Getting Warmer

Cloudy, 16°, light SSW.

A milder day today with some sunny spells pm.

A lot more insects in the air (mainly St Mark’s Fly) now hence a good number of Swallow noted (20-30). So hopefully we will see our local House Martin and Swift over the village soon.

The Bunk line was relatively quiet, 2 Egyptian Geese in a field near CSW and a Sedge Warbler still singing along Green Lane.

2 Herring Gull and 5+ Black-headed Gull still in the vicinity of CSW.

A single Wheatear on Lollingdon Hill today. Per Michael Pocock.

Alan found another Lesser Whitethroat near Bow Bridge today and Tony Rayner had one singing in his meadow this morning.

Also the following on the Marsh: Several Swift and Swallow, Common Whitethroat, Reed Bunting, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Cetti’s Warbler, Blackcap, Garden Warbler etc.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Orange Tip, Holly Blue, Speckled Wood and Tony Rayner has seen a Small Copper today and recently has seen Large White and Small White locally.

And a Brimstone Moth.

Lesser Whitethroat courtesy Alan

Wheatear (from Friday) ↕

Yellow Wagtail

Grasshopper Warbler

Sunny periods, 12°, light WSW.

3 Wheatear (2m & 1f) on Lollingdon Hill today along with a single Yellow Wagtail and a Pied Wagtail.

2 Raven flew west and several Swallow over and a Little Owl nearby.

A brief look around CSW on the way back with 2 Herring Gull, 4-5 Black-headed Gull and 4 Lesser Blackback Gull drifted overhead.

Alan found 2 Grasshopper Warbler reeling on the Marsh today, apart from that very much the same as yesterday.

Butterflies: Orange Tip, Green-veined White & Peacock.

Grasshopper Warbler reeling courtesy Alan

Sunshine & Showers

Sunshine and showers, 10°, light NNW.

As soon as I stepped out this morning a Swallow was flying overhead and a Chiffchaff singing over the road.

100m up a Lesser Whitethroat was singing in the small wooded area between the school and Bunk Bridge.

Several more Swallow encountered between the Church and Green lane and a couple of Common Whitethroat.

Green lane hosted several Blackcap and Common Whitethroat, 2 Sedge Warbler and a Chiffchaff.

A Grasshopper Warbler heard reeling, distant but clear from the direction of the brook to the south west of the lane.

Alan out on the Marsh early today: with several Swift, Swallow and House Martin, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Cetti’s Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Reed Bunting, Common Tern, Sparrowhawk etc.

Blackcap

Lapwing from yesterday courtesy Alan ↕

Four seasons in one day

Sunny spells and wintry rain showers, 10°, light to breezy W.

A lot of weather today including a thunderstorm, rain, sleet etc. etc.  

Arial insect feeders are having a hard time with the weather being colder than average at the moment. Swifts, Swallows and Martins are not settled at their breeding sites and are having to forage far and wide to find food. Hopefully next week when the weather warms up we will see them back over the village on a regular basis thru the summer.

A walk out to Lollingdon Hill today found a Whinchat and 2 Wheatear present. Around 20 Swallow heading north and 2 House Martin over. Also a Raven flying high north east. 3 Corn Bunting in song and 2 Yellowhammer, 2 Common Whitethroat 3 Blackcap and a Chiffchaff present.

A Little Owl seen nearby, a couple of Yellow Wagtail overhead and a Lesser Whitethroat singing from a nearby hedgerow.

Alan out along the Marsh and Cholsey Hill area today: The Marsh and river seems to have settled down at the moment with no new visitors present.

Cholsey Hill hosted 4 Lapwing, several Corn Bunting and Yellow Wagtail and several Swift overhead.

Mammals: Brown Hare.

Butterflies: a single Orange Tip in a sunny sheltered spot.

Whinchat

Wheatear

Orange Tip (m)

A Breezy one

Sunny spells, 11°, breezy WNW.

Just Alan out today along the Bunk line and river.

