Happy New Year.

Many thanks to all those that have contributed sightings to the OBL and Goingbirding throughout
2012, please keep them coming in 2013. Special thanks also to all the fantastic photographers
around the county who are relentlessly 'badgered' for pictures for this blog ;-)

Hope you have a happy and bird filled new year...cheers.

Badger & Gnome

Garden Mega to end the Marcham year

Long looked for and at last seen; my first wintering male Blackcap hammering chunks out of the fat balls hanging against the garden fence and nearest the cover of bountiful Ivy clad trees in neighbours gardens. Coming on top of recent highlights of 4(!) Chaffinch and pair of Greenfinch, the plentifully varied bird food on offer is starting to produce the, overdue, expected results.

Appleford 31st December

Probable Caspian Gull (ad) in field north of B4016 tho distant early afternoon. Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Red-crested Pochard Dix Pit 31st Dec (c) Terry Sherlock

Grove Airfield 31st December

Merlin (male)

(Leo Bateman)

Banbury: 31st December

No sign of any Waxwings on Southam Road or Dukes Meadow Drive (or immediate surroundings) this morning

Radley village: Radley College: 31st December

Radley village: Radley College
Brambling: m. on my feeders in Sugworth Lane.

John Hillsdon

Devil's Punchbowl: 31st December

31st December

Devil's Punchbowl
Peregrine: f. ....also a stoat busily investigating the rabbit holes. Little else was stupid enough to be up there in what were fairly brutal conditions!.

Childrey: Childrey Field
3 Corn Bunting

Mark Merritt

Grimsbury Reservoir: 30th December

1 Little Owl still (per Diane Bratt)

Otmoor: 30th December PM

Starling roost was a grand total of 100 birds (and that's being generous!), no sign of a big roost by 16:45.
Bittern seen flying over the reedbed,
3 Dunlin in flight with Lapwings,
3 Little Egrets,
3 Stonechat (1 male),
1 Lesser Redpoll,
1 Hen Harrier (ringtail) (per Dave Lowe),
Reed Bunting roost of 30+ birds near the 1st screen,
Pied Wagtail roost in same place as Reed Buntings,
Lapwings and Golden Plovers combined must be approaching 2000 birds.

A.M
Peregrine 2
Goldeneye (f) 2nd screen
Raven 2
Brambling poss f nr cattle pens

Otmoor Birding

Banbury 30th December

Waxwing 10 Banbury on Southam Road at Emward Fastenings Ltd at 14:15 (per RBA)
Waxwing 3 Banbury on Dukes Meadow DrIve at 15:45 (per RBA)

Farmoor 30th December

Scaup 5 F1
Slavonian Grebe 2 F1
Pintail 12 F2
Pochard 50+
Goldeneye 15
Little Grebe 14

 Scaup and Tufted Duck

All the news from the Res including a slideshow of some of the years highlights at

The Insomniac Birder

A kingfisher seen at the fountain in the main quad of Christ Church College, Oxford, at 12:00 today. The bird flew back over the college towards the river.

 

(per Tommaso Pizzari)

Farmoor 30 December

Bramblings - 2 feeding with Chaffinch by tarmac track just beyond Pinkhill gate
Slav Grebe - 2 reported on F I
Scaup - reported on F I

Wolvercote: 29th December

Wolvercote
Brambling: fem. Feeding in garden with Chaffinches in heavy rain. SP490090.

Steve Goddard

Boarstall Decoy: 29th December

Boarstall Decoy
5 Woodcock

Colin Oram

Oxon Birding 2012

The traditional Gnome review of the year's birding. Enjoy!

Oxon Bird of the Year Poll Result
The results of the Bird of the Year Poll in case you are interested:
1: Dotterel 22% - boosted by a campaign by the Banbury birders to promote "their" bird.
2. Corncrake 16%
3. Red-rumped Swallow  14%
4. White Stork 13%
5. Black-winged Stilt 12%

Congrats to The Wickster on seeing 193 BOU species in 2012 in Oxon and Peter Law
on reaching 181 BOU...

Farmoor 27th December

Slavonian Grebe from hide at 15:00
Scaup 5
Red-crested Pochard 3

(per RBA)

Witney: New Mill: 27th December

27th December

Witney: New Mill
Green Sandpiper

Dix Pit
5 Red-crested Pochard: 3m2f. Well hidden at the margin, possibly more present.

