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For questions you can contact Adam at: adamchartley "at" gmail "dot" com or Jason at: jasoncppk "at" yahoo "dot" co "dot" uk
Tuesday 21 May 2024
Bicester Wetland Reserve 21st May
150 House Martin
30 Swift
20 Swallow
3 Reed Warbler
A Peters
Key Holder Reserve
Monday 20 May 2024
Otmoor: 20th May
3 Cuckoo: At least 3 singing. 19:00.
7 Hobby: Hawking the reed bed at dusk. 19:00.
Probable Great White Egret: Seen distantly. Looked too large to be a Little or Cattle. 19:00.
Nick Suckling
Standlake Pit 60: 20th May
78 Starling: In to today roost. 20:58.
Swinbrook
Marsh Harrier: cc. Hunting over a field for 20 minutes. Miles from water. Bird has a gap in (left?) wing. 20:58.
Mick Cunningham
Otmoor: The Flood: 20th May
Glossy Ibis: Still present over Flood this morning. Only really visible during flight and disappeared into vegetation on landing.
3 Cuckoo: Two regular males chasing an hepatic female.
Steve Roby
Woodstock: Sansoms Farm: 20th May
Hobby: perched on a fence post.
Corn Bunting: singing.
4 Whitethroat: singing on the fields around Sansoms Farm.
9 Yellowhammer
30 Skylark: At least 30 singing, probably more.
2 Raven
Cattle Egret: flying over.
Bob Pomfret
Ardley ERF Lagoon: 20th May
Red-crested Pochard: Still on Lagoon on the far side. 11:15.
Little Ringed Plover: One far side. 11:15.
Graeme Porter
Carterton/Alvescot: 20th May
Grey Partridge: f. I've seen a pair here over last couple of months. Not sure about provenance as there are lots of red-legs. 11:41.
Mick Cunningham
Sunday 19 May 2024
Carterton/Alvescot: 19th May
5 Corn Bunting: At least 2 pairs and a singing male on alvescot downs. 21:01.
Milton Common
2 Corn Bunting: Singing. 21:01.
Cote
Yellow Wagtail: Near great brook. 21:01.
Mick Cunningham
Widford: 19th May
Blenheim: Blenheim Lake: 19th May
Oystercatcher: on the island, busy seeing off a jackdaw. A nest maybe.
4 Common Tern
9 Little Egret: including 4 recently fledged juv. Possibly two nests. Difficult to be sure especially with cattle egrets also present.
5 Cattle Egret: seen flying to and from the island. Possibly nesting but difficult to be sure.
16 Grey Heron: still several occupied nests on the island.
4 Egyptian Goose: two pairs, one with three young.
50 Sand Martin: busy around the bridge and nesting on both sides. I think there are around 50ish. Difficult to be sure.
Raven
Bob Pomfret
Tar Lakes, Rushy Common: 19th May
Cattle Egret: On main island. First time I've seen this species here. SP382072. 11:23.
2 Oystercatcher: SP382072. 11:23.
Jon Hicks
Stratfield Brake: 19th May
Cuckoo: Heard from canal along with lovely dawn chorus. 09:04.
Andrew Siantonas
Saturday 18 May 2024
Stratfield Brake: 18th May
Cuckoo: Near canal, also 8 species of warbler heard (no grasshopper or sedge warbler), barn owl on Thursday. 19:30.
Simon Myers
Lidstone: 18th May
2 Corn Bunting: Singing. 22:39.
11 Whitethroat: Singing males in a relatively small area. Linear walk. Seem to have arrived whilst I was abroad. 22:39.
Mick Cunningham
Ardley ERF 18th May
Red-crested pochard - 1 drake on the lagoon found by JFT this morning.
Dunlin - 1
Little ringed plover - 1
Otmoor rspb 18th May
Uffington 18th May
Woodstock: Glyme valley: 18th May
Cuckoo: Singing within area of private nature reserve. First for me in this area. 09:00.
