Sun & Thunder

Sunny spells, 30º, thunder storms!

A couple of hours on Lollingdon hill between thunder storms, a Redstart heard calling from the hedgerow leading south towards the A417 and seen briefly, also at least two Chiffchaff along the western hedge and some young Linnet.

At one point there were 4 Buzzard, 5 Red Kite and a Kestrel over the hill.

A large flock of Rook with some Jackdaws feeding in the pig fields at the moment (c400) and approx 200 Lesser Blackback Gulls seen in the area.

A Nuthatch heard at the week end in the trees in the garden (new species for garden) but not seen and TW has had a family party of them visiting his garden recently over several days and they then move off in to the meadow that backs on to my garden so hopefully I could expect to see them soon.

Lots of butterflies around today also, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Large, Small and Marbled White, Brimstone, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Small Skipper, and Common Blue, TW also had a Holly Blue today in his garden and I had a Large Emerald moth roosting in the garden on Sunday.

Also a few Grass Snakes around in various places (per BH & TW).

A couple of Magpie managing to sneak in to the garden recently!

 Magpie

 Common Buzzard

 Common Blue

 Brimstone

Large Emerald

30º at last!

The last few days have been warm and sunny, with temps touching 30º at times and very little wind.

Lollingdon hill yesterday was quiet, only a Yellow Wagtail of note collecting food  amongst the Sheep, the usual Corn Buntings, Yellowhammers and Linnets present.

Today a Lesser Whitethroat singing north of Cholsey Marsh, a Garden Warbler seen and a couple of Kingfishers, also around twenty Swallows on wires near the end of Caps Lane, mainly young and still being fed by the adults, probably about three broods worth.

Unusually two Magpies in the garden this morning, the local Crow must have been otherwise engaged as he did not appear to chase them off! Also two Treecreeper present for a time on the Lime Trees, two Mallards, four Moorhens and a Great-spotted Woodpecker still regular visitors.

Lots of butterflies around today with Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper being the most numerous, Small Tortoiseshell, Large and Small Skipper, Marbled, Large and Small White, Comma and Speckled Wood.

Banded Demoiselle and Brown Hawker Dragonfly noted.

 Yellow Wagtail

  Gatekeeper

 

Young Swallows

Moorhens and sunny days

Sunny, 24º, light breeze.

Spent a few hours enjoying the sunshine on Lollingdon hill today, just watching and listening.

A meadow being cut for hay was attended by several quartering Red Kite and a Buzzard that just sat at the field edge waiting for anything to appear that maybe edible and a Kestrel hunting Grasshoppers on the hill.

At least one adult and two young Chiffchaff seen, they maybe on the move! Still the odd song from Linnet, Corn Bunting and Yellowhammer going on and some young Corn Bunting seen, also a couple of Yellow Wagtail flew over.

Butterflies today were – Small White, Large White, Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Small Copper, Small Tortoiseshell, Large Skipper, Speckled Wood and Ringlet.

Two young Robins in the garden this week and all four Moorhens around, they are certainly characters and have been spending a lot of time in the garden as some sort of sanctuary as they rarely get disturbed and can rest, preen and feed at ease.

Only one House Martins nest at Marymead again this year and two Tawny Owls in the garden tonight.
 

The Moorhens in the garden

 

Crows bonding session in the meadow

Hot and Sunny

Sunny, 26º, a nice cooling NNE breeze.

A walk out around the farm land and Lollingdon hill today, nothing unexpected and little of note.

Around half dozen Corn Bunting still in song, two Yellow Wagtail seen and a Hobby.

I was alerted to the presence of the Hobby by a Swallow alarm call, I looked around and eventually saw the Hobby coming towards me in the distance, and how the Swallow saw it I do not know as it must have been well over a kilometre away when it gave the alarm.

The garden has been quite active recently with a visit of a Green Woodpecker, both male and female Great-spotted Woodpecker and four Moorhen (2 adults and 2 young) and plenty of visiting finches.

Young Green Woodpecker

Young Moorhens

 

Red Kite

Summers arrived? Maybe!

Sunny, 22º, light wind.

A fair old walk today in brilliant sunshine to Wallingford then back along the river, bird wise fairly quiet. A couple of Nuthatch on the other bank of the river heard calling and two Jay near Bow Bridge, a couple of Kingfisher seen and Cholsey Marsh was rather quiet also. Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Garden Warbler and Chiffchaff all seen and heard, a couple of Cormorant flying down river and three Black-headed Gull feeding along the river.

