Cholsey Marsh

Overcast then rain, 8°, breezy NE.

A trip down to Cholsey Marsh to check out the roost this evening. Not able to get close to the bank as the river has flooded up to 100 metres up Ferry Road.

Managed to count just over 200 Corn Bunting coming in plus a couple of Meadow Pipit.

A Cetti’s Warbler singing along the river bank, a few Siskin heard calling, at least 3 Water Rail, 2 Reed Bunting, a Yellowhammer and Goldcrest.

2 Egyptian Geese flew down stream along with 3 Cormorant and 60+ Canada Geese in a nearby field.

At 16:45 a flock of Starling in excess of 1000 birds flew north over the marsh.

A Chiffchaff in the garden this morning and a Blackcap nearby.

Mammals: Roe Deer.

Cholsey Marsh

Overcast, 3°, breezy NNW.

A late afternoon visit to Cholsey Marsh:

c 60 Corn Bunting coming to the roost this evening. About half of what I would expect but early days yet as they tend to peak in February.

30+ Siskin feeding on Alders along the river bank.

Good numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing, 2 Cormorant over, a Grey Heron, 2+ Water Rail, a single Canada Goose, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel,2 Jay, a Chiffchaff, Goldcrest and a Reed Bunting.

A quieter Day

Sunny spells, 15°, light SSW.

A quieter day today. c100 Redwing, 2 Swallow, 3 Chiffchaff, a Blackcap, 25+ Skylark, c50 Meadow Pipit, 10+ Pied Wagtail and a Grey Heron.

River: Cetti’s Warbler and Water Rail. Per Alan.

Dragonflies: as usual, several Common Darter.

Butterflies: 2 Brimstone, a Large White, 2 Small White, 2 Red Admiral and a Speckled Wood.

Cetti's Warbler

Hazy sunshine, 6°, light SW.

River area: Cetti’s Warbler, Water Rail, c25 Siskin, Reed Bunting, Chiffchaff, Kingfisher, Common Snipe and the usual Geese. Per Alan.

Cetti's Warbler courtesy Alan

A bit chilly

Hazy sunshine, 3°, light NW.

Lollingdon and the Lees area covered today by Alan and myself. Totals include, 11 Common Snipe, 9 Lapwing, a Water Rail, 2 Stonechat, 50+ Skylark, c100 Pied Wagtail, 50+ Meadow Pipit, 100’s of Fieldfare and Redwing, 3-4 Mistle Thrush, a couple of Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer, a Raven over, 2 Jay, a Kestrel, several Buzzard, a Sparrowhawk and a couple of drumming Great-spotted Woodpecker.

Mammals: Brown Hare.

Buzzard

Reed Bunting

Fieldfare courtesy Alan

Still a bit cold

Another sunny but cold day. 0°, light NNW.

Alan out along the “Long Ditch” area and myself along the Bunk line.

Whilst along the Bunk I bumped in to Roger Wyatt who was also out birding and had found a Chiffchaff at CSW and a Woodcock nearby.

Not much else noted other than a Sparrowhawk, a few Fieldfare and Redwing and several Skylark.

Alan on the other hand found 4 Stonechat, a Water Rail, several Reed Bunting and Corn Bunting, 20+ Skylark, c25 Lapwing over and a flock of c20 Golden Plover.

Woodcock courtesy Roger Wyatt

Grey Partridge courtesy Roger Wyatt

Golden Plover courtesy Alan  ↕

Grey Heron courtesy Alan

I think winter may have arrived

Sunny, 1°, light ENE.

Another relatively quiet day out and a little chilly with all the wet areas frozen over.

Alan found a/the Peregrine again and once more stationed on one of the pylons. Presumably a good spot for observing prey.

Lollingdon hill had a flock of c100 Fieldfare and Redwing roaming the hill but little else present.

A flock of c60 Linnet and 20’ish Chaffinch in fields to the north of the hill and a Water Rail in one of the ditches.

A couple of Lapwing flocks (16+14) flying high west, a Little Egret, a Common Snipe, several Meadow Pipit and Yellowhammer and a Mistle Thrush in song.

Peregrine & Little Egret courtesy Alan

Gone quiet again

Cloudy with some sunshine, 8°, light SW.

A repeat of last weeks places but rather quieter.

2 Little Egret out at Lollingdon along with a Grey Wagtail and several Gulls frequenting the flooded field. A Raven over but little else other than the regular Fieldfare and Redwing.

A similar situation on the route out from the Bullshole via Aston to Lollingdon. A few Stonechat, Water Rail, Chiffchaff and other regulars.

Mammals: Brown Hare & Roe Deer.

Alan & Paul.

2 Little Egret

Grey Heron courtesy Alan

Dunnock courtesy Alan

? 😊

Pleated Inkcap

A late Darter and a dead Kittiwake

Sunny, 11°, light SW.

A repeat of Wednesday with both Alan and myself out in the Lollingdon area.

I decided to stick around the flooded field area whilst Alan covered the long ditch and areas around Lollingdon.

Unfortunately I found a dead Kittiwake along the margin of the flooded field, only the 2nd record of this species in Cholsey. The last being in November 1957 also deceased. Would be nice to see a live one here!

A Little Egret commuting between the flooded field and the cattle field and a couple of Raven in the area.

2 Chiffchaff at 2 sites, several Siskin also seen at 2 sites, Stonechat, Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Reed Bunting, a few hundred Starling, a Peregrine, Water Rail, Kingfisher, Sparrowhawk, approx. 50 Pied Wagtail scattered around the wet fields and c250 Lesser Blackback Gull and up to 50 Black-headed Gull.

