Cholsey and Radley.

Overcast, 12º, no wind, another gloomy day!

Was at the gym in Abingdon today so when finished decided to visit Thrupp Lake at Radley and a quick look at some of the other water bodies there as it was not too far away.

Quite a few duck species there which included Mallard, Pochard, Teal, Wigeon, Tufted Duck, Shoveler, Gadwall, and a ♂ Pintail, also a Chiffchaff seen & heard feeding in the bank side trees.

Cormorant, Great Crested and Little Grebe, Mute Swan, Canada and Greylag Goose all present.

The river level has dropped substantially in the last week, still high and running fast for the Thames but mainly contained within its banks, the riverside paths still very muddy and wet.

A late visit to Cholsey marsh proved fairly routine apart from one sighting, around one hundred Corn Bunting at the roost and twenty plus Reed Bunting and approximately six Yellowhammer also roosting but not in the same area as the Corn Bunting.

Several Water Rail heard and just after 16:00, a Merlin flew through and headed upstream towards the Bow bridge area, also a Kingfisher flew upriver.

At least two Song Thrush singing at dusk and several Bullfinch heard calling.

A large corvid (Rook and Jackdaw) roost seen distantly well over five hundred birds not sure what side of the river they were on and quite a few Fieldfare and Redwing roosting in trees around the marsh.

             A pair of Gadwall and two Coot in the background

                                  Mute Swan

Fauvette à tête noire

A French Blackcap ringing recovery in Cholsey:

See Richards blog  http://stuffthatricharddid.blogspot.co.uk/

More information as and when received.

There are around eight Blackcaps that I know of wintering in Cholsey so far this winter that have been seen in five different gardens.

                             Eurasian Blackcap

Three Robins in the garden this morning and not being very tolerant to each other.

Two more for the year.

Overcast, 11º, light SW.

Only a couple of hours out today around the farmland to the west of the village, the ground still waterlogged but less so than previously as we have had two days without rain!

The two Stonechat still present and mild enough to have small insects on the wing that they were feeding on and a ♂ Peregrine seen flying to and resting up on a pylon. Could not get anywhere near the Stonechat or Peregrine unfortunately!

Not so many gulls around today, as with Lapwing and Golden Plover, maybe they have not been disturbed at the South Moreton floods where the majority are?

Still good numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing and similar species around as of 2^nd Jan.

Tony Williams had a Raven on Lollingdon hill recently.

                                   One of the Stonechats.

                                    Peregrine.

Good start to the year!

Overcast, 11º, a few light rain showers, light SW.

The morning spent out in Lollingdon and the west of the village, and then back home for lunch and after that the river and Cholsey marsh p.m.

A good day with seventy-one bird species seen in just less than seven hours birding.

Still soggy underfoot and a lot of minor flooding in the fields and Cholsey marsh still submerged and the Thames a few hundred metres wider than usual!

Approximately four hours initially out on the farmland, a couple of Jay seen in the millennium wood, two Stonechat still present in the area, a Teal, several Common Snipe, small flocks of Lapwing and Golden Plover around and four Grey Partridge. Also flocks of Fieldfare, Redwing, and plenty of Gulls, Lesser Blackback, Black-headed and a few Common Gull.

Back home for lunch and a ♀ Blackcap appeared in the garden and three Lesser Redpoll on the feeders with the Goldfinch (the camera was in the car at this point!); by the time I had retrieved the camera the Blackcap and Redpoll had gone unfortunately. So had to be content with a few shots of some Finches and the Stock Dove that was present. A Grey Wagtail put in a brief appearance in the garden before flying off along Cholsey Brook and a Treecreeper present again.

Sat at the computer a little later looking in to the garden when suddenly everything flew from the garden and a male Sparrowhawk landed on a feeder tray, and he was not after the sultanas! The only bird that did not fly off was the Carrion Crow that continued to feed in the garden.

After lunch (14:45) I went down to Cholsey marsh and just after 15:00 a ringtail Hen Harrier flew across the north end of the marsh crossed the river and headed towards South Stoke and a few minutes later a ♀ Sparrowhawk flew through putting everything in to a panic but she did not stop.

A few Siskin feeding in the bank side Alders with a small flock of Goldfinch, the Alders are currently in nearly a metre of water and I was unable to get within a hundred metres of the riverbank. The Cetti’s Warbler still present, seen initially close to ferry road then heard several times as it moved off to the south of the marsh.