Chiffchaff and Sedge Warbler along Green lane plus a Kingfisher. Several Yellow Wagtail, Common Whitethroat, Swallow and House Martin.

Cholsey Marsh/River: Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Cetti’s Warbler and Common Tern plus the usual’s present and a Wheatear near the 4-Arches.

Cetti's Warbler courtesy Alan

Wheatear courtesy Alan

Late Fieldfare and 1 or 2 Cuckoo

Cloudy, 11°, breezy SSW.

After stating yesterday that we have not had a Cuckoo yet, I received a call from Tony Rayner to say he had one in his meadow this morning at around 08:00 and a message from Alan to say that one was calling along the river on the Cholsey/Moulsford boundary! So there you go!

A late Fieldfare along Green lane this morning plus a singing Willow Warbler and the Sedge Warbler still present.

Several Swallow feeding low on the lee side of hedgerows and a small flock of 6 House Martin overhead.

2 Yellow Wagtail still around CSW, 2 Herring Gull and 2 Canada Geese in an adjacent field.

Fieldfare

Garden Warbler & Hobby new for the year

Sunny spells, 12°, light W.

Alan has been walking the Marsh for the last 2 mornings and finally found a Garden Warbler and not one but two. Probably recently arrived.

That basically ties up all the expected species of Warbler that can usually be found on the Marsh.

Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Common Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler, Cetti’s Warbler, Reed Warbler, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff.

Most are regular breeders except for Grasshopper and Willow Warbler which are irregular breeding birds on the Marsh.

Unfortunately no Cuckoo heard on the Marsh so far this year?

I took a walk along the Bunk line/Green lane area this morning.

A fair number of Swallow moving thru and a Hobby seen chasing a few.

A Sedge Warbler singing along Green lane and a Lesser Whitethroat singing near CSW.

At least 4 Black-headed Gull and 2 Herring Gull at CSW and a couple of Yellow Wagtail present.

All the regulars noted in the area.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Orange Tip, Holly Blue and Peacock.

Green-winged Orchid courtesy Alan

Sedge Warbler

Female Blackcap

Long-tailed Tit

Garden Warbler courtesy Alan

Garden Warbler and backing Chiffchaff courtesy Alan

A quiet end to April with Swifts passing thru

Sunny spells, 11°, light NNE.

Lollingdon hill fairly quiet today with 3 Wheatear on the hill, 2 Yellow Wagtail and 2 Pied Wagtail. 14 Swallow flew north and a Raven flew south.

A Goldcrest singing consistently near the Millennium wood over the last 2 weeks.

2 Common Tern seen again by Alan along the river, also several Swift, a Willow Warbler, Cetti’s Warbler etc on the Marsh.

On returning 6 Swift flew over the garden and Alan had 4 over Papist Way.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Orange Tip, Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock.

Wheatear

Common Whitethroat

Common Tern courtesy Alan

Herring Gull

Still cool

Cloudy with the odd sunny spell and a light rain shower, 9°, light NNW.

Male Ring Ouzel still present on Lollingdon Hill (staying high) along with 4 Wheatear, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Pied Wagtail and 4-5 Linnet.

2 Common Whitethroat, 3 Blackcap and a couple of Chiffchaff, 3 Corn Bunting, a Kestrel and a Peregrine Falcon overhead.

5 Swallow and 2 House Martin flew north.

Alan found our first Lesser Whitethroat of the year down on the Marsh plus the 2 Common Tern along the river and several House Martin and Swallow.

Butterflies: Brimstone.

Male Ring Ouzel high on the hill ↕

Wheatear

Inflight Lesser Whitethroat courtesy Alan

Rain

Overcast with frequent light rain showers, 10°, light NE.

Quite a cooler day than of late and some welcome rain.

An influx of Hirundines today with c30 of each Swallow and Sand Martin and 50+ House Martin. (Per Alan along the river) and 25+ Swallow and 6+ House Martin along the Bunk line.

Around 20 Yellow Wagtail seen along the Bunk line between CSW and the gravel pit. Plus Reed Bunting, Yellowhammer, Linnet etc.

