Minster Lovell 30th June

Spotted Flycatcher nr the ruins by pool to rear of church 09:00

(per Phil Brown)

Otmoor 29th June

Bearded Tit 2 (juv) in reedbeds between the 1st & 2nd screens c08:40. Quail (m) calling on Greenaways Turtle Dove 3 Oystercatcher (per Bark & the Otmoor massive) Both Photos courtesey of T.S

Minster Lovell 29th June

Spotted Flycatcher Minster Lovell nr ruins (per Clackers) Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Farmoor 29th June

Redstart (f) along concrete track to the west of F2 c10:45 (per Dai) Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android The Insomniac Birder

Otmoor 28th June

Quail male calling from The Closes at 7:20pm (per RBA) Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Otmoor 28th June a.m.

Common Terns on northern lagoon have at least one chick. (Per Richard and Lynn Ebbs)
Someone with a long lens might get a pic this weekend.

Otmoor Birding

Otmoor event Saturday 29th June

Just to remind everyone, we are holding a childrens event 'Explore the Moor' this saturday between 1 and 4pm. This means the reserve is going to be busy and the car park quite full. You are more welcome to visit the reserve at this time, your expereince may just be a little disturbed, not the normal peace and quiet! The hide will also be closed this evening (Friday) for us to set up equipment and re-opened for the event.

Many thanks for your cooperation
The Otmoor Team

Otmoor: 27th June

Otmoor
2 Turtle Dove
2 Hobby
Quail: Heard.
7 Bullfinch: At least 7.
3 Little Egret: At least 3.

Nick Suckling

Shipton-on-Cherwell: 26th June

Shipton-on-Cherwell
Spotted Flycatcher: hawking from gravestones in churchyard. .

Paul Boult

Bullfinch Otmoor Courtesey of Derek Woodard

Otmoor: 26th June

Otmoor
Grasshopper Warbler: Reeling in Car Park field briefly @11am.
2 Quail: One calling on Greenaways throughout the day and seen briefly flying over small channel of water. Another heard on other side of bridleway.
2 Turtle Dove: Just two today, on show for much of the afternoon mainly in trees south of bridle path but also visiting cattle pens.

Alex Berryman

Blenheim gardens 26th June

No sign of the Dipper in the Blenheim gardens near the cascade this morning (per Dave Doherty) Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Shipton-on-Cherwell: 25th June

Shipton-on-Cherwell
2 Spotted Flycatcher: Two individuals hawking from gravestones in Holy Cross churchyard.

Steve Goddard

Otmoor RSPB 25th June

Turtle Dove 3 If they are this confiding when they pass through France and Spain on their return southward migration they will stand little chance of surviving

Quail 1 still calling from Greenaways mid afternoon 

Radley 25th June

Cuckoo 1m
Common Tern 2

Otmoor: RSPB reserve: 25th June

Otmoor: RSPB reserve
Quail: Calling briefly at mid day by the cattle pens beside the bridleway.
3 Turtle Dove: Three in flight and later purring from the bridleway trees.

John Edwards

Langford: 23rd June

Langford
2 Spotted Flycatcher: pair nesting in village garden.

Richard Catling

Otmoor RSPB 24th June early afternoon

Quail 1 calling from Greenaways
Turtle Dove 3
Hobby 2

Dorchester complex: 24th June

Turtle Dove
3 Egyptian Goose: Pair with 4 young.

Thomas Stevenson

Otmoor: Joseph's Stone: 24th June

Otmoor: Joseph's Stone
13 Curlew

Barry Batchelor

Farmoor Falcated Duck. December 2012

Just to clarify the slightly inaccurate statement posted by Jason earlier.

The Farmoor Falcated Duck was unanimously accepted by the British Birds Rarities Committee (BBRC) on its first circulation. The  species is easy to identify and this individual was well documented with good photographs.

Falcated Duck is on category D of the British list. Category D is a holding category and is not intended to be a long-term assignment of any species. These species are reviewed regularly with a view to transferring them to either category A or E. Species placed in Category D only, form no part of the British List, and are not included in the species totals.

