Cooler & Windier, with a few birds turning up

Sunny periods, 14°, breezy NE.

Another slow day with few migrants noted, windier and colder than of late.

The pick of an intermittent sea watch produced 20+ Manx Shearwater, a Great Northern Diver, an Arctic Skua and 7 Whimbrel.

Elsewhere: a Chiffchaff, 3 Willow Warbler, a Garden Warbler, a Sedge Warbler, a Reed Warbler, 2 Common Whitethroat, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Spotted Flycatcher, a Pied Flycatcher, 2 Yellow Wagtail, a Wheatear, Stonechat, c50 Swallow, 1 House Martin and a Swift.

Butterflies: Orange Tip, Green-veined White, Painted Lady, Red Admiral and Wall Brown.

Moths: A Striped Hawk Moth and a Sycamore.

Spotted Flycatcher

Striped Hawk Moth

Sycamore

Alan

Alan Dawson passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on Wednesday April 23rd.

He was a friend and a birding colleague. He was very family orientated and had a great sense of humour, generally a nice bloke who got on with most people.

Together we covered Cholsey and were always in contact whenever out birding, which was frequent. He would often say to his wife, “just popping out for an hour” and get back 3 hours later. I’m sure most of you have been there.

Our paths would cross frequently when we discussed what we hoped would turn up and also solving the world’s problems. Whilst his family dog Bella, would sit patiently waiting for one of us to throw her the ball she always carried around with her.

Alan found 2 firsts for Cholsey recently, a Rock Pipit and a Sanderling, as well as other scarce species. Also, a 1st class Dragonfly finder with a good knowledge of Butterflies.

Alan took some great photos which he would always send to me along with his records.

A prolific contributor to the Cholsey Wildlife blog, Cholsey Wildlife Facebook page, and appreciated by many.

He will be missed greatly by his family, friends and Oxon birders… and I’ll miss you mate. Cheers!

Paul Chandler.

Alan's last image. A Grasshopper Warbler.

Numbers

Cloudy with sunny spells, humid, 16°, light NE.

Another slow day but a day of numbers.

All of this past week there has been 3-4 thousand Gulls feeding of the east side of the bill. Comprising up to 6 species. Feeding with them have been Gannet and Manx Shearwater. We are not sure what they are feeding on but they have been up and down the coast from the bill to approx. 1 Km along. Today there were approx. 200 Black-headed Gull and 100+ Manx Shearwater feeding in and around the flock.

Around 14:00 this afternoon the weather got very humid and out of nowhere, literally millions, and I mean millions of small flies started to appear moving from the south and flying north. Some of the guys at the Obs caught one and identified it as a Fever-fly (Dilophus febrilis). This movement continued for around 2 hours and the numbers began to peter out. I doubt these flies erupted at the bill, so maybe these flies originated on the continent and have crossed the Channell. Who knows?

Anyway, back to it: Birds today was. A Sedge Warbler, a Chiffchaff, 2 Willow Warbler, a Blackcap, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Common Whitethroat, a Wheatear, a Whinchat, 5 Swallow, c10 House Martin, 2 Swift, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 3-4 Buzzard and a Peregrine.

On the sea watch: 2 Whimbrel, an Arctic Skua, Kittiwake, a Puffin, and good numbers of Gannet, Guillemot and Razorbill as well as all the above.

Dragonflies: Broad-bodied Chaser.

Butterflies: Orange Tip, Green-veined White, Common Blue, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Wall Brown, Speckled Wood and Small Heath.

Moths of note: Puss Moth and Cinnabar.

Whinchat

Puss Moth & Cinnabar

A Small section of the Obs lighthouse covered in Fever-fly. the whole south facing area , 20m high was covered in this density of insects for over 2 hours.

A poor day for some

Foggy at first then sunshine, 16°, light SW.

A sea watch was out of the question until after 09:00 as the fog had blown in overnight and made viewing conditions impossible. Even when it lifted there was very little noted other than a Red-throated Diver and 3-4 Whimbrel.