Gareth Casburn
Farmoor: 18th May
Sanderling still present on the causeway, plus Yellow Wagtail and Little Egret over and 2 Cuckoos calling. eBird list is here.
Friday 17 May 2024
Otmoor rspb 17th May
Thursday 16 May 2024
Standlake: 16th May
Cuckoo: m. Singing at back of my Rack End house. A traditional spot but not last year. New bird? 23:50.
Mick Cunningham
Chinnor: Cement Works: 16th May
3 Little Ringed Plover: Lake 2b. 10:30.
2 Oystercatcher: Lake 2b. 10:30.
2 Yellow Wagtail: Pair along shoreline of Lake 2b. 10:30.
David Stracey
Toot Baldon: 16th May
Toot Baldon
Hobby: SP565011. 10:40.
Quail: Singing in arable field at bottom of slope just N of Toot Baldon. SP565011. 10:55.
Alex Edgar
Bicester Wetland Reserve 16th May
1 Oystercatcher
1 Cuckoo
Lots of common warblers
1 Grass Snake
A Peters
Key Holder Reserve
Wednesday 15 May 2024
Rushy Common: 15th May
2 Cuckoo: Flying over lake together calling. SP382073. 02:45.
John Pimm
Otmoor rspb 15th May
Blenheim 15th May
Common tern - 2
Willow warbler - 1
North Woodstock
Willow warbler - 2 singing in Glyme Valley area
Juv Little Egrets, Blenheim |
Eynsham: 15th May
Cuckoo: Seen and heard this morning alomg by the Wharf stream. 17:37.
Richard Parsons
Tuesday 14 May 2024
Meadows at the back of Seacourt Park and Ride: 14th May
2 Cuckoo: Correction. There are 2 cuckoos calling. Slightly differently pitched, but occasionally they can be heard calling at the same time. SP492065. 20:59.
JB Woodford
Standlake: 14th May
2 Cuckoo: male. Heard in direction of Hunts Corner Lake, and towards Sailing Club. Both two and three element calls heard. SP402038. 20:56.
Graeme Coates
River Thames: nr Yarnton: 14th May
Wheatear: In fenced area by Hagley Pool above King's Lock where a new channel is being built. 17:02.
Kings Lock
Oystercatcher: Flew over river by weir toward Pixey Mead. 17:02.
Andrew Siantonas
Ascott-under-Wychwood: 14th May
Siskin: On garden feeder. SP300185. 15:21.
Mark Pidgeon
Sonning Eye GPs: 14th May
Hobby: Seen from road near the roundabout .entrance. 12:40.
Ralph Watts
Sunday 12 May 2024
Chipping Norton 12th May
Quail 2 m singing in wheat field off Charlbury Road about 1km SE of Chipping Norton (about here)
per Ben Fisher
Otmoor: RSPB reserve: 12th May
Otmoor: RSPB reserve
2 Grey Partridge: Pair flushed at close range from beside footpath, Noke end of Ashgrave. 11:30.
Kidlington: Thrupp
Peregrine: fem. Drifted low over the Jolly Boatman pub heading north. 19:00.
Simon Myers
Radley GP: 12th May
Grasshopper Warbler: Heard singing at dusk. 21:00.
3 Common Sandpiper: Together at Thrupp Lake at dusk. 21:00.
Ian Elkins
Waterstock: River Thame: 12th May
17 Chiffchaff 07:30.
Cuckoo 07:30.
Grey Wagtail 07:30.
12 Blackcap 07:30.
7 Garden Warbler 07:30.
12 Whitethroat 07:30.
12 Reed Bunting 07:30.
19 Sedge Warbler 07:30.
12 Swallow 07:30.
2 Linnet 07:30.
2 Little Egret 07:30.
2 Gadwall 07:30.
7 Yellow Wagtail 07:30.
2 Reed Warbler 07:30.
Greenshank 07:30.
2 Raven 07:30.
7 Lapwing 07:30.
2 Common Tern 07:30.
2 Oystercatcher 07:30.
Nick Marriner
Chinnor: Cement Works: 12th May
Yellow Wagtail 09:00.
