The Lees

Mainly cloudy, 22°, breezy SW.

Bullshole-Lees-Long Ditch etc.

Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Chiffchaff, Common Whitethroat, Blackcap, Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Grey Wagtail (Church Road), Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting, Grey Heron, a single Black-headed Gull over and 3 Kestrel and several Swallow near Manor Farm.

A small flock of Swift feeding along the edge of the Lees.

Grasshopper Warbler reeling on Cholsey Marsh yesterday evening. Per James Beaumont.

Mammals: Roe Deer.

Dragonflies: Beautiful Demoiselle.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Peacock, Comma, Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Ringlet and Small Heath. 

Burnet Companion?

A bit quiet-ish

Sunny, 17°, fresh E.

Well, there was bugger all on the gravel pit today. a bulldozer was busy bulldozing the banks and obviously drove off any birds either on the water or anywhere nearby.

Elsewhere along the Bunk line: 5 Chiffchaff, 6 Common Whitethroat, 4 Blackcap, a Kingfisher flashed by and 5 Swallow and 8 House Martin over.

A Grasshopper Warbler has been heard regularly at Cholsey Marsh recently and a Cuckoo intermittently. (several observers).

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

Saturday snippets

Mainly sunny, 15°, light WNW.

Grasshopper Warbler, Cholsey Marsh. Common Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Sedge Warbler and Cetti's Warbler. Per Phil Dyson. The GW also noted by an anonymous observer on Birdtrak on Thursday 16th.

Swallow over Westfield Road.

Rain stopped Play

Sunny spells at first then rain p.m., 19°, breezy SSW.

Rain stopped play after midday except for a brief interlude mid-afternoon when another sea-watch took place.

Very little in the way of migrants today, most caught by ringer s rather than observed in the field.

2 Tree Pipit, a Grasshopper Warbler, a Sedge Warbler, a Firecrest, 3 Willow Warbler, 2 Grey Wagtail, a Yellow Wagtail and a Wheatear.

Sea-watch: 2 Arctic Skua, 6 Balearic Shearwater, 20+ Manx Shearwater and 60+ Gannet.

Butterflies: Small White and Speckled Wood.

Moths: Possibly a record count of 10 Convolvulus Hawkmoth caught at the obs, 3Striped Hawkmoth, a Cosmopolitan and a Lilac Beauty, also a Hummingbird Hawkmoth buzzing around nicotinia during the dryish spells.

Tree Pipit

Firecrest

One of the young Robins at the obs coming for its meal worm breakfast

9 Convolvulus Hawkmoth (1 escaped) and a Striped Hawkmoth

Cholsey catchup

Having just got back from a stay at Portland Bird Obs I’ve missed out on anything noted in Cholsey over the past week plus.

However 3 people have messaged or mailed me on several sightings plus one from FB:

Firstly a European Beaver photographed by Janie Maclean along the Thames. Where has it come from? Why is it there? A very unusual record!

Next, Michael Pocock found some Clubtail Dragonfly just emerging on 2nd May.

Paul Rainsden heard a Grasshopper Warbler reeling from Cholsey Marsh on 5th May.

Lastly Andy King was out in Lollingdon yesterday, 6 or more Common Whitethroat, 4 Lesser Whitethroat, Blackcap, Greenfinch, Swallow and Kestrel.

Beaver courtesy Janie Maclean

Clubtail courtesy Michael Pocock

Kestrel courtesy Andy King

Common Whitethroat courtesy Andy King

Rain & Shine

Overcast with a few light showers then clearing later, 14°, light W.

Lollingdon, River, Marsh, Bunk and Lees.

8 Tufted Duck, Greenshank, 2 Little Ringed Plover, 8+ Sand Martin, 6 House Martin, 20+ Swallow, 2 Yellow Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, 2 Wheatear ( 1 Lollingdon and 1nr Church Road), 6 Blackcap, 3 Common Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler, Cetti’s Warbler, Reed Warbler, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Jay, 2 Reed Bunting, 5 Yellowhammer and Corn Bunting.

Mammals: Brown Hare and Roe Deer.

Butterflies: Orange Tip.

AD, MP & PC.

Grasshopper Warbler courtesy Alan. Just outside the Cholsey boundary so can't count it in the annual stats.

Day 9: a good one

Mainly cloudy, 7°, fresh NE.

Best day so far with a reasonable fall of migrants.

Sea-watch: an on and off one today with a Pomarine Skua, 3 Arctic Skua, c80 Common/Arctic Tern, a few Sandwich Tern, several Manx Shearwater, a Fulmar and the usual Gannet, Shag, Cormorant and Auks plus the 1000 strong, feeding, Gull flock off the Bill.

Land: a Redpoll, 3 Sedge Warbler, 2 Reed Warbler, 3 Grasshopper Warbler, 10 Common Whitethroat, 3 Lesser Whitethroat, 18 Willow Warbler, 9 Chiffchaff, 3 Common Redstart, 3 Pied Flycatcher, 2 Whinchat, 2 Stonechat, 102 Wheatear, 3 Yellow Wagtail, 80+ Swallow, 14 House Martin, 6 Sand Martin and 4 Swift.

Mammals: Grey Seal.

Chiffchaff

Reed Warbler

Pied Flycatcher

Wheatear

Redstart

Wheatear

Common Whitethroat

Grey Seal

Gannet diving for fish

Day 6: A slow day

Mainly cloudy, 10°, N, backing WSW.

