A warm one

Sunny, 23°, light W.

A couple of hours well spent up by the gravel pit today:

3 Shelduck, an Egyptian Goose, 2 Gadwall, 2 pair of Mallard with 18 young between them, 2 Oystercatcher, 2 Little Ringed Plover, a Dunlin, 7 Lapwing, a Peregrine and 2 Grey Heron over, a Sedge Warbler, a Swallow and 2 Sand Martin.

On the walk out: a Willow Warbler at CSW, a Common Whitethroat, Green Lane, 4 Blackcap and 5 Chiffchaff.

A single Fieldfare flying alongside the road on Cholsey Hill.  

Good to see Michael P at the pit today. yesterday he had 3 Wheatear on Lollingdon Hill, 6 Fieldfare nearby and a singing Cetti’s Warbler on Cholsey Marsh.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Orange Tip, Holly Blue, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Speckled Wood.

Lollingdon & Garden

Overcast, 14°, light E.

A walk out to Lollingdon:

6 Stonechat, 100+ Fieldfare, c30 Redwing, 10 Mistle Thrush, 7 Siskin, a single Chiffchaff, 20+ Meadow Pipit, 9 Yellowhammer, 2 Raven, a Peregrine, 60+ Stock Dove over and a flock of 200+ Black-headed Gull accompanied by a handful of larger Gulls flying high north east.

Late afternoon a Sparrowhawk took a Collared Dove in the garden. Started to pluck it but was disturbed, flew with the prey to a sheltered corner of the garden and spent the next hour consuming the Dove.

4 Little Grebe, 18 Tufted Duck and over 150 Lesser Blackback Gull in/on/around the pit next to the bunk on Friday afternoon. 3 Teal there a couple or so weeks back as well. Per MA.

Distant Fieldfare

Bunk area

Overcast, 12°, light NE.

Another gloomy day with this anticyclonic weather system overhead.

A Firecrest found in the SW corner of the gravel pit area but disappeared into a large garden nearby and not relocated.

8 Tufted Duck, 2 Little Grebe and 30 Canada Geese on the pit that is partially visible.

Elsewhere along the Bunk area: 2 Goldcrest, 4 Chiffchaff, 5 Fieldfare, 16 Redwing, a Mistle Thrush, 2 Jay, 4 Raven, several Meadow Pipit, 10+ Pied Wagtail, a Little Owl, 2 Yellowhammer etc.

Spring on its way

Sunshine, 16°, light E.

Lollingdon, Bunk and Marsh:

Our first Wheatear of the year out at Lollingdon today, plus 2 Corn Bunting, 2 Yellowhammer, a Reed Bunting, a couple of Meadow Pipit, c20 Fieldfare, 6 Teal and c20 Lapwing.

3 Cetti’s Warbler, Water Rail and Reed Bunting on the Marsh.

Bunk: 21 Lapwing, 4 Shoveler, 8 Tufted Duck, 2 Teal, 2 Little Grebe, 2 Jay, 6 Meadow Pipit, Grey Wagtail, Grey Heron, Little Egret and a Little Owl.

Chiffchaff, everywhere.

A Swallow, 2 Gadwall and 2 Oystercatcher over the weekend.

Mammals: Brown Hare and Roe Deer.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Green-veined White and Peacock.

AD, PC & TW.

October bows out as Fieldfares arrive

Misty at first, then clearing, 14°, light S.

Mist clearing by 14:00 but Lollingdon mainly shrouded earlier with little noted. Alan ventured out later with several hundred Gulls and c50 Lapwing present on flooded areas. A few Fieldfare and Redwing present.

Bunk area: A female Brambling along with Greenfinch and Chaffinch, many Redwing and 60+ Fieldfare, 2+ Raven, a Kingfisher, 4 Grey Heron, a Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Yellowhammer, numbers of Meadow Pipit, Skylark and the usual Gulls, etc.

