Grey Day

Overcast and drizzly, 14°, light SSW,

Alan, the only one out today covering the River and the Bunk/Green lane areas.

Cettis’s Warbler, Chiffchaff, Redwing, Fieldfare, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Grey Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Reed Bunting, Yellowhammer, Jay, 2 Herring Gull, Lesser Blackback Gull and a distant Barn Owl.

Photos courtesy Alan

A mixed day

Mainly cloudy with lengthy sunny spells, 14°, light SSW.

A frustrating day! Whilst watching some Common Darter along a flooded margin of a field out at Lollingdon I heard a Woodlark call and a few seconds later call again.

Scanning the area where the call came from but could not see the bird and I spent the next hour searching for it. However no sign of it but I did flush a Common Snipe from the field.

I let both Alan and Tony know in case they go out that way soon.

Continuing on to the hill but it was somewhat quiet, a couple of Mistle Thrush and a Sparrowhawk and a Kestrel present.

Back off the hill and another look for the lark. No luck but good numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing scattered about. Also 2 Chiffchaff, several Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Skylark and a Kingfisher and 20+ Yellowhammer nearby.

3 Raven near the Bullshole and several Siskin and a Goldcrest, Millennium Wood.

Alan and Tony out along the river: Little Grebe, Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail, Mistle Thrush, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Meadow Pipit and Fieldfare and Redwing.

30+ Golden Plover near Silly Bridge.

Mammals: Nathusius’s Pipistrelle recorded by Niall today near the Reading road proposed development site. He also has a few previous records from the site which may prove a case for conservation in the area rather than development!

Dragonflies: Common Darter, 5 pairs egg laying and a few individuals.

Butterflies: Brimstone (f), along the river and 2 Red Admiral and a Small Tortoiseshell, Lollingdon.

A few shots of the Common Darters.

Sparrowhawk

Chiffchaff courtesy Alan

Some of the hundred plus flock of Fieldfare.

Chiffchaff

Thrushes

Overcast, 11°, light SW.

Michael Pocock on Lollingdon Hill yesterday. “Nice to see the pair of Stonechat at Lollingdon this morning. Also a couple of Yellowhammer, 14 Golden Plover overhead and lots of “Winter Thrushes” (mostly Fieldfare). The highlight for me was 5 migrating Stock Dove. They come in at height from the Chilterns and I watched them head right over the downs and then orientate to head up one of the valleys. Soon to be in Iberia?”

Alan headed along the river today: Redwing and Fieldfare in abundance, plus Blackbird, Song Thrush in good numbers. Cetti’s Warbler, Kingfisher, Reed Bunting, Meadow Pipit, Jay, a singing Mistle Thrush, Treecreeper, Chiffchaff, Nuthatch and a Marsh Tit heard.

I took a brief walk along the Bunk/Green lane area: “Winter Thrushes” in good numbers with several hundred Redwing, approx. 100 Fieldfare plus Blackbird and Song Thrush in good numbers.

Also a Raven heard, a Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Jay, and Yellowhammer, 2 Herring Gull plus the usuals.

Fieldfare courtesy Alan

Redwing

Blackbird courtesy Alan ↕

Buzzard vs Wood Pigeon

Cloudy with light drizzle, 8°, light WSW.

A busy (non birding) day today so did not get out and Alan paid a brief visit along the Bunk with the usual results. Fieldfare, Redwing etc.

Approx. 16:00 a flurry of feather fell from one of the garden trees followed by a Buzzard carrying a Wood Pigeon.

The Buzzard pinned the Pigeon on the ground but something must have spooked it and it flew off.

The Pigeon laid prone on its back presumably dead. So I went to the garden to see what I could do, got a couple of metres from the bird and it flew off minus a lot of feathers!

Fieldfares arrive

Cloudy, 9°, light NNW.

Well, it looks like Fieldfare have finally arrived in some numbers today. This afternoon I had a flock of 52 fly towards the Church, then another flock of 100+ go over and for the next few hours several more flocks of between 50-100 birds. Totalling in excess of 500.

Alan also had similar numbers out at Lollingdon.

Green lane was alive with Redwing with something in the region of 300 birds and again more passing overhead. 700 plus is a conservative estimate.

Quite possibly a change in the wind direction had given them the impetus to move further south.

