up to 50+ and the odd 1 or 2 passing over. Also as far as I could see both east and west I could see Swifts moving so there may have been more. They seemed to be pouring off the downs and were at varying altitudes feeding as they passed overhead.

Apart from a flock of 30+ the House Martins were just 1’s and 2’s mixed in with the Swifts.

Also a Hobby flew north, a Black-headed Gull flew west and a Quail heard calling from a field to the south west of the hill.

On the walk out the Lapwing were still present and 2 pairs of Yellow Wagtail around and 36 Stock Dove noted in the Lollingdon area.

Common Whitethroat, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Corn Bunting, Yellowhammer, Linnet, Skylark all singing and a few Swallow around.

A Willow Warbler still in song around the Bullshole.

A Common Spotted Orchid found in the garden today.........an upside of the gardeners not cutting the grass for 5 weeks!

Few butterflies around today given the weather but Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood and Red Admiral all seen.

 Common Spotted Orchid

 Common Whitethroat