Farmoor 31st July - 7.30 - dark

Caspian Gull  -  the same 3rd s - 4th w on the same buoy on FI.
Common Gull  - 3
Yellow-legged Gull  -  c40+
Redshank  - 5
Oystercatcher  -  1

Otmoor RSPB 31st July

Juvenile Bittern above and below courtesy of Terry Sherlock

Bittern 3 (inc 1 juv)
Marsh Harrier
Common Crane
Mandarin 2 (still in front of 1st screen 16:30)
Yellow-legged Gull
Water Rail 3+
Cuckoo (juv) a.m though elusive
Turtle Dove
Cetti's Warbler
Yellow Wagtail c2 (Ashgrave)




Juvenile Cuckoo Otmoor RSPB please view at 1080p HD

Juvenile Cuckoo and Reed Warbler courtesy of Tom Nicholson-lailey

Mandarin Ducks Otmoor RSPB please view at 720p HD

Bicester Wetlands

Green Sandpiper 10+ this afternoon

Green Sandpiper courtesy of Nick Truby

Standlake Pit 60:AM 31st July

Great White Egret from the Langley Hide 11:37 (per Jim Hutchins)
Snipe

Key holder reserve.

Snipe

Snipe

Snipe

Ardington 31st July

4 Common Crossbill: Over low to S, calling. SU4388. 09:20.
3 Spotted Flycatchers

Leo Bateman

Farmoor Reservoir 31st July

Five Redshank (1 juv) courtesy of John Reynolds

One of two Dunlin today courtesy of John Reynolds

Blenheim Lake 30th July

630 Mallard
2 Teal
1 Red-crested Pochard (f)
78 Mute Swan
3 Common Tern
14 Gadwall
60 Sand Martin

Bob Pomfret

Otmoor Late evening 30th July

7:30pm - 9:15pm

2 Common Crane
Juv Cuckoo being fed by Reed Warblers
Barn Owl

Bicester Wetlands Reserve 30th July

Green Sandpiper 8
Lapwing 9
Little Egret

(per Nick Truby)

Key holder reserve.

Farmoor 30th July

Farmoor:
1 Dunlin
1 Common Sandpiper
Yellow-legged Gulls

Rushey Common:
c6 Common Tern

Juv Blackcap @ Pit60

Leafield, 30th July

Redstart -  male on side of road just outside Leafield towards Worsham

Clackers & Mrs Clackers

Pit 60 30th July

Great White Egret back by 11.30 am
Green Sandpiper (per A.L)

Mistle Thrush courtesy of Derek Latham

Standlake Common Pit 60 29th July

Great White Egret 15:45 (per Graham Lenton) Please park in the village and walk to hides.
Key required to access hides.

A329 near Moulsford: 29th July

A329 near Moulsford
Yellow Wagtail: Nr Silly bridge - single bird flew from amongst the sheep, which were being moved to a new pasture directly opposite. Maybe the YW's will move with them...?. SU5885. 08:50.

Mike Amphlett

Farmoor Res 29th July

Juvenile Common Tern

1200-1330hrs

Common Tern 12+
Yellow legged Gull 16
Greater Black backed Gull 2
Common Sandpiper 7
Dunlin 1 juvenile
Grey Wagtail 3
Common Pochard 1m
Little Egret 3

Rushey Common lake, 29th July

Common Sandpiper  4
Green Sandpiper
Little Egret  2
Stock Doves c10
Yellow Legged Gull

Clackers @ Ady State

Otmoor: am 29 July

Redstart

Bittern 2 (1st screen)
Turtle Dove
Redstart (m)
Cetti's Warbler
Grasshopper Warbler (Moorleys reeling)

(per Jim Hutchins & Graham Lenton)

Turtle Dove courtesy of Graham Lenton

Farmoor 29th July

Turnstone 1
Dunlin 3
Common Sandpiper 6+
Common Tern 18
Common Gull 2.  1st- s and juv.
Sanderling 1

A329 near Moulsford: 28th July

A329 near Moulsford
4 Yellow Wagtail: 4 heard, and then seen, amongst sheep in field nr Silly bridge - poss juvs. Likeley 2 or 3 more present, as calls heard from other spots in same field. . SU589855. 09:35.

Mike Amphlett

Otmoor. Morning. 28th. July.

Great White Egret on Ashgrave 17:30 (per Terry Sherlock)
but no further sign by 20:20.

Wood Sandpiper from first screen a.m only and no further sign by late afternoon.
Green Sandpiper (Big Otmoor)
Ringed Plover 2 (Noke Sides per R.W)
Hobby 2+
Bittern.
Cuckoo, (juv.)
2 Common Crane.
Spotted Flycatcher.
2  Cetti's Warbler, (juv.)

Per.  P.G.  R.C.  T.S.

Wood Sandpiper.