Plenty of butterflies around today, Marbled White, Large White, Comma, Small Tortoiseshell, Large Skipper and a couple of Common Blue, only dragons seen were Banded Demoiselle.

A nest of Tree Bumblebees in the garden in an old bird nest box and have been collecting pollen from the Foxgloves in the garden.

An anticipated visitor

Cloudy, few sunny spells, 20º, light winds

I wondered when this one would turn up, the young Moorhen finally arrived up in the garden today, initially with one of the adults but then has been around by him/her self. Also some young Chaffinch, Goldfinch and Greenfinch being fed in the garden today.

Moorhen Jnr

Young Goldfinch being fed by adult 

 Greenfinches and Chaffinch

One of the garden Wrens

A pleasant walk

Sunny spells, 20º, breezy WNW.

A pleasant walk out west today but quiet, Chiffchaff and Blackcap still singing well but otherwise fairly quiet, the “acros” along the reedy stream were generally quiet but a few seen carrying food so hopefully quite a few young soon to be seen and three sites with singing Goldcrest.

Three young Song Thrush seen near Lollingdon hill and a flock of around a dozen Long-tailed Tit.

Other species noted were Hobby, Sparrowhawk, Grey Partridge, Yellow Wagtail (2 areas), Mistle Thrush, Green and Great-spotted Woodpecker and the three Bunting species.

Around twenty five Swift feeding over Cholsey Church area.

A lot of Small Tortoiseshell butterflies today and Speckled Wood and Meadow Brown but only one White (large).

Mistle Thrush collecting food

Red-legged Partridge and Yellowhammer

Long-tailed Tit

 Speckled Wood

Small Tortoiseshell

Meadow Brown

Summer settling in.

Sunny spells, 20º, light winds.

Two pairs of Little Owl in Cholsey at the moment with one pair to the east of the village and another to the west and at least one suspected of breeding.

A Hobby hunting at Lollingdon hill today and several Red Kite and Buzzard in the vicinity, also four Grey Partridge around the hill. Yellowhammers, Corn Buntings, Skylarks, Yellow Wagtail and Whitethroats all appear to be doing OK around the hill and all noted carrying food.

A Lesser Whitethroat in song along the Wallingford straight and several Quail heard nearby on the downs.

Both ♂ & ♀ Great-spotted Woodpecker visiting the garden recently and both Moorhen in the garden regularly and an almost full grown young seen in the meadow and up to three different Hedgehogs feeding in the garden.

A few Banded Demoiselles near the Thames, a ♀ Broad-bodied Chaser and a Common Darter briefly, Large Skipper butterflies on the wing over a flower meadow and Small Tortoiseshell around but few other species and no Ladybirds noted this year yet!

 

Large Skipper

 

Bees and Pyramids

Another warm and muggy day, cloudy with sun later, 22º.

A visit to a site in the east of the parish to look for some Orchids and the following two species found (thanks to Tony Williams for the info).

First Silver Y Moth of the year seen today and a Common Blue butterfly, also Brian Wyatt had a Clouded Yellow butterfly near Silly Bridge.

  Bee Orchid

Pyramid Orchid

Out West

Low misty cloud, 20º, light E, muggy and humid.

A walk out west threw up no surprises, Yellowhammers, Reed Buntings and Corn Buntings in song and still quite a few Whitethroats, Blackcap and Chiffchaff singing and a single Garden Warbler. The “reedy stream” and the “long dyke” had both Reed Warbler and Sedge Warbler singing.

Two sites with Goldcrest singing and a family of at least five Wrens noted.

Buzzard, Red Kite, Hobby, Kestrel and Peregrine all seen.

Very few butterflies with Speckled Wood being the most abundant and a single Ringlet noted.

Yellow Iris and some Orchids in flower.

Two Lesser Blackback Gulls over Wallingford town centre this afternoon calling.

Two Moorhen in the garden this morning, maybe the young are big enough to leave unattended in the brook now?

A pair of Mallard and a Hedgehog feeding in the garden at 22:30, Mallards still in garden at 01:00!

 Yellowhammer

 Sedge Warbler

Common Spotted Orchid?

