Out & About

Mainly cloudy with rain later, 15°, light SSE.

Lollingdon: Common Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat and Blackcap. Per Andy King.

Mammals: Brown Hare and Roe Deer. Per Andy King.

Dragonflies: Four-spot Chaser. Per Alan.

Photos courtesy Andy King and Alan Dawson

Brown Hare courtesy Andy King

Four-spot Chaser courtesy Alan

Roe Deer courtesy Andy King

Common Carpet courtesy Andy King

Dragons & Butterflies Pt II

 Some of the insects captured yesterday by Alan.

Brown Argus

Small Heath

Azure Damselfly

Common Blue Damselfly

Four-spot Chaser

Gropper

Grasshopper Warbler at Cholsey Marsh this morning. Per Alan Dawson.

Four-spot Chaser courtesy Alan

Cholsey Marsh & a few Swift arrive

Some sunshine, 16°, light S.

An early visit to the Marsh this morning for a dawn chorus. Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Chiffchaff, Common Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Cetti’s Warbler and an assortment of other songsters.

The 3 Geese species, 2 Kingfisher, a Cormorant, several Swallow, a Grey Wagtail, a Kestrel, a Grey Heron plus a few others.

Alan visited a bit later and added a flock of 20+ House Martin.

2 Swift high over Church Road late afternoon and 3 Swift over Cholsey Meadows..

Mammals: Roe Deer & Muntjac Deer.

Dragonflies: Club-tailed Dragonfly & Four-spot Chaser.

Butterflies: none early morning but Alan had a few species later. The first Small Heath of the year found by Alan yesterday.

A few photos from the weekend and today.

Greylag Goose with one young

Small Heath courtesy Alan

Garden Warbler courtesy Alan

Grey Wagtail courtesy Alan

Four-spot Chaser courtesy Alan

Great-spot

Blackbird

Orange Tip (M&F) courtesy Alan

Large Red Damselfly courtesy Alan

Dragons, Damsels & Butterflies

Mainly cloudy, 19°, light SSW.

A day of insects with Dragonflies & Damselflies dominating.  

Bunk line/Green lane today, little change. Lesser Whitethroat still in song but less frequently than of late.

Frequent Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting, Common Whitethroat and Blackcap still in song and a couple of Yellow Wagtail overhead along with a few Swallow and Swift. A flock of c50 Starling CSW.

Alan along the river over the last 2 days: Both Sedge and Reed Warbler, Blackcap, Common Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Reed Bunting, Nuthatch and Kingfisher.

Dragonflies: Banded Demoiselle, Azure Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Red-eyed Damselfly, Large Red Damselfly and Four-spot Chaser (both sites).

Butterflies: Brimstone, Large White, Small White, Green-veined White, Orange Tip, Common Blue, Brown Argus, Red Admiral, Peacock, Comma & Small Heath.

Moths: Mother Shipton.

All pics courtesy Alan

Blue-tailed Damselfly

Four-spot Chaser

Azure Damselfly

Red-eyed Damselfly

Brown Argus

Common Blue ↕

Mother Shipton

Audio Clip

Lesser Whitethroat ( Robin & Wren)

One of those days 👍

Cloudy, 21°, light WSW.

A walk out to the Lees area today and turned out to be one of those good days!

Firstly a subdued song coming from the corner of a maize field turned out to be a Reed Warbler. I began to suspect a Reed Warbler but it was not until about 30 minutes later the bird appeared on the edge of the field briefly before disappearing again.

Secondly, happened to notice a butterfly on Dandelions near some farm buildings that turned out to be a Painted Lady. My first for the year!

Thirdly, walking back towards Manor farm I heard an alarm call of a falcon. Then next a small falcon shot by being pursued by a corvid. I managed to get onto the falcon and it was a juvenile Merlin. The birds had come from the direction of Cholsey hill, they shot by me and disappeared over the main railway line towards Lollingdon.