Mark Merritt

Henley Road GPs: 27th December

2 Smew: rh.
3 Egyptian Goose

Marek Walford

Otmoor.A.M. 27th December.

C. 1000 Golden Plover.
C. 1000 Lapwing.
1 Peregrine.
1 Sparrowhawk.
1 Hen Harrier (F).

Hen Harrier (male) flew across The Closes and over Ashgrave at c15:20
(per Peter Law)

Ewelme: Cress beds: 26th December

Ewelme: Cress beds
Woodcock

Thomas Stevenson

Henley 26th December

Ring-necked Parakeet 3 nr Henley Rugby Club (per Mark Merritt)

Farmoor 26th December

Slavonian Grebe 2
Scaup 5
Pochard 35

The Insomniac Birder

 Scaup and Tufted Duck 

 

Otmoor.A.M. 26th December.

1 Peregrine (F)
1 Sparrowhawk (M)
3 Little Egret.

3 Pintail 3+ drakes (per Jonathan Mercer)

Also Otter showing well from the 1st Screen this morning
(per Geoff Adams & Mark Chivers aka The early Birders)
Photos of the Chub Muncher on Otmoor Birding

Grimsbury Reservoir: 26th December

Little Egret - north of the wood in river/flooded fields area
2 Little Owls
181 Canada Geese

(per Clive Payne)

Merry Christmas from the Oxon Bird Log

Jason and Adam both wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Bird-filled New Year!

Warburg Reserve: 25th December

Warburg Reserve
2 Raven

Thomas Stevenson

Viewable at 1080p HD

Otmoor Chiffy (c) Terry Sherlock

Port Meadow: 23rd December

Port Meadow
Little Owl: Heard only.
Tawny Owl: Heard only.
3 Goosander

Adam Hartley

Otmoor 23rd December

Shelduck (c) Geoff Adams

Shelduck 2 (Geoff Adams & Mark Chivers)
Bittern
Peregrine 2
Golden Plover c800
Lapwing c800
Pintail c30
Sparrowhawk
Water Rail
Stonechat 4

Otmoor Birding

Grimsbury Reservoir: 23rd December

Goosander (per Clive Payne) - quite an uncommon bird here and number 107 for the year, will it be the last edition for the year?
Tufted Duck (5 - 3 drakes)
Peregrine Falcon (per Clive Payne)
Sparrowhawk (male)
Little Owl (2) - a patch tick for me!
Raven (per Clive Payne)

Also a Blackcap in Spiceball Park (per Clive Payne)

Wantage: Lark Hill: 23rd December

Wantage: Lark Hill
Merlin: fem.

Leo Bateman

Cuddesdon: 23rd December

Some of the single flock of 1,120 Fieldfares present this morning. Give or take the odd Redwing or two.

The Birdless Cuddesdon Blog

Stonesfield: 22nd December

Stonesfield
2 Blackcap: male.

Paul Wren

: 22nd December

Oxford: East Oxford
20 Waxwing: Flock briefly in Charles St.

Otmoor 22nd December

Hen Harrier (ringtail) again working the Starling roost (per Peter Law)

Lollingdon Hill 22nd December

No sign of the Great Grey Shrike this morning (per Paul Chandler) Cholsey Wildlife

Sutton Courtenay 22nd December

Goosander 14 (2m)
Kingfisher 2

Otmoor RSPB reserve 21st December

Bittern visible from the first screen until dusk. First pointed out by Ron Louch and his mates.
Hen Harrier male. over the reed-bed during the Starling roost.

(Steve Roby)

Otmoor 21st December

2 Bearded Tit In front of 1st screen.
2 Hen Harrier: 1m 1f. Female over Ashgrave. Male from 2nd screen.
4 Chiffchaff
600+ Golden Plover on greenaways.
5 Stonechat
Waxwing Otmoor lane. Just before Farm entrance with flock of fieldfare.
11 Pintail: male. 11 Male Pintail on Greenaways.

(Peter Coombes) The Otmoor Blogger

Lollingdon Hill 21st December

Great Grey Shrike Nr Cholsey 500 metres north of Lollingdon Hill at 12:45 tho mobile. (per Paul Chandler) Cholsey Wildlife  Please stick to footpaths.