Little Ringed Plover 09:00.
Liam Russell
Saturday 11 May 2024
Rushy Common: 11th May
Marsh Harrier: fem. Soaring in thermal with (but widely separated from) red kite and cormorant after having 'squabble' with former. Cormorant on top, red kite at bottom. SP382073. 03:00.
John Pimm
Chipping Norton: 11th May
3 Swift: FOY Swifts return to The Leys in Chippy!!! (Earlier report of one over West St) . 15:40.
Steve Akers
White Stork Oxon 11th May
Courtesy of Wayne Paes. |
Eynsham: 11th May
Cuckoo: Calling heard around the allotments near Wharf Road. 09:30.
Glen Pascoe
Farmoor Reservoir: 11th May
(per Phil Chapman et al)
Blenheim: Northern park: 11th May
Stonechat: Male. 12:27.
Corn Bunting 2 singing
David Watkinson
Friday 10 May 2024
Chipping Norton: 10th May
Mandarin Duck: drk. With Mallards on wetland at Swailsford Bridge, Cornwell. SP283263. 19:30.
27 Mallard: SP283263. 19:30.
Sedge Warbler: Second record this year on the marsh. SP283263. 19:30.
2 Water Rail: Poss 3 present H/O. SP283263. 19:30.
7 Reed Bunting: ad male. Calling from reeds and alder over territories. SP283263. 19:30.
4 Swallow: SP283263. 19:30.
Steve Akers
Yarnton Mead: 10th May
Cuckoo: Heard then seen as it flew from tree at Cassington end of Yarnton Mead. 17:29.
Andrew Siantonas
South Leigh: 9th May
2 Yellow Wagtail: pair in same location where they bred last year. 19:00.
Richard Catling
Bicester: 9th May
Grasshopper Warbler: Reeling in wet scrub beside Graven hill. Also singing: lesser whitethroat and whitethroat, >5 sedge warblers, and other common warbler species in same area. SP584213. 19:30.
Simon Myers
Thursday 9 May 2024
Cogges, Witney: 9th May
2 Marsh Harrier: fem. Came from Langel Common direction went north after having a tumbling interaction over houses. Both appeared to have all dark underwings but light was bad. SP363098. 18:00.
John Pimm
Port Meadow: 9th May
Port Meadow
5 Ringed Plover
4 Shelduck
20 Barnacle Goose
20 Snow Goose
No sign of the Garganey this evening
Adam Hartley, Steve Sansom
Oxford: Longbridges Nature Park: 9th May
Common Sandpiper: feeding along western bank of western river channel (horse field). 19:00.
Garden Warbler 19:00.
Nicholas Boyd
RSPB Otmoor 9 May
Banbury: 9th May
2 Hobby: 2 over Bretch Hill this afternoon, per Clive Payne.
Gareth Blockley
Wednesday 8 May 2024
Otmoor 8th May
Oxford: Iffley Road: 8th May
4 Swift: Quite high up, then 3 low at 19:50. First I've seen this year, though one or two heard on Sunday 5th. SP527050. 19:28.
Patrick Keiller
Portway, near Caulcott: 8th May
Corn Bunting: Seen singing from top of hazel bush on west side of the Portway ~300 metres south of junction with B4030. Another heard nearer the junction. SP499240. 10:15.
Patrick Keiller
Upper Heyford 8th May
Harwell: 8th May
4 Swift: 4+ over The Cleave/Jennings Lane this morning, also heard screaming yesterday evening- first of the year. SU493892. 09:56.
Philip Chapman
Tuesday 7 May 2024
Port Meadow: 7th May
Garganey: m.
4 Shelduck
2 Egyptian Goose
Adam Hartley, Steve Lavington, Steve Sansom
Chinnor: Cement Works: 7th May
3 Little Ringed Plover: Lake 2b. 10:00.
2 Oystercatcher: Lake 2b. 10:00.
David Stracey
Henley Road GPs: 7th May
2 Hobby: Over lake. 16:45.
Lower Shiplake
3 Buzzard: Over. 16:45.
Ralph Watts
Farmoor Reservoir 7th May
Sonning Eye GPs: 7th May
5 Hobby 12:56.
Yellow-legged Gull: ad. Very late bird! 12:56.