Contrary to Jason’s posting, it is not the task of the BBRC to assess the provenance of any species not yet on Catagory A, this is the job of the British Ornithologists Union Rarities Committee  (BOURC). The Farmoor Falcated Duck file will be passed to the BOURC in due course. There are a number of individuals of this species already being assessed but each additional record helps to establish any patterns of occurrence  The Oxon bird received some favourable comments from BBRC members during its circulation and these will no doubt be considered by the BOURC. 

Nic Hallam (BBRC)  http://www.bbrc.org.uk/

Otmoor 24th June

Spoonbill flew over 1st screen c07:50 in the direction of Ashgrave. (per Jack) No further sign by early evening.

Dipper Blenheim Park

Dipper reported over the weekend at the cascade within the palace gardens.
The Cascade is only viewable from within the Gardens and admission is £12.
(report via Jon Uren)

Farmoor Falcated Duck

Apparently the BBRC have assigned the Farmoor Falcated Duck to cat D.

Devil's Punchbowl: 23rd June

Devil's Punchbowl
6 Corn Bunting

Mark Merritt

Otmoor 23rd June

Quail 2 this morning (per Andy Last)

Turtle Dove Otmoor

Woodway: 21st June

Woodway
Quail: h.

Mark Merritt

RSPB Otmoor: Explore the Moor

On Saturday 29^th June we are holding an exciting ‘Explore the Moor’ event on Otmoor. Starting at 1pm and running through to 4pm, it will be a great opportunity for children and families to get close to wildlife on the moor and to take part in fun activities including pond dipping for underwater beasties, bug hunting and building a home for wildlife http://homes.rspb.org.uk

You can turn up at any time between 1 and 4pm and the event will be suitable for children from 5-11 years (£1 RSPB members, £3 non-members, adults free).

The starting point for the exploration will be the main reserve car park. Please email or phone to book a place, or for more information. We look forward to seeing you on the day, you never know what you might see!

01865 351163     otmoor.admin@rspb.org.uk

Otmoor 21st June

Quail heard calling near eastern edge of Ashgrave c09:50 (per Paul Greenaway) Still calling from eastern side of The Closes heard from the main track nr the c/p field at 16:50 (Badger) Turtle Dove 3+ nr cattle pens Hobby 2

Otmoor: RSPB reserve: 20th June

Otmoor: RSPB reserve
Quail: First heard around 21.00, could be heard calling until we left 40 minutes later.

Steve Roby

Otmoor June 20th - evening

Quail - Greenaways. Could be heard from the bridleway between the stock holding area and the scrapes
Turtle Dove 3 - showing well
Cuckoo 1
Snipe 5 drumming over Greenaways
Yellow Wagtail 1
Grasshopper Warbler 2
Hobby

Otmoor 20th June

Quail calling from Greenaways this evening Turtle Dove 2 Cuckoo Yellow Wagtail Lesser Whitethoat Snipe 5 (per Steve & Pete Roby Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Standlake Pit 60 18th June

Little Egret 11
Oyster Catcher 4 (2 ad 2 juv)

Teal 4
Wigeon 1
Red Crested Pochard 1

Otmoor 18th June

Turtle Dove 4
Cuckoo
Hobby
Grasshopper Warbler 3

Marsh Harrier f
Little Egret 4
Snipe

(per Terry Tossel)

Reed Warbler Otmoor courtesey of Derek Woodard

Otmoor 17th June

Eastern Rosella parrot feeding on path through reserve.
Also seen in flight and heard calling. An escapee, but still a beautiful bird.

(per Joe Harris RSPB)

Benson 17th June

A female Red-backed Shrike was reported this morning by a Bucks birder driving along the
B4009 between Benson & Watlington su655925. Despite searching there was no sign this
afternoon or this evening.

