Not as busy

Cloudy with the odd sunny spell, 21°, light SW.

Started today with a big white bird flying over Church road as I left home. A Little Egret.

Not as busy as yesterday but still a reasonable passage of Hirundines with around 200 Swallow and House Martin and a Hobby flew thru.

The Yellow Wagtail flock has increased to 50+ with a count of 32 seen flying across Green lane to join another flock of 16+ and still leaving several in the previous field.

The Common Redstart still present, seen by Alan earlier and a handful of Blackcap, Common Whitethroat and Chiffchaff.

Dragonflies: Migrant Hawker & Common Darter.

Butterflies: Large White, 2 Red Admiral, 1 Speckled Wood & 1 Meadow Brown.

Birds & Rain

Sunshine, showers, 21°, light to breezy S.

A bit of a marathon today between Alan and myself and a lot of birds, approx. 8 hours in the field in total and a good mix of species.

Started off with a Raven flying east over the Church and I guessed Alan was out along the Bunk line as his car was parked up nearby.

We bumped into each other near to Green lane and both agreed that not much was going on. Alan walked off towards the village and I continued along Green lane.

Then the rain came!

Quite a hefty shower and I managed to shelter under a hedge and just got damp but Alan was caught in the open and got somewhat wet.

When the rain cleared the birds started to appear. Alan popped home to change and then took a brief trip out to Lollingdon before coming back along the Bunk Line also another trip to Lollingdon late afternoon.

The rain showers possibly grounded birds that were passing thru and lots of Hirundines on the move most of the day.

Follows is a list of what we found between us today, not everything included.

1 Grey Heron, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Hobby, 1 Peregrine, c30 Black-headed Gull, 100+ Lesser Blackback Gull, 2 Herring Gull, 4 (3&1) Swift, 1+ Sand Martin, c500 Swallow, c120 House Martin, 25+ Yellow Wagtail, 1 pos 2 Common Redstart plus another Lollingdon, 1 Wheatear (Lollingdon), 1 Whinchat, 1 Stonechat (Lollingdon), 1 Garden Warbler, c20 Blackcap, c20 Common Whitethroat, 3 Lesser Whitethroat, 15+ Chiffchaff, 1 Raven, 200+ Starling, c20 Yellowhammer.

Dragonflies: Common Darter.

Butterflies: Large White, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown & Small Heath.

Redstart plus a Robin ↕

Whitethroats at a distance

This Yellowhammer kept flying off and returning with food and disappearing to what is a possible nest site. Maybe has young still in a nest. 2nd brood? 

Blackcap, always staying well hidden

House Martin courtesy Alan

Bunk, River & Lollingdon

Sunny with little cloud, 28°, breezy ESE.

Arrived on Lollingdon Hill this morning and bumped into Tony W, had not seen much except for a Hobby. 2 other Hobby reported in the area by DM today.

A Common Whitethroat and a couple of Blackcap in the hedgerow was about all. Just about to give up when a group of 5 Swallow came over the hill and started to feed along the track leading to the farm. Their presence seemed to disturb a few other birds that were feeding close to the banking. On a closer look there were 2 Stonechat and a Wheatear feeding along the field edge. Still present when I left.

3 Raven flew over heading towards the Downs and a meagre flow of Swallow passing thru and around half dozen Chiffchaff noted and a Yellow Wagtail over. A Couple of Reed Bunting with a small flock of Yellowhammer.

Also seen recently is several flocks of Starling, 10-50 birds, seen regularly working various fields around Cholsey.

Alan covered the Bunk line and River today. A Peregrine seen and 25-30 Yellow Wagtail present in one of the fields.

A Raven overhead and Grey Heron, Wheatear, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, 2 Kingfisher plus the regulars.

Mammals: Short-tailed Vole & Brown Hare.

Dragonflies: Migrant Hawker, Southern Hawker & Common Darter.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Speckled Wood & Meadow Brown.

Grey Heron courtesy Alan

Juv Yellowhammer courtesy Alan

Juv Goldfinch courtesy Alan

Yellow Wagtail courtesy Alan

Stonechat

Common Darter ↕

Little Owl taking in some sun.

A quiet day

Sunshine, 28°, light ESE.

A complete contrast to yesterday with very little movement and not a lot seen,

Both Alan and myself along the Bunk line this morning with a steady flow of Swallow and a few House Martin.