Standlake Pit 60 28th July

 

Great White Egret

Judging by the fresh plumage and slight black tip to the upper mandible it is a juvenile

Port Meadow 28th July

Greenshank
Oystercatcher
Kingfisher
Yellow Wagtail 2+
Willow Warbler

(per Dave Doherty)

Farmoor 28th July

Turnstone  1
Common Sandpiper  6
Dunlin  4
Redshank 1
Sanderling 1
Little Egret 12+

Standlake Pit 60: AM 28th July

Great White Egret
3 Little Egret
Barn Owl
Kingfisher
2 Egyptian Goose
2 Raven
Common Sandpiper
Green Sandpiper
3 Oystercatcher

Bicester Wetland Reserve 28th July

1 Common Sandpiper
9 Green Sandpiper
13Lapwing
1 Little Egret
1 Teal

Alan Peters

Otmoor RSPB 28th July

Wood Sandpiper in front of the first screen 10:20 (per Terry Sherlock).

Kingston Bagpuize: 28th July

Kingston Bagpuize
Hobby 07:00.

Jed Cleeter

Cholsey 27th July

Redstart courtesy of Paul Chandler

Redstart c3 (2 on Lollingdon Hill)
Lesser Whitethroat
Corn Bunting

(per Paul Chandler) Cholsey Wildlife

Farmoor: pm 27th July

6 Dunlin
4 Common Sandpiper
Sanderling
Pochard
+10 Common Terns

Pochard

Pochard

Sanderling

Rushey Common lake,27th July

Common Sandpipers  5
Hobbies  2

Clackers

Juvenile Little Owl hunting Cockchafer beetles.
Please view at 720p HD

Standlake Pit 60:am 27th July

Great White Egret
Black Tailed Godwit
2 Common Sandpiper
3 Oystercatcher
3 Common Tern

Little Egret

Farmoor 26th July 19.30 - 21.30

Caspian Gull  -  3rd summer Polish ringed. I can only be sure of this bird's age because I saw it as a 1st summer at Sutton Courtenay on 24th July 2014 (when it appeared to have mixed characters with mich). Awaiting details from the Polishing Bird Ringing Centre
Yellow-l Gull  - 25+ (on FI)
Great B-b Gull  -  2
Common Gull  -  1sts
Common Tern - 30
Sanderling  - 2

Farmoor 26th July

Common  Sandpiper 14
Turnstone 15:00 (per Mark Ribbons)
Sanderling 1

 Sanderling

Otmoor.A.M. 26th. July.

1 Peregrine
1 Kingfisher
1 Water Rail (h)
1 Bittern
2 Hobby.

Long Meadow (per Terry Tossel)

2+ Redstart (1m)
1 Spotted Flycatcher
1 Garden Warbler

Bittern on Otmoor courtesy of Norman Smith

Abingdon 26th July

Honey Buzzard S/W of Abingdon nr A34 junction being mobbed by crows c08:00
(per Steve Roby)

Otmoor RSPB 25th July

White Stork 'Z1213' Otmoor RSPB courtesy of Elementerry

Z1213

White Stork present at Noke near Lower Farm in freshly cut field 17:10 but then flew off and no further sign by 18:10 (per Terry Sherlock et al) the bird has a green ring (see below).

From car park follow the bridleway west for c1mile then take left hand track past farm buildings.
Found this afternoon on Ashgrave by Furgus.

Seen earlier today over Cumnor (per Pete Alan)

Video below courtesy of Furgus.

A White Stork’s Story  Taken from the superb Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust website:

by Allan Hale & Stewart South

Picture the scene; it is early morning on 21st June 2011 and Polish bird ringer Krzysztof Załuski is making his way to the village of Kleszewo in the province of Mazowieckie, some 70km due north of Warsaw. Krzysztof’s mission is to ring a brood of White Storks in the village. He climbs up to the nest and finds a brood of four healthy youngsters. He fits each of the young birds with a metal ring on one leg and a plastic colour-ring on the other. The purpose of the colour-rings being to enable the bird to be identified with the aid of a pair of binoculars, rather than having to capture it. One of the colour-rings was Green Z1213, and that particular bird is the subject of this story.

White Stork Otmoor RSPB courtesy of Elementerry

This unfortunate bird, along with 21 other White Storks, collided with power lines on migration south from Poland in, it is believed, 2014. In the same year Shorelands Wildlife Gardens, based at Dickleburgh, near Diss, imported all of these wild and injured White Storks from Poland to their centre amidst fears, apparently, that the Polish winter would be too cold for these birds, At Dickleburgh, the birds were being rehabilitated under the care and treatment of staff at Shorelands. And in November 2015 Shorelands were delighted to announce that several of the birds had recovered sufficiently to take to the air once again. Shorelands thought they would now have to decide if these White Storks should be transported back to Europe in spring 2016 to join the migration north or whether to wait and see what the birds decided to do?

