Birds

31/08/21 A Green Sandpiper was heard calling high over Ashridge Stream in Eldridge Park, it then headed upstream and dropped down into the Ashridge Stream off Warren House Rd in Area 7A seen by Paul O'Neill. In Area 10 a Redstart was still in the hedges at the bottom of the Carpark field off Sandford Lane.

30/08/21 At 07:00 a Raven was heard calling in Area 4. In Area 10 the same or another Redstart was seen in the hedges at the bottom of the Carpark field off Sandford Lane and a Peregrine was seen to fly over.

29/08/21 A Swallow was heading NE over Area 4 seen by Paul Bright Thomas.

28/08/21 A juvenile Redstart is still in the Area 10 Car Park field seen by Brian Bennet and 7 Ring necked Parakeets were seen over Area 7A by Paul O'Neill.

27/08/21 A juvenile Redstart and a Spotted Flycatcher are still in the Area 10 Car Park field along with a Green Woodpecker and calling Blackcap. In Area 5 a Grey Wagtail and a Little Egret were seen near the Weir Pool.

26/08/21 On a great Autumn Migrant day in the Car Park field in Area 10 were 2 Redstart , 2 Spotted Flycatcher , Pied Flycatcher , Chiffchaff , ,Male and female Blackcap and a Hobby was seen feeding. On the Old Golf course 3 Mistle Thrush were seen by Tim James. In Area 4 a Little Egret was seen to drop into the Emm Brook, a Yellow Wagtail was heard calling as it flew over, a Raven was seen heading low SW and and 4 House Martin were senn heading NW all by Paul Bright-Thomas.

25/08/21 Balsam pulling by the Weir Pool in Area 5 and a Grey Heron and 3 Moorhen were seen on the river.

24/08/21 In a bizarre serendipitous moment at 08:15 whilst topping up the bird feeders in my Area 4 garden 13 Cormorrant flew over in formation heading NW. I guess towards Dinton Pastures. Alas no camera.Seen by Paul Bright-Thomas was a late Swift from his Area 4 garden and in Area 7A a Raven was seen by Paul O'Neill heading SW.

23/08/21 10 Ring necked Parakeets were seen heading South over Area 7A by Paul O'Neill.

22/08/21 At 07:35 a Raven was heard cronking and then seen heading NE towards Dinton Pastures. Seen along the river in Area 4 during Balsam pulling between Kingfisher and Ripplestream Bridge were Grey Wagtail and a Kingfisher . In the wet meadow in Area 10 on the pond were Little Egret and a Grey Heron.

21/08/21 In Area 7A an adult Linnet was seen feeding 3 juveniles by Paul O'Neill.

20/08/21 Seen over Area 4 was a moulting Red Kite . Adult red kites moult annually, from spring through into summer, which means that those feathers are going to have to keep supporting this bird for several months yet. The moulting process takes so long because the feathers are replaced successively – obviously they can’t afford to be without all their flight feathers at one time, or they’d starve.Also heard calling at 22:00 was a male Tawny Owl .

19/08/21 Heard singing in the Area 10 car park field by Fraser Cottington was a male Willow Warbler meanwhile seen and heard calling over Area 4 by Paul Bright-Thomas were 2 Stock Dove , Coal Tit , Raven heard cronking and Yellow Wagtail .

17/08/21 Seen flying NW over area 4 by Paul Bright Thomas was a Ring necked Parakeet .

16/08/21 Herring Gull were heard calling over Area 4 at 05:15 also 2 Raven were seen and heard cronking heading East at 06:15.

15/08/21 A female Tawny Owl was heard calling at 04:30 this morning in Area 4 . In Area 7 during Balsam Pulling a Sparrowhawk was seen hunting over the new Balancing ponds at the bottom of Old Forest Road and a Grey Heron was seen flying over Emmbrook Road.

14/08/21 During Balsam pulling in Area 8 this morning a Little Egret and a Moorhen were seen to fly from the river.

12/08/21 I visited Heathlake in Area 1 this morning to find the entire lake looking like pea soup. This is caused by the blooming of Blue-Green Algae . On the lake despite this were 30 + Mallard , Mute Swan, Coot , Moorhen and Black headed Gull .

10/08/21 2 calling Raven were seen flying over my Area 4 garden heading West at 09:15 this morning.

09/08/21 A calling Carrion Crow made me look up from my Area 4 garden at lunchtime to see it mobbing a Common Buzzard , that was riding the thermals, a Red Kite then joined in. Once everbodys honour was satisfied they parted their seperate ways.

08/08/21 Whilst Balsam pulling this morning in Area 3 at least 5 Herring Gull were seen and heard on the roofs of the nearby Industrial units on which I believe they nest. In Area 2 at least 3 Swallow were seen by Ralph Watts.