Marek Walford
Bicester Wetland Reserve: 7th May
Grasshopper Warbler: Seen and heard reeling by small hide with Colin Oram. 08:15.
Marsh Harrier: Flying over reserve. Seen with Colin Oram. 08:15.
Laurie Bryant
Monday 6 May 2024
Tar Lakes, Rushy Common: 6th May
2 Cuckoo: 1 seen. It was brown. SP382073. 17:00.
2 Red-crested Pochard: male. SP382073. 17:00.
John Pimm
Port Meadow 6th May
Newbury Street, Wantage. OX12 8BS: 6th May
3 Swift: First screaming birds of 2024; they returned on 5 May in 2023. SU397878. 15:40.
Mike Waring
Appleford GPs
Sutton Courtenay 6th May
Otmoor rspb 6th May
Sunday 5 May 2024
Eynsham: Oxford Road: 5th May
Grasshopper Warbler: male. Heard only. Has been site at least 3-4 days. SP443091. 08:00.
Allen Stevens
Rushy Common: 5th May
Red-crested Pochard: drk. On Down Valley Way pit. 17:50.
3 Shelduck: On Down Valley Way pit. 17:50.
Oystercatcher: On Down Valley Way pit. 17:50.
Wigeon: drk. On Down Valley Way pit. 17:50.
Red-legged Partridge: At Down Valley Way pit. 17:50.
Negative news Garganey: No further sign of any Garganey on Down Valley Way pit by 17:50. 17:50.
Ian Elkins
Otmoor: RSPB reserve: 5th May
Cuckoo 13:30.
14 Hobby 13:30.
Marsh Harrier 13:30.
Oystercatcher 13:30.
3 Little Egret 13:30.
20 Lapwing 13:30.
2 Water Rail: H/O. 13:30.
Steve Akers
Stanton Harcourt 5th May
Pinkhill, Farmoor; Sunday 5th May
08:30-11:00
Cuckoo 2
Grasshopper Warbler (heard only)
Garden Warbler 2
Farmoor Reservoir: Pinkhill Lock: 5th May
2 Common Sandpiper: Flying up and down river. SP439068. 12:00.
Matthew Lloyd
Letcombe Bassett: Gramps Hill: 5th May
2 Yellow Wagtail: In stubble field next to road, south of The Ridgeway. SU368436. 13:06.
Geoff Dymott
Woodstock 5th May
In the area north of Old Woodstock:
Lesser whitethroat - 2 or 3 singing
Willow warbler - 3 singing
Sedge warbler - 2 singing
Tar Lakes, Rushy Common: 4th May
Cuckoo: Calling. SP378073. 03:07.
John Pimm
Otmoor rspb 5th May
Bicester Wetlands 5th May
Port Meadow 5th May
Port Meadow
2 Cattle Egret
6 Shelduck
2 Common Tern
2 Lapwing
Garganey
3f Blue-headed Wagtail
Cuckoo
David Williams, Steve Lavington, Adam Hartley, Matthew Lloyd
Saturday 4 May 2024
Chipping Norton: 4th May
Mandarin Duck: drk. On the wetland at Swailsford Bridge near Cornwell this evening. SP283263. 20:30.
Steve Akers
Standlake, Pit 60: 4th May
Cuckoo 2
Cattle Egret 3, east fields
Otmoor rspb 4th May
Dix Pit: 4th May
2 Cuckoo: Calling in the NE corner of site. 10:00.
Garden Warbler 10:00.
7 Buzzard: High count overhead, various pair displaying. 10:00.
Glen Pascoe
Farmoor Reservoir 4th May
Port Meadow 4th May
No sign of the 1st sum/f Grey-headed Wagtail by 11:30.