Four Egyptian Geese flew upstream calling and several Canada and Greylag Geese seen on the floods near the four Arches railway bridge.

Over one hundred Corn Bunting roosted this evening on the marsh, twenty plus Reed Bunting also and a couple of Yellowhammer possibly roosted there, at least three Water Rail heard again calling at dusk, and another couple of Jay heard over the river at Little Stoke.

Full list of species today - Mute Swan, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Egyptian Goose, Mallard, Teal, Red-legged Partridge, Grey Partridge, Pheasant, Great Crested Grebe, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Red Kite, Hen Harrier, Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Water Rail, Moorhen, Coot, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Blackback Gull, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Tawny Owl, Green Woodpecker, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, Stonechat, Song Thrush, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Fieldfare, Blackbird, Blackcap, Cetti’s Warbler, Goldcrest, Wren, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Coal Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Treecreeper, Magpie, Jay, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Siskin, Bullfinch, Reed Bunting, Yellowhammer and Corn Bunting.

                                   Sparrowhawk

                                   Greenfinch

                                   Chaffinch

                                   Chaffinch

                            Red Kite looking and not sure what it found?

                                         Roe Deer

Deer-Deer

A ♂ & ♀  Muntjac Deer in the garden tonight.

My first bird of the year was a Robin that was singing at 00:30  01/01/2013 in Wantage, Oxfordshire.

 

Tonight’s Moon, 1^st Jan 2013

Happy New Year

2012 End of year.

As previously mentioned in an earlier post the year started with drought conditions and is now finishing with floods. This year is now the wettest on record and is ending on a wet and windy note also along with silly winter temperatures of 12ºc!

A steady year species wise but disastrous for many breeding birds with the wet spring causing a lack of insect food etc, also butterflies had a bad year due to the weather conditions.

One hundred and twenty bird species noted in the parish this year a little down on previous years, twenty mammals, three reptiles, three amphibians, twenty three butterflies and fourteen dragonflies (that I know of); I do not have figures for other species.

Most other wildlife was on a par with previous years, a few more sites for Common Lizard found and amphibians seemed to do well. An interesting note of a Smooth Newt found swimming around in a bowl of water put out in a garden for a pet dog.

A good autumn passage of Common Redstart that turned out to be county wide and quite unprecedented in modern times, as opposed to a protracted autumn passage of Northern Wheatear that was disappointing.

A Turtle Dove and a Tree Sparrow were noted for the first time in a few years but only briefly.

Several highlights (for me) were the six White Storks that arrived on Cholsey Hill on the 26^th April, a Great Grey Shrike out Lollingdon way on the 21^st December and a pair of Cetti’s Warbler possibly breeding on Cholsey Marsh, first time since the mid-90’s.

The Storks were the first record for Cholsey and the Shrike was the third record (1966 and 2002 being the previous), neither stayed around for very long in Cholsey. However the Storks stayed in Oxfordshire for a time and many local birders managed to see them and the shrike may still be somewhere in South Oxfordshire.

The Storks were first seen on the 17^th April near Abberly in Worcestershire; at that point, there were nine White Storks, then 6 seen near Colwyn Bay and Holywell in North Wales before tracking back and being seen on Cholsey Hill. From there they were tracked over Moreton, Didcot and Abingdon before settling down in the Newbridge/Standlake area where unfortunately one of them died after hitting some power lines.

They were then seen in East Sussex (Sidlesham) and tracked across Hampshire to Dorset and seen over Weymouth and Portland (the day after I left Portland) and then flew to Mordon Bog in Dorset on 6^th May. I have no further information from that point.

Thanks to all who have contributed to the blog in 2012, Tony Williams, Tony Rayner, Brian Wyatt, Roger Wyatt, John Lucas, Michael Pocock, Badger, Richard Broughton, Ben Hobbs, Gerry Quinn, Bob Dryden, Paul Rainsden and a few I may have missed,

Cheers everyone! Have a good 2013.

One of the following you will find in Oxfordshire in 2013......which one?

The top one is Salvin’s Albatross and the bottom one is Campbell Albatross both pics taken in Kaikoura NZ a couple of years back.

Salvin's Albatross http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3962

Campbell Albatross http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=30007

The middle pic taken by Roger Wyatt........ Cheers mate!

