Raven, Vulcan & Red Arrows

Cloudy with a few sunny spells, 23°, light to breezy SSW.

On arriving out at Lollingdon 4 Raven (2ad, 2 juv) flew over moving south, managed to get the camera out of the car just as they were off over the hill.

The usual out around the hill today with only Skylark, Yellowhammer and Corn Bunting in song.

2 Hobby mobbing a Red Kite again and once the Kite had moved away it was then mobbed by 2 Kestrel. One of the Kestrel appeared to stray in to Hobby territory and was seen off by the 2 Hobby rather quickly.

Blackcap, Whitethroat and Chiffchaff also noted.

Around 50 Swift passed over the hill along with 6 Swallow and 6 Lesser Blackback Gull.

Dragonflies: Blue-tailed Damselfly and Brown Hawker.

Butterflies: Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Large White, Small White, Holly Blue, Common Blue, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Comma, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown and Ringlet. (I am possibly seeing Essex Skipper but unable to ID without catching one!).

Lots of Ladybirds seen today, 7-spot and 10-spot, and a Common Wasp nest found.

A brief encounter with the Red Arrows flying over the hill and a flypast by a Vulcan bomber.

A couple of Tawny Owl around the garden last night and at least 3 (common) Pipistrelle Bats.

 Raven

 Red Arrows

 The last flying Vulcan in its retirement year.

 Entrance to Common Wasp nest

Gatekeeper

Marsh and the Hill

Sunny, 20, light ESE.

Cholsey Marsh.

Arrived on Cholsey Marsh to a performance of the “Red Arrows”, they were performing somewhere to the south but were passing over regularly.

Anyway, back to the wildlife side. Around 100 Linnets flushed by a Sparrowhawk from a field on the opposite bank of the Thames (Little Stoke) and all flew to the marsh area, flying back around 15 minutes later. Also a flock of 14 Greenfinch on the marsh.

2 Chiffchaffs were with a Tit flock, along with at least 2 Goldcrests. 5 Bullfinch in the hedgerow along the river bank, 3 Meadow Pipits flew over and a Yellow Wagtail.

Several Reed Bunting, a Grey Heron and a Great-spotted Woodpecker in the vicinity.

2 Kingfishers, 1 Mute Swan and 2 Great Crested Grebe on the river.

Lollingdon Hill

Arrived on Lollingdon Hill to some “muck spreading” on the north side of the hill and the subsequence disturbance had moved stuff off the hill, thats if anything was there today!

A few Yellowhammer in the hedgerow to the south and 3 Chiffchaff with a Tit flock close to Westfield road.

A few family parties of Swallows passing thru, 2 Meadow Pipits and a few Skylarks.

There looked to be some good thermals nearby as 2 Gliders were in the airspace above the hill and at one point 2 Red Kite, 2 Buzzard a Sparrowhawk and a Kestrel also “thermalling”.

Marymead

House Martins still present also the odd Swallow from Manor Farm area. Great-spotted Woodpecker and Treecreeper still visiting the garden but it has been quiet lately, just a few Greenfinches, Goldfinches, Chaffinches, Blue and Great Tits etc.

Comma, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Small White and Speckled Wood.

4 Common Darter, 7 Brown Hawker and 8 Migrant Hawkers

And whats this about an Azure Tit in Buckinghamshire?
 

The "Azure" tit in Bucks is now thought to be an escaped Yellow-breasted Tit, its still present this evening.

                                   The Red Arrows

                                   Migrant Hawker

            Comma, note the "comma" on the underwing, hence it's name

                                    Comma

                                   Migrant Hawker

                                    Migrant Hawker

                                   Buzzard

                                   Sparrowhawk

                                   Migrant Hawker, Lollingdon