October Highlights

Red-backed Shrike by Andy Last

Headliners

So that was October, statistically the best month of the year for good birds. But did it live up to the hype or when all's said and done was it a bit of a damp squib? It all started very well with what I'm going to declare the bird of the month, namely a wonderful Red-backed Shrike at Noke Farm at Otmoor, kicking things off on the first of the month. This species has become far too scarce in the county of late and was a real blocker for the bottom half of the county life list so it was much appreciated when it was found. Sadly it only stayed for one day but it showed very well whilst it was around.

Bird of the Month (c) Stephen Collier

The month also ended well when a Dartford Warbler was found, again at Otmoor, on the South Pill on the 26th. This too was a really good county bird that the bottom half of the county list needed though sadly it too only stayed a couple of days. Presumably the continual harassment by the local Wrens proved too much for it in the end.

The Dartford Warbler (c) Roger Wyatt

The Rushy Common Great White Egret is becoming a staple part of the monthly write-up with it re-appearing at this site on the 3rd of the month. I think that we're soon getting to the point where it will have to be demoted from a headline bird.

Considerably rarer in the county than a Great White Egret is Great Skua and this month we were blessed with no less than three of these hulking brutes. They were found on the 14th, first was at Pit 60 with two further birds seen late afternoon at Grimsbury Reservoir. These mirrored multiple arrivals at inland sites over the same period and there is some speculation that our three birds may have been the three birds which were seen at Draycote Water in Northants. They weren't really twitchable at all but it was nice to have them recorded in our landlocked county.

One of the Great Skuas (c) Mike Pollard

Apart from this smattering of goodies, all in all the month has actually had rather a quiet feel to it with relatively few records of note.

Waders

It's been another poor month for waders with very few records to speak of. A late Greenshank arrived at Farmoor on the 9th. Sanderling were also there on the 9th with two present on the 30th. Returning Jack Snipe were seen at Farmoor on the 19th and on Otmoor on the 28th with a probable Ruff at the latter site on the 25th

Terns & Gulls

No month can be that bad when there are multiple Caspian Gulls to report and there were up to four of these beauties frequenting the Didcot landfill at the start of October with an adult also at Farmoor reservoir on the afternoon of the 29th. Six Little Gulls graced Farmoor on the 14th with a single Little Gull at Grimsbury. A 2nd winter Mediterranean Gull was amongst the roost at Grimsbury reservoir on the 15th with a 1st winter present on the 22nd. On the Tern front a Little Tern was at Farmoor reservoir on the 14th with two Common Terns.

Little Gull (c) Roger Wyatt

Caspian Gull (c) Lew

Raptors

An Osprey was at the Tar Lakes Rushy Common complex on the 15th. Short-eared Owls were seen near Noke on Otmoor on the 11th & 16th, Lollingdon Hill on the 14th with birds also noted on the Downs. A Marsh Harrier has been a regular sight at Otmoor throughout the month. Peregrines have been more evident in the county with birds at Chipping Norton on the 4th, singles at Standlake, Abingdon, Lockinge and Harwell along with a regular pair on Otmoor throughout the period. Merlin were seen at Moulsford on the 4th near Ardley on the 9th and occasionally at Otmoor RSPB from the 9th.

A Shortie (c) Mark Merritt

Waterfowl

The Red-necked Grebe remained at Farmoor Reservoir throughout October and was joined by two Black-necked Grebes on the 6th-7th. Two Bewick's Swans seen flying west over the car park at Farmoor reservoir heralding the changing seasons. A Mandarin Duck was an unexpected find at Grimsbury Reservoir Banbury. Feral Geese included eight Barnacle Geese at Farmoor on the 31st, up to nine White-fronted Geese on Port Meadow and the return of the Ross's Goose on Otmoor.

