River

Sunny, 20°, light W.

River area: Common Tern, Black-headed Gull, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Reed Bunting, Chiffchaff, Common Whitethroat, Cuckoo over, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Cetti’s Warbler, etc.

Dragonflies: Banded Demoiselle, Beautiful Demoiselle, Emperor Dragonfly, Four-spotted Chaser, Black-tailed Skimmer, White-legged Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Azure Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly and Large Red Damselfly.

Butterflies: Small Blue, Meadow Brown, Small Heath, Common Blue and Speckled Wood.

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All photos courtesy Alan

Garden Warbler

Emperor egg laying

Black-tailed Skimmer

Meadow Brown

Small Blue

Speckled Wood

My previous post on this blog was determined to be spam when posted to Facebook, so does not show. I have challenged this but as usual no response from FB.

Bunk & Green Lane

Rain at first then hazy sunshine, 24°, breezy ESE.

After the rain I took a walk along the Bunk line/Green Lane. A Redstart, 2 Raven, 3 Yellow Wagtail and 10+ Chiffchaff.

100+ Hirundines passing over with roughly equal numbers of Swallow and House Martin.

Mammals: Brown Hare.

Dragonflies: Banded Demoiselle, Common Blue Damselfly, Emperor, Brown Hawker, Southern Hawker, Black-tailed Skimmer and Common Darter.

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

Black-tailed Skimmer

Waiting for the train

Greenfinch

Cuckoo

Sunny, 19°, breezy NE.

A couple of new species for the year. Cuckoo. Initially heard by RB on Saturday near the Bunk Line and then the following day at Cholsey Marsh with another on the other side of the river.

Alan heard the Cuckoo again today plus a Common Tern flying up-river and a Hobby overhead.

Also found a Black-tailed Skimmer along the river and a Broad-bodied Chaser a few days earlier. The 13th & 14th species of dragonfly for this year.

Cuckoo from a couple of years back at Cholsey Marsh

Small Blue courtesy Alan

Broad-bodied Chaser courtesy Alan

Insects on the up and birds steady

Sunny, 20°, light N.

Lollingdon and the River areas covered today with insect species beginning to proliferate, birds stable and no mammals etc.

River: Lesser Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Common Whitethroat etc.

Lollingdon: Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Lapwing, Mistle Thrush, Corn Bunting, Reed Bunting, Yellowhammer and 3 Yellow Wagtail etc.

Dragonflies: Beautiful Demoiselle (10+ river & 1 Lollingdon Hill), Banded Demoiselle, Large Red Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Azure Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Red-eyed Damselfly, Emperor Dragonfly, Clubtailed Dragonfly, Hairy Dragonfly, Four-spot Chaser (1 in garden).

Butterflies: Brimstone, Small White, Green-veined White, Orange Tip, Holly Blue, Common Blue, Small Blue, Brown Argus, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Peacock, Speckled Wood and Small Heath.

Paul & Alan.

“A couple of county rarities today with a Montagu’s Harrier on Otmoor and a Golden Oriole near Witney.”

A number of photos today

Corn Bunting

Red-eyed Damselfly courtesy Alan

Beautiful Demoiselle (m)

Clubtailed Dragonfly courtesy Alan

Azure Damselfly

2 Mistle Thrush

Lapwing

Yellow Wagtail ↕

Blue-tailed Damselfly courtesy Alan

Small Blue courtesy Alan

Red-eyed Damselfly courtesy Alan

Painted Ladies

Sunny intervals, 19°, light S.

Appear to have a small influx of Painted Lady butterflies. With 1 in the garden yesterday and another at Bow Bridge (per JD) and 3 today out at Lollingdon and Alan had at least 1 more along the river.

A Hairy Dragonfly out at Lollingdon today as well, first one I recall out there.

The hill was fairly quiet birdwise, the usual Corn Bunting, Yellowhammer, Common Whitethroat, Blackcap and Chiffchaff.

Nearby a Great-spotted Woodpecker nest with young, a Little Owl, 3-4 Yellow Wagtail and a Lesser Whitethroat.

River/Marsh: A Lesser Whitethroat plus the regulars.

Mammals: Brown Hare & Roe Deer.

Dragonflies: Beautiful Demoiselle, Banded Demoiselle, Azure Damselfly, Large Red Damselfly, Hairy Dragonfly, Club-tailed Dragonfly and Four-spotted Chaser.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Large White, Green-veined White, Small Blue, Brown Argus, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Painted Lady, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock & Speckled Wood.

Alan & Paul.

Painted Lady

Yellow Wagtail

Great-spotted Woodpecker (f) delivering food.

Azure Damselfly courtesy Alan

Roe Deer courtesy Alan

Small Blue courtesy Alan

A Day for Insects

Sunshine, 25°, light WNW.

Not much of note today along the Bunk line other than several Yellow Wagtail flying back and forth.

A Mistle Thrush, Green Woodpecker and 4-5 singing Yellowhammer, plus the usuals.

Alan along the Thames: Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Kingfisher, Sparrowhawk etc.

Mainly a day for insects in the sunshine.

Mammals: Brown Hare & Red Fox plus a Muntjac Deer in garden.

Dragonflies: Banded Demoiselle, Large Red Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Azure Damselfly, White-legged Damselfly, Emperor Dragonfly & Four-spotted Chaser.

Butterflies: Large Skipper, Brimstone, Large White, Orange Tip, Small Blue, Brown Argus, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady 4+, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown & Small Heath.

All pics courtesy Alan

Painted Lady ↕

Common Blue

Brown Argus

Meadow Brown

Painted Lady

Common Blue Damselfly

Where have all the flowers gone?

Cloudy with a few sunny spells, 21°, breezy WSW.

Rather quiet out at Lollingdon today with all the regulars present and a very similar experience for Alan along the river.

One thing that strikes me on my walks around the village and surrounding areas is the complete lack of wild flowers along field margins, hedgerows and road verges! 

This is why gardens are so important for pollinators as the local farms and local authorities do not appear to be onboard with this!

Apart from a lot of gardens there are only a few areas in Cholsey where wild flowers are encouraged to grow.  

Dragonflies: Banded Demoiselle, Azure Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, White-legged Damselfly & Four-spotted Chaser. Per Alan.

Butterflies: Dingy Skipper, Brimstone, Large White, Orange Tip, Common Blue, Small Blue, Speckled Wood & Small Heath.

Moths: Five-spot Burnet.

Speckled Wood ↕

Brimstone

Female & young Great-spotted Woodpecker

Red-eyed Damselfly & Banded Demoiselle courtesy Alan

Small Blue courtesy Alan

Pyramidal Orchid courtesy Alan

Five-spot Burnet courtesy Alan

A little of everything

Sunshine, 24°, light SW.

Bunk line: First young Swallow seen on the wing today, the Lesser Whitethroat still singing Green lane and 2 Herring Gull and 2 Black-headed Gull feeding in the same field, a couple of Yellow Wagtail etc.

River: Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Kingfisher etc.

Dragonflies: Banded Demoiselle, White-legged Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Red-eyed Damselfly, Large Red Damselfly, Azure Damselfly & Emperor Dragonfly (nfy).

Butterflies: Dingy Skipper (yesterday), Brimstone, Large White, Small White, Orange Tip, Common Blue, Small Blue, Red Admiral, Peacock & Small Heath.

One of the young Swallows

Dingy Skipper

Kestrel with prey courtesy Alan

White-legged Damselfly courtesy Alan

Small Blue courtesy Alan

Adult Jackdaw in the garden

Young Jackdaw in the garden