Black-tailed Godwit
32+ Snow Geese
Barnacle Geese
7 Shelduck
2 Wigeon,
several Gadwall
Male cuckoo on Burgess Field earlier
Nick Boyd et al
Standlake Pit 60: 4th May
3 Hobby 10:58.
4 Great White Egret 10:58.
2 Oystercatcher 10:58.
Cuckoo 10:58.
Dave Murphy
Devil's Punchbowl: 4th May
Grey-headed Wagtail Port Meadow 3rd May 2024
A female/1st summer Grey-headed (thunbergi) Wagtail on Port Meadow yesterday evening (found by Thomas Miller).
It is being looked for this morning but no sign so far (07:30 a.m.)
Very difficult to see on the far bank and hidden in amongst the vegetation.
Courtesy of Steve Sansom |
Birding Frontiers
Friday 3 May 2024
Farmoor Reservoir 3rd May
Bicester - 2nd May
Black Redstart - a male briefly at the south end of Chapel Street in the centre of Bicester (per Max Bennett).
Grimsbury Reservoir 3rd May
Thursday 2 May 2024
Chipping Norton: 2nd May
5 Sand Martin: SP283263. 10:45.
7 House Martin: SP283263. 10:45.
17 Swallow: SP283263. 10:45.
Whitethroat: SP283263. 10:45.
6 Pied Wagtail: On the wetland at Swailsford Bridge, Cornwell. SP283263. 10:45.
Green Woodpecker: SP283263. 10:45.
Steve Akers
Milcombe: 2nd May
Probable 2 Crane: Possibles flying over Newcombe Close towards Bloxham. 18:52.
Mary Clifton
Henley Road GPs: 2nd May
2 Common Sandpiper: Two birds on yellow float. 17:30.
60 House Martin: Plus birds mixed flock of House and Sand Martins. 17:30.
Swift: One bird only. But no sighting of Cuckoo reported twice from this site. 17:30.
Ralph Watts
Rushy fen: 1st May
Sandwich Tern: SP382073. 03:30.
Cuckoo: Seen and calling. SP382073. 03:30.
John Pimm
April Review
Highlights
Despite the weathers best efforts
the onward march of our spring migrants continued unabated, with nearly all of
our regularly occurring migrants having either passed through the county or
arrived back on summer territories. The early theme continued across April with
several species arriving quite a bit earlier than their median arrival date and
potentially regretting that choice with the cold and wet spring we are
currently experiencing. Typically April is expected to throw up the odd rarity
with many species on the move, Wood Warbler, Glossy Ibis and Spotted
Crake have all been recorded in recent years whilst even the odd mega can and
does rock up – see the adult Bonaparte’s Gull on Blenheim in
2019. That being said, every now and then we get thrown the odd curve ball and
something totally under the radar turns up to kick everyone into action.
Otmoor Cranes courtesy of Malcolm Bowey |
That was the case on the 10th when reports of a Hooded Crow at Blenheim came through.You’d be forgiven for wondering whether this might turn out to be at best an aberrant Carrion Crow or possibly a Hybrid of some sort. Several minutes later though, photo confirmation nailed the identity and we had our first county mega of the year! Quite unbelievably the bird was found by not only an out of county birder but the previous chair of BOURC. This was the first solid record in close to half a century with the last bird coming in 1982 at West Hendred, nearly a decade before some of us were born never mind birding so this was proper mega territory. Hooded Crow tend to stick around for a little while so there was hope this would be an easy bird to connect with, but this was not to be the case. Even those who were able to react immediately to the news were left disappointed when the bird could not be found despite extensive searching over the next couple of days. Surprisingly there was a spate of records between 1965 and 1982 with 10 records in this 17 year period, with even a pair of birds recorded at Farmoor in 1975. We can only hope that the next record doesn’t take another four decades to turn up in the county or that it will be at the very least more confiding than this latest one.
The Hooded Crow at Blenheim courtesy of Andrew Harrop |
With 23 species added in April the county year list now stands at a respectable 183 for the year and May should add a few more species before the classic summer lull.
