Birds & Butterflies

Sunny, 12°, light SSE.

4 Wheatear and 2 Raven, Lollingdon Hill. Per Tony Williams.

Holly Blue, Orange Tip and Brimstone in garden. The former 2 are new for the year.

Spring like?

Sunny then clouding up, 16°, breezy SSW.

Bunk: 2 Oystercatcher and a Common Sandpiper.

River: Swallow over, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Nuthatch, Peregrine, Corn Bunting and another Oystercatcher.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Orange Tip, Holly Blue and Peacock.

AD, PD & PC.

Oystercatcher courtesy Alan

Common Sandpiper courtesy Alan

Holly Blue courtesy Phil Dyson

Orange Tip courtesy Alan

Redstart, Wheatear & Willow Warblers

Mainly cloudy, 14°, light ESE.

Bunk Line, River, Cholsey Hill & Lollingdon covered today.

1 (m) Common Redstart, 2 (m) Wheatear, 3 Willow Warbler, 6+ Blackcap, several Sedge Warbler, Lapwing, Raven, Yellow Wagtail, 3-4 Mistle Thrush, 2 Black-headed Gull, Reed Bunting and Corn Bunting.

One of the best years in recent times for Willow Warbler in the parish so far this spring. Here's hoping some will stay and breed.  

Mammals: Brown Hare.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Orange Tip, Small Tortoiseshell & Peacock.

Alan & Paul.

Wheatear

Orange Tip courtesy Alan

Small Tortoiseshell

Wheatear

Weekend catchup

Cloudy yesterday but Sunny today, max 15°, light W.

"Quite a few" Sedge Warbler found on Cholsey Marsh this morning by Alan.

Cetti’s Warbler, Blackcap and Chiffchaff in song, also present on the Marsh.

A single Siskin flew over the allotments yesterday.

A Short-eared Owl on Cholsey Downs on the 2nd. Per Alan.

A Smooth Newt found by Angie Regan in their garden yesterday and several Grass Snake and Slow-worm in Tony Rayner’s garden.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Small White (TR), Orange Tip (TR), Holly Blue (AD), Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock.

Smooth Newt courtesy Angie Regan

Short-eared Owl courtesy Alan

A bit of everything

Sunshine eventually after rain, 9°, light NNW.

At approx. 17:00 this evening I was out in the garden when I heard a Redstart calling. I looked over to the corner of the meadow and there was a male Redstart in the hedgerow about 10 metres from the garden.

I rushed upstairs to get the camera and back out to the garden and at that moment some people entered the meadow and the bird disappeared into a large garden nearby and never reappeared.

Info from The EastEnder.

Not a great deal to report, but we have had a Willow Warbler here since April 8th.
They usually only stay for one or two days with us - so a relative long-stayer!

Also our first Orange Tip was on April 14th - but only one so far.

Slow-Worm numbers mounting now - 98 counted two days ago.

Ran my first and only moth trap yesterday - a very slow start this year. 8 species including a Herald and an Engrailed and an early Mottled Pug (not supposed to be seen until May.)

Library photo

They are still arriving

Sunny, 16°, breezy NE.

A surprise on the hill today with and unusual record of a Grasshopper Warbler, heard reeling from growth by the path then seen in flight briefly and disappear again in to thick growth. I assume it was a very recent arrival.

3 Wheatear on the hill today and a Green Woodpecker in the Hawthorns along the top, 2 Corn Bunting in song, 22 Swallow in total overhead.

Several Blackcap now seemingly resident, a single Willow Warbler, 2 Yellow Wagtail and 3 Yellowhammer present nearby and a Starling collecting food, presumably breeding closeby.

6 Buzzard in the air at one point and the usual posse of Red Kite present, also a Kestrel seen.

A Chiffchaff and a Treecreeper in the garden today of note.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Large White, Peacock, Orange Tip, Holly Blue, Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood.

Slowly arriving

Sunny, 16°, light SE.

A fair old walk out to the Lees and Lollingdon skirting Aston Tirrold today with lots of butterflies evident.

Another Wheatear on Lollingdon Hill and a Swallow flew over also a Blackcap singing nearby was probably a newly arrived migrant and plenty of Chiffchaff around with at least 14 singing also 1 in the garden this evening.

A few Yellowhammer around and 3 Reed Bunting out by the Lees.

Butterflies: Peacock, Brimstone and Small Tortoiseshell very common, in addition an Orange Tip and a couple of Green-veined White noted.

First Bee Fly of the spring noted.

A Muntjac Deer also seen.