A slow day with little on the sea and land.

Sea-watch: 17 Whimbrel, 1 Arctic Skua, 1 Great Skua (Bonxie), 1 Great Northern Diver, 7 Manx Shearwater, 1 Puffin, 2 Sandwich Tern plus many Guillemot, Razorbill, Gannet etc and c2000 Gulls feeding over the race.

Land: 1 Peregrine, 1 Barn Owl, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 2 Common Whitethroat, good numbers of Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff, 1 Swift, several hundred Swallow, 30+ House Martin, 4 Sand Martin, 2 Wheatear, 2 Oystercatcher and 3-4 Purple Sandpiper.

Butterflies: Green-veined White and Orange Tip.

Purple Sandpiper 

Oystercatcher

Herring Gull

Day 4: Rain stopped play

Cloudy then rain, 8°, light NNE.

Day started reasonably well then rain stopped play around 13:00.

Sea-watch: 67 Bar-tailed Godwit, 5 Knot, 2 Arctic Skua, 9 Whimbrel, 10 Common Scoter, 3 Red-throated Diver, 1 Great Northern Diver, numbers of Kittiwake, Guillemot, Razorbill, Gannet and several Sandwich Tern and Oystercatcher.

Land: Grasshopper Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Garden Warbler, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Common Whitethroat, Common Redstart, Cuckoo, Swallow, Sand Martin and House Martin.

Razorbill

Swallow

Guillemot

Great Blackback Gull

Guillemot and a Razorbill

Oystercatcher

Thundery weather

Sunny with variable cloud, 26°, light SSE.

A couple of minor thunderstorms later in the day but no comparison with yesterdays.

Anyway a walk out to Lollingdon today with 6 Lapwing present. 4 adults and 2 well grown juvs but may have had even more young around as I was getting mobbed by the adults when walking the footpath along with 2 Buzzard that happened to fly over.

No surprises with the usual Chiffchaff, Common Whitethroat , Blackcap in good song along with Reed Bunting, Yellowhammer and Corn Bunting.

A Mistle Thrush very vocal around Church Road today.

Alan along the marsh with both Grasshopper Warbler reeling well and a Cuckoo doing its thing. Plus all the usuals.

Dragonflies: Beautiful Demoiselle frequent and a Black-tailed Skimmer in the garden.

Butterflies: Meadow Brown and Marbled White now on the wing plus Common Blue and Red Admiral noted.

Both pics courtesy Alan  

Cuckoo

Marbled White

Gropper

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

Four-spot Chaser courtesy Alan

Cholsey Marsh

Grasshopper Warbler reeling at Cholsey Marsh this evening, Per Michael Pocock and 6 Common Clubtail Dragonfly found by Alan today.

Common Clubtail courtesy Alan

LRD

Sunny and breezy, 11°, fresh NW.

First Odonata of the year today. A Large Red Damselfly.

And a Grasshopper Warbler heard reeling on Cholsey Marsh. Per JT.

Plus 2 Wheatear, 2 flyover Raven, 2 Yellow Wagtail, Mandarin Duck, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, several Swallow, Kingfisher & Cormorant.

Dragonflies: Large Red Damselfly.

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

PC & AD.

LRD

A trickle

Sunny again, 26°, light NE veering SE.

A generally quiet day, however a Willow Warbler seen and heard in the millennium wood and a male Common Redstart and a Grasshopper Warbler, both seen and heard on Lollingdon Hill, along with a Lesser Whitethroat. Suggesting a thin trickle of return migration happening.

A Kestrel hunting grasshoppers on the hill.

A good number of Chiffchaff noted plus the odd Yellowhammer still in song.

A Hobby noted over Cholsey Marsh mid-week but generally quiet in that area as well.

Mammals: Brown Hare and Red Fox. At least 4 Hedgehog in garden last night.

Dragonflies: possible Migrant Hawker.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Large White, Small White, Holly Blue, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Comma, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper & Meadow Brown.

Paul & Alan.

Common Redstart (m)

Red Fox courtesy Alan

Hedgehogs

Grasshopper Warbler

Sunny periods, 12°, light WSW.

3 Wheatear (2m & 1f) on Lollingdon Hill today along with a single Yellow Wagtail and a Pied Wagtail.

2 Raven flew west and several Swallow over and a Little Owl nearby.

A brief look around CSW on the way back with 2 Herring Gull, 4-5 Black-headed Gull and 4 Lesser Blackback Gull drifted overhead.

Alan found 2 Grasshopper Warbler reeling on the Marsh today, apart from that very much the same as yesterday.

Butterflies: Orange Tip, Green-veined White & Peacock.

Grasshopper Warbler reeling courtesy Alan

Sunshine & Showers

Sunshine and showers, 10°, light NNW.

As soon as I stepped out this morning a Swallow was flying overhead and a Chiffchaff singing over the road.

100m up a Lesser Whitethroat was singing in the small wooded area between the school and Bunk Bridge.

Several more Swallow encountered between the Church and Green lane and a couple of Common Whitethroat.

Green lane hosted several Blackcap and Common Whitethroat, 2 Sedge Warbler and a Chiffchaff.

A Grasshopper Warbler heard reeling, distant but clear from the direction of the brook to the south west of the lane.

Alan out on the Marsh early today: with several Swift, Swallow and House Martin, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Cetti’s Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Reed Bunting, Common Tern, Sparrowhawk etc.

Blackcap

Lapwing from yesterday courtesy Alan ↕