2 Herring Gull and c20 Black-headed Gull in the vicinity of CSW.

The Whinchat and 2 Wheatear still present on Lollingdon Hill.

2 Common Tern still along the river and both Sedge and Reed Warbler on the Marsh along with Cetti’s Warbler, Blackcap and Common Whitethroat. Plus all the usuals.

Herring Gull ↕

A Birdy day

Bright at first then clouding over, 12°, light SSW.

A hike out to the Lees then loop around to Lollingdon and back.

Lollingdon threw up some good birds today and some more good sightings along the river for Alan.

The Lees were fairly quiet but for Chiffchaff and Blackcap singing, a Grey Heron feeding in the “Long Ditch” and several Reed Bunting present. 1 Reed Warbler and at least 2 Sedge Warbler along the “Reedy Ditch”

The walk then to Lollingdon was uneventful with just Chiffchaff and Blackcap in song along with a couple of Common Whitethroat.

Lollingdon Hill was fairly active with a male Ring Ouzel, a male Whinchat, 2 Wheatear, a Kestrel, c6 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Pied Wagtail, 3 Corn Bunting, 2 Common Whitethroat and 2 Blackcap and a Raven overhead.

A quick call to both Alan and Tony who both arrived and saw the birds.

A Little Owl and another Ring Ouzel (female) nearby but she was not as obliging as the male and flew off along the hedgerow and was not seen again.

A steady walk back found good numbers of Yellowhammer and Reed Bunting and several more Common Whitethroat.

Alan took an early visit to the Marsh with Common Tern, Common Sandpiper and a pair of Tufted Duck. Along with the usual suspects on the Marsh.

Later in the day along the Bunk Line but somewhat quiet except for a handful of Yellow Wagtail at CSW.

Also some action in the garden with a male Blackbird feeding 3 young only for a male Sparrowhawk to take one of the youngsters 5 minutes later. A Mistle Thrush bathing in the garden and a small flock of adult and juvenile Starling feeding in the meadow early evening.

A Swift and a House Martin seen over Station road allotments this afternoon. Per Frederick Hurd.  

Mammals: Brown Hare, Stoat and Roe Deer.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Orange Tip, Peacock and Speckled Wood.

Lots of photos today 😲

Wheatear

Whinchat courtesy Alan

Ring Ouzel ↕

Ring Ouzel courtesy Alan

Yellow Wagtail

Yellow Wagtail courtesy Alan

Wheatear

Kestrel

Whinchat

Male Blackbird feeding young

Sparrowhawk on prey

Mistle Thrush taking a bath ↕

Not much change

Sunny, 13°, breezy NE.

A nice bright day but still a little cool with a northerly airflow.

A Wheatear on Lollingdon Hill today and shortly joined by 2 more but all 3 appeared to have moved off within the hour.

Several Corn Bunting in song and a Raven and a single Swallow overhead.

A few more Common Whitethroat in and on territories and a Little Owl nearby.

Alan did Bow Bridge to Ferry lane today with Nuthatch, Chiffchaff, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Blackcap, Common Whitethroat, Cetti’s Warbler, Kingfisher, Water Rail and Reed Bunting.

Mammals: Brown Hare & Roe Deer.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Small White, Orange Tip, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Comma and Speckled Wood.

Insects: Black Oil Beetle.

Wheatear courtesy Alan

Common Whitethroat courtesy Alan

Kingfisher (m&f) courtesy Alan

Black Oil Beetle

Gropper

Sunshine, 13°, breezy ENE.

Alan on the Marsh this morning with the first Grasshopper Warbler of the year. Along with Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Reed Bunting.

Plus Kingfisher, Water Rail and several Swallow.

A walk along Bunk line and gravel pit proved fruitless to a degree. A single Common Whitethroat, 2 Herring Gull and a handful of Black-headed Gull. No sign of any Lapwing!

A few butterflies on the wing: Brimstone, Orange Tip, Holly Blue, Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock.

Photos courtesy Alan Dawson.