Grimsbury Reservoir: 16th June

Grimsbury Reservoir
3 Little Ringed Plover

Mark Ribbons

Otmoor 16th June

Turtle Dove 3+
Hobby 4
Grasshopper Warbler c/p field

Sutton Courtenay: 16th June

Sutton Courtenay
Little Egret

Mark Russell

Otmoor Hobby courtesey of Jon Mercer

 

Red Kite courtesey of Andrew Marshall

Andrew Marshall Photography

 

Otmoor 14th June

3 Turtle Dove: 2 along bridleway and one along Roman road.
Bearded Tit (juv) between 1st and 2nd screens.
3 Lesser Whitethroat
2 Grasshopper Warbler Singing, Carpark field.
Curlew
12 Little Egret: In field behind 2nd screen.
5 Grey Heron: In field behind 2nd screen.
3 Hobby

Peter Coombes The Otmoor Blogger

Sedge Warbler & Redshank photos courtesey of Peter Coombes

Otmoor

Malt Pit 14/06
Dunlin

On the 29th June we are holding a family event from 1-4pm. This means the car parking will be limited during this time and parts of the reserve will be busy. If you intend to visit on this day without being involved with the event I would recommend coming in the morning or after 4pm. You are still welcome to visit during the event. The hide will also be in use during the event and from the friday evening for us to set up, you will therefore find it locked. It will be cleared and open again after 4pm Saturday. Many thanks for your cooperation.

Farmoor 12th June

11 Sanderling

1 Dunlin

1 Oystercatcher

1 Ringed Plover

Sanderling

Sanderling & Dunlin

Swift

Otmoor 11th June

Marsh Harrier from 1st screen (per Terry Tossel)

The Leucistic Starling bred again in Abingdon

this year. photo courtesey of Mike Flemming. 

Lollingdon hill

4 Raven, flew off towards the downs.

Balscote: Balscote Quarry: 10th June

Balscote: Balscote Quarry
13 Curlew: @ roost.

Mark Ribbons

Pishill 10th June

Tree Pipit singing from a clump of trees in a field south of Pishillbury Wood
(my first local bird for several years !).

Peter Stevens

Otmoor 10th June

Bearded Tit 2 (juv) 12:00 nr the 1st screen (per Peter Coombes et al) The Otmoor Blogger

Photos (c) Peter Coombes

Wantage: 9th June

Wantage
Spotted Flycatcher: Betjeman Park. SU396879.

Mark Merritt

Otmoor 9th June a.m.

Quail calling briefly on Closes early this morning.
Garganey (m)
Turtle Dove 3+

(per Bark)  Otmoor Birding

Grasshopper Warbler reeling from c/p field
Garden Warbler 2
Cuckoo

Downy Emerald

Roman Road

Downy Emerald
Broad-bodied Chaser 3 f
Four-spotted Chaser 2
Hairy Dragonfly 3

Otmoor, 8th June PM

Turtle Dove - brief appearance by the cattle pens at 3.40 pm

Hobby cruising above Greenaways

Great Spotted Woodpecker - a regular visitor at the feeders

Photos (c) Nigel Forrow

Grimsbury Reservoir: 7th June

Grasshopper Warbler reeling male in rough grassland between new pool east of Motorway and canal.

Mike Pollard

Egret Species Farmoor & Port Meadow

Both Dai John & I have seen a couple of Egrets in flight today - presumably the same birds. Dai saw a pair fly over the Farmoor car park this morning but he only had a rear-on view. This evening on Port Meadow I saw a distant couple of Egrets that looked a bit big for Littles but they took off before I could get close enough to view properly. In flight (rear-on view again) they didn't appear to have yellow feet and looked and felt too heavy for Littles.

Otmoor.A.M. 7th June.

Marsh Harrier
Turtle Dove 3+
Hobby 4+
Sprawk 1f
11 Grass Snakes
2 Common Lizzards

Headington A.M. 7th June.

   Risinghurst:
2 Tree Sparrow.

    Shotover Plain:
1 Cuckoo (over).

Farmoor 7th June

Black Tern 5 F2 10:25 (per Dai) Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Otmoor.A.M. 6th June.

