A better day

Mainly cloudy, 14°, light SW.

The highlight of the day was a Turtle Dove that arrived off the sea and spent some time moving around the bill area before departing.

An intermittent sea-watch produced: 2 Pomarine Skua, 2 Arctic Skua, 3 Red-throated Diver, 6 Common Scoter, 10 Mediterranean Gull, 6 Common Gull and 3 Manx Shearwater etc.

The land was more varied in species if not numbers: 5 Chiffchaff, 3 Willow Warbler, a Garden Warbler, Blackcap, 8 Common Whitethroat, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, a Reed Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Common Redstart, a Whinchat, Stonechat, 4 Wheatear, 3 Yellow Wagtail, a White Wagtail and c30 Swallow.

Dragonflies: Broad-bodied Chaser.

Butterflies: Large White, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Speckled Wood and Wall Brown.

Bunk

Sunny spells with odd rain shower, 21°, breezy SW.

Four hours out along the Bunk Line area today with the highlight being a Turtle Dove. It flew from behind me and landed briefly on some wires but before I could get the camera on it, it flew off and disappeared over CSW.

100+ Hirundines noted, all generally moving south, mainly House Martin with 30’ish Swallow and 8 Swift.

Also, Peregrine Falcon, 2 Kestrel, a Sparrowhawk, 2 Raven, 7 Green Woodpecker, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 5 Common Whitethroat, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Blackcap, 1 Willow Warbler and c 20 Chiffchaff.

Dragonflies: Banded Demoiselle, Common Blue Damselfly, Brown Hawker and Common Darter.

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

Yellow Wagtail

Lapwing breeding

Cloudy with some rain, 17°, breezy N.

A cooler day than of late and Alan out along the “Long Ditch”. Yellow Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Corn Bunting, Skylark, Sparrowhawk, Reed Bunting, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Lapwing (breeding success), and a distant Little Egret.

Nearby a Turtle Dove was heard “purring” by Hugh Pope. Second record this year of an extremely declining species. Maybe just a migrant passing thru?

A Sparrowhawk visited the garden on a couple of occasions but was unsuccessful and 3 Great-spotted Woodpecker present, an adult female and 2 youngsters and the male was feeding out in the meadow. They bred in the small wood by the school.

Dragonflies: Azure Damselfly.

Butterflies: Meadow Brown.

Young Lapwing courtesy Alan

Great-spotted Woodpecker (m)

Did not expect that!

Overcast, 14°, light W.

Firstly, some belated news from Friday of a Turtle Dove heard “purring” c150m north east of primary school but not since. Presumably a migrant passing thru. Per Richard Broughton.

Secondly, not what you expect but the pair of Blue and Yellow Macaw doing a tour of the village again but this time retrieved by their keeper and their bout of freedom is at an end.

Back to normality and fairly quiet elsewhere around the village. A Lesser Whitethroat and Corn Bunting along the Bunk line, a Grey Wagtail nearby and a Cormorant over.

River/Marsh: Cetti’s Warbler, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Nuthatch etc.

Dragonflies: Beautiful Demoiselle, Banded Demoiselle, White-legged Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly.

Butterflies: Large Skipper, Painted Lady, Meadow Brown & Small Heath.

Paul & Alan.

Blue & Yellow Macaw ↕

Yellow Wagtail courtesy Alan

White-legged Damselfly courtesy Alan

Quiet start to June

Sunny, 24°, light ESE.

A walk out to the hill again today and proving pretty quiet.

The usual Common Whitethroat, Blackcap and Chiffchaff plus the regular Buntings present.

A Fly thru Turtle Dove seen to fly across the cattle field after being flushed by a low flying helicopter.

Mammals: Brown Hare & Short-tailed Vole.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Large White, Small White, Green-veined White, Orange Tip, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Peacock, Speckled Wood and Small Heath.

Another colony of Marsh Fritillary (3m & 2f) found near Cholsey on the Downs, per Tony Williams and a probable in Tony Rayner’s meadow.

Also a Lime Hawk Moth, Poplar Hawk Moth and Eyed Hawk Moth caught by Tony Rayner recently.

Starling

Large Red Damselfly mating by garden pond courtesy Bill Nicholls

Death's Head

Cloudy at first then sunny, 16°, light NNE.

Much the same start as yesterday:

10+ Yellow Wagtail, 6 Grey Wagtail, 5 Tree Pipit and 3 Siskin over moving south.

Then the day settled down to birding: 1 Nightingale, 1 Barred Warbler and a Turtle Dove were the pick of the bunch, at least for me.

20+ Willow Warbler, 3 Chiffchaff, 4 Common Whitethroat, 3 Blackcap, 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Garden Warbler, 2 Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Pied Flycatcher, 6 Wheatear and 2 Whinchat.

1 Grey Heron, 1 Golden Plover, 1 Greenshank and a Whimbrel.

A light but steady passage of Swallow and 4 Swift.

The sea was very quiet again except for an early evening Arctic Skua that flew west.

Dragonflies: Emperor and Common Darter.

Butterflies: Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Speckled Wood and Meadow Brown.

Moths: Death’s-head Hawk-moth, Jersey Tiger.

Other: Wasp Spider, Oak Bush Cricket, Southern Oak Bush Cricket.

Death's-head Hawkmoth

 Oak Bush Cricket

Jersey Tiger above & below

Wasp Spider

Whitethroat

A little quieter

Overcast, 16°, light to mod NNW.

An overcast and cooler day reflected by a lack of migrants.

Having said that day was made by a Barred Warbler found by John Lucas at Culverwell and a Turtle Dove that flew over and landed in the Crown Estate fields for a short time.

The sea was again exceptionally quiet with 2 Balearic Shearwater and 16 Common Scoter passing.

Just a few land migrants noted: A dawn movement of 10+ Yellow Wagtail, 14 Tree Pipit and a Grey Wagtail, a light but steady stream of Swallow with a few House Martin through the day, 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 Whinchat, 2 Wheatear, 2 Blackcap, 4 Whitethroat and 10+ Willow Warbler.

Also seen: Sparrowhawk and a Grey Heron. A little excitement of a large raptor seen flying in off the sea only to turn out to be a Common Buzzard.

Butterflies: very few, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady.

Other insects: Brown Bush Cricket and Great Green Bush Cricket, Old Lady (moth) and a Convolvulus Hawk Moth.

Swallows feeding young

 Convolvulus Hawk Moth

 Old Lady

 Grasshopper Warbler

 Brown Bush Cricket

Great Green Bush Cricket