Finches and Blackcaps

Sunny at first then overcast and rain, 7º, light to moderate WSW.

Ventured out close to home this morning and saw more people than birds but that is the holiday season for you!

The garden was more productive though, several Lesser Redpoll turned up on the feeders with around a dozen Goldfinch and three Greenfinch and around fourteen Chaffinch feeding on the grass around the feeders, the odd Blackbird visiting and feeding on the sultanas along with a Song Thrush and a ♀ Blackcap that appeared today (possibly Richards as he lives just over the road).

Several Wood Pigeon, three or four Collared Dove and a Stock Dove on and off through the afternoon, a Great-spotted Woodpecker and a Treecreeper noted, regular Blue and Great Tit and one or two Coal Tit and several Long-tailed Tit all visiting and the usual Robin, Wren and up to three Dunnock present.

I have an update on some birds at South Moreton today from Michael Pocock, around one thousand Lapwing and up to one thousand six hundred Golden Plover and a count of twenty-three Common Snipe.

Also three Blackcap (2♀ & 1♂) feeding in a garden near Queens Road for the past two weeks, also nine Blue Tit today.

Thanks for the info Michael.

                                   Blackbird

                     A poor pic of one of the Redpolls, apologies!

Xmas update, the rainy season!

Wet, wet, wet and up to 12º!

Not been out birding since before xmas mainly due to the weather, it has certainly been the wettest year I can recall. Drought conditions at the beginning of the year then a very wet year especially now. The ground is very waterlogged at the moment with many fields either partially or completely flooded.

News from Tony Williams, John Lucas and the Eastender.

Still large numbers of Lapwing (1000+) and Golden Plover (500+) in the area, mainly on the floods at South Moreton but moving around the area. Also a Ruff still present at South Moreton.

Many winter thrushes still around, several thousand of each Fieldfare and Redwing feeding in the fields.

The Eastender has had several Lesser Redpoll feeding in his garden and up to three have been seen feeding in a garden near the allotments in the village, up to fifty Yellowhammer in the Eastender’s garden recently eclipsed the Redpoll and five Grey Partridge also!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you who have contributed and read, and I hope  enjoyed, the blog this year...................Thanks.

                           Song Thrush from last winter

Stonechats

Overcast, 10°, light to moderate SW.

Out over the farmland again today but slightly north from the last few days a more open area and not so waterlogged, however streams and ditches very full.

Again lots of Lesser Blackback Gull and Black-headed Gull feeding in the fields and plenty of Fieldfare and Redwing in the area.

A couple of small flocks of Yellowhammer and quite a few Blackbird (50+) and Song Thrush (20+) along the hedgerows, two Common Snipe and a few Skylark noted.

Two Stonechat seen, they have been in the area for a while now but not always visible from the footpaths, also a Peregrine seen alighting on one of the pylons.

A couple of Bullfinch in the millennium wood again.

Two Mistle Thrush seen along Church rd and a Coal Tit singing and both eventually turning up in the garden a little later, the Great-spotted Woodpecker, Stock Dove and a Treecreeper also frequenting the garden today along with other regulars.

The fields just North West of Cholsey hill at South Moreton are very waterlogged again with many gulls present and in excess of one thousand Lapwing there in the past few days, also several small flocks of Golden Plover but not sure of numbers involved. Thanks to Tony Williams for some of the info.

                           Stonechats

No sign of the Shrike!

Rain, 8º, light W.

Out for two and half very wet hours this morning looking for the Shrike but not found, also a pheasant shoot in the area so everything jittery.

A couple of Bullfinch seen in the Millennium wood and several flocks of Golden Plover and Lapwing in the area.

Plenty of gulls still around on the floods and five Common Gull seen, twenty plus Pied Wagtail and seven Grey Partridge noted, also several hundred Fieldfare and Redwing.

A Sparrowhawk seen soaring over the meadow this afternoon and Robin and Song Thrush singing near garden.

Great Grey Shrike

Sunny spells. 10º, light W.

A patch tick for me today in the form of a Great Grey Shrike, I missed the last one in 2002 on Lollingdon hill as I was out of the county at the time.

I decided to walk out to Lollingdon as it had been raining for the past two days and needed to get out. The footpaths were very damp and muddy; some were ankle deep in water.

