2025 bows out

Sunny, 2°, light W.

The last walk of the year out to the Lees and Long Ditch:

Initially appeared very quiet but the longer you are out the more you see.

Up to 100 Skylark in total spread around and c50 Meadow Pipit. 2 Common Snipe along the Long Ditch and a Kingfisher noted nearby.

A fairly large Tit flock at the Lees with c20 Long-tailed Tit, 4 Chiffchaff, 3 Goldcrest and a Treecreeper plus the odd Blue and Great Tit.

A Raven over and a few Fieldfare and Redwing moving and to bow out the year a male Merlin flew towards Cholsey Hill from near the Church.

Mammals: Roe Deer.

And finally a thank you to all contributors of 2025 for various wildlife sightings.

Alan Dawson, Richard Broughton, Marta Maziarz, Tony Williams, Geoff Wyatt, Brian Wyatt, Roger Wyatt, Ian Lewington, Michael Pocock, Mike Amphlett, Andy King, Bill Nicholls, Paul Rainsden, Richard James and several other who’s names I have forgotten, apologies.

A European Beaver photographed by Janie Maclean on 7th May on the River Thames was certainly the most significant observation this year.

Lollingdon

Mainly cloudy, 11°, light SSE.

Not a great deal on the floods out at Lollingdon today. 135 Lesser Blackback Gull and a single Herring Gull that disappeared after being flushed by a Buzzard.

On the walk out, 2 Goldcrest and 2 Chiffchaff in the Millennium wood and another Chiffchaff out at Lollingdon. A handful of Meadow Pipit, c20 Redwing and a few Fieldfare, a single Mistle Thrush, 2 Jay, 2 Raven, 4 Grey Heron and a Little Egret.

This Starling was in song for c20 minutes before joining a small flock passing by.

Bunk

Sunny, 6°, light S.

A frosty start along the Bunk and still pretty quiet.

A Chiffchaff, 3 Goldcrest, 100+ Fieldfare, c50 Redwing, a flock of 16 Skylark, 2 Jay, a Meadow Pipit heard etc.

All I could see on the gravel pit was 3 Shoveler and a few Gulls.

Bunk area

Mainly cloudy, 4°, breezy NNW.

A bit chilly and pretty quiet along the Bunk area today:

12 Shoveler, 2 Tufted Duck, 2 Little Grebe, c50 Canada Geese on the viewable area of the gravel pit.

50+ Fieldfare, 30+ Redwing, a Goldcrest, Treecreeper and Chiffchaff with a large Tit flock, 2 Jay and a Grey Heron and 3 species of Gull.

I’ve seen more Goldcrest in the last 4 weeks locally than I usually see in a year or more!

A Raven and 2 Egyptian Geese yesterday. Per MA.

Lollingdon

Cloudy with a few light rain showers, 15°, breezy SSW.

A breezy walk out to Lollingdon:

3 Chiffchaff (1 in song), 4 Goldcrest, c120 Fieldfare, c75 Redwing, 2 Mistle Thrush, an increase in Blackbird numbers, 200+ Starling, 50+ Meadow Pipit, 20+ Pied Wagtail, 5 Siskin, 2+ Redpoll, 3 Yellowhammer, 2 Jay and a Kingfisher.

A  male Merlin seen around the Hithercroft area. Per Connor Pimm.

Another near miss today. Mike Amphlett found a Brent Goose with a flock of Gulls just a few hundred meters outside the parish boundary in Moulsford. The species has not been recorded in Cholsey before, so worth keeping an eye out in case it joins the Goose flock on the Cholsey side.

Phone cam photo of Brent Goose (Dark-bellied form), breeds on Arctic coasts of central and western Siberia and winters in coastal western Europe. courtesy Mike Amphlett. Great find.

Peregrine

Overcast, 15°, light NNE.

Pretty quiet along Bunk today: Peregrine, Sparrowhawk, a single Chiffchaff, 2 Goldcrest, 8 Corn Bunting, 2 Yellowhammer, 20+ Pied Wagtail, several Meadow Pipit and a Mistle Thrush etc.

The Peregrine was initially seen on prey but was eventually bullied off by several Red Kite. The bird has a green ring on her left leg and I suspect this is the same female bird that nested in Cholsey in 2024 and South Stoke this year.

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

A little bit chilly

Cloud and rain clearing then sunny spells, 9°, breezy NNW.

Lollingdon fairly quiet apart from the hundreds of Fieldfare and Redwing around.

Around 12 Yellowhammer, a Chiffchaff and a Goldcrest on the Hill.

Alan out along the river and Bunk Line with similar results. A Treecreeper and Little Egret to add and c50 Lapwing over Cholsey Hill.

A Song Thrush singing at dusk in the Brook Meadow.

Tawny Owl calling from garden @ 22:00.

Goldfinch courtesy Alan

Little Egret courtesy Alan

Treecreeper courtesy Alan

Yellowhammer

A bit samey

Few sunny spells, 11°, light WNW.

Lollingdon Hill was very quiet, just a few Yellowhammer and Fieldfare present. Nearby was a lot busier with good numbers of Fieldfare, Redwing and Starling. A Blackcap and Goldcrest mixed in with a Tit flock, c 50 Linnet and a scattering of Meadow Pipit and Pied Wagtail etc.

Alan reported that the river area was very quiet and some Siskin over Church Road. Per RB.

Dragonflies: 2 Common Darter.

Butterflies: a single Red Admiral.

Goldcrest

Bunk

Mainly cloudy with a few showers, 12°, breezy SW.

Bunk, per Alan:

A Dunlin in flooded field near Green Lane, 2 Little Egret (same field), Fieldfare, Redwing, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Goldcrest, Raven, Lesser Blackback Gull and Black-headed Gull.

Dunlin courtesy Alan

Raven courtesy Alan ↕

Grey Heron courtesy Alan

Chiffchaff courtesy Alan

Little Egret courtesy Alan

Stonechats & Buntings

Sunny spells with light rain showers, 12°, light SW.

Very quiet along the Bunk line/Green Lane area today with very little noted.

2 Chiffchaff, 1 CSW and another Green Lane. A single Goldcrest with a Tit flock and a Grey Wagtail with several Pied Wagtail. Just a handful of Fieldfare and Redwing, a single Kestrel, several Yellowhammer, a single Reed Bunting and a scattering of 3 Gull species.

Long ditch area, 2 Stonechat, Reed Bunting, Skylark, Chiffchaff, Little Egret and approx. 300 Lesser Blackback Gull. Per Alan.

Male & Female Stonechat courtesy Alan

Yellowhammer

Reed Bunting courtesy Alan

Sparrowhawk on a disappointing visit to the garden.

Still quietish

Cloudy with sunny spells, 18°, light S.

Crossed paths with Alan out at Lollingdon today and we both found it relatively quiet.

A Stonechat and a Wheatear on the hill. A Raven over and a flock of 25 Starling visited briefly (Starling numbers increasing locally) and the odd Meadow Pipit and a Kestrel present.

Nearby 8 Mistle Thrush and 6 Chiffchaff in total between Church Road and Lollingdon.

A Kingfisher along Cholsey brook and a couple of Jay. And Alan found a Goldcrest near the Church.

Alan, Bunk line later: Stonechat, Grey Wagtail and several Meadow Pipit.

3 Nuthatch in garden today.

Mammals: Muntjac in garden.

Dragonflies: Common Darter.

Butterflies: 1 Large White, several Small White and a Speckled Wood.

Wheatear

Muntjac courtesy Loren

Speckled Wood

Starling

Muntjac courtesy Loren

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