Both Song Thrush and Blackbird seen and heard moving with the flocks.

Also seen along the Bunk/Green lane area: Grey Heron, 2 Herring Gull, Grey Wagtail, Kestrel, 20+ Yellowhammer and all the usuals.

Lollingdon: Fieldfare, Redwing, Little Owl, Chiffchaff and Little Egret.

Mammals: Stoat.

Butterflies: surprisingly a single Red Admiral.

Getting colder

Mainly cloudy with rain later, 9°, light NNW.

Several hundred Redwing around the Green lane area this morning feeding on the Hawthorn Berries but no Fieldfare seen (where are they?).

3 Herring Gull amongst the Lesser Blackback and Black-headed Gull, a Grey Heron, a Kestrel, Grey Wagtail, several Jay, a Chiffchaff and the usual Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail and Skylark.

Alan, Bow Bridge to the Four Arches: 3 Chiffchaff, several Jay, Teal, Little Grebe, Mistle Thrush, Redwing, Nuthatch, Kingfisher, Cormorant and 2 Stonechat.

Pied Wagtail

Cormorants courtesy Alan

Jay

Redwing

A Frosty start

Sunny intervals, 11°, light W. (a light frost first thing)

A pair of Stonechat present on Lollingdon hill today along with a small flock of Meadow Pipit several Yellowhammer and a flock of c50 Fieldfare flew over.

Nearby, a Little Egret, several Redwing, 2 Jay and a Chiffchaff.

2 Mistle Thrush near the Bullshole.

Alan along the river with c100 Lapwing over, a Little Grebe, Redwing, Fieldfare, Cetti’s Warbler, Chiffchaff, Reed Bunting, Bullfinch, Kingfisher, Jay, Raven and Nuthatch.

Tony Williams had a flock of c30 Golden Plover near the Four Arches and a female Goosander flew upriver this morning.

Another Nuthatch around the garden and the Brook meadow.

Mammals: Brown Hare.

Dragonflies: Common Darter.

Butterflies: Red Admiral.

Stonechat pair

Little Grebe courtesy Alan

Meadow Pipit

Bats and a cool start to November

Sunny spells, 12°, breezy SW.

Yesterday Niall Hammond carried out a Bat survey from Cholsey Meadows, top end of Ilges lane, Church road, and Wallingford road area. Species recorded were: Daubenton’s Bat, Natterer’s Bat, Noctule, Serotine and both Common and Soprano Pipistrelle.

Thank you to Niall for the use of his records.

Back to today.

By the time I got along the Bunk line today, Alan had already been along the river and was also along the Bunk.

River: Cetti’s Warbler, Reed Bunting, Chiffchaff, Raven, 2 Stonechat, Mistle Thrush, 15+ Redwing. A few Fieldfare later in the day.

Bunk/Green lane: Raven, Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail, Jay, Herring Gull, Chiffchaff, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail and to top the lot, a female Merlin flew towards Cholsey Hill.

The Golden Plover flock has increased to c200. Per Alan.

Mammals: Red Fox plus Niall’s Bats and Alan’s Roe Deer.

Dragonflies: Common Darter.

Butterflies: Red Admiral.

Photos courtesy Alan.

Stonechat

Egyptian Geese

Jay

Lollingdon, Bunk line, Marsh & River

Mainly cloudy, 16°, light to breezy S.

Overlapping walks today with Alan out earlier along the Bunk line then the river and Cholsey Marsh then me out at Lollingdon the back out along the Bunk line.

Lollingdon was fairly quiet as it was a bit windy on the hill. A single Raven over and 3 Brambling flew north east with a small flock of Chaffinch and a few Redwing moving around.

8 Corn Bunting flew in and settled in a field mingling with a flock of Meadow Pipit. Usual Yellowhammer and Skylark present.

Bunk line early: Fieldfare, Redwing, Chiffchaff, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Raven, Goldcrest, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting, Meadow Pipit and Skylark.

Marsh/River: Kingfisher, Sparrowhawk, Reed Bunting, Cetti’s Warbler, 20+ Mistle Thrush and a Stonechat,

Bunk line later: the Herring Gull had been joined by another adult and a 1st winter bird.

Very little in the hedgerows later, several Redwing, a Chiffchaff and a Kestrel nearby.

