Overton Biodiversity Society

March 2015

1^st

Sparrowhawk, Herring Gull, Stock Dove, Red Kite, Black-headed Gull, Pied Wagtail and the local racing pigeon were amongst birds seen from a Woodlands garden.

2^nd

two Little Egret were at The Source of The Test. A Red Kite was seen over Turrill Hill as was a Kestrel, a male, with another of the latter over Woodlands, a female.

3^rd

a Honey-bee was seen on a Greyhound Lane windowsill, one of very few being reported at present. Two Little Egret were again at The Source of The Test. A Red Kite was seen over the Edward Kersley Playing Field, others over Lordsfield Gardens and Berrydown, two. At least one Grey Heron was on the flooded fields off Burley Lane early morning.

4^th

two Little Egret were at The Source of The Test. Skylark were regularly being heard in and over the stubble north of the Overton Hill development. A Red Kite moved west over Lordsfield Gardens late morning.

Right: Skylark, Alauda arvenis - One of the most recognised and appreciated of birds about the Parish

5^th

two Little Egret were at The Source of The Test. Birds noted over Lordsfield Gardens late morning included a Kestrel and Canada Goose. A Red Kite was over Overton Hill late afternoon.

6^th

two Little Egret were still to be seen at The Source of The Test.

7^th

a Cormorant moved low west over the village late morning, this period also seeing both Sparrowhawk and Red Kite on the wing. A male Brimstone visited Woodlands gardens.

Right: Brimstone, Gonepteyrx rhamni - Their colour thought to be the reason behind why butterflies are so called

8^th

a Brimstone brightened several Lordsfield Gardens garden.

10^th

two Little Egret were at The Source of The Test late morning. The Goldcrest was again in song at the southern end of Vinn's Lane. A Grey Squirrel perched above the B3400 at Southington.

11^th

a Little Egret was about The Test in the recently cleared area west of Southington. A Red Kite was over Overton Hill during the afternoon. Two Grey Heron were on the Ashe crossroads floods mid-morning. A great deal of rustling in vegetation in a Lordsfield Gardens garden eventually proved to be a Brown Rat!

12^th

a Frog was a mid-evening find on the pavement by the Kingsclere Road allotments. The mottled Jackdaw was again reported, it usually being seen about Sapley Lane. Both Harlequin and Seven-spot Ladybird made appearances, five of the latter the highest count to date this year. Two Kestrel were over the Town Meadow area late morning, interacting aggressively with another, unidentified, bird. Nearby two Red Kite drifted south over Lordsfield Gardens and a Kingfisher was heard by The Test between Glebe Meadow and Town Meadow. A drake Mallard was settled atop the garage at Little Court, Church Road. Later, mid-afternoon, three Buzzard were over the woodland at Ashe crossroads, a Grey Heron being nearby on the flooded field off Burley Lane. These few items of 'interest' were noted whilst at work - so just imagine what could be found if we were out there looking for it!

13^th

a Red Kite was over Greyhound Lane gardens where House Sparrow, Blackbird, Woodpigeon and Jackdaw were active. A further Red Kite was over Berrydown mid-afternoon. A Grey Heron was an early morning visitor to the Ashe area floods.

14^th

Little Egret and Grey Heron were both loitering about the wetter areas of Ashe mid-morning, the former being seen to head off west late afternoon. A Red Kite also lingered, over Southington early afternoon.

15^th

a Red Kite was again a morning visitant to airspace over Greyhound Lane. Two Grey Heron were present on the 'stream' by Ashe Park Lodge mid-morning.

16^th

a Red Kite moved south-west over Town Meadow late morning, presumably towards the local raptor hot-spot of Turrill Hill. A Grey Heron once again was making the most of the diminishing water levels about Ashe.

18^th

a Little Egret was again at The Source of The Test. A Grey Wagtail was heard in Foxdown, presumably having come in from the Filtration Pools / Quidhampton Mill area. Two Red Kite were over Ashe Hill mid-morning. A Grey Heron stalked the flooded fields off Burley Lane. House Sparrow continued to be lively visitors to Greyhound Lane gardens.

