Black Friday - Rather go Birding

Sunny, 6°, light NNE.

A sunny day at last but still very muddy underfoot and hard going out to Lollingdon.

Rather quiet all round today with Alan also reporting that it was quiet in other areas of Cholsey.

A couple of Kestrel noted and a pair of Bullfinch and a vocal flock of Linnet in the tree tops on the hill.

Fieldfare, Redwing, Blackbird and Song Thrush scattered around and all busy stripping what is left of the berry crop. The area at Cholsey Church for instance had at least 20 Blackbird present and a couple of Fieldfare and Redwing.

Most of the berries have now gone except for a Cotoneaster lacteus (native to China) in the Church yard that still has many berries (or pomes) present and unlike other Cotoneasters the birds do not eat these unless they are really hungry and have no other choice! Presumably they are less nutritious or less palatable?

The Harris Hawk was seen today by Gerry Sexton down at Cholsey Marsh. The first report this year of this bird. It has now been present for at least 6 years in the area.

Quite a few photos today 😀

Robin

Song Thrush (courtesy Alan Dawson)

 Redwing

Redwing & Fieldfare

 Kestrel

Linnet

 Part of the footpath to Lollingdon

Cotoneaster lacteus

Harris Hawk

Another sunny day, 14°, light ENE.

A morning visit to Cholsey Marsh where I bumped in to an old friend, Brian Wyatt. I had already been along the marsh earlier and decided to walk it again.

When Brian arrived I had just seen a BOP being mobbed by another, the bird doing the mobbing was obviously a Red Kite and I initially thought the other was a Buzzard but it did not look quite right.

As the birds got closer I could see it was a Harris Hawk and it settled in a nearby tree and stayed for a few minutes.

Good to see it is still around and has been for at least 5 years now.

Other species on the marsh were: 6+ Blackcap, 4 Whitethroat, 10+ Sedge Warbler, 1 pos 2 Cetti’s Warbler, 1 Reed Warbler, 2 Willow Warbler and 6+ Chiffchaff, 6 Reed Bunting and 2 Jay,

2 Water Rail, a Siskin flew over, several Swallow, 2 Great Crested Grebe on the river also 2 Mute Swan and at least 1 Kingfisher evident.

Lollingdon: quiet again, 3 Bunting species present, 1 Willow Warbler, several Blackcap and Chiffchaff and the lone Fieldfare.

A late report of at least 1 Sand Martin with other Hirundines over Cholsey SF last week. Brian Wyatt.

Butterflies: a good day with 7 species: Brimstone, Orange Tip, Holly Blue, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Comma and Speckled Wood.

America? No........ Cholsey.

Sunny, 6°, breezy WSW. Another windy day!

A few hours down on Cholsey Marsh today and the Harris Hawk put in a brief appearance flying upriver at quite high and at a rate of knots in the following wind.

Tried to relocate it but no sign.

With the Harris Hawk around and the flock of Canada Geese on the river it gives a hint of North America.

3 Great-crested Grebe on the river, a pair and a singleton, a few Coot and the usual Canada Geese.

A few Fieldfare and Redwing overhead, also 2 Mistle Thrush, a Song Thrush singing and a Treecreeper heard in song again.

No sign of any Corn Bunting at the roost but I did not stay ‘til dusk.

 Harris Hawk

 

 Great-crested Grebe

 

 Canada & Greylag? Goose

Great Tit

H&H

2 Hobby on lane, W of Waterloo bridge, to Cholsey station; one flew low and abruptly S over railway line, very sharp-winged raptor, so assumed Hobby. Seconds later, saw another definite flying high and N toward Cholsey. This bird then began soaring with (and mobbing) ... a male Harris Hawk!. (per MA).

Probably the same 2 Hobby that were over the garden/village yesterday.

This Harris Hawk has been around for a couple of years now. This pic taken over Cholsey Marsh in 2011.

Another Redstart

Sunny spells, showers, 12º, moderate SW, cooler today.

Another visit to Lollingdon hill on the way home, as I arrived a ♀ Sparrowhawk was flying along the face of the hill and therefore initially nothing was seen. After around five minutes the first Wheatear appeared from a Rabbit dugout and eventually six were located. A little after I heard a familiar call from one of the Hawthorn bushes on the hill and located a ♀ Redstart. She tended to always sit on the leeward side of the bushes and was virtually always out of my line of sight but I could see her flitting around in the back of the bushes, I managed to get some distant shots when she was on the deck under a bush at around a hundred metres, I couldn’t even see it in the viewfinder and had to guess the location. A lone Swift drifted over (my first of the year), a single Lesser Blackback Gull flew north and around a dozen Swallow flew over.

A couple of Buzzard and Red Kite soaring over the hill and two Grey Partridge noted.

An email from another birder today who saw the Harris Hawk again along the river hunting Moorhens.

A Whitethroat in a garden in Church road.

There was a kayaker on the islands by the 4 Arches digging up Loddon Lillies and shouting and swearing at incubating Canada Geese and swinging his oar at them, both very dubious activities and at least one if not both are illegal. There is a photograph of this person and if I can get a copy I will publish it!

A few pics of the Redstart from a cropped close up to the original.

Cholsey Marsh, 14th June

Sunny, 21º, light SSE.

♀ Mute Swan with 5 cygnets on the river and a Great-crested Grebe with 2 young.

An adult Black-headed Gull flew downstream followed 5 minutes later by a Cormorant.

Cuckoo seen downstream of the marsh and a Grey Heron flew over.

Plenty of Red Kites around, also several Buzzards. A Kestrel flew over pursued by several Swallows and House Martins and a Sparrowhawk flew through.

A Grasshopper Warbler heard briefly and a Lesser Whitethroat seen carrying food at the northern end of the marsh.

A single Garden Warbler, several Sedge and Reed Warblers seen and heard also Whitethroat, Blackcap and Chiffchaff.

6 to 8 Reed Buntings still singing and a couple of Bullfinches heard.

The Harris Hawk has been seen at 19:30 this evening over Cholsey marsh, so its still around.

47 species.

Several Banded Demoiselles seen and a couple of unidentified dragonflies. Small Whites, Meadow Browns, Speckled Wood, a couple of Large Skippers, a single Red Admiral.

A pair of Spotted Flycatchers are breeding in a garden in the village.

One of the two House Martins nests at Marymead has gone!!! On checking it looks as if part of the nest collapsed. The other is still in business thankfully.