Cholsey

Cloudy, 22°, breezy SW

12:00 – 14:00, 6 Swift, 32 Swallow and 24 House Martin south over Church Road.

2 Swallow still feeding young, Church Road.

Chiffchaff, Migrant Hawker, Common Darter, Small White, Peacock, Red Admiral, 2 Painted Lady and Hummingbird Hawkmoth in garden.

"A Whinchat on the long ditch just beyond the Lees this afternoon.

Lots of passage Yellow Wagtail are being attracted by the cattle along the Bunk/Church Rd lately. Numbers vary day by day, but have had up to 30 together over the past week, and there was about 30 Meadow Pipit with them for one morning only.

The female Reeves’s Pheasant still around. Per Richard Broughton."

There is a lot of Shooting on Cholsey Hill this evening. Presumably after the Canada Geese and no doubt that they will also shoot other species of Geese. Why?

Bunk

Mainly cloudy, 26°, light ESE.

Too much human activity at the gravel pit today. the Coot still present along with 3 species of Geese but little else.

A large Tit flock along Green Lane comprising 50+ birds including 12+ Chiffchaff and at least 2 Blackcap.

5 Yellowhammer, 20+ Swallow and a few House Martin.

A Merlin seen from Westfield Road and a Barn Owl, Halfpenny Lane. Per Mike Amphlett.  

Mammals: Stoat.

Dragonflies: Common Blue Damsel, Emperor, Migrant Hawker and Common Darter.

Butterflies: Clouded Yellow, Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Peacock and Small Heath.

Moths: Hummingbird Hawkmoth in garden again.

Jersey Tigers plus

Sunny, 32°, light SE.

A couple of pics from Geoff Wyatt today of a Jersey Tiger Moth (red form) and a Hummingbird Hawkmoth.

I had a Jersey Tiger (yellow form) in the garden today along with a Migrant Hawker Dragonfly, a Painted Lady Butterfly and Peacock, Red Admiral and Holly Blue.

The Jersey Tiger is polymorphic. i.e. the underwing can show either red or orange/yellow.

Later that day we went out to watch the partial eclipse. Slightly disappointing as I had seen the one in 1999 in Cornwall which was total.

But it was an experience. At one point a flock of c80 Canada Geese flew from the Bunk area, maybe thinking it was dusk and fly to the fields to feed and then it started to get brighter again and they flew back to the Bunk area.

Hummingbird Hawkmoth, above and Jersey Tiger, below. Courtesy Geoff Wyatt

Jersey Tiger

Eclipse photos courtesy Loren

Canada Geese courtesy Loren

Clouded Yellows

Sunny, 24°, light WNW.

A walk out to the Lees and an unprecedented number of Clouded Yellow butterflies (7) seen. They were present in a field of Lucerne along with c8 Painted Lady, numerous Common Blue and a Hummingbird Hawkmoth.

It is certainly the most CY’s I’ve seen in one go in the UK.

As for birds, they were in short supply. Although the first Willow Warbler of the autumn was a good one, a few Chiffchaff, c20 Swallow passing over, a Reed Bunting, Yellowhammer, Blackcap etc.

Dragonflies: Beautiful Demoiselle and Ruddy Darter.

Butterflies: Clouded Yellow, Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown and Small Heath.

Clouded Yellow with an un-identified Bee in the top right. Enlarged crop below.

Melitta tricincta or M. leporina ?

A bit of light precipitation

Cloudy with a few sunny spells, 26°, light WNW.

A cooler day and a walk along the Bunk area up to the gravel pit and back.

A bit of light precipitation which I believe is called rain!

Still pretty slow bird wise with the gravel pit being the most active from what little I could see.

100+ large Gulls, mainly, if not all Lesser Blackback Gull, c50 Black-headed Gull, a Mute Swan, c100 Canada Geese, 6 Greylag Geese, 2 Tufted Duck, loads of Mallard and 6 Lapwing.

Elsewhere, several Chiffchaff and Yellowhammer, 3+ Blackcap feeding on ripened Elderberries and few Swallow, House Martin and Swift overhead.

Dragonflies: Emperor, Migrant Hawker, Common Darter and Ruddy Darter.

Butterflies: Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown and Small Heath.

Garden: a Blackcap bathing, and Painted Lady and Hummingbird Hawkmoth. The latter 2 species have been around for approx. 6 weeks on and off. Possibly not the same ones but seen virtually every day.

And an impromptu productive meeting with the gravel pit manager.

Lesser Stag Beetle, courtesy Bill Nichols

 

A warm one

Cloudy to start with, but the sun kept breaking through, warm at 25° with a light northerly breeze.

A gentle sort of day along the Bunk — nothing dramatic, just steady bits of wildlife popping up here and there.