Port Meadow: 20th December

Port Meadow
2 Mediterranean Gull: ad & 1w.
6 Goosander: 2m 4r/h.
Shelduck
20 Common Gull
500 Golden Plover

Adam Hartley

Waxwings Iffley 20th December

 

 

 

12 Waxwings again at 12.30 pm in trees in Bear's hedge/ Woodhouse way, Iffley.

Banbury: 19th December

There were 50-60 Waxwings on the south side of the Hardwick estate in Banbury today
(per Winston Churchill).

Port Meadow: 19th December

19 Pintail: mostly drakes.
No sign of the Iceland gull this evening

Adam Hartley

Otmoor.A.M. 19th December.

8 Redpoll
2 Chiffchaff
500+ Golden Plover.

Slav

Play Hatch: 19th December

Play Hatch
2 Goosander: Two Redheads on the flooded new gravel workings opposite the entrance to Sonning Quarry.

Robin Dryden

Farmoor 18th December

Smew (redhead) still
Slavonian Grebe
Scaup 3

(per Dai)

Port Meadow: 18th December

Iceland Gull (1w)
2 Bar-tailed Godwit
5 Goosander: 3m 2r/h.
4 Dunlin
3 Yellow-legged Gull

Adam Hartley

Strictly record-shot quality video footage of the Iceland Gull

More at Port Meadow Birding

 

Cholsey 18th December

Corn Bunting 120+
Cetti's Warbler
Barn Owl

(per Paul Chandler) Cholsey Wildlife

Otmoor Stonechat (c) Bill Lester

RSPB Otmoor WeBS 17th December

Total counts from the December WeBS. The breakdown of numbers in each field are also shown:

Little egret 4 (2 Ashgrave, 2 Closes)

Grey Heron 7 (2 Malt Pit, 2 Big Otmoor, 2 Greenaways, 1 Ashgrave)

Mute swan 22 (5 Flood, 7 Malt Pit, 4 Big Otmoor, 4 Greenaways, 2 Ashgrave)

Greylag goose 94 (1 Ashgrave, 93 Closes)

Canada goose 263 (65 Big Otmoor, 197 Ashgrave, 1 Closes)

Wigeon 1276 (199 Flood, 25 Malt Pit, 284 Big Otmoor, 20 Reedbed, 710 Greenaways, 38 Ashgrave)

Gadwall 30 (28 Reedbed, 2 Ashgrave)

Teal 785 (50 Malt Pit, 235 Big Otmoor, 139 Reedbed, 210 Greenaways, 138 Ashgrave, 13 Closes)

Mallard 322 (15 Flood, 51 Malt Pit, 130 Big Otmoor, 15 Greenaways, 75 Ashgrave, 36 Closes)

Pintail 7 (3 Greenaways, 4 Big Otmoor)

Shoveler 107 (5 Flood, 24 Big Otmoor, 21 Reedbed, 7 Greenaways, 50 Ashgrave)

Pochard 2 (2 Reedbed)

Tufted duck 7 (5 Reedbed, 2 Ashgrave)

Water rail 1 (Reedbed)

Moorhen 10 (5 Ashgrave, 5 Closes)

Golden Plover 350 (Greenaways)

Lapwing 838 (752 Greenaways, 86 Ashgrave)

Ruff 2 (Greenaways)

Snipe 15 (2 Reedbed, 13 Greenaways)

Waxwings 17th December

 

 

 

More pictures here

 

Iffley: 12 Waxwings seen feeding on berry tree in back garden of house at the crossroads of Woodhouse Way and Bears Hedge and Tree Lane, Iffley. Probably the birds seen in Meadow Lane yesterday.(Wayne P Bull)

Trap Grounds: no sign of any by the bike racks on Frenchay Rd at midday today (Gnome)

Bicester: 80+ Waxwings Rowan Road this morning (per Alan Peters)

Bicester Wetland Reserve 17th December

Bearded Tit (heard only) Still at Bicester Wetland Reserve (per Mike Lewis)

Otmoor 17th December

Bittern over the reed bed on Otmoor c15:10 (c) Derek Woodard

Dorchester complex 17th December

1 Smew (female) on the Allen Pit
2 Egyptian Goose
2 Ruff at Days Lock scrape

Thomas Stevenson
Benson & Ewelme Wildlife

Port Meadow: 16th December

Port Meadow
3 Redshank
7 Pintail
2 Yellow-legged Gull: ad & 3w.

