Shelduck

Sunny intervals, 5°, light N.

“Walked yesterday along the footpath of the Lees to the Astons, usual flocks of gulls and farmland birds but and on the last of the pools closest to the Astons were two Shelduck. First time I have seen this species here so a lovely new species for list! Coltsfoot in flower along the main ditch bank too.

In the Astons this week I also had a Rugged Oil Beetle on the lawn, second year I have seen this red listed invertebrates here. They are nocturnal so went out with a head torch to look and found one in tussock grass nibbling leaf blades. I made a solitary bee box last year and will be encouraging wild flowers in the lawn this year again in the hope I can encourage more of this nationally scarce invert. I haven't yet seen triungulins (larvae) so will be looking on flower heads for these in spring. Something to watch out for.” Per Vicky Gilson.

The 2 Shelduck were still present today until a rampaging, out of control dog chased everything off the floods. Per Alan.

Shelduck are annual transient visitors on spring floods in the local area with just a few records per year.

Shelduck & Lesser Blackback Gull courtesy Vicky Gilson

Coltsfoot courtesy Vicky Gilson

Rugged Oil Beetle ↕ courtesy VG

Yellowhammer courtesy Alan

Shelduck courtesy Alan

Ducks & Plovers

Overcast, 10°, light SSE.

Alan has managed to add 2 more species to the Cholsey bird list for this year with 6 Shelduck flyover and 2 Wigeon on a flooded field near Green Lane.

Also 200+ Lapwing over, probably the same flock that has been seen over Cholsey Hill and on the floods between Cholsey and the Moreton’s.

Thanks to Alan Dawson for the photos.

Shelduck

Wigeon

 Lapwing

Cholsey & Churn

Cloudy, light rain (heavier later), 14º, breezy from the SW.

A visit to the hill again today located 3 Wheatear (2♀ & 1♂), a single Kestrel, 2 Buzzard and a Red Kite around the south face, 4 Swallows flew over and a single Yellow Wagtail.

Approximately 20 Linnet in the vicinity today, the usual Corn Buntings and Yellowhammer, 2 Chiffchaff, 3 Blackcap, 4 Common Whitethroat and 2 Willow Warbler.

A visit to Churn after found 2 Shelduck initially then flew off, up to 8 Lapwing, 4+ Yellow Wagtail and several Corn Bunting and Common Whitethroat and a couple of Curlew heard in the distance (30 Sand Martin flew through yesterday (per TW).

And a scarce garden bird turned up today in the form of a Starling that spent a couple of minutes foraging in the garden before flying off, have seen a few flying over the garden recently so am assuming they are breeding nearby.

 Yellow Wagtail

 Corn Bunting

 Shelduck leaving

 Yellow Wagtail

 Skylark descending

 Starling in garden

 Buff-tail (courtesy Loren)

 Cowslips (courtesy Loren)

Cold and Bleak

Overcast, 2º, light NNE, felt colder!

A cold and bleak evening at Cholsey marsh and a rather cold and dull day all round.

Dropped in to Little Wittenham/Day’s Lock this afternoon, the Shelduck still present on the far side of the scrape along with one hundred plus Lapwing, one hundred plus Starling, twenty odd Teal and several Gulls and Corvids and a large number of Wigeon (1000+) beyond near the gravel pit.

The pair of Goosander still on the river downstream of the bridge and just over sixty Mute Swan on a field between Little and Long Wittenham.

Back to Cholsey marsh later and twenty eight Corn Bunting roosting there this evening and a handful of Reed Bunting.

One hundred and sixty Redwing and twenty Fieldfare flew from Little Stoke area and settled in the trees on and around the marsh, presumably roosting there also. A Stock Dove singing (if you can call it that) on the Little Stoke side of the river.

A “redhead” Goosander flew low upriver and a Great Crested Grebe seen on the river and several Teal still present on the flooded part of the marsh. Green and Great-spotted Woodpecker both present and three to four Water Rail.

Just over a hundred Geese loafing in a field adjacent to the marsh, mainly Canada Geese but also a few “Greylag” types and our very own Snow Goose look-alike! Also twenty five Lapwing present.

The garden still very busy with eight Long-tailed Tit, two Stock Dove, two Mallard, two Blackcap, Great-spotted Woodpecker and two Song Thrush to name but a few visiting today.

Shelduck in the distance with a few Teal & Lapwing in front and Starlings behind.

"redhead" Goosander

Blackbird enjoying some apple

Great-spot again today.

Shelduck

A Shelduck present on the Moreton floods this afternoon, close to Hithercroft rd at the bottom of Cholsey Hill. (Brian Wyatt)

Cholsey 24th April, 92 and counting.

Sunny, 13º, light NW, rain held off until later.

Three new species in Cholsey for the year today so stuff is getting through despite some bad weather in North Africa! 92 species so far this year in the parish.

Cholsey Marsh had a singing Whitethroat (first this year) present today along with approximately 6 Chiffchaff, a Willow Warbler, 4 Blackcap, 6 Sedge Warbler and a Reed Warbler also 6 to 8 Reed Bunting. 2 Swallows flew upriver.

Lollingdon Hill hosted 7 Wheatear, 2 Pied Wagtail, several Linnet and the usual Yellowhammer and Corn Bunting nearby, a Great-spotted Woodpecker flew over shortly followed by my first Yellow Wagtail of the year.

Of all the Wheatears that have passed through Lollingdon hill this spring, only 4 have been females so far.

Just came off Lollingdon Hill and Bob Wyatt drove by, 5 minutes later he phoned to say he had just found a Shelduck resting near a small flood in a meadow adjacent to the Wallingford rd, did not take long for me to get there!

A couple of Canada Geese and Red-legged Partridge in same field.

Orange Tip and Speckled Wood were the only butterflies seen today.

                                   Shelduck

                                  Coot collecting nest material

                                  Goldfinch

                                  Pied Wagtail

                                  and ........... of course a Wheatear