August Review and News

We Are Ten!

This month marks the tenth anniversary of Oxonbirding (previously The Oxon Bird Log) so we have added our original 2010 header. We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of you who have contributed to it over the last decade. With the advent of social media there are now multiple platforms of instant information regarding bird sightings, these include at least four county WhatsApp and Facebook groups, twenty three local blogs and numerous personal twitter accounts, as well as two local sightings sites, ebird, Bird Track and two subscription based national bird news services. With so much choice we hope that this blog will continue to serve as a focal point for sightings and news for Oxfordshires birds for as long as its required.

Cheers x

Our First Posts, 10 Years ago

August Highlights

Spotted Redshank (juv) and friends on Otmoor, courtesy of Pete Roby

August in Oxfordshire produced a deal of seasonal interest but few generally accessible headline birds. As in July much of the focus surrounded passage waders and passerines.

Farmoor Reservoir scored a number of scarcer waders through the month. The first was a smart adult Little Stint for two days from the 2nd. Southbound Sanderling continued to pass through there with two more logged on 8th and 13th. A juvenile Knot, the fourth site record for 2020 was noted on the evening of 25th. And most notably of all, a Pectoral Sandpiper flew straight through on 30th, being seen by just one observer.

Above & below a fly through Pectoral Sandpiper at Farmoor Reservoir, courtesy of Bryan Manston.

Little Stint, courtesy of Dai John
click on any image to enlarge

Farmoor Sanderling, courtesy of Nick Truby

Knot (juv), courtesy of Roger Wyatt

Appleford GPs continued to feature prominently in this log, with Wood Sandpiper sighted there again on 18th and 22nd. That complex was joined as a popular county venue for distant viewing of waders by the sensitive, private site of Cassington GPs from mid-month. But perhaps the stand-out wader record for August, prior to the Pec Sand was a juvenile Spotted Redshank watchable more closely from the first screen at RSPB Otmoor for just one afternoon on 23rd, that provides this review's banner.

Wood Sandpiper, courtesy of Conor McKenzie

Amongst more frequent waders, Green Sandpiper featured often and prominently at 9 different wetland sites across the county, while Common Sandpiper were recorded at 11 locations. There were around 36 sightings of Green and 44 of Common county-wide through this review period. Ringed Plover with 20+ records from 3 sites, and Little Ringed Plover with 10+ records from 5 sites, also featured strongly.

Black-tailed Godwits, courtesy of Badger

Those and other birds in the group's better counts in different places included:

• 7 Black-tailed Godwit at Appleford on 3rd, and 6 at Blenheim on 8th
• 8 Green Sandpiper at Appleford on 6th and 9th, 14 at Bicester Wetland Reserve on 6th, 10 at Cassington GPs on 15th, and 7 at Ardley Lagoon on 16th
• Up to 10 Common Sandpiper regularly at Farmoor Reservoir, and 10 at Cassington GPs on 15th
• 3 Little Ringed Plover at Appleford on 6th
• 6 Ringed Plover at Cassington GPs on 15th, and 9 at Farmoor on 27th
• 2 Turnstone at Farmoor on 27th

Common Sandpiper, courtesy of Nick Truby

Common Scoter at Grimsbury Reservoir, courtesy of Kyle Smith

There were some notable wildfowl records here and there, with top billing going to drake Common Scoter at Farmoor on 1st and Grimsbury Reservoir as briefly on 17th. Garganey continued to feature with a single bird at Appleford and four at Cassington GPs. A Mandarin was noted on the Thames at Dorchester on 14th. 9 Ruddy Shelduck, thought to be from one of the self-sustaining continental populations and so classified as category C5, drew a succession of Oxon birders to Blenheim Park for much of the month between 3rd and 26th. 

Ruddy Shelduck, courtesy of Nick Truby

Great White Egret, courtesy of Badger

Great White Egrets returned ahead of autumn to the last-named location, being viewed regularly there with up to three more at Cassington GPs. Later in the month two Cattle Egrets added a touch of global warming to the proceedings, the first dropping in at Sonning Eye GPs on 16th, then another lingering at Otmoor on 29 & 30th. A further more unusual long-legged item was a Great Bustard encountered on the Downs near Wantage on 1st, and later confirmed as being from the Salisbury Plain release scheme.