Blackcap, Common Whitethroat and Chiffchaff noted along with numbers of Yellowhammer and a few Yellow Wagtail. I think Michael Pocock had the best of it with at least 12 Yellow Wagtail with the cattle early morning.

Dragonflies: Migrant Hawker & Common Darter.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma & Speckled Wood.

Migrants

Hazy sunshine, 26°, light SE.

An eventful day with Alan out early along the Bunk Line with a Whinchat, 2 Spotted Flycatcher, a Wheatear, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Swallow and Yellow Wagtail.

I was out a little later on Lollingdon Hill. 1+ Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Wheatear, 1 Common Redstart, 2 Common Whitethroat, a Blackcap and several Chiffchaff. Nearby a Little Owl and 2 Yellow Wagtail and a Willow Warbler in the Church yard.

Just a handful of Swallow and House Martin over.

A lot of Gulls around today with a couple of fields being worked. Majority were Lesser Blackback Gull with a couple of Herring Gull and several Black-headed Gull.

Dragonflies: Migrant Hawker (AD) & Common Darter.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Large White, Small White, 1 Common Blue, Brown Argus, Red Admiral, 2 Small Tortoiseshell, 2 Comma, several Speckled Wood, 1 Meadow Brown & Small Heath.

Whinchat courtesy Alan

Spotted Flycatcher courtesy Alan

Whinchat courtesy Alan

Wheatear

Angle Shades Moth courtesy Alan

Bunk Line

Hazy sunshine, 22°, light E.

Alan along Bunk Line this morning and found a Common Redstart as well as a Wheatear and several Yellow Wagtail.

Loren and myself out there late afternoon/early evening. Wheatear still present and several Yellow Wagtail as well.

Good numbers of Swallow moving thru this afternoon with 100+, several House Martin and a single Swift. I believe Alan had similar this morning.

Little Owl, Common Whitethroat, Blackcap and Chiffchaff also noted.

Dragonflies: Southern Hawker, Migrant Hawker & Common Darter.

Butterflies: Large White, Small White, 1 Common Blue, 1 Red Admiral, 1 Comma and a couple of Meadow Brown.

Courtesy Loren

Wheatear courtesy Alan

Hawthorn Shieldbug

Scorpion Fly courtesy Loren identified by Alan.

Little Egret

Sunny intervals, 20°, light ENE.

2 Wheatear still out at Lollingdon, 2 Raven over along with a single Yellow Wagtail.

A couple of Chiffchaff and Blackcap were the only warblers noted today. And a Little Egret out between the railway and Little Lollingdon.

A Raven and a Yellow Wagtail over Silly Bridge and all the usual along Green Lane etc. Per Alan.

Dragonflies: Southern Hawker, Migrant Hawker (AD) & Common Darter.

Butterflies: a single Brimstone, several Large White, 2 Small White,  Red Admiral (AD), Painted Lady (AD), several Speckled Wood & 2 Meadow Brown.

Little Egret

Wheatear

Gone quiet again

Cloudy with a few sunny spells, 18°, breezy NE.

Bunk Line fairly quiet today with just a few Blackcap, Common Whitethroat and Chiffchaff and several Swallow and House Martin over. Very little else noted.

Alan out at Lollingdon this afternoon with 2 Peregrine Falcon, 2 Wheatear and Little Owl.

Dragonflies: Southern Hawker & Common Darter.

Butterflies: Large White, 1 Peacock, Speckled Wood & Meadow Brown.

Quiet start to September

Cloudy, 17°, light NE.

Lollingdon was a bit of a lost cause today with very little out there.

A few Warblers of the usual 3 species on the way out and back and a handful of Swallow and House Martin moving thru.

A single Corn Bunting and a couple of Yellowhammer on the hill.

Alan was around on the other side of the village today with the bunk line and river covered.

A Wheatear near the gravel pit and 2 Raven overhead.

Cholsey marsh was busy with at least 100 Swallow and several Yellow Wagtail with a Goldfinch flock.

Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Common Whitethroat and Chiffchaff noted.

2 Wheatear out at Lollingdon late afternoon. Per Alan.

Butterflies: Large White, 1 Red Admiral, 1 Small Tortoiseshell, 1 Peacock, Speckled Wood & Meadow Brown.