Dragonflies: Common Darter at both sites.

AD & PC.

Fieldfare

Fieldfare & Redwing

Long-tailed Tit

Grey Heron

Grey Plover(s) still in area

Cloudy with occasional sunny spells, 12°, light NNE.

A disappointing day overall considering over 4 hours in the field.

A flock of 26 Fieldfare seen plus several more heard but not seen. Plenty of Redwing around, 2 Grey Wagtail, 2 Raven, 4 Jay, a Kingfisher, Chiffchaff, Yellowhammer etc.

Alan and Tony W were over at the Moreton floods (just outside the border): c200 Lesser Blackback Gull, a few Black-headed Gull, c30 Teal, c250 Golden Plover, 1, pos 2 Grey Plover and numbers of Meadow Pipit.

Lots of activity on garden feeders, with Blue, Great, Long-tailed and Coal Tit, Nuthatch, Great-spotted Woodpecker and Goldfinch.

Butterflies: a single Red Admiral.

Grey Plover

Redwing

Another plant has rooted in this dead Teazel head, not seen this before.

Grey Plover

Overcast, 18°, light SSE.

A pretty good day all round. Alan covered Bunk this morning and Cholsey Hill this afternoon and I covered Bunk this afternoon.

A Grey Plover (3rd Cholsey record) with c60 Golden Plover on Cholsey Hill was the highlight and a single Swallow over.

Bunk: c300 Redwing, 10 Fieldfare over, 4-500 Starling, and increase in both Song Thrush and Blackbird numbers, 5 Siskin, 7 Swallow, 6 Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcap, several Meadow Pipit, Skylark and Pied Wagtail, a single Grey Wagtail and a Common Snipe.

2 Wigeon on flood near Wallingford Road this morning. Per Michael Pocock.

Dragonflies: several Common Darter.

Butterflies: 2 Small White.

AD, MP & PC.

Grey Plover with Golden Plover. bottom right in above pic and bottom left in pic below. Courtesy Alan.

One of several Swallow

A distant Redwing

A swarm of insects near CSW.

Varied weather

Sunny at first then cloudy with rain, 15°, breezy S.

Lollingdon and Bunk covered in the last few days: 2-3 Wheatear, a Common Redstart, many Chiffchaff, 2 Willow Warbler, 2 Blackcap, 3 Fieldfare, a single Redwing, Bullfinch, Jay, Goldcrest, Treecreeper, 8+ Lapwing, 2 Herring Gull and 2 Lesser Blackback Gull.

1st Sedge Warbler of the year. Per Phil Dyson.  

Mammals: Brown Hare, Muntjac and Roe Deer.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Green-veined White, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Comma.

AD & PC.

Muntjac Deer

Great-spotted Woodpecker

Wheatear courtesy Alan

Buzzard courtesy Alan

Sparrowhawk

All quiet

Sunshine and showers, 12°, breezy S.

Most areas quiet today: 6 Fieldfare yesterday, 3 Redwing today, plus several Chiffchaff, a Blackcap, Kingfisher, 6 Meadow Pipit, a Grey Wagtail, several Pied Wagtail, 6 Yellowhammer, Sparrowhawk, 2 Lapwing, 7 Lesser Blackback Gull, a Grey Heron and 2 Mute Swan.

AD & PC.

Chiffchaff

Bunk again

Sunny intervals, 13°, breezy E.

Alan along the Bunk today with Fieldfare, Redwing, Siskin, Meadow Pipit, Sparrowhawk and Chiffchaff.

Dragonflies: Common Darter.

Butterflies: Red Admiral.

Meadow Pipit courtesy Alan

Common Buzzard courtesy Alan

Bunk Line

Cloudy with the odd sunny spell, 10°, light E.