04/08/21 An afternoon stroll in Area 4 & 5 produced a Kingfisher flying up and downstream of Kingfisher Bridge and a Little Egret flying upstream from Ripple Stream Bridge. Heard calling were Great Spotted Woodpecker and Nuthatch.

03/08/21 Whilst dead heading Petunias in my Area 4 garden a solitary Swift was seen feeding overhead before continuing south.

01/08/21 I visited Area 10 this morning and in the Wet Meadow a Little Egret was feeding in the ponds a Green Woodpecker was calling from a nearby tree, also seen was a Hobby .

Insects

29/08/21 The Moth trap was out overnight(28/08/21) in my Area 4 garden and emptied this morning. There were a fair few Micro Moths in the catch.As you might have guessed from the name, most micro-moths are small. Many of them have wingspans measuring less than 20 millimetres. The nights catch consisted of 36 moths of 15 species. Highlight of the moths caught was The Snout Hypena proboscidalis Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

27/08/21 At the car park field in Area 10 a tatty looking Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas Butterfly was seen.

25/08/21 The Moth trap was out overnight(24/08/21) in my Area 4 garden and emptied this morning. Another low numbers catch possibly due to a lower overnight temperature. The nights catch consisted of 31 moths of 18 species. Highlights caught were Orange Swift Triodia sylvina ,the micro moth Argyresthia goedartella . Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

24/08/21 Seen in my Area 4 garden was a juvenille male Oak Bush -Cricket Meconema thalassinum The male is identified by its long curved cerci.

23/08/21 Not really an Insect but an Arachnid a Lace-weaver Spider Amaurobius similis was on the rear wall in my Area 4 garden. A very common Spider

22/08/21 Seen whilst walking along the Emm in Area's 4 & 5 during this morning's Balsam pulling, were Banded Demoiselle Calopteryx splendens Damselfies, a couple of male Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum and Brown Hawker Aeshna grandis Dragonflies.

21/08/21 The Moth trap was out overnight(20/08/21) in my Area 4 garden and emptied this morning. The nights catch consisted of 75 moths of 35 species. Highlight was a male Gypsy Moth Ypsolopha sequella a new moth for the FOTEB list and a Straw Underwing Thalpophila matura . Also seen were Burnished Brass Pterostoma palpina and Treble Bar Pterapherapteryx sexalata Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

20/08/21 Bizarrely a female Oak Bush -Cricket Meconema thalassinum was seen in my shower tray this morning.

18/08/21 Seen on a walk in Area 5 was my first Common Blue Polyommatus icarus Butterfly of the year. This brings the FOTEB year list to 17 species. Also seen by Rebecca Rees were Comma Polygonia c-album , Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas and Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria.

16/08/21 The Moth trap was out overnight(15/08/21) in my Area 4 garden and emptied this morning. At this time of year catch's vary due to the "August lull". The nights catch consisted of 58 moths of 20 species. Highlight was the highly distinctive micro moth Ypsolopha sequella with its pied appearance, a new moth for the FOTEB list. Also seen were Pale Prominent Pterostoma palpina and Small Seraphim Pterapherapteryx sexalata Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

14/08/21 Seen whilst walking along the Emm in Area 8 on this morning's Balsam pulling, was a lot of male and female Banded Demoiselle Calopteryx splendens Damselfies, a couple of male Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum Dragonflies, Large White Pieris brassicae , Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria , Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina Butterflies and seen on a branch over the river was a Wasp Beetle Clytus arietis a Longhorn Beetle.On Ragwort in the wild area of my Area 4 garden was the fly Eriothrix rufomaculata

13/08/21 Seen in my Area 4 garden this morning was a Forest Bug Pentatoma rufipes also known as the red legged shieldbug for obvious reasons.Walking to Morrisons a Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus was seen flitting across the path in Area 5 before landing on a Bramble bush. With just a hint that Autumn is on its way,also in my garden was the female Harvestman or Harvest Spider Leiobunum rotundum The harvestman is very distinctive with a round, compact body and extremely long legs. Although it looks like a long-legged spider, it isn’t one. It is one of the Opilones, a group of arachnids closely related to spiders. If they are caught, they are able to shed a leg to escape.

