January News & Review

Access to Pit 60 at Standlake

Please may I appeal to everyone who uses it to remember that access to Pit 60 is by foot from the head of the High Street or or just outside Mulberry Bush School, where cars may be parked.  Shifford Lane which leads from the A415 to the SSE substation is a restricted byway with no motorised vehicular access except on business, ie to the substation.  I know most birdwatchers already park at the start of the lane but recently the number of cars driving to the end has been increasing causing, especially in this wet weather, irreversible damage to the lane’s surface much to the detriment of walkers who use this as part of the Lower Windrush path. Also more recently cars have taken to driving across from Shifford Lane  to Langley Lane and then to the LL hide via the footpath which should be used ONLY by walkers and no wheeled vehicles. This path’s surface is quite incapable of carrying such a load. Any reduction in the number of vehicles using the Shifford Lane would be a great help. Access can be made by car by Langley Lane which I know is in a bad way but  it is a private track. As a positive there is nearly always something worth seeing along Shifford Lane when walking along it and any help you can give in this matter would be very welcome!

ATB

January Review

One of a number of Caspian Gulls frequenting Port Meadow this month, courtesy of Thomas Miller

January in Oxfordshire was for the most part a matter of "as you were" from the previous two months. Mild, wet winters such as we are presently experiencing are not known for producing too many headline local birds, and so things are proving. But for those who might seek spectacle over scarcity the other side of the coin is seasonal interest a plenty, and so this review period ultimately offered a somewhat subtle mix.

Slavonian Grebe, courtesy of Barry Neale
click on any image to enlarge

Starting with the county scarcities, December's long-staying Slavonian Grebe at Farmoor Reservoir lingered until 9th. This bird drew more admirers through that time who were rewarded with the opportunity to experience and photograph an obliging subject that remained faithful to one particular spot, the barley bales in the NW corner of F2. Our three wintering Scaup most likely commuted between the same site, Dix Pit and the private Cassington GPs during this month.

Whooper and Mute Swans at Dorchester, courtesy of Alan Dawson

Elsewhere two juvenile Hen Harrier retained top billing at RSPB Otmoor, while three Russian White-fronted Geese put in further appearances in the Dorchester-on-Thames area of south-east Oxon. Things evolved a little more from 12th when two Whooper Swan came and went in the latter location, and to the west possibly our county's first over-wintering Garganey did not escape the attention of patch workers at LWV Pit 60, Standlake. Both these items remained throughout January.

Whooper Swans at Stadhampton, courtesy of David Stracey

It seems reasonable to assume that the two larger wildfowl have been ranging widely, the Geese in particular being difficult to pinpoint. Two Whooper Swan were also cited on 5th at the Borrow Pit near Banbury, and the same record has now issued from a number of places around Oxfordshire this winter, so could all relate to the same roving birds. The likelihood of that strengthened when the two Swans visited Stadhampton on 18th. Quite separately nine Whoopers were viewed flying down the Cherwell Valley at Tackley on 21st.

Videos courtesy of Mick Cunningham

The state of moult of the winter plumage Garganey, very possibly our bird of the month, makes it difficult to sex but current thinking is a first year male and a different individual to that viewed at Pit 60 through autumn 2019. This month's bird has been seen and filmed (video below) displaying to both female Wigeon and Teal, and if it stays with us until March may offer the rare chance for Oxon birders to witness the moult into summer plumage, something that normally takes place away from the British Isles for males of that age.

A further duck of note was a red-head Smew at Dix Pit from 21st, perhaps the earlier individual from Standlake GPs relocating. The unusual opportunity thus arose to observe both these scarcer ducks in Oxon in one day. After the Garganey too hopped across to the re-vitalised Dix from 28th that even became possible at one site and the pairing became a popular draw. A second Aythya hybrid Scaup was noted at Otmoor on 31st.

Smew ↑ and Garganey ↓ at Dix Pit, courtesy of Steve Burch

Amongst the larid denizens of flooded areas across the county, Caspian Gull of varying age and purity were something of a feature. That sought after item amongst gull enthusiasts was noted at Standlake GPs (3rd), Blenheim Park (8th) and Appleford GPs (24 & 29th), as well as the regular private site of Didcot landfill. But "Casper" grand central proved to be Port Meadow where up to six individuals were at roost pretty much constantly from 12th onward.

Caspian Gulls at Blenheim Park (1w) ↑ and Didcot (adult) ↓
courtesy of Ian Lewington

Caspian Gulls in Port Meadow (3w) ↑ and at Appleford (adult) ↓
courtesy of Thomas Miller

The same medley of birds continued to make news through to month's end. But once again more notable passerine sightings were at a premium. The pick of the bunch were perhaps Black Redstart within the Harwell laboratory complex (10 & 17th) and on Magdalen College tower (21st), Siberian Chiffchaff at Abingdon sewage works, and what may be an over-wintering Firecrest in Standlake again on 24th. Seasonal Stonechat maintained their widespread county presence. A Great Grey Shrike was reported near Clanfield on 26th but not re-found subsequently.

Black Redstart at Harwell laboratory, courtesy of D Ferret

Moving onto the mostly flood related spectacle, wintering waders and wildfowl continued to impress. RSPB Otmoor as in any wetter new year offered huge potential for the discerning Plover observer. Counts of Lapwing and Golden Plover in the wider Otmoor basin swelled to respective peaks in excess of 4500 and 2400 during January. In west Oxon the flooded area between Cote and Chimney drew in another 4000 Lapwing and up to 320 Golden Plover, while better "Goldie" counts elsewhere were 250 in Port Meadow on 18th and 330 at Balscote Quarry (23rd).

Definitely NOT Starlings
Lapwing and Golden Plover on Otmoor, courtesy of Tom Nicholson-Lailey

Otmoor Wigeon, courtesy of Peter Barker

Barely less impressive concentrations of dabbling duck were cited from a range of locations. Otmoor with 2400 + and Standlake Pit 60 with a peak of 2000 + were most prominent for reported Teal counts. Otmoor also held 3284 Wigeon in this month's WeBS count, while Bicester Wetland Reserve hosted another 400 Teal. In excess of 100 elegant Pintail graced Pit 60 over the weekend of 25/26th. Elsewhere Goldeneye, Goosander and Shelduck were more stand-out features amongst wintering wildfowl in various places. All of this amounted to turn of the year local birding par excellence.

Farmoor Goldeneye Ⓒ and courtesy of Bryan Manston

Miscellaneous other bird sightings of note at non-regular sites around Oxfordshire were

• Bittern at Sonning Eye GPs and LWV Pit 60 
• Great White Egret at Henley Road and Radley GPs, and Otmoor
• Marsh Harrier at Standlake GPs west to Cote
• Hen Harrier at downland sites in the south-west and elsewhere
• Peregrine in Banbury town centre
• Short-eared Owl in the Tetsworth area east of Oxford
• Mediterranean Gull at Sonning Eye
• Green Sandpiper at Appleford and Baulking Pit
• Up to 6 Ruff in Port Meadow and more on the Cote floods

Black Swans at Otmoor, courtesy of Barry Neale

Our novelty item this month is two Black Swan that visited Otmoor's northern lagoon early in January. Those exotics have also been observed between Port Meadow, Dix Pit and Standlake GPs through the current season. Lastly the northward spread through Oxfordshire of another exotic, Egyptian Goose was further evidenced by a first site record for Balscote Quarry on 30th. Now just one mild, wet winter month remains before everything, hopefully begins to take off again for a new spring passage period.


Peter Law