 I got out to Lollingdon and rather than walk out via Aston I turned back and headed back towards Cholsey, thinking of getting back to the Bullshole and then out to the Lees. A few hundred metres back a Great Grey Shrike flew up on to the hedgerow in front of me, I think it was as surprised as I was and it then flew off down the hedge. I tried to get a couple of photos but it was too distant so I tried to close on it but it was very flighty and eventually flew across the fields and settled in a tree even further away. I could not cross the field, as it was flooded so I had to go back the way I came, in the mean time making a few phone calls.

Halfway back I noticed the bird had left the tree and was nowhere in sight I continued to look and was joined by Brian Wyatt and a couple of other birders later but no luck, very frustrating not to have got a photo but enjoyed seeing the bird.

Grid ref of first sighting was SU864575.

The fields and the footpaths in the area are very soggy and muddy so if anyone thinking of looking tomorrow please ensure you have good footwear and keep to the public paths please.

A lot of Fieldfare and Redwing in the area and twenty plus Pied Wagtail on a flooded field and a couple of Common Snipe.

Around fifty Lesser Blackback and Black-headed Gull and two Common Gull noted along with two Lapwing flocks, one of twenty three and another of fifty plus.

Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Buzzard and Red Kite all seen, also a Peregrine seen distantly that put up a lot of gulls and corvids near Aston Tirrold.

Song Thrush and Coal Tit singing along Church rd today in the sunshine.

Rainy days and Redpolls.

Rain, 9º, light SE.

Another rainy day so no birding and decided to do a little Xmas shopping!

Before going out I was looking out in the garden and there were at least five Lesser Redpoll (2♂ and 3 or more ♀/juv) present on the nyger seed feeders along with ten plus Goldfinch.

Have noticed today that the river Thames is rising again and the fields at South Moreton are flooding extensively again! A lot of flooding in the south and south-west of England.

A Muntjac Deer foraging in the garden tonight, clearing up some of the spilt seed under the bird feeders and investigating the flower beds!

 

Some record shots, it was raining and the windows were wet unfortunately.

A really bad pic of the Muntjac in the dark!

The Heavy mob.

Wet ’n’ windy, Rain, 6º, light to moderate SE.

A day for staying in and catching up with some domestic chores and observing the garden.

As well as the smaller species such as the Finches and Tits, the so-called “heavy mob” were in abundance in the garden today. The two Carrion Crow dominated along with fourteen Wood Pigeon, six Collared Dove, two Stock Dove and a Moorhen.

A visit of a couple of Lesser Redpoll again today associating with the Goldfinch, hope these become more regular. In addition, the two Treecreeper seen again today working the garden trees in a very systematic way and several visits by a Great-spotted Woodpecker.

There are over thirty different types of bird feeders at Marymead and the ones situated at the front attract a couple of species that we do not get in the rear of the garden or very rarely. These are House Sparrow, Starling and Pied Wagtail.

                                   Carrion Crow

                                   Stock Dove

                                   Moorhen

                                   Blackbird

                                   Lesser Redpoll and Goldfinch

Buntings, an Owl and a Warbler

Cloudy but bright, 6º, light variable wind, looks like a wet day tomorrow!

After a busy day decided to go to Cholsey marsh to check the roost and was rewarded with some good birds!

One hundred and twenty plus Corn Bunting this evening, visibility was good and they were coming in from all angles, flocks of between five and fifty. Some behaviour noted, whether this is an anti predator strategy or not the buntings would fly over the roost site and settle in trees up to five hundred metres away and wait until the light was waning before going to roost!

Approximately twenty Reed Bunting, five Meadow Pipit all roosting in the reeds and surprisingly six Starling seen to go in also. A small number of thrushes, less than one hundred roosting in some of the trees on the marsh, Blackbird, Fieldfare, Redwing and Song Thrush.

At least three Water Rail heard and a Cetti’s Warbler seen and heard and a Barn Owl hunting over the marsh briefly, the first for a long time, unfortunately by the time I got to my car to get the camera out (I had only just put it away) it had gone.

Two Cormorant flew upriver and again large numbers of corvids (500+ Rook and Jackdaw) roosting a few kilometres away.

As the weather has become milder recently fewer birds have been visiting the garden, however a Treecreeper still daily along with the Great-spotted Woodpecker, Stock Dove and variable numbers of Long-tailed Tit to name but a few.

One of the regular garden visitors, Collared Dove.