A brighter day

Light cloud with a few sunny periods, 13°, light SSW.

Alan along the river again today and managed to see a Wigeon drop in on the river briefly before flying off again. The first record of this species in Cholsey this year.

Also a Little Grebe, Grey Wagtail and a flyover Raven.

Unable to get out today so just made do with what was around the garden.

A male Sparrowhawk swept thru on a couple of occasions but did not manage to take anything and a brief visit of a Jackdaw and a Mistle Thrush singing at the top of a tree in the garden.

Have not seen a Nuthatch in the garden since early spring so not sure what has become of them?

Butterflies: 2 male Brimstone. Per 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 marsh: a brief visit.

Sunny spells, 6º, light to fresh WSW, getting colder.

A brief visit to Cholsey marsh this afternoon the water has receded and the marsh is draining again and the Thames water level has dropped back to just below the banks. However, the path is only navigable with wellies.

Very quiet there today and did not stay for the roost as it was getting cold and I did not have the appropriate clothing, the only bird of note was a Wigeon that flew upriver, circled the marsh and disappeared behind some trees in the distance so did not see if it continued upriver or dropped in to a flooded area.

Two Barn Owl hunting at dusk, one on the marsh and another over a nearby field. (Thanks to Paul Rainsden for the info).

1066, Churn and Lollingdon

Cloudy, 7º, light SW.

1066

100+ Teal, 1 ♂ Pintail and 4 Wigeon (2♂ & 2♀), a single Lapwing and a ♀ Sparrowhawk.

Goldcrest and Long-tailed Tits in the hedgerow.

Churn

Close on 2000 Gulls following 2 ploughs, rather distant but Gulls passing overhead were all Black-headed or Lesser Blackbacks.

C100 Fieldfare, c60 Starling and a few Redwing, 100+ Lapwing, 20 Linnet, 2 Stock Dove, Kestrel and a bonus of a Merlin that flew through.

Lollingdon Hill

A single Song Thrush, and a small flock of 40 Fieldfare.

                                   4 Wigeon and a couple of Teal

Lollingdon Hill & Cholsey Marsh

Overcast, 0º, light rain, light SE.

Lollingdon Hill

20 Lapwing on the hill plus around another 100 in nearby fields, also a Mistle Thrush feeding amongst them on the hill.

Cholsey Marsh

100+ Corn Buntings in at the roost this evening, a few Reed Bunting, 2 Yellowhammer and 2 Meadow Pipit there. Several Bullfinches along the riverbank and a pair of Great-crested Grebe displaying on the river.

A Kingfisher present and 3 Wigeon flushed off the river by a sculling crew.

                                  Lapwings on Lollingdon Hill