Adam Hartley

Waxwings 16th December

12 Waxwing on Meadow Lane Iffley (Melissa Holding)
3+ Waxwing Thame near Southern ring road at 11 a.m (per RBA)
6   Waxwings Oxford by the bike racks by the entrance to the Trap Grounds on the
corner of Frenchay Road just past the canal bridge (per Gnome)

One of the Trap Grounds Waxwings

Blenheim Park 16th December

Mandarin 11 (8 m) near the Coombe Gate entrance (Mark Merritt)

Port Meadow: 16th December

Port Meadow
3 Pintail: drk.

Alex Martin

Farmoor 16th December

Red-head Smew on F1 this morning
Slavonian Grebe 2
Scaup 3
No sign of the Falcated Duck

(per Dai John & Mike Youngman)
The Insomniac Birder

Otmoor 16th December

Hen Harrier (male)
Short-eared Owl

(per Bark) Otmoor Birding

Baulking 16th December

No sign of the Long-tailed Duck this morning

(per Peter Law)

Baulking 15th December

(c) The Gun Slinger Long-tailed Duck (ad m) still 14:38 in NE corner (per Ian Smith) 2mls S/W of Stanford in the vale on pit just east of Baulking.From A417 take turning for Baulking, after c1.5 miles park in front of double metal gates on right and take footpath to view lake. Goldeneye f Little Owl Med Gull (ad) late morning (c) Jon Mercer

 

Hinksey lake (dec 15th)

Scaup - male still present at 3pm at least
Tufted - 51
Pochard - 3

Appleford 14th/15th December

No sign of 2nd winter Iceland Gull.

Otmoor 15th December

Hen Harrier (male) this morning (per Bark) Otmoor Birding

Standlake: 15th December

Hen Harrier, ringtail along S shore of pit 60 at 11.30
Teal, 866
Pintail, 14
Little Egret, 1

Also, 1 Waxwing at Colwell Drive, Witney at 1pm

Trap Grounds: 15th December

10 Waxwing Feeding on Viburnum berries by the bike rack at the entrance.

Tom Evans

Parsonage Moor: 15th December

Parsonage Moor
2 Brambling

Mark Merritt

Witney 15th December

Waxwing 20+ on Colwell Drive at 09:08 (per Clackers)

Farmoor 15th December

No sign of the Falcated Duck by 09:00 Scaup 3 Slavonian Grebe 2 (per Dai) Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Bernwood Forest: Oakley Wood: 14th December

33 Waxwing: 33 Waxwings in my next door neighbours back garden. In Oakley Bucks. opposite the school (Not quite in oxfordshire).

Peter Coombes

Otmoor 13th December

Bittern seen from first screen
Water rail 2m up a tree
Unidentified large black creature seen for second time in middle of Flood Field!?

Hinksey lake (dec 14th)

Scaup - 1 male
Tufted - 38
Pochard - 1

Iceland Gull 13th December

This 2nd winter Iceland Gull was on the ice on the Spit Pit at Appleford late afternoon in the gloom. Along side it there were single 1st and 2nd winter Caspian Gulls.

This pit is next to the very busy haul road to the tip. Park in the pull-ins . . . never on the road. If the owners get upset with birders parking studiply they might stop me from going there and that would make me sad. And please, if you go and you want good views, stay in your car.

2nd w Iceland Gull (IL)

 2nd w Iceland Gull (IL)

 1st w Caspian Gull (Roger Wyatt)

                                                             2nd w Caspian Gull (IL)

                                                              2nd w Caspian Gull (Roger Wyatt)

Farmoor 13th December

Falcated Duck (ad m) on F1 still at 3pm (per RBA)
Mallard c300
Tufted Duck c300
Scaup 3
Slavonian Grebe 2

(per Dai) The Insomniac Birder

Our Falcated friend (c) Gnome

Golden Plover (c) Peter Law



Witney 13th December

Waxwing 32 on Colwell Drive at 13:50 (per Mrs Clackers)
8+ still on Colwell Drive (not Road) 08:05 (per Clackers)