 

2 Turtle Dove
3 Snipe (drumming)
2 Cuckoo
1 Marsh Harrier (f)
1 Garganey (m)
3+ Hobbys
3 Raven.
Downy Emerald Roaman Rd (per Pete Roby)

Sedge Warbler (c) Paul Greenaway
Turtle Dove (c) Nick Truby

Red Kite M40

Not such a rare or even notable sighting here. However, I thought the observation of one catching a reptile (probably Slow-worm or juvenile Grass Snake) was worthy of a mention. The bird lowered to edge of the hard shoulder/verge and I was expecting it to pick up someone's discarded lunch or a dead mammal, so was quite surprised to see it take off with a squirming reptile!

Spotted Flycatchers in the North

Reported yesterday on Banburybirds Yahoo group:

Pair at Glyn Davies Wood (eastern end of reserve) per Mike Lewis
Pair at Hanwell Church / Castle Gardens. Also just out of county a pair at Farnborough Lake car park per Tony Clark

Otmoor 4th June

Greenshank Turtle Dove Hobby (per Terry Tossel) Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Otmoor 3rd June

Marsh Harrier (f)
Hobby 8
Turtle Dove 3

(per Peter Coombes)

The Otmoor Blogger

2nd June Hoopoe at Marston

Hoopoe seen in flight at Marston at 2pm today (per Jack Owen) 
 

'It was I that reported the hoopoe on sunday from my car travelling up towards headington.

We had just returned from Ibiza 2 days before having seen them there.there was no mistaking it no other bird has the markings of a hoopoe' (Jack Owen)

 

'Oxon Hoopoe NE of Oxford at

Marston flew east over A40
towards field just NW of B4150
junction at 2p.m'

Further to this Lynn Ebbs wrote to me saying:

"Richard and I have been puzzling over a bird we saw flying over our garden in Stanton St John at around 11.00 today. It was above tree-top height, flying with a strong but fluttery, erratic flight. Size bigger than a blackbird, smaller than a jackdaw; broad wings, with some light patterning underneath; body colour neither very dark or very pale. The ‘jizz’ was totally unlike any of our garden birds or Otmoor regulars and we both instantly said ‘what’s that bird?’ but it disappeared southwest before we could get binoculars to it. "

Radley Hobby

 

All photos courtesey The Early Birder

Otmoor 2nd June

Drake Garganey Otmoor (c) Peter Coombes

Bearded Tit  (fem) 1st screen.
Marsh Harrier (fem) Big Otmoor. with an unconfirmed report of a 2nd bird this morning (Badger)
2 Turtle Dove
Garganey (male) 1st screen.
Curlew 4

Peter Coombes

Turtle Dove (c) D.Woodard

Otmoor 1st June

Club-tailed Dragonfly (c) M.Flemming

 

Bearded Tit seen along the bridleway
near the pumphouse c08:00
Marsh Harrier (f) Greenaways
Hobby 6+
Garganey (m) from the 1st screen briefly
Turtle Dove
Little Egret 11
Lesser Whitethroat 2+
Garden Warbler 2+

Club-tailed Dragonfly (Mike Flemming)
Hairy Dragonflies 3+
Broad-bodied Chaser


Photo Hobby on Greenaway

May Round-up

Arctic Tern Farmoor May (c) Andy Last

The weather remained unsettled and cold for much of May which meant that for the second year in succession the breeding birds in the county are having a tough time.

A Crane was picked up as it drifted north over Dorchester on the morning of the 6th having been seen an hour earlier over Marlow in Bucks. Intriguingly two Cranes flew over Farmoor the next day heading N/E.

This year the wader passage was slower than usual with only the one Wood Sandpiper record and an all too brief Curlew Sandpiper on Otmoor on the 14th. Farmoor saw the lions share of the county's wader action which included a party of ten Turnstones on the 12th accompanied by an equal number of  Dunlin, rising to 15 Dunlin the next day. Several small groups of Sanderlings appeared throughout the month, peaking at nineteen of these little clockwork waders on the 28th. A colour ringed bird which also arrived at the reservoir at the tail end of May was found to have been ringed as a chick in 2011 in Greenland. May turned out to have been a good month for Whimbrel, with a well-watched pair finding Ashgrave on Otmoor to their liking and staying for well over a week on the reserve. Three Whimbrel were at Farmoor on 13th and the 24th with single birds present on both the 22nd and the 25th. Not to be left out amongst the county's premier birding locations, two Whimbrel also graced Port Meadow with their presence on the 6th. The Bar-tailed Godwit which arrived at Port Meadow on the 15th was trumped by two of the same at Farmoor on the same date. Ringed Plover trickled through Oxfordshire but on the 23rd & 24th a count totalling 26 birds on Port Meadow was impressive.