The Red-necked ... (c) Steve Burch

...and the Black-necked (c) Dai

Herons

Bittern was seen sporadically at the Otmoor RSPB reserve over the course of the month with two birds present on the 5th, a Bittern was also at Pit 60 near Standlake on the 26th and the 29th

Bittern in flight (c) John Reynolds

Passerines & Miscellaneous

A Black Redstart was at Barley Close Wallingford on the 29th. Two Rock Pipits were at Farmoor on the 2nd with six birds along the causeway on the 14th. A Redstart was at Letcombe Basset on the 2nd. Two Wheatears stopped off at Otmoor on the 10th with two individuals at Lark Hill on the 11th and Farmoor on the 14th. Stonechat numbers continued to increase county-wide and included at least ten on Otmoor on the 5th. Whinchat were still in Oxon at Lark Hill on the 11th with a late bird at the South Pill Grounds on the 26th. A late Swallow was seen on Otmoor on the 29th of October. There was a noticeable arrival of Redwings in to Oxfordshire on the 14th which included a flock of at least four hundred at Lollingdon Hill and one hundred and twenty over Middleton Cheney.

Some Days are Just Meant to Be

By Keith Clack

The evening of the 1^st of March 2007 saw myself, Badger and Paul (Wrennie) Wren heading on the long haul to Stepper Point on the Cornwall coast in the hope of catching up with a Gyr Falcon that had settled into a regular if awkward pattern of roosting overnight in a coastal quarry at the point before moving out for an unknown area for during the day. That it returned to the quarry very late each afternoon was of no use to us as Wrennie had to be back in Oxfordshire for an important dinner date, so it had to be a dawn attempt for us.

So far so good, we made good time to Cornwall, found a nearby farm with plenty of parking space, and set the alarms. When we awoke at least 5 other cars had hauled in during the night and in the darkness, everyone was assembling to be led by a couple of locals, along the hazardous path to the quarry. With the world still pitch black, it was a nervy stumble along the path down to where the bird should be waking up. It was when we arrived at the top of the very steep path above the quarry that things fell apart. Our local guides went down first to check that the bird was in place, and lead us safely down. Disaster! - they came back to the group with news that 3 birders were actually in the quarry and the bird had already departed as a result of their thoughtlessness. 

It was a very despondent group of birders that trudged back along the cliff top in the gathering light. The three of us hung around the area hoping beyond hope that the bird might just have returned but after a couple of hours Badger and I suggested to Wrennie that we move on to the Hayle Estuary where a White Billed Diver had spent the winter moulting into summer plumage. As this was a ' lifer' for both Badger and myself, and the bird seemed unable to move far, we could surely salvage something of the day.

On the way back to the car I met up with Ralph, a big lister and fellow Tangerine Dream fanatic, and we spent 5 minutes chatting before parting and promising to meet up at the next London concert. This was the first piece of the jigsaw to drop into place. The next piece was as we reached the t-junction we came in at, it was decided to take the right turn rather than the left, via Wadebridge. The stage was now set for a magical event.

Five miles down the road with both Badger and myself in our own little worlds, Wrennie suddenly wrenched the car up on the grass verge screaming "out the car, get out the car, get %&(*&@: out of the %&(*&@: car. Gyr Falcon". Never have three grown men got out of a car under their own speed as fast as we did, to be confronted with the awesome sight of a white morph Gyr Falcon drifting across the road in front of us. It circled the field alongside us several times before settling on  on a pile of shale, 50 or 60 yards away, and proceeded to happily preen itself in full view. We got the information out to the RBA pager system and, during the 30 minutes it was there, virtually all our earlier despondent chums managed to see one of the most majestic birds I have ever set eyes on. As big as, if not a little, bigger, than the Buzzard that began to harass it, the Gyr put up with things for half an hour before having a flash at the Buzzard and then casually drifting off over the fields and out of sight.

We all moved off and, before the three of us headed home, we managed to fit in the White Billed Diver, a Spotted Sandpiper and an Eastern Asian Lesser Whitethroat (even now I'm not sure!!). A five minute delay, a change of road direction – these are the events that fit together to make a day that was meant to be.

Clackers