Elsewhere was just as poor although singles of Spotted Flycatcher and Pied Flycatcher was slightly uplifting and a supporting cast of 5 Swallow, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 5 Common Whitethroat and 2 Wheatear made for a very poor day list.

On the other hand, insects were abundant in the warm sunshine.

Dragonflies: Broad-bodied Chaser.

Butterflies: Small White, Green-veined White, Orange Tip, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Wall Brown and Speckled Wood.

Moths: a couple from the traps: Blairs Mocha and Beautiful Marbled.

Still, we enjoyed the sunny weather.

Portland Night Heron

Sunny spells, 15°, light W.

The sea-watch was interrupted by the arrival of a Black-crowned Night Heron that came in off the sea and perched up on the pulpit rock at Portland Bill. Most people at the Obs left immediately and shot down to the bill but by the time I had put my boots on etc the message came through that the bird had flown. Luckily for me it was relocated on the East Cliffs below the Obs, so managed to catch up with it. It remained until about 17:30 when it was seen to fly off high east.

Apart from that the day was pretty slow with few other birds noted.

Another good bird was a Northern (Greenland) Wheatear, confirmed by biometrics, that was caught, ringed and released along with several other Wheatear seen.

A flock of 20+ Sanderling flew past, an Arctic Skua, Great-crested Grebe, and several Manx Shearwater.

Land wise: 3 Willow Warbler, a Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcap, 3 Common Whitethroat, a Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Stonechat, 2 Swift and c15 Swallow.

Dragonflies and Butterflies were the same as the past 2 days.

Night Heron 

"Greenland" Wheatear

Knot Grass

Another sunny one

Another sunny one, 14° (but seemed warmer) light E.

Usual procedure starts with a sea watch then loafing around the Obs for a while and then a walk about.

My totals for today but not in time order were: 16 Pomarine Skua, a Great White Egret, 7 Whimbrel, 16 Common Scoter, 10 Manx Shearwater, 5 Sandwich Tern, 14 Common/Arctic Tern, a Puffin, good numbers of Guillemot and Razorbill, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 4 Common Whitethroat, 2 Blackcap, 4 Willow Warbler, a Whinchat, 10 Wheatear, 3 Yellow Wagtail, a White Wagtail, 4 Meadow Pipit, a Stonechat, 22 Swallow and 2 Swift.

Dragonflies: Large Red Damselfly and Broad-bodied Chaser.

Butterflies: same as yesterday.

The white line on the sea on the above photo is approx 1000 Gulls and the Gulls flying on the video below were spooked by a Pomarine Skua flying low and close to the cliffs. We saw the Gulls go up but did not know why until an observer came back and informed us what had happened. Pic and Vid courtesy Loren.

Another slow day

Sunny, 14°, moderate E.

Another slow day but slightly better than yesterday.

Sea watching produced 40+, Common Scoter, an Arctic Skua, a Great Northern Diver, 11 Manx Shearwater, 3 Fulmar and 4 Sandwich Tern.

Land wise: a Short-eared Owl, in-off the sea, a Grey Heron, 7 Swift, 15+ Swallow, 4 Yellow Wagtail, 2 White Wagtail, a Whinchat, 3 Wheatear, 5 Willow Warbler, a Lesser Whitethroat, 6 Common Whitethroat, 3 Blackcap and a Reed Warbler.

Dragonflies: Broad-bodied Chaser.

Butterflies: Green-veined White, Orange Tip, Wall Brown and Speckled Wood.

Whinchat

Wheatear

Skylark 

? courtesy Loren

Portland 28th April

A sunny day, 15°, light E.

Arrived on Portland later than usual yesterday so little to note from then. So today dawned rather quietly. We were expecting fog, so decided to have a lay-in. Still managed to wake at 06:00, looked out the window. No fog. So better get up. However, it proved a very slow day with very little noted:

Migrants were very thin on the ground, a Lesser Whitethroat, a few Willow Warbler, 1 Chiffchaff, 2 Wheatear, Stonechat, 22 Swallow, 4 Whimbrel, 3 Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Shoveler, 3 Manx Shearwater and a Puffin.