Marsh Terns were represented in the county on the 6th with the arrival of seventeen Black Terns at Farmoor Reservoir with smaller numbers of Arctic Terns dropping in through the month. A 1st summer Little Gull resided at Farmoor for much of May with a second Little Gull at Rushy Common on the 11th a superb find. Garganey numbers seemed down on previous years with only two birds seen on Otmoor throughout the month and two smart drakes on the floods at Port Meadow on the 1st. A drake found at Balscote Quarry (a superb little reserve to the north of the county owned and managed by the Banbury Ornithological Society) was an excellent find on the morning of the 22nd. A male Marsh Harrier flew east over Abingdon on the 1st, with the female Marsh Harrier remaining on Otmoor all month, being briefly joined by a second bird (a male) on the 12th. A probable male Montagu's Harrier was seen briefly on the 18th of May flying through Farmoor.

Hobby (c) Paranoid Birder

Hobby numbers climbed to 12 on the 19th but it was the arrival of another Otmoor speciality which was eagerly awaited: Turtle Doves again returned to Otmoor on the 1st with numbers rising to an impressive five individuals by mid month. The RSPB reserve remains one of the few remaining locations within Oxfordshire to see this beautiful Dove. The only other record was the returning Buscot bird from the 11th of May. A Nightjar, heard in Wantage late in the evening of the 8th, frustratingly didn't stick around for a second night.

Turtle Dove (c) T.S

The Channel Wagtail ( flava x flavissima) remained at Farmoor all month with some speculation that it may even be nesting nearby. Two cracking summer plumage Black necked Grebes stopped off briefly at Farmoor on the 21st but had moved on by the 22nd. Perhaps one of the most unseasonal records is attributed to the single Bearded Tit on Otmoor. Heard on the 22nd along the main bridleway on Otmoor and present at least to the 26th. Tying in with the theory that spring is several weeks late this year was the Osprey seen actively hunting over the reed beds on Otmoor on the 29th.

One of two Black necked Grebe Farmoor 21st (c) Ewan

Back in Time – Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, Ruby

by Paul Chandler

Mid afternoon on Sunday 19^th October 1997 a message flashed on to the pager “Siberian Rubythroat ♂ Osmington Mills, Dorset”, the first mainland one since Durham 1975. Within moments Geoff had phoned and in another 15 minutes we were on our way. At that point in time Geoff had a Peugeot 305 Diesel Turbo that went like the proverbial off a shovel and it’s the quickest I have ever got to Dorset (in less than 2 hours). 

Normally I am not the hottest navigator (but that’s another story) but we got there in record time and pulled up at the spot in Osmington to see a fair few cars already there. I noticed Martin Cade (Portland bird Observatory warden) and a few other Dorset birders leaving and they indicated that the bird was still present. We walked through a gateway in to a field that had an area of hedge and scrub and the bird was apparently in there. I am not sure how long we waited but after a time the bird was seen. It was a spanking ♂ (1st winter) and some very good views were had with the bird around 20 metres away. After satisfying ourselves with the views we'd had and the bird having disappeared in to cover, we decided to take our leave. We also noticed another SODOFF’er, Justin Taylor there and I think he was the only other Oxfordshire birder to make it on the day. The drive home was very relaxed with that satisfying feeling of seeing an “ultra-mega” and an absolute beauty of a bird.

The following day, (as we saw in the national press), there were hundreds there but the bird had apparently gone (sorry guys) much to the disappointment of the many there. A little while later we had a SODOFF meeting and I wore a T-shirt that Lew had done with a Rubythroat on it and I used a marker pen to write a few comments much to the dismay of others people at the meeting who got there on the Monday (sorry Nick). However there has been a couple of “twitchable” rubythroats since so no hard feelings eh!