Quiet on all fronts.

Cloudy, 19º, light to mod E, getting humid.

A few visits to Lollingdon hill and very quiet just the local breeding species present and the odd Swifts feeding overhead and the occasional Lesser Blackback Gull over.

Three pairs of Whitethroat breeding on the hill and several seen carrying food.

Cholsey marsh rather quiet also.

Sparrowhawks breeding near Marymead but no House Martins breeding this year at Marymead although several nearby and a Cuckoo again near the Bullshole and heard from the garden.

Very few butterflies and dragonflies seen recently down to the weather I guess as it’s been a bit cool and wet.

Some Bee Orchids and Pyramid Orchids are flowering in the east of the parish at the moment.

 One of the Whitethroats carrying food.

 

Swifts

Sunny, 18º, Moderate SW.

Still a bit blowy and a couple of hours on Lollingdon hill today mostly spent in one spot as shortly after I arrived I began to see Swifts passing over and moving south and in 90 minutes I had counted over two hundred passing over, I did wonder if it was a smaller flock doing several circuits but I was watching them disappear from sight over the downs still moving south, four House Martins also with the flock. An unusual movement?

Hobby, Kestrel, two Buzzards and a Red Kite around the hill.

A Cuckoo heard several times near the Bullshole by Jane Dawson today.

A Jackdaw came in the garden again today and alighted on one of the fat ball feeders and within less than 5 seconds the Crow (who was approx 100m away in the meadow) immediately took off and headed towards the garden, the Jackdaw left in quite a hurry with the Crow in hot pursuit behind him.

Red Kite

 Buzzard

  Very high Hobby

Swift

Successes and failures

Sunny spells, showers, 15º, fresh SW.

Very blowy on Lollingdon hill today and not much around, a few Red Kite and a single Kestrel on the hill but I would think most of the small stuff was sheltering from the rather strong wind, two Grey Partridge around and Swallows and Swifts feeding low along the hedgerows.

Some success and failures today as one of the young Blackbirds was found dead in the garden this morning, no obvious signs of trauma and did not appear emaciated so not sure why!

The Great Tits have young (3) and have been active in the garden for the past few days now along with a Blue Tit family and the Goldfinch family still present Song Thrush, Moorhen, Mallards and Stock Doves still feeding in the garden.

Ravens

Rain, 16º, light winds

I had a meeting this morning and on my way home I was passing Lollingdon hill so I thought I would drop in for a brief visit as it was only a fine drizzle but still enough to get wet though.

I had got about 100m along the path when I noticed a few Carrion Crow diving on something on the ground and generally creating, the grass was fairly long and I could not see what it was. My initial thought was a ground predator but all of a sudden a large black bird lifted off followed closely by two others, Raven!

The three Raven flew off hotly pursued by a couple of Carrion Crow and the size difference was very noticeable, then another Raven joined them from over the hill and all four settled about a 500+ metres away on a fresh manure heap and at that point the Crows returned to their initial location and settled down. The Ravens stayed for about 10 minutes and then flew off towards the downs.

Four Jackdaw feeding in the garden until routed by the local Crow, it’s his “corvid” domain so he chases off any other crow species but a delay with this lot as they spent a good 10 minutes here and one of them was fairly adept at getting on to the feeder that held some suet balls.

Also a family of Goldfinch around but the young have not sussed out how to use the feeders yet so the adults get mobbed when they move off with the young begging for food! Young Blackbird also in the garden.

 Ravens in the rain

 Jackdaw on the suet ball feeder

 Young Blackbird

Goldfinch family

Yellow Wagtails and a Turtle Dove

Cloudy, 14º, light winds

For the past few weeks I have been trying to track down breeding pairs of Yellow Wagtail and so far have found seven, possibly eight pairs in the parish.

Providing all the pairs breed successfully this would be a good number for the area and I will continue to monitor them.

All pairs are in very similar habitat of cereal crops and one pair so far seen carrying food suggesting young present.

Have been visiting Lollingdon hill on a daily basis for at least an hour on each occasion but it has been rather quiet, the only birds of note were a Kestrel present and a rarity of a Turtle Dove that flew north over the hill today.

Young Goldfinch and Greenfinch now visiting the garden and four Stock Dove (2ad, 2juv) visiting often and a young Blackbird being fed today.