19^th

a Little Egret was in The Test by Glebe Meadow / Town Meadow mid-afternoon whilst early morning saw a Grey Heron fishing the floods at Ashe. Red Kite were seen over Overton Hill and woodland west of Southington.

20^th

seven Short-eared Owl were seen in a Winter Wheat field north of the village. At least five Nursery-web Spider were waiting for prey on the wall of an Overton Hill property. A Brimstone graced a Greyhound Lane garden in the afternoon sun, several Collared Dove also being seen there; the 'best' place for these locally appearing to be the adjacent Sapley Lane. A Chiffchaff was in song at the Filtration Pools. Both Fieldfare and Redwing were in small flocks about Court Drove hedgerows and trees. A Grey Heron was again on the floods at Ashe. A Red Kite was distantly seen from Lordsfield Gardens mid-afternoon, another, and a Buzzard, over Ashe Hill later.

21^st

two Little Egret were at The Source of The Test mid-afternoon. A Red Kite was again seen on the wing over the Edward Kersley Playing Field, others over Lordsfield Gardens and the High Street.

22^nd

both Lapwing and Skylark were active about The Harroway, Seven-spot Ladybird being seen on a hedgerow flanking the adjoining Court Drove. One of the Blue Peafowl decided that a Greyhound Lane lawn was THE place for a snooze.

Right: Blue Peafowl, Pavo cristatus - Still one of the most striking of local 'wildlife'

23^rd

at least four Short-eared and four Tawny Owl were seen, or / and heard, about the farm and woodland north of the village early evening; six Lapwing being nearby. A white-headed Blackbird was again seen, the fourth time that it's shown itself to one Society Member. Three Greylag moved east over the village towards dusk. Both Fieldfare and Redwing were noted over and about the north of the village pre-dusk; perhaps the last of the early year period locally. The Goldcrest remained in song in conifers at Vinn's Lane. Mid-afternoon and a Red Kite was heading west / north-west over Overton Hill. The peafowl were again busy, vocally at least, mid-evening.

24^th

a Little Egret was at The Source of The Test. A Red Kite and 'white' butterfly were on the wing over Southington mid-morning. A / the Green Woodpecker was again vocal in the school grounds.

25^th

Wood Anemone were seen in flower on the verges of Waltham Road. Early evening had a Buzzard in a roadside tree at Frost Hill.

Right: Wood Anemone, Anemone nemorosa

26^th

the A.G.M.! A Little Egret was again at The Source of The Test. A Wren 'joined' a pair of Dunnock in one garden - if you'd like some interesting reading try the latter's sex life! At least 29 nests were occupied in the rookery at Parsonage Farmhouse.

27^th

at least three Short-eared Owl were still present on farmland to the north of the village. three Grey Heron headed west over Southington early afternoon - from and to where? the Wren reappeared in a Greyhound Lane garden where four Small Tortoiseshell and Brimstone were further hints of spring.

28^th

two Mistle Thrush were on the move over Vinn's Lane early afternoon; these by far the least frequently recorded of the thrush tribe spending the spring with us. A Grey Heron was again frequenting the wetter areas about Ashe. A Green Woodpecker, Yaffle, was vocal in the school grounds.

29^th

a Buzzard drifted west over the village mid-afternoon.

30^th

a Little Egret was at The Source of The Test mid-morning. Two Buzzard were over Hyde Hill Plantation mid-afternoon.

31^st

two Little Egret were at The Source of The Test. A Red Kite was over the High Street late morning, another moving west over Southington early afternoon.

Contributors: James Andrews, Brian Chivers, Susan Chivers, Stephen Cooper, Helen Harden, Deborah Heath, Alison Hutchins, Peter E. Hutchins, Alan Lewis, Veronique Kerguelen & Adam Trickett.