The highlight was a Common Redstart tucked into the hedge between the gravel pit and Green Lane. It stayed on the far side over the railway, so I only managed those teasing little glimpses of the red tail flicking about.

The gravel pit was pretty subdued: just a Mute Swan and a handful of Mallard keeping things ticking over.

A few Swallow and House Martin drifted overhead now and then, and the odd Swift shot through to keep the sky interesting.

Around the hedges, I picked up a couple of Chiffchaff, a Common Whitethroat, and a Yellowhammer. Raptors were limited to a single Kestrel and a lone Sparrowhawk cruising through, plus a few Buzzard and the usual Red Kites.

Dragonflies were represented by Common Blue Damselflies, a Migrant Hawker and Common Darters, and the Butterflies added a nice splash of colour: Clouded Yellow, Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Peacock, Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown and a Hummingbird Hawkmoth near the gravel pit.

Nothing too hectic today — just a relaxed wander with enough variety to make it a good outing.

The only pic I managed was a Buzzard but it kept looking away. 

Red Kites courtesy Bill Nicholls

A good mix

Cloudy, 20°, light to breezy NE.

A welcome relief from the heat of the last week but warming up again mid-afternoon and just a few bits from around the home and garden incl 9 species of Butterfly.

Jersey Tiger Moth

Hummingbird Hawkmoth

Female Blackcap bathing with Blue and Great Tits

Brown Hare courtesy Loren

White-legged Damsel

Large Tabby, a large micro moth.

Iron Prominent

Garden Pebble (micro)

Garden

Sunny spells, 23°, breezy SW.

A Sparrowhawk hit the garden this morning. Nearly caught one of the Great-spotted Woodpeckers that frequent the garden.

Also a Migrant Hawker Dragonfly, 2 Painted Lady, several Red Admiral, Large White and Small White, 12 Peacock, 2 Meadow Brown, 2 Holly Blue, a Comma and Gatekeeper and a Hummingbird Hawkmoth.

Bunk

Sunny, 24°, light WSW.

A quietish walk along the Bunk area today. only a few Yellowhammer frequently in song with the occasional Chiffchaff, Common Whitethroat and Blackcap.

The usual around the gravel pit with a couple of Sand Martin and Swallow plus 20+ Swift and a similar number of House Martin.

2 Raven along Green Lane and that was about it as far as the birds go.

Dragonflies: several Banded and Beautiful Demoiselle, Lots of Common Blue Damsel, and singles of Brown Hawker and Black-tailed Skimmer.

Butterflies: Large Skipper, Small Skipper, Brimstone, Large White, Small White, Small Copper, Small Blue, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Peacock, Speckled Wood, Marbled White, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown and Ringlet.

Moths: Hummingbird Hawkmoth.

Other: Stag Beetle (f).

Pied Hoverfly courtesy Loren

Bunk

Sunny, 26°, light to breezy SW.

A bit samey birdwise along the Bunk area: Little Ringed Plover and several Lapwing at the gravel pit plus a few Gulls.

3 Sand Martin feeding overhead along with Several Swallow (a few young on the wing) and House Martin and c30 Swift.

Usual Yellowhammer, Common Whitethroat, Blackcap and Chiffchaff.

A flock of c30 Starling at CSW.

Dragonflies: Common Blue Damsel and Hairy Dragonfly. A probable Norfolk Hawker near gravel pit briefly.

Butterflies: Large Skipper, Small Skipper, Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Comma, Speckled Wood, Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Ringlet and Small Heath.

Moths: Scarlet Tiger and Hummingbird Hawkmoth in garden.

Lollingdon & The Lees and a Hummer

Sunny periods, 12°, breezy SW.

Lollingdon and The Lees:

Firstly a Hummingbird Hawkmoth in the garden this morning feeding on Rosemary flowers. A very early record for these parts, presumably over wintered nearby.

A flock of c200 Gulls (Lesser Blackback Gull) on the flood out at Lollingdon. Initially didn’t see any waders until a low flying Buzzard spooked the flock. Amongst the panicking Gulls I heard an Oystercatcher calling, then a Ringed Plover call and saw the bird fly off to the north. When the Gulls settled down the Oystercatcher was still present.

Also a single Common Gull present, 16 Black-headed Gull, 32 Lapwing flew in later and 2 male Peregrine overhead.

Fairly sure there was a Yellow-legged Gull in the mix but too distant to be confident of ID.

The Lees was a bit windswept but 2 Stonechat still present and feeding low on the fields, presumably out of the wind.

Elsewhere: 2 Chiffchaff, a Goldcrest, Meadow Pipit, 2 Yellowhammer and several Skylark.

A Grey Wagtail in the garden.

Mammals: Brown Hare & Roe Deer.

Moths: Hummingbird Hawkmoth.