We decided to take a look at the Auk colony to see if we could find a Puffin but no luck but plenty of Guillemot and Razorbill.

Butterflies: Green-veined White, Orange Tip, Red Admiral and Wall Brown.

Moths: a Boxworth Snout. (a scarce species caught by John Lucas).

Insects: Boat Bug.

Guillemot

Razorbill

Boxworth Snout

Boat Bug

?

Insect photos courtesy Loren.

Sunday

Bunk area: 4 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Lapwing, 2 Oystercatcher, 2 Shelduck, Yellow Wagtail and 2 pristine Black-headed Gull dropped in. Per Michael Pocock.

Still moving

Sunny periods, 16°, light NE.

A milder day than of late and a few more Butterflies on the wing as migrant birds still continue to arrive and pass through and Gull species virtually absent.  

Bunk: 14 Tufted Duck, 2 Oystercatcher, Little Ringed Plover, 3 Lapwing, Herring Gull, 2 Yellow Wagtail, a Grey Wagtail, 2 Yellowhammer, 5 Common Whitethroat, a Lesser Whitethroat, 7 Blackcap, a Willow Warbler, 8 Swallow and 2 Sand Martin.

Yesterday on Cholsey Marsh: a Cuckoo and poss Grasshopper Warbler.  

Mammals: Roe Deer.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Orange Tip, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Peacock and Speckled Wood.

Oystercatcher

Dunnock

Red Admiral

Rain & Shine

Overcast with a few light showers then clearing later, 14°, light W.

Lollingdon, River, Marsh, Bunk and Lees.

8 Tufted Duck, Greenshank, 2 Little Ringed Plover, 8+ Sand Martin, 6 House Martin, 20+ Swallow, 2 Yellow Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, 2 Wheatear ( 1 Lollingdon and 1nr Church Road), 6 Blackcap, 3 Common Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler, Cetti’s Warbler, Reed Warbler, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Jay, 2 Reed Bunting, 5 Yellowhammer and Corn Bunting.

Mammals: Brown Hare and Roe Deer.

Butterflies: Orange Tip.

AD, MP & PC.

Grasshopper Warbler courtesy Alan. Just outside the Cholsey boundary so can't count it in the annual stats.

Cuckoo

Cloudy, 12°, breezy SW.

Cuckoo on the Marsh at 06:15 today. Per Phil Dyson. Heard one last evening from the garden, called 3 times and not heard again.

Some needed rain

Cloudy with showers, 15°, fresh SE.

Bunk, Lollingdon and River/Marsh:

Oystercatcher, 3 Shelduck, Shoveler, Tufted Duck, 2 Little Ringed Plover, Greenshank, 3 Lapwing, Swallow, House Martin, Sand Martin, Yellow Wagtail, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Blackcap, 3 Common Whitethroat, 3 Wheatear, etc.

Butterflies: a single Speckled Wood.

AD & PC.

Photos courtesy Alan

Reed Warbler

Wheatear

Little Ringed Plover

Cholsey

Sunny at first then mostly cloudy, 15°, light S.

Bunk, Lollingdon and River/Marsh:

6 Shoveler, 4 Tufted Duck, Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, 3 Little Ringed Plover, 2 Lapwing, 4 Black-headed Gull, 20+ Swallow, 3+ House Martin, 14+ Sand Martin, 2 Grey Wagtail, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 3 Wheatear, many Chiffchaff, 2 Willow Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Cetti’s Warbler, 5+ Blackcap, 2+ Common Whitethroat, 3 Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting, Sparrowhawk and Tawny Owl.

Butterflies: Brimstone, Green-veined White, Orange Tip, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Peacock and Speckled Wood.

AD & PC.

Yellow Wagtail courtesy Alan ↕

River & Bunk

Sunny spells and the odd shower, 13°, fresh SW.

River and Bunk:

C25 House Martin, c15 Swallow, several Sand Martin, Common Sandpiper, Oystercatcher and 12+ Yellow Wagtail.

Butterflies: Orange Tip.

AD & MP.

Yellow Wagtail