Dragonflies: 9 Common Darter, with some egg laying in a flooded field margin.

Kingfisher courtesy Alan

Distant Kestrel

Windy

A cloudy and windy day, 16°, breezy SSW.

A different day along the Bunk line today in the windy conditions With both me and Alan along there,

Very little overhead movement with most birds feeding in the lee of hedges or in cover.

A few more Fieldfare around but the bulk of them do not appear to have arrived in the area yet. Good numbers of Redwing still around.

A Herring Gull feeding with the Corvids and a Grey Heron stalking a field.

A couple of Chiffchaff along Green lane and the Golden Plover flock still on Cholsey hill and also seen in the air from the Bunk.

Negative for any large insects today.

Long-tailed Tit

Yellowhammer

Green Woodpecker courtesy Alan

Herring Gull

Rainy days

Mainly cloudy with a few light rain showers and sunny spell, 16°, light SW.

A fair time spent out along the Bunk line/Green lane today. Only 10 Fieldfare logged along with a few hundred Redwing and approx. 20 Song Thrush and 2 Mistle Thrush.

Also logged: 5 Chiffchaff, 4 Raven, 2 Grey Wagtail, several Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit and Skylark. 250+ Starling, a Green Woodpecker, 2 Bullfinch, 2 Egyptian Geese, a Little Owl, several Jay, 16 Yellowhammer and a supporting cast of approx. 20 other species.

A definite increase in the number of Blackbird and Chaffinch seen.

A Brambling noted flying over Cholsey Marsh this morning, Per Paul Rainsden.

The Golden Plover flock still on Cholsey Hill.

Alan spent the morning checking out a Pectoral Sandpiper on Port Meadow. A rare vagrant from North America/ Asia. However managed to cover the river this afternoon.

Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail, Reed Bunting, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Chiffchaff, Jay, Canada, Greylag and Egyptian Geese, Stonechat and Cetti’s Warbler.

1 pos 2 Nuthatch and Coal Tit amongst a sizable Tit flock visiting the garden this afternoon.

Dragonflies: Common Darter.

Butterflies: Red Admiral.

A Chiffchaff chasing a fly and returning. ↕

Distant shot of a Redwing and 4 Fieldfare

A Pied Wagtail on a dung heap hunting for flies.

Grey Wagtail

Another Chiffchaff

We all know this one?

Pied Wagtail following cattle to see what insects may be disturbed

Redwing doing it's best not to be noticed

First Fieldfares and late Common Darters

Sunny, 14°, light WSW.

Alan managed to find our first Fieldfare of the autumn along the Bunk line today along with Redwing, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Chiffchaff, Kingfisher, Jay, Bullfinch, Reed Bunting, Meadow Pipit, Skylark and Raven.

Golden Plover flock still on Cholsey Hill.

Lollingdon was a lot quieter, a pair of Stonechat, 20+ Yellowhammer and a scattering of Skylark and Meadow Pipit and Jay and a Sparrowhawk.

A good number of Redwing flying south west approx. 200.

A report of a late Swift sp over Wallingford today.  

Mammals: Roe Deer.

Dragonflies: Common Darter (5). 

Butterflies: Red Admiral.

Common Darter ↕

Golden Plover ↕ courtesy Alan

Golden Plovers

Cloudy with a few sunny spells, 13°, breezy NW.

Approx. 100 Golden Plover present on Cholsey Hill found by Alan. Nearby a few Redwing, a Chiffchaff, a few Yellowhammer and Jay and 2 Raven over.

Pretty quiet out there today, 2 Stonechat still present on Lollingdon Hill but little else. Several Redwing (20’ish) and Blackbird (20’ish) working the hedgerow in the cattle field and several Pied Wagtail and Meadow Pipit around. And quite a few Skylark overhead moving about the fields.

A sight not seen very often in this area. On the way back one of the fields had 6 Corvid species present: 2 Raven, 3 Carrion Crow, 14 Rook, 5 Jackdaw, 3 Magpie and 3 Jay.

A Little Egret flew across the brook meadow and 2 Treecreeper in garden mid- afternoon.

Dragonflies: Common Darter.

Butterflies: Red Admiral.

Golden Plover & Pied Wagtail pics courtesy Alan.