12/08/21 The Moth trap was out overnight(11/08/21) in my Area 4 garden and emptied this morning. It consisted of 85 moths of 35 species. Highlight was definitely a beautiful but rather rare Light Crimson Underwing Catocala promissa a new moth for the FOTEB list. Also seen were Maidens Blush Cyclophora punctaria named after the pink blush on its forewings,2 Tree- lichen Beauty Cryphia algae and 2 female Orange Swift Triodia sylvina which aren't Orange at all. Also in the trap this morning there were 44 Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris , an Orange Ladybird Halyzia sedecimguttata ,a Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis and the Caddis fly Limnephilus rhombicus . Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

08/08/21 The Moth trap was out overnight(07/08/21) in my Area 4 garden and emptied this morning before the rain came.It was a windy night so the haul was reduced. It consisted of 30 moths of 20 species. Highlight was the plume moth Amblyptilia acanthadactyla a first for the year. Also seen was an Elephant Hawk Moth Deilephila elpenor .In the trap there were 20 Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris always a nice suprise, early in the morning when emptying it. Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

07/08/21 Seen in the Area 10 car park field was a nymph of the Box Bug Gonocerus acuteangulatus . Historically very rare and known only from Box Hill in Surrey, where it was found on Box trees, this bug has expanded its range dramatically during the last decade and now occurs as far north as Yorkshire and as far west as Devon.

06/08/21 Seen on the leaves of a riverside Alder tree in Area 10 were the larvae of Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni once thought to be extinct in the UK, numbers have exploded in the last couple of years.

04/08/21 On the bridge over the Emm in Area 10 at lunchtime was what I believe to be Common Awl Robberfly Neoitamus cyanurus.It was enjoying its lunch of a Fly.

03/08/21 Paul Hopcraft was in the Area 4 Balancing pond this morning and saw a Migrant Hawker Aeshna mixta dragonfly that was resting high in an Oak tree. Also seen was a male Physocephala rufipes a strangely shaped fly with a 'waisted' appearance , the larvae of this parasitic family feed internally in bees and wasps. Photos courtesy of Paul Hopcraft.

02/08/21 The Moth trap was out overnight (01/08/21) in my Area 4 garden and emptied this morning . The haul consisted of 60 moths of 27 species. Highlights were a Canary-Shouldered Thorn Ennomos alniaria and a Sallow Kitten Furcula furcula both firsts for the year, The Sallow Kitten is a most attractive moth resembling a kitten with its furry head and front legs. The supporting cast included Dusky Thorn Ennomos fuscantaria and Elephant Hawk Moth Deilephila elpenor .Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

01/08/21 On the vegetation in Area 10 was a female Dark Bush-Cricket Pholidoptera griseoaptera . On Ragwort was a Long Hoverfly Sphaerophoria scripta the picture shows how it gets it's name, also on the Ragwort was the caterpillar of the Cinnabar Moth Tyria jacobaeae It's yellow and black coluration is a warning to predators: I’m poisonous and taste terrible, don’t try to eat me.

Plants/ Trees

25/08/21 In Area 10 Mullein Verbascum thapsus is looking slightly past its best.

14/08/21 You cant have failed to have noticed the Wild Flowers planted in the central reservation of the "Spine Road" in Area 5 by Wokingham Borough Council. Photo courtesy of Caroline Moore

12/08/21 In Area 1 at Heathlake a Rowan Sorbus aucuparia was heavily laden with its scarlet berries.

03/08/21 In the Car Park field in Area 10, is the very distinctive bright orange-red berries of Cuckoo Pint Arum maculatum .

01/08/21 In the Emm Brook by the Green Bridge in Area 10, lots of Yellow Water-Lily Nuphar lutea plant are in flower.

Fungi

27/08/21 In the Car Park field in Area 10 a Field Mushroom Agaricus campestris was poking up through the grass.

25/08/21 During Balsam Pulling in Area 5 The Parasol Mushroom Macrolepiota procera was found under the trees. The Parasol mushroom starts out looking something like a drumstick, before the initially egg-shaped cap opens up to a maximum size of around a foot across (typically between 10-30cm) when fully grown. Another sure sign that Autumn is on its way

Amphibians and Reptiles

25/08/21 Along the Emm in Area 5 a small Common Frog Rana temporaria was seen hopping along a gravelly bed of the river.

Mammals

25/08/21 Balsam pulling again in Area 5 along the Emm by Woosehill Roundabout a Red Fox Vulpes vulpes was seen running from a wooded area by Fran Stickler.

21/08/21 During this mornings Balsam pulling in Area 6 by Emmbrook School a Red Fox Vulpes vulpes was disturbed ,before running off into the shrubbery.

15/08/21 Unfortunately found dead in Area 5 this afternoon was a Common Shrew Sorex araneus .

13/08/21 I'm going to have to start shutting my bedroom window as I was again woken at 02:00 by a Red Fox Vulpes vulpes running across my neighbours gravel.

09/08/21 Woken at 01:20 by a barking Red Fox Vulpes vulpes in nearby woodland in Area 4. No matter how many times you hear it ,it still sounds like someone is being murdered.

06/08/21 In the Wet Meadow in Area 10 European Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus were grazing on the grass .

01/08/21 By the hedge at the back of the Wet Meadow in Area 10 was a female Roe Deer Capreolus capreolus feeding on the grass .

Fish/ Crustaceans

Molluscs

.