Dragonflies: a surprise late record of a Common Darter.

Common Darter

Kittiwake

Little Egret courtesy Alan

Little Egret

Pied Wagtail

Buzzard

Lollingdon

Sunny with rain later, 11°, breezy SW.

An area between Lollingdon and Aston covered today by both Alan and myself and quite a productive day.

A Redshank (1st of the year), 11 Lapwing, a Little Egret, a Water Rail, , 6 Stonechat, a Little Owl, 1 possibly 2 Raven, 12+ Pied Wagtail, several Meadow Pipit, good numbers of Skylark and several Reed Bunting, Yellowhammer and Corn Bunting.

A female Merlin landed on the flooded field briefly and started to drink but was eventually chased off by a couple of Gulls.

Good numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing and an increase in Blackbird numbers, 2 Kestrel, several hundred Lesser Blackback and Black-headed Gull and c300 Starling.

Garden also busy late afternoon, with Sparrowhawk, Nuthatch, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Jackdaw, both Collared and Stock Dove and assorted Finch and Tit species.

Several Siskin yesterday, Caps Lane. Per Tony Rayner and also yesterday along Bunk: Raven over, several Redpoll, Grey Wagtail and Common Snipe. Per Alan.

Photos courtesy Alan.

Stonechat

Overcast, 6°, light WNW.

Alan along the river initially then out at Lollingdon with myself.

River/Cholsey Marsh: Cetti’s Warbler, Fieldfare, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Water Rail, Reed Bunting, Stonechat and Kingfisher.

Lollingdon: a single Stonechat still present between Little Lollingdon and Lollingdon.

Also: Raven, Little Owl, Fieldfare, Redwing, Mistle Thrush and Jay.

Lollingdon & The Thames

Mainly cloudy, 13°, light WNW.

Fairly quiet on the walk out to Lollingdon today. Good numbers of Fieldfare with several flocks of 100+. Fewer Redwing but still 100+, a single Raven over and the usual Meadow Pipit, Skylark and Yellowhammer. 2 Mistle Thrush around the Brook meadow.

Alan along the river: Water Rail, Cetti’s Warbler, Chiffchaff, Siskin, Reed Bunting, Jay, Stonechat, Treecreeper plus Fieldfare, Redwing and Mistle Thrush.

Dragonflies: a single Common Darter, Lollingdon and several Cholsey Meadows.

Butterflies: Red Admiral along the Thames.

Raven ↕

Fieldfare

Green Woodpecker courtesy Alan

Common Darter courtesy Alan

Migrants ramping up

Sunny at first then clouding up, 11°, light to breezy SW.

Looks as though migration is ramping up a little now the weather has changed with 3 of us out today and 2 new species for the year: A Yellow Wagtail and a House Martin.

Today’s records from Michael Pocock:

“A very long walk today right up to the rather quiet downs in the sunshine, but a range of sightings: Sedge and 1 Cetti’s Warbler on the Marsh, 1 Willow Warbler on Moulsford Downs, 3 Wheatear at Lollingdon, plus 2 Fieldfare and 1 Swallow through and 2 Willow Warbler in green lane.”

Alan’s records from today:

Morning: Willow Warbler, Sedge Warbler and Cetti’s Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Common Snipe and Water Rail on the Marsh and a couple of Swallow.

Afternoon: A Yellow Wagtail at CSW and c25 Fieldfare and a single Redwing and a singing Willow Warbler Bunk line.

Several Swallow, a couple of Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail and another Yellow Wagtail, Linnet, Yellowhammer, 2 Herring Gull and Sparrowhawk near the Gravel pit area.

I took a walk out to Lollingdon and back: a Common Redstart that didn’t stay too long, 4 Fieldfare and 3-4 Corn Bunting on the Hill and 2 Raven and 2 Lesser Blackback Gull overhead, a Willow Warbler nearby and another in Whitehead Meadow, 3 Blackcap, and several singing Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer and a handful of Meadow Pipit and Pied Wagtail in the Little Lollingdon area.

Good numbers of Chiffchaff in song, a Goldcrest singing along Cholsey Brook, 2 Swallow feeding over CSW and a House Martin flew over Church road.

Mammals: Brown Hare & Roe Deer.

Butterflies: a few Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock on the wing and a Small White in the garden.

Yellow Wagtail taken on Alan's phone.

Linnet courtesy Alan

Fieldfare courtesy Alan

Jackdaw in the garden

Yellowhammer

Robin

Thrushes everywhere

Sunny, 3°, light W.

A walk out to Lollingdon and back today and there seemed to be Fieldfare and Redwing everywhere foraging in the fields and hedgerows.

The 2 Stonechat still present on the hill and c80 Meadow Pipit and 20+ Pied Wagtail in the sheep field.

A single Raven flew north and 8 Common Snipe on one of the floods and a Chiffchaff with a Tit flock in the cattle field.

The Little Egret seen out near the Bullshole and that or another seen by Alan flying from Green lane towards the Church.

Alan out today on the other side of the village today with a Raven, Herring Gull, Goldcrest and Blackcap amongst others.

Plus 2 Stonechat, a Water Rail and a Barn Owl, Cholsey Marsh.

Blackcap popping up quite widely now with 3-4 in TW’s garden, 1 in TR’s garden, 1 in my garden, 2 in Alan’s garden, 1 in a garden out at Lollingdon and another along Green lane. How many more are there?

4 Stonechat along Halfpenny lane. Per MA.

Mammals: Roe Deer.

Fieldfare

Little Egret courtesy Alan

Stonechat

Fieldfare & Redwing

Fieldfare