The Hill & the Marsh

Cloudy with a few sunny spells, 12°, light ESE.

Lollingdon was rather quiet today with a couple of Goldcrest on the north side and very little to the south with approx. 150 Starling out with the sheep and a few Meadow Pipit and Pied Wagtail.

40+ Fieldfare and 5 Redwing also present.

A later visit to Cholsey Marsh had 42 Corn Bunting come in at the roost and 20+ Meadow Pipit roosting on the marsh also.

A Green Sandpiper was an unexpected addition for the year that flew downstream and a single Redpoll seen, 50 Redwing flew in to the trees on the marsh and a Kingfisher along the river.

Dragonflies: unidentified Hawker.

Butterflies: 4 Red Admiral.

Over the Hills and Far Away

Overcast with very few sunny spells, 17°, fresh WSW.

A breezy day on the hill.

A steady movement of birds over the hill today with c40 Swift, 50+ Swallow, 20+ House Martin, at least 3 Sand Martin, 34 Lesser Blackback Gull, 57 Black-headed Gull and a single Curlew, all moving in a roughly southerly direction.

I wonder if these diurnal migrants are using hills as navigation markers in their migration as Wittenham Clumps, Cholsey Hill, Lollingdon Hill and Lowbury hill are in a rough north south route?

3 Kestrel on the hill, a Hobby drifted over and a few Red Kite and Buzzard present.

Nuthatch still visiting the garden.

Fewer insects around in the overcast and windy conditions.

Mammals: Muntjac Deer, Brown Hare.

Dragonflies: Brown Hawker.

Butterflies: Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown and Ringlet.

Two more for the year!

Sunny spells, 11°, cool and breezy, WSW.

Both Tufted Duck and Whinchat new for the year.

A little livelier on the hill today with 5 Pied Wagtail, 6 Yellowhammer, a Meadow Pipit and 6 Goldfinch in amongst the sheep.

Also a Whinchat halfway down the track leading away from the hill and another single Lesser Blackback Gull drifted over.

A pair of Tufted Duck on the pond and a Grey Heron fishing there.

Plenty of Red Kite (10) and Buzzard (6) in the air today and a Kestrel also present.

Chiffchaff (5), Blackcap (3), Whitethroat (3), Swallow (6) and Corn Bunting (6) also noted.

No sign of Wheatear

A brief visit to Lollingdon Hill today, no sign of Wheatear but may be present still?

3 Corn Bunting, 20+ Linnet and a handful of Yellowhammer.

2 Lapwing flew west.

Still one or two Red Admirals around.