Hithercroft & Bunk

Sunshine and showers, 14°, breezy SW.

Hithercroft floods: Little Egret, 3 Shelduck over, Common Snipe, Herring Gull, Lesser Blackback Gull, Black-headed Gull, Chiffchaff - many singing, Reed Bunting and Lapwing.

Bunk area: 7 Chiffchaff, several in song, a Blackcap singing, 3 Yellowhammer, 2 Siskin, a Sparrowhawk, 14 Fieldfare, 1 Redwing, 50+ Starling, a Grey Wagtail, 8 Pied Wagtail, 5 Meadow Pipit, 1 Lapwing, 1 Mute Swan, 32 Lesser Blackback Gull, 7 Black-headed Gull, 2 Herring Gull and 1 Common Gull, etc.

Mammals: Short-tailed Vole, Wood Mouse & Brown Hare.

Amphibians: Smooth Newt (per Bill Nicholls, garden pond).

Butterflies: Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock.

AD, BN & PC.

Shelduck courtesy Alan

Sparrowhawk

Wood Mouse courtesy Bill Nicholls

Red-tail

Cloudy with sunny spells, 25°, light SW.

2 Raven on the hill briefly this morning before flying off towards Moulsford. The Common Redstart still present and a few Chiffchaff and Blackcap around the hill.

A light passage of Swallow moving south and the occasional Swift passing through.

The Mistle Thrush flock still present nearby.

Sparrowhawks causing panic in the garden over the last week but they appear to be just flying through to hunt elsewhere. However given the chance they would catch something but the local Swallows always raise the alarm.

Mammals: Short-tailed Vole.

Dragonflies: Banded Demoiselle, Azure Damselfly, Emperor and Common Darter.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Comma, Speckled Wood, Marbled White, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, and Ringlet. And a Painted Lady flew through the garden.

Kingfishers & Stonechats

Sunny at first then clouding over, 10°, light SSW.

Approx. 200 Lapwing in flooded fields out at Lollingdon and some flew south over the hill towards the downs.

The 2 Stonechat still present on the hill and a mixed flock of 50+ Pied Wagtail and Meadow Pipit feeding amongst the sheep. 9 Corn Bunting flew south over the hill.

Very few Fieldfare noted today and 80+ Redwing but little else of note.

50+ Redwing in the meadow mid-afternoon and both Song Thrush and Mistle Thrush in song and a Great-spotted Woodpecker drumming.

A Sparrowhawk around the garden this afternoon.

A Barn Owl seen hunting over Cholsey Marsh yesterday. Per Phil Dyson and a Brambling still present near Waterloo Close. Per Mike Amphlett.

Mammals: Roe Deer and Short-tailed Vole.

 Kingfishers (Female L and Male R)

(courtesy Alan Dawson)

Stonechats

Lapwings