Bunk line: 50+ Fieldfare (2 flocks), 2 Redwing, 5 Mistle Thrush, 2+ Siskin over, 1 Grey Wagtail, 3 Pied Wagtail, 8 Meadow Pipit, 14 Skylark, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Grey Heron, 1 Cormorant, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel, 1 Jay, 2 Raven, 1 Common Snipe, 1 Jay, a Little Owl, 50 + Black-headed Gull, 23 Lesser Blackback Gull, etc.

Butterflies: 1 Red Admiral.

Dragonflies: Common Darter (Saturday).

8 Fieldfare, part of one of the flocks seen today

Black-headed Gull (above & below)

Grey Heron

Todays Red Admiral

Common Carder Bee

Speckled Bush Cricket

Lollingdon & Bunk

Overcast, 19°, light SW.

Both Alan and myself out at Lollingdon today with Alan on the earlier visit.

The hill was a little quiet but a lot of Skylark in the area with around 100+ scattered around and a flyover Ringed Plover.

Some movement going on with both Redwing and Fieldfare noted, plus 20+ Meadow Pipit, 6 Pied Wagtail, 2+ Siskin, 11 Yellowhammer and 8 Reed Bunting.

2 Tawny Owl heard, a Common Snipe, 9 Chiffchaff and 3 Jay noted.

Alan then out along Bunk Line: Redwing, Fieldfare, Chiffchaff, Raven etc.

Dragonflies: Common Darter.

Butterflies: Red Admirals still noted moving south but in fewer numbers. Large White, Small White and Speckled Wood also seen.

A Red Admiral resting up

Common Darter

Winter Thrushes arrive

Sunny, 23°, light SSW.

Some of our “Winter Thrushes” arrived today on an unseasonably warm day with c80 Redwing and a Fieldfare, out at Lollingdon and probably some (migrant) Blackbirds that were moving with the flock.

Alan also had 50+ Redwing along the Bunk line this afternoon. Plus a flock of c100 Lapwing.

Redwings heard passing overhead this evening. Per Michael Pocock.  

6 Reed Bunting, 5 Yellowhammer and 2 Corn Bunting on Lollingdon Hill and some overhead movement of Finches, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail and Skylark.

Nearby, at least 2 Siskin over, a Mistle Thrush, a Raven and 2 Jay.

3 Chiffchaff, including 1 in garden.

River & Cholsey Meadows, per Alan. Chiffchaff, Kingfisher and Cormorant.

Bunk: Chiffchaff, Mistle Thrush, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting, Black-headed and Lesser Blackback Gull.

Mammals: Brown Hare.

Dragonflies: Willow Emerald, Migrant Hawker, Ruddy Darter and Common Darter.

Butterflies: Red Admiral, loads around and another day of most of them moving strongly south. Also a Brimstone, several Large and Small White, Peacock, Comma and Speckled Wood.

Ruddy Darter courtesy Alan

Willow Emerald courtesy Alan

Lapwing courtesy Alan

Red Admiral courtesy Alan

Common Darter courtesy Alan

Hornet Mimic Hoverfly

Speckled Wood

Lollingdon, Bunk & Thames.

A few sunny spells, 14°, fresh E.

Usual areas covered today: 2 Little Egret, 3 Green Sandpiper, Lapwing, 4 Black-headed Gull, Mandarin Duck, a Sparrowhawk going for a Mistle Thrush unsuccessfully, 1 pos 2 Fieldfare, 1-2 Yellow Wagtail, 5-6 Swallow, 2 Wheatear, Common Whitethroat, several Blackcap, a Garden Warbler, several Sedge Warbler, Reed Bunting, Yellowhammer & Corn Bunting.

A Common Sandpiper earlier in week along the river. Per PR.

Mammals: Brown Hare.

Butterflies: Orange Tip, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock & Speckled Wood.

3 Green Sandpipers on the floods at Lollingdon courtesy Alan ↕

Black-headed Gull, 1 of 4 on the flood

Mandarin Duck with Mallards on the flood courtesy Alan ↕

Wheatear