Wheatear courtesy Alan

Corn Bunting

Tortoise Beetle sp? courtesy Alan

Wheatear courtesy Alan

Good passage of birds

Cloudy with light rain showers and infrequent sunny spells. 17°, light to breezy NE.

A good passage of Hirundines today seen by Alan out at Lollingdon and Silly Bridge and myself along Bunk Line/Green Lane.

Upwards of 200 birds, mainly Swallow with a good number of House Martin and 3 Swift.

Alan saw between 60-70 Swallow resting up on wires and surrounding bushes out at Lollingdon. Also Little Owl, Sparrowhawk and Chiffchaff and 2 Wheatear in the Silly Bridge area.

Outside the parish boundary Alan had also found 5 Whinchat and a good number of Wheatear.

Green Lane was quite busy with a couple of good Tit flocks with 10+ Blackcap, c7 Common Whitethroat and c15 Chiffchaff and singles of Lesser Whitethroat and Garden Warbler.

All the Corvids in the area suddenly too to the air and scattered as a male Peregrine Falcon zipped thru. Then 5 minutes later the Peregrine was flying leisurely overhead with prey in its talons.

A single Yellow Wagtail over and a Sparrowhawk over Church road.

Dragonflies: 2 Southern Hawker.

Butterflies: a few of each, Large White, Speckled Wood & Meadow Brown.

Moths: Orange Swift.

Chiffchaff

Lesser Whitethroat

Swallows courtesy Alan

Whinchat courtesy Alan

Orange Swift

A bit cooler

Cloudy, 18°, light NE.

A few bits and pieces on the hill today with 2 Wheatear, a few Blackcap, Common Whitethroat and Chiffchaff. 3 Yellowhammer and a Corn Bunting.

2 Raven again nearby and a Yellow Wagtail, several Swallow and a Peregrine Falcon over.

Alan along Bunk line yesterday: Blackcap, Common Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, Swallow & House Martin.

Insects few and far between today.

Dragonflies: a single Southern Hawker today & Common Darter yesterday.

Butterflies: a single Large White and several Speckled Wood & Meadow Brown with similar yesterday.

Wheatear

Common Whitethroat

Kestrel courtesy Alan

Speckled Wood courtesy Alan

Common Darter courtesy Alan

A reasonable mix

Cloudy, 18°, light to breezy NNE.

A fairly quiet day all round but with one or two birds popping up.

A Tit flock on Lollingdon Hill of around 20+ birds had 2 Common Whitethroat and a single Lesser Whitethroat accompanying them along with a couple of Chiffchaff and at least 1 Blackcap.

A Yellow Wagtail overhead on the hill, a couple of Raven in the area and a Little Egret flew west.

Alan found a Wheatear out there later in the day, just popped up for around 10 seconds before disappearing.

Both Grey Wagtail and Yellow Wagtail along the Bunk line this morning. Per Alan.

Mammals: Brown Hare,

Dragonflies: Southern Hawker & Common Darter.

Butterflies: a real drop in numbers today. Large White, Common Blue, Speckled Wood (lots) & Meadow Brown.

Photos courtesy Alan.

Bunk line & Lollingdon

Sunny spells, 18°, breezy NNE.

A walk along the Bunk line proved rather fruitless. A single Yellow Wagtail, a couple of Blackcap and Chiffchaff and several Swallow and House Martin over.

Alan had more luck out at Lollingdon with a Wheatear, Stonechat, a Little Owl and a couple of Yellow Wagtail.

Dragonflies: Southern Hawker.

Butterflies: Large White & Meadow Brown.

Photos courtesy Alan

Wheatear

Stonechat ↕

Redstarts

Sunny spells, 20°, breezy NE.

2 very elusive Common Redstart on the hill today. Initially heard calling and waited for over an hour before I finally got a view of one. A male, but did not see the other.

Also present were a few Blackcap, Common Whitethroat and Chiffchaff and a few Swallow over, apart from that it was rather quiet.

Again fairly quiet along the Bunk line and Silly bridge. Per Alan.

Mammals: Brown Hare & Weasel.  

Dragonflies: Brown Hawker, Southern Hawker, Migrant Hawker (Alan’s garden) & Common Darter.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Small Copper (Alan's garden) Speckled Wood & Meadow Brown.

Male Common Redstart from yesterday on the Oxfordshire Downs courtesy Alan.

Migrant Hawker courtesy Alan