As for Green Z1213 he (apparently it is a male bird) made his own mind up and decided to go wild again, without any human assistance. After departing Shorelands, it made its way across Norfolk to the Wildfowl & Wetland Trust at Welney where it was first seen on 27th February 2016. It lingered at Welney until 29th February when it flew off north at 10.25am. A mere 25 minutes later it was seen flying over Downham Market. It was located again on 4th March at Lyng, where it remained for three days, before going missing again.

On 10th March a posting on the NarVOS e-group alerted subscribers to the fact that a White Stork had just been seen at Nar Valley Fisheries. Allan and Stewart were among the early observers. And, of course, we know it’s the same White Stork as referred to above because its colour ring Z1213 could be read quite easily through a telescope. It was then that Allan, a licensed bird ringer, decided to seek out the ringing information about this bird. Stewart, for his part, Googled ‘White Stork Green Ring Z1213’ and that is how, between them, they have pieced together this fascinating tale On their sighting reports Birdguides and Rare Bird Alert identify this bird as an Escape, which is technically true. But this is no reared-in-captivity bird. This was once truly wild and it looks as if it is trying to become so again.

There have been further sightings of Z1213, at Wormegay High Bridge on 11th March, then at West Winch Common on 13th, at Blackborough End on 14th and at Setchey on 15th. The last confirmed sighting (at the time of writing) of Z1213 was near the River Nar at Wormegay High Bridge on 19th and again on 21st March. The White Stork sighting on the Isle of Wight on 17th March was clearly not the same bird.

White Stork Otmoor courtesy of Elemeterry

What will happen to Z1213? Will it hang around locally? Will it have the strength or impulse to migrate back to Poland? Will it breed in the wild, in the UK? It’s got to find a mate first, of course! The last British White Stork breeding record is claimed to have been in Edinburgh in 1416. Six hundred years on, who knows what could happen?

In addition to this we know this bird has been seen in Herefordshire recently.

Find out more about becoming a member of the brilliant Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust HERE

Port Meadow: 25th July

Port Meadow
Yellow-legged Gull: 3cy or sub-adult.
4 Oystercatcher
6 Common Tern: ad & juv.
2 Yellow Wagtail

Adam Hartley

Oxford 25th July

"Crane" reported flying west from Oxford over Raleigh Park, North Hinksey at 15:45 then turned North West towards Cumnor. SP489054. 

per I K Marriott via Going Birding

Actually, looking at Pete Allen's report from Cumnor, this may have actually been the White Stork

Otmoor July 25th

Turtle Dove
2 Cranes
Marsh Harrier
Bittern - reported early morning over reed-bed
2 Redstart -Long Meadow
1 Spotted Flycatcher - Long Meadow
Yellowhammer - Long Meadow
Hobby being mobbed by Swallow with young.

PR,SR, PG

Farmoor 25th July

3 Redshank
3 Dunlin
6 Common Sandpiper
2 Oystercatcher

(per Dai John & Ian Marriott)

Standlake Pit 60 25th July

Great White Egret still present at 10:30 am

(per Jim Hutchins)

Devil's Punchbowl: 25th July

Devil's Punchbowl
Redstart: m. Along Ridgeway, just to the south of the Punchbowl. 06:20.
2 Yellow Wagtail 06:20.
4 Corn Bunting 06:20.

Colin Vickers

Farmoor Reservoirs: 24th July lunchtime

Turnstone - F1/causeway
6+ Common Sandpiper - F1
c.11/12 Yellow-legged Gulls over both reservoirs.

Gareth Blockley and Daniel Watson

Standlake Pit 60:am 24th July

Great White Egret

Great White Egret

Little Egret

Standlake Pit 60 Sunday 24th July

Great White Egret just flown into pit 60 at the Langley hide end 10:10 a.m.

(per Clackers)

Standlake Pit 60 23rd July

Great White Egret still present at 8.45pm
Also:
1 Snipe
1 Barn Owl

Farmoor Reservoir: 23rd July

Farmoor Reservoir
Probable Turnstone: SP444060.

James Wainscoat

STandlake Pit 60 23rd July

Great White Egret back again and present up to 11.30 am when I left . There is some suggestion it goes to roost somewhere else and comes back to feed which it was doing keenly.
Also
4 Little egrets
31 Lapwing
2 Gadwall
1 Little Grebe
4 Common Tern
1 Oyster catcher

Standlake Pit 60 23rd July

No sign of the Great White Egret by 09:40
(per The Wickster et al)

Port Meadow Friday 22nd July

1 Greenshank
1 Common Sandpiper
1 Oystercatcher

Adam Hartley

Otmoor.A.M. 22nd July.

2 Water Rail (h)
10+ Little Egret
2 Marsh Harrier
2 Hobby
C. 100 Lapwing
2 Grasshopper Warbler
1 Stonechat (male reported from yesterday).

Standlake Pit 60:am 22nd July

GREAT WHITE EGRET still present at Pit 60
from Langley hide at 14:00 (per Peter Law).

Please park in the village and walk to hides.
The hides require a key to access.

Little Egret

Great White Egret

Great White Egret