Migrants & Mammals

Sunny periods, 24°, breezy SSW.

An interesting time on the hill today. As soon as I arrived, I could hear a Willow Warbler calling, eventually seeing it around an hour later when it showed briefly.

Again after about an hour I heard the Redstart calling, which then showed itself briefly before moving to the hedgerow over the top of the hill.

An intermittent flow of around 60 Lesser Blackback Gull moving overhead from the south west.

A few Chiffchaff and a Common Whitethroat was about it in 2.5 hours on the hill.

A mammal encounter was also on the cards as I heard some movement behind me and out of the field shot 2 of what initially thought were dogs but turned out to be 2 Roebuck with one chasing the other.

They were quite close and one run towards me but stopped about a metre from me before his awareness stepped in and he turned and run off up the track followed by the other. Presumably some territorial dispute?

Only other bird of note was a lone Swift seen flying over the church.

I had not long got back from Lollingdon when Alan messaged me to say he had found a Whinchat and a Redstart along the bunk line.

So back on with the boots, grabbed the bins and camera and out again.

Fortunately not too far to walk before I found Alan watching the Whinchat on some telegraph wires but the Redstart had disappeared.

We watch the Whinchat for a few minutes and Alan carried on taking Bella (dog) for a walk further along.

I spent some more time with the chat and heard the Redstart calling from a hedge bordering a large garden and got some brief views before it flipped into the garden and disappeared.

Also a Common Whitethroat present.

Mammals: Brown Hare and Roe Deer.

Dragonflies: Beautiful Demoiselle and Common Darter.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Large White, Small White, Holly Blue, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Peacock, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown.

Whinchat

Whinchat courtesy Alan

Willow Warbler

Roe Deer ↕

Whinchat

Dunnock

Lollingdon

Sunny, 8º, no wind, a later start today and some nice sunshine though a bit cooler and temperatures dropping below zero tonight.

A walk out to Lollingdon hill and back, still muddy but floods subsiding, a lot of ditch clearing and hedge cutting recently along the field margins.

A Kingfisher along one of the cleared ditches probably looking for any larvae etc that may have been exposed!

A Grey Heron on one of the flooded fields, several Pied Wagtail present and both Green and Great-spotted Woodpecker heard.

Lollingdon Hill was quite busy with two Raven over, at least one Jay present, twelve plus Long-tailed Tit foraging in the Hawthorns on the south side.

The south slope held forty Starling, one hundred plus Fieldfare, twenty Redwing, two Mistle Thrush, a Song Thrush, five Meadow Pipit, five Corn Bunting (including one in song), thirteen Pied Wagtail, five Yellowhammer and three Goldfinch. Why so many birds on the south slope I am not sure, maybe the Sheep being present and also insects around had attracted the birds.

In addition, a flock of fifty Linnet on the top field and two Lapwing flew over.

At one point everything on the south side of the hill scattered, they saw something that I did not I scanned the area for around five minutes but saw nothing untoward. The reaction of the birds indicated something like a Merlin, Peregrine or Sparrowhawk had been seen.

A couple of Roe Deer noted.

A flock of over five hundred Lapwing seen over Haddon Hill whilst driving back from Didcot to Wallingford this afternoon and two Grey Heron in the flooded fields at South Moreton at dusk.

The ♀ Muntjac Deer in the garden again this evening and a Treecreeper and Great-spotted Woodpecker present during the day.

                                   Redwing

                      Buck Roe Deer basking in some sunshine

                                   Pied Wagtail

                                  Muntjac in garden again

                         Starling, Fieldfare and a Yellowhammer

Cholsey 28th Feb

Overcast, dull, 11º, light SW.

Farmland and Lollingdon.

A day of Thrushes, 8 Song Thrush with several in song, 14 Blackbirds,

11 Mistle Thrush and good numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing (several hundred of each), first time this winter I’ve seen roughly equal numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing.

A flock of over 1000 Wood Pigeon seen in the air towards South Moreton, something must have flushed them and they all went up forming quite a cloud in the sky, also 14 Stock Dove seen.

9 Red-legged Partridge in 2 groups and a large flock of gulls (500+) loafing in fields between Cholsey and Aston Tirrold (Lesser Blackbacks and Black-headed).

Fairly quiet around the fields with quite a few Skylarks in song, also several Yellowhammers with 3 singing, a few Linnet and a Reed Bunting.

A Sparrowhawk seen near the Church and several Buzzards around.

2 Great-spotted Woodpeckers heard drumming and a distant call of a Green Woodpecker.

Lollingdon hill (south side) was quiet but on the western flank, there were 12 Meadow Pipit and 4 Pied Wagtail feeding with the sheep.

A bit of gardening this afternoon and the 3 Blackcaps still turning up and the male heard singing a few times (first singing Blackcap in Feb for me), also Goldcrests and Coal Tits heard in song.

Once finished in garden, 3 Mallards and a Grey Squirrel turned up to feed on fallen seed from the feeding station.

20+ Roe Deer seen today in 4 groups. 44 bird species seen.

Hedgehog in garden recently, looks like a fairly large male and in good condition!

All watercourses looking shallow, we need RAIN!

On the other side of Cholsey –

A walk from Green Lane to Cox’s Farm today (proposed gravel pit site) – Tony Rayner.

10+ Rook, 2 Carrion Crow, 1 Magpie, 2 Jackdaw, 1 Red Kite, 2 Kestrel, 3 Blue Tit, 2 Great Tit, 2 Long-tailed Tit, 2 Dunnock, 2 Robin, 1 Wren, 55+ Lapwing, 3 Golden Plover, 3 Blackbird, 20+ Fieldfare, 2 Wood Pigeon, 2 Grey Partridge, 1 Chiffchaff (in song), 10+ Chaffinch, 4 Greenfinch, 1 Yellowhammer, 6 Goldfinch, 12 Starling, 2 Green Woodpecker, 6 Skylark, 4 Rabbit and a Red Fox.

Not bad in little over an hour.

At home had the first Slow worms this year and a Common Toad.

Have already recorded Red Admiral, Brimstone and Small Tortoiseshell, the latter stands to be the earliest record in 2012 in the 3 counties!

(I had a Small Tort on 25^th Feb in Wantage, the earliest for me PC).

Have also caught 7 Moth species on 23^rd Feb, March Moth, Early Moth, Pale Brindled Beauty, Dotted Border, Hebrew Character, Common Quaker and Chestnut.

Thanks to Tony Rayner.

1st Sand Martin of the year seen in the UK today in Cheshire.

                                     Mistle Thrush

Wheatear still

Overcast, 12º, light NW.

A trip to Farmoor reservoir this morning where there was a Twite and a Great Grey Shrike.

Missed the Twite but saw the Shrike.

On the way, back I dropped into Lollingdon Hill, lots of Fieldfare initially most heading towards the downs.

In addition, there was a Wheatear still on the hill, certainly the latest I have seen one in the county.

Also 3 Corn Bunting, 20+ Linnet, 6+ Yellowhammer and 4 Red-legged Partridge.

2 Roe Deer nearby.

Recently in the garden there has been a Treecreeper with one leg, interesting to see how it coped climbing the trees. Using its tail to counter the loss of the right leg, it did lose its grip a few times but recovered quickly.

A Wren singing in the garden 2 hours after dark!

                                   Wheatear

                                          Roe Deer