Thursday 9th September

Some clearing of the butterfly meadow for an hour this morning.  Greeted back at home whilst eating lunch by a moth in the conservatory fluttering against the window.  Not sure why I didn't recognise it immediately as the garden has seen huge numbers of caterpillars of this species.  Of course a Vapourer Moth. Back to Ewelme to carry out a butterfly transect survey.  Nothing out of the ordinary - mainly whites with odd Speckled Woods, Comma and Red Admiral.  The hoverflies seem to have found the few Ivy flowers that have opened and here are a couple that I photographed.

7 September

Attention focussed in Benson at the Millbrook Mead Nature Reserve.  With  a team from Wallingford Green Gym and Keith Tibbs we managed to clear the previously cut material from the wildflower meadow and increase the size of the compost heap significantly.  Keith followed up by mowing the meadow to give it a final "crew cut".

Monday 6th September

Little to report from Ewelme - I carried out by butterfly transect survey as the weather for the rest of the week does not look too promising.  Just 5 species with the 3 common whites plus singles of Small Tortoiseshell and Speckled Wood.  Hopefully the flowering Ivy will boost numbers of Red Admirals and maybe others in the next week or so.  The only other excitement was fishing out a dumped bicycle for the PCSO's to take away.  Stalwart Peter Harden cut the paths on the reserve and I managed another section of the top meadow.

Bird walk round the Watercress Beds

23 species with the noteworthy ones being: Lesser Whitethroat (I'm embarrassed to say my first of 2010), Water Rail (first sighting of autumn/winter) and Goldcrest.

Bridge repairs seem to be coming on apace.

Workday at Ewelme

A very successful mornings effort with 14 volunteers plus another 10 members of Sonning Common Green Gym.  All of the vegetation from the wildflower meadow was removed to adjacent compost areas, a start was made on mowing the meadow and a couple of beds along the high street were cleared.  All followed by a BBQ put on by the "Friends" with plenty to eat and drink.

Coal Tit

Good start to the day with a Coal Tit on the fat ball outside the kitchen window whilst eating breakfast.  OK not worth getting too excited about but, in our garden, it is probably over a year since the last one.

Working - not observing today

Day spent brushcutting flower meadows at Millbrook Mead and Ewelme.  Very grateful for help from Keith Tibbs but more offers of help always welcome.  Big day at Ewelme tomorrow - removing the cut herbage from the wildflower meadow followed by BBQ supplied by "Friends of Ewelme Watercress Beds".