Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Jubilee River
Having supplied a couple of lads on bikes with my entire stock of tissues after one of them cut his hand on the boardwalk (doubtless while up to no good) I enjoyed a quiet half-hour watching a snipe feeding along the edge of an island on Dorney Wetlands.
Walking back to the car park I was lucky enough to be passing when a Cetti's warbler burst into song from the river bank.
Something large was making its way through the reeds. I never saw what it was at the time, although later I would hear and see the same disturbance and discover it to be a mink.
I suppose I shouldn't be pleased, but it did have the effect of flushing the Cetti's for a few brief moments into the open.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Dorney Wetlands
Good numbers of pochard and half a dozen wigeon were on East Marsh this evening. Three teal and a sleeping shelduck were also present.
As I walked along the border with the common, a shrieking green woodpecker zoomed down the bank and into the hedge closely pursued by a sparrowhawk. A few minutes later the woodpecker flew rather shakily out of the hedge and back across the wetlands.
A grey wagtail was at the weir, and clouds of tiny midge-like flies were attracting a flock of tits and at least three chiffchaffs.
Back at the bridges, and with the light failing fast, the sparrowhawk was still hunting. It cruised low over the reedbeds and alighted for a few minutes on the boardwalk.
A couple of swallows were over West Marsh, at least thirty parakeets racketed across to the south-east, and a buzzard flew (to roost, presumably) into trees bordering the sewage farm.
The sky was pink when I left, the light golden, and a half-moon was high in the sky. I wonder if the sparrowhawk was successful before night fell, or will go hungry till morning.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Dorney Wetlands
It's the first one I've heard at Dorney Wetlands; but unfortunately I could not hang around in hopes of seeing it.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Dorney Wetlands
During an evening walk, a common gull and a snipe were seen.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
The Downs
We started from Ashdown House, Oxfordshire, on this sunny morning and struggled up Weathercock Hill in quite oppressive heat. There were at least three wheatears in the harvested rape field.
Two ravens were heard and then seen as we dropped back down to the road before turning up towards the Ridgeway.
A wheatear and this whinchat were seen at Uffington. 
The photograph of the White Horse was taken when Greger took me up in his plane, eight or nine years ago. I don't think it's possible to get a view of the whole figure from anywhere on the ground - but I may be wrong. I often am.Friday, September 18, 2009
Dorney
There were at least twenty yellow wagtails still on the common this morning.
These birds are beguiling - I could watch them all day. For passing horse riders and others, there was at least the presence of a large and visible flock of starlings to excuse my staring at the cattle.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Something noisy flew over twice while I was washing up this evening - and "wrong" for Heathrow, flying west-east directly above. We went out to see these three coming round again.
They did several flybys and Greger identified them as a BAE146 and two Hawkers.Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Dorney
A morning visit to the common found most of the yellow wagtails still present. I counted twenty as they flew up into the hedge. Two very yellow ones stood out beautifully among the red berries in the hawthorns.
The thirty-three I counted yesterday is a record in the years that I've been watching them on the common. My highest previously had been fifteen.
It's difficult to tear yourself away from these birds. Just when you've decided enough's enough, that insistent call makes you raise your bins for one last look - and you start counting them all over again.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Dorney
A redstart was reported at the lake yesterday but there was no sign of it on this busy morning with a triathlon about to take place. Still - good news that there's been one! That's the fourth year running for autumn redstarts at Dorney Lake.
One of the plantations held two male blackcaps and one female, while further along in the hedgerow were two more blackcaps (one male, one female), several chiffchaffs (one in song), and a sleek and beautiful lesser whitethroat.
Out on the common, quite close to the road, I flushed a snipe from the edge of the stream. It was my first of the autumn - a reflection which, along with the wind, made me feel quite chilly.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
West Berkshire
We left the car park with at least a dozen house martins flying above us and headed up to Combe Gibbet. A wheatear flew across the path and down the field onto a bush.
Marsh tit was the best we could manage in Combe Wood, but the views as we descended to the village were compensation.
On the south side of Walbury Hill, low among the hawthorns, was an elusive redstart. A small tortoiseshell butterfly made a nice splash of colour, but was just as wary as the redstart.
The meadow pipit was on the top of Walbury Hill, and so was probably the highest bird in Berkshire at this moment. (Apart from the flying ones of course...)
A skylark, and a large flock of goldfinches and linnets marked the end of the walk.
The meadow pipit was on the top of Walbury Hill, and so was probably the highest bird in Berkshire at this moment. (Apart from the flying ones of course...)
A skylark, and a large flock of goldfinches and linnets marked the end of the walk. Saturday, September 05, 2009
A Ridgeway Walk
The first interruption to our walk came on the track down to West Ilsley, with a flock of vocal, mobile yellow wagtails on the narrow field running along Sheep Down: I reckoned at least twenty.
I saw September redstarts here in 2007 and 2008, so when I heard a distant "hoo-eet" I began to scan the hawthorns - but got only brief glimpses of the bird. Greger sat down resignedly and poured himself a cup of coffee.Eventually the redstart flew onto the fence and I grabbed a record shot - which, though bad, is better than the view I had at the time.
There were still lots of house martins and swallows round Down Barn; and as we came up to the Ridgeway again, two ravens took to the air calling.
A woman approaching on horseback with two small children on ponies asked us what the large black birds were. As they continued on their way, I heard one of the children say plaintively "I told you they were ravens!"
Plodding up the hill towards Catmore, we saw movement in the big field to the right and three wheatears were picked out with difficulty on the rough ground. There was possibly also a whinchat present.
There were still lots of house martins and swallows round Down Barn; and as we came up to the Ridgeway again, two ravens took to the air calling.
A woman approaching on horseback with two small children on ponies asked us what the large black birds were. As they continued on their way, I heard one of the children say plaintively "I told you they were ravens!"Thursday, September 03, 2009
Taplow village
There were three spotted flycatchers in the fields below the estate for most of the day. A willow warbler and a female blackcap were also present, while a hobby swooped low over the grass - probably hunting dragonflies.