Farmoor Reservoir

No sign of the Falcated Duck by 11:20 this morning.
Also the Mallard numbers have dropped by c250 birds.
(per Dai & Terry Sherlock)  

Farmoor Reservoir: Farmoor I
3 Dunlin
3 Scaup: ad female; juv female; juv male.
2 Slavonian Grebe

Farmoor Reservoir: Causeway
Common Sandpiper

Stephen Akers

Farmoor Reservoir: Pinkhill
Brambling

Steve Roby

Goldcrest at Farmoor 12th December (c) Terry Sherlock



Benson 12th December

Waxwing 2+ on Watlington Rd at 08:15 only (per RBA) Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Redpolls 12th December

 

 

 

 

10+ seen feeding on mugwort on wasteland opposite redbridge park and ride.
W.P.Bull

Witney 12th December

Waxwing 30+ Colwell Rd late afternoon 15 outside 55 Colwell Rd at 13:20 (per Mrs Clackers) Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Risinghurst. A.M. 12th December.

    Monks Wood:
12+ Siskin.

Stonesfield: Stonesfield Common: 11th December

Stonesfield: Stonesfield Common
16 Snipe
15 Pied Wagtail
Water Rail
21 Goldfinch
35 Fieldfare

Paul Wren

Benson 11th December

4-5 Waxwings feeding at the roadside on Watlington Rd in Benson at 1 pm, but
gone half an hour later.

(per Richard Broughton)

Farmoor mid afternoon 11th December

Freezing fog and much reduced visibility. In the gloom made out the following:

Falcated Duck 1
Mallard 324
Gadwall 6
Northern Shoveler 2
Common Pochard 16
Tufted Duck 150+
Common Goldeneye 12
Eurasian Wigeon 11
Common Teal 7
Slavonian Grebe 1
Little Grebe 12
Great Cormorant 29

Greylag Goose 350+

Common Sandpiper 1  far side of  Farmoor 2

Black Audi Birding

Port Meadow: 11th December

Port Meadow
Too foggy to see much but I could just make out:
5 Black-tailed Godwit
2 Pintail: m.

Adam Hartley

Farmoor 11th December

The FALCATED DUCK still in the NW corner of F1 at 1:14 (per RBA)

Also:
2 Slavonian Grebes
3 Scaup

 (c) Mike Flemming
Mike Flemming's Natural History Photo's

Otmoor Monday 10th Dec. Waxwings

There were 20+ Waxwings feeding in the carpark Field yesterday morning
also 1 woodcock
2 Black Tailed Godwits on fields to the west of track to second screen.

(Bark)  Otmoor Birding

Abingdon: 10th December

2 Waxwing late reporting sorry....in the trees but mobile on the business park outside unit 1 and 3.

Christopher Ellis

Farmoor 10th December

Falcated Duck still on F1 in N/W corner at 08:35 (per Dai)

Still present at dusk  (per Martin Townsend)

Also:
5 Egyptian Geese F2
2 Slavonian Grebe F1
3 Scaup F1
1 Common Sandpiper (per Martin Townsend)

(c) Terry Sherlock

Also LGRE's  counts of the common stuff:
Mallards 274 
1 drake Gadwall, 
121 Tufted Duck, 
22 Northern Pochard, 
3 Common Goldeneye, 
9 Great Crested Grebe, 
1 Little Grebe, 
199 Coot

(c) Badger

Falcated duck (c) Wayne Bull

Otmoor.A.M. 10th December.

700+ Lapwing
500+ Golden Plover
1 Peregrine (F)
1 Sparrowhawk (F).

Farmoor: Falcated Duck

Dai John found an unringed & fully winged adult male FALCATED DUCK in the North West corner of Farmoor 1 this morning.


Still present at dusk in the same location (Gnome)

For what it's worth, some wariness evidence: "As it was nearing dusk the ducks in that corner (mostly Mallards) all moved on to the bank to roost. I had to walk back that way and as I approached the first bird off the bank by a long chalk was the Falcated with the Mallards only moving off much later on. The Mallards are probably used to people walking around the bank so don't care so much but there was no doubting the Falcated's concern as I approached"  (Gnome) 

Unringed

Fully winged

Falcated Duck

Male Falcated Duck still present 15:22 on F1

3 Scaup still on F1 + Slavonian Grebe

 

(c) Badger 

(c) Lew