It was only then as the corvid broke off the pursuit I realised it was a Raven that had been chasing the Merlin. The Raven then flew back overhead and moved off towards Cholsey hill and was joined by another.

Then walking thru by the Church I saw a Sparrowhawk take a Greenfinch out of the sky. No matter what the finch did the hawk tracked it with precision and caught it.

Other birds seen were Chiffchaff (5), a Blackcap, Reed Bunting (3), Yellow Wagtail (4), 2 Raven, and a Kestrel.

A light movement of Swallow and House Martin (c100), fizzled out by midday.

Alan was out on Lollingdon Hill today: 1 Lesser Whitethroat, several Meadow Pipit (first of the autumn) and an amazing number of up to 15 Kestrel around the hill!

Dragonflies: several Southern Hawker, a Four-spot Chaser (egg laying) and several Common Darter.

Butterflies: several Large White and Small White, 2 Red Admiral, 1 Painted Lady and 1 Speckled Wood.

Painted Lady

A pale Buzzard that frequents the Lollingdon area. (courtesy Alan). ↕

Lollingdon, Bow & The Marsh

Sunny with a few cloudy spells, 21°, light S.

A walk out to Lollingdon and back and rather quiet and similar to Mondays walk.

3 Corn Bunting and 2 Reed Bunting in song on Lollingdon Hill and a Kestrel hunting nearby and 2 Lesser Whitethroat in song.

Later in the day at Bow Bridge a Common Tern flew downstream and a Willow Warbler in full song also Cuckoo, Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat etc. Per AD & PC.

Sparrowhawk paid a visit to the garden again today and missed out.

Richard was also active today with a Grey Wagtail family seen, plus 2 Common Tern, Cuckoo and Raven amongst other species.

Mammals: Brown Hare and Roe Deer.

Dragonflies: Banded Demoiselle & Four-spotted Chaser. Per AD & PC.

Butterflies: Dingy Skipper, Brimstone, Small White, Orange Tip, Small Blue, Brown Argus, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Marsh Fritillary and Speckled Wood. Per AD & PC.

Chiffchaff in song, Church road

Four-spot Chaser (courtesy Alan Dawson)

 Reed Bunting & Corn Bunting. Both in song.

 Pied Wagtail collecting food.

 Marsh Fritillary

White Ermine Moth (courtesy Alan Dawson)

Dragons

A few pics of Dragonflies at Cholsey Meadows yesterday & today.

All photos by Alan Dawson.

 4-spot Chaser

 Black-tailed Skimmer

Emperor egg laying

Dragons & Butterflies

Sunny, 18°, light E.

Another sunny day with quite a lot of butterflies on the wing.

A Lesser Whitethroat heard singing on the north side of Cholsey Hill and several Swift, Swallow and House Martin over Church road today.

Alan Dawson has been out along the Thames today and found most of the Dragons and Butterflies along with, Common Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Kingfisher, Buzzard, Kestrel, Swallow, House Martin, Swift, Yellowhammer, Linnet, Kingfisher and a single Common Tern along with the rest.

Dragonflies: Azure Damselfly, Four-spotted Chaser.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Green-veined White, Orange Tip, Green Hairstreak, Small Copper, Brown Argus, Holly Blue, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Speckled Wood.

All todays photos courtesy Alan Dawson.

 Four-spot Chaser

 Brown Argus

 Dingy Skipper

 Small Copper

Swallow

The song remains the same

Sunny, 21°, moderate NW.

A warm but breezy day on the hill with the usual present and in song.

In addition a Sparrowhawk drifted north, Grey Heron, 2 Grey Partridge, 2 House Martin feeding overhead and a flyover Yellow Wagtail.

Dragonflies: a mating pair of Blue Emperor, several Common Blue Damselfly and Azure Damselfly, also a Four-spotted Chaser.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Large White, Speckled Wood, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral and another Painted Lady.

Four-spotted Chaser

Great-spotted Woodpecker in the garden