Sonning Eye Cattle Egret, courtesy of Marek Walford

Otmoor Cattle Egret, courtesy of Pete Roby

Amongst raptors, Hobby and Peregrine continued to reflect the season. A Marsh Harrier was seen on the Downs again on 23rd. A southbound Osprey flew over Farmoor Reservoir on 30th and another was noted over Barnard Gate mid-month.

Osprey, courtesy of Bryan Manston.

Peregrine, courtesy of Jeremy Dexter

Hobby, courtesy of Nick Truby

Tern passage was very light, the only records being Black Terns through Farmoor on 16th and 29th, 6 Arctic there late on 25th and another on 30th when 2 Sandwich Tern also moved through. The month's 2 Little Gull sightings came from Farmoor and Sonning Eye, both on 16th. A juvenile Mediterranean Gull visited Grimsbury Reservoir on 11th.

Redstart, courtesy of Jeremy Dexter

And so we come to small passerines. The usual return passage suspects - Redstart, Whinchat and Wheatear - continued to offer themselves up to patch watchers county-wide. A common Crossbill in Banbury on 10th, and Tree Pipits over Grimsbury Reservoir on 15th and Oxford's Southfield golf course towards month's end, were  picked out by the sharpest-eyed and eared amongst us.

Whinchat, courtesy of Jeremy Dexter

Wheatear, courtesy of Peter Barker

The best counts in this group were:

• 3 Redstart at each of the Devil's Punchbowl on 14th, and Otmoor on 22nd
• 16 Whinchat on Otmoor on 31st
• 31 Yellow Wagtail at Moreton Golf Course on 23rd
• 8 Wheatear at Lark Hill, Wantage on 26th
• 8 Spotted Flycatcher at Over Worton on 26th

Over the bank holiday weekend at month's end Oxon's finest birders and photographers were out in force, recording much more of the seasonal fayre and a few of the highlights set out above. Up until then this review had been in danger of appearing a little wooden, but once more the local birding scene produced a sting in the tail. I would like to end on our 10th anniversary by endorsing Eds' wish that this blog will continue to serve as a focal point for county bird sightings and news in the future. Keep it coming everyone.

Peter Law

Odonata Update

By all accounts it's been an excellent summer for Oxon Odonata fans. This has been spurred on in no small measure by the start of the great Oxon Dragonflies blog which has already become the main focal point for all things Odonata related in the county.

The highlight of the season was the discovery of a new colony of Southern Migrant Hawkers (or Blue-eyed Hawkers) on Otmoor. These were first found along the path between Oddington and Noke a month or two ago as immatures - once identified this led to a mini twitch as some of the county's keenest came to take a look. Things then went quiet for a while until some mature specimens started to get spotted in the same location with both males and females being seen. In recent weeks they have been spotted elsewhere around the reserve with sightings between the first and second screens, on the Pill and along the Roman Road. With so much great habitat on the reserve and a good summer behind them they must surely go on to become well established on Otmoor.

Southern Migrant Hawker courtesy of Mick Higgs

The second new discovery was a colony of Scarce Blue-tailed Damselflies in a park in Banbury. Occupying a rather nondescript storm drain near the canal this colony was much visited during the summer and people came to pay homage to this delightful Damselfly.

Female "Aurantiaca" phase Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly (c) Wayne Bull

The third discovery was of Willow Emeralds in the county. First seen last year in an obscure pond deep in Wytham Wood, this species is rapidly colonising the country and it was inevitable that they would soon arrive in Oxon. What became the second record and the first to be photographed was found at Radley Lakes. However with increased coverage at Otmoor due to the Blue-eyed Hawkers there at least two were since discovered there along the Roman Road and it's surely only a matter of time before they establish themselves there and elsewhere in the county.

Willow Emerald [focus stacked] (c) Stephen Burch

Willow Emerald courtesy of Badger.

Finally, I have to mention one that got away: a possible male Lesser Emperor on Radley Lakes. Had that been firmed up that would have prompted a huge county twitch.

So all in all, things are doing very well in the Odonata world in Oxfordshire. Long may this continue!

Adam Hartley