Aston Rowant NNR (Linky Down) - 11:15 to 13:00

My spring Sunday walk on Linky Down was more like an autumn walk! The temperature was 6°C with light rain, a cool stiff wind and a sky full of cloud. The following were of note.

Birds:

• Buzzard (Buteo buteo); 1 calling.
• Red Kite (Milvus milvus); possible nest site seen.
• Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia curruca); my first of the year calling from a scrub patch on the down.
• Whitethroat (Sylvia communis); 1 calling.
• Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita); 1 in full song.
• Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula); 2 calling overhead, my first for some weeks.
• Linnet (Carduelis cannabina); very infrequently seen by me. However, there was a pair in the Juniper (Juniperus communis) scrub on the down with the male showing well.

Flora:

• Common Twayblade (Listera ovate); population alongside track at SU722964. Most were in leaf only (see photograph above) but two seen each with a flower spike emerging. My camera ran out of battery after I had photographed one plant in leaf so could not take a picture of the plants with flower spikes!

Shabbington - 13:45 to 16:00

An interesting 2 hours in the field today on the Thame Valley Walk just south of Shabbington. The path hugs the River Thame throughout the section I walked. The following were of note.

Birds:

• Swallows (Hirundo rustica) hawking over the village.
• Mute Swan (Cygnus olor), 9 at the roosting site in fields just east of village and 3 more seen along the river.
• Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceu), my first of the year. Calling from and seen in the Phragmites australis stands along the river bank.
• Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) also my first of the year. Calling from and seen in the Phragmites australis stands along the river bank.
• Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), female with recently hatched young.
• Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) c.4 adults protecting c.4 chicks. The latter were feeding in a harrowed field.
• Skylark (Alauda arvensis) my first of the year in song flight.
• Buzzard (Buteo buteo); 1 seen.

Mammals:

• Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus); 1 seen.

Fish:

• A sizable shoal of small fish (fry?) sheltering in a side stream.

Butterflies:

A poor confirmed ID day today!

• Unidentified whites (Pieridae) - 15
• Unidentified Nymphalidae – 5

However, the following were confirmed IDs:
• Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) – 7
• Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines) – 1
• Peacock (Inachis io) - 1

Lea Park, Thame, Oxfordshire

There was 1 Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) in the back garden of our house this afternoon; my first for 2010.

Emmington - 13:05 to 15:15

This walk took me through and to the north of the hamlet of Emmington in Oxfordshire. The highlights were:

• Birds:

o Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus).
o Whitethroat (Sylvia sp.); though, not sure if Common or Lesser. I need to get common bird songs loaded to my phone to be able to check songs and calls in the field!
o Red Kite (Milvus milvus); at least 20 following a tractor which was harrowing.
o Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris); 3!
o My first Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) of the year; 3.
o Plus a dark but large bird of prey soaring high over fields. Think it was an Accipiter species by its general shape but by no means certain.
o Had a suspicion that I had seen a Corn Bunting (Emberiza calandra) and, on checking song/call at home, it may well have been one. However, I am certainly not confident.

• Insects:

o 4 Bombylius major (a bee-fly) seen.

o Butterflies (count of individuals actually identified):

 Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni) 1.
 Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) 11.
 Peacock (Inachis io) 16.
 Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines) 4.
 Small White (Pieris rapae) 1.

• Mammals:

o Weasel (Mustela nivalis) 2 seen running in out of a trackside.

Shirburn Hill - 15:15 to 16:30

I enjoyed a pleasant afternoon walk on the Hill in intermittent sun and a mild breeze. The following spiked my interest:

• Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) – flowers starting to open in Cowleaze Wood and at the wooded entrance to the Hill.
• A lady sporting a very expensive pair of binoculars (Swarovski) asked me if I knew the location of any local Goshawks (Accipiter gentilis). Unfortunately I was unable to help as I have never knowingly seen one!
• Heard my second Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) of the year. This one was on the Hill; however, the first was singing from a garden on Lea Park in Thame! The latter also heard today.
• The Bee-flies (Bombyliidae) are on the wing; specifically (I think!), Bombylius major. See the photographs included with this post.

Rushbeds Wood and Lapland Farm

Great walk with Peter today through Rushbeds Wood and Lapland Farm. The highlights for me were; my first singing Chiffchaffs (Phylloscopus collybita) of the year, a beautiful patch of Opposite-leaved Golden-saxifrage (Chrysosplenium oppositifolium) by a streamside and a single male Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni) butterfly. We also spotted two deer - Muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi) – and flowering Primroses (Primula vulgaris) towards the southern edge of the wood.

Lea Park, Thame, Oxfordshire

Another sign of spring this morning; European Common Frog (Rana temporaria) – spawn in our garden pond.