Migrant
arrival dates
Species |
Median
(since 2000) |
Earliest |
2024 |
Sandwich Tern |
10-Apr |
18-Mar |
06-Apr |
Yellow
Wagtail |
01-Apr |
05-Mar |
03-Apr |
Common Tern |
04-Apr |
04-Feb |
02-Apr |
Arctic Tern |
16-Apr |
30-Mar |
09-Apr |
Whitethroat |
10-Apr |
29-Jan |
07-Apr |
Reed Warbler |
13-Apr |
31-Mar |
02-Apr |
Cuckoo |
10-Apr |
30-Mar |
08-Apr |
Grasshopper
Warbler |
11-Apr |
04-Apr |
06-Apr |
Garden
Warbler |
15-Apr |
24-Mar |
14-Apr |
Lesser
Whitethroat |
15-Apr |
05-Apr |
09-Apr |
Whimbrel |
17-Apr |
29-Mar |
06-Apr |
Hobby |
15-Apr |
05-Apr |
14-Apr |
Sanderling |
20-Apr |
25-Jan |
19-Apr |
Greenshank |
06-Apr |
28-Jan |
14-Apr |
Turnstone |
30-Apr |
29-Jan |
02-Apr |
Swift |
15-Apr |
30-Mar |
10-Apr |
Tree Pipit |
20-Apr |
30-Mar |
18-Apr |
Whinchat |
19-Apr |
02-Jan |
13-Apr |
Spotted
Flycatcher |
02-May |
05-Apr |
23-Apr |
Waders
The pair of Avocet continued at Otmoor in the early part of April after arriving in the latter part of March. They both stuck around until the 2nd with at least one bird still present on the 5th. The first Sanderling of the spring turned up right cue with a pair of birds at Farmoor on the 19th, whilst not quite in full summer finery they are always stunning little birds whilst in moult.
Farmoor Sanderling courtesy of Steve Liptrot |
A single Turnstone here on the 2nd was a little earlier than is typical for the species although another bird here on 22nd was more classic in terms of timing whilst another was present on the 29th.
Farmoor Turnstone courtesy of Kyle Smith |
Wood Sandpiper, not always an annual spring migrant, made it into the review
period at the last minute with a single bird in the Upper Cherwell in
the north of the county on the 29th.
Wood Sandpiper courtesy of John Friendship-Taylor |
One of the species I look forward to the most in spring are Whimbrel and the first was noted on the 6th with a single bird calling in the night over Standlake. Farmoor hosted the most records with four records between the 10th and 23rd, with a high count of three birds on the latter date. Pit 60 also hosted a couple records with three also here on the 23rd and quite possibly the same birds seen later at Farmoor. Three other sites also hosted bird this month – Port Meadow (20th), Otmoor (21st) and Chimney Meadows (27th).
Pit 60 Whimbrel courtesy of Mick Cunningham |
The county saw its first Greenshank in the middle of the month with single at Churn on the 14th. Birds then followed at Port Meadow with two here on the 20th rising to four birds by the 22nd with two birds remaining on the 26th. Otmoor also had two birds on the 21st, whilst Balscote Quarry had pair on the 22nd.
Balscote Quarry Greenshank courtesy of Edwin Barson |
The large flock of Black-tailed Godwit that was present in March had receded by the start of April, with between 7 and 11 birds here up until the 6th. This rose again on the 7th where 39 birds were observed on Otmoor with 33 still here almost a week later. Presumably the same flock was commuting again between Otmoor and Port Meadow where up to 25 bids were seen between the 3rd and 14th. By the 21st this flock had reduced to a single bird on Otmoor. Presumably a different flock chose Rushy Common and its surrounds as pre-breeding staging grounds where up to 20 birds were observed between the 6th and 23rd, occasionally losing and gaining birds over the course of that time. The same flock were probably also observed at Pit 60 on the 7th where 27 flew through the site.
Ringed Plover were spread fairly thinly on the ground at four sites, with three of those been regular stop off points for this species. Otmoor had a single bird on the 1st and 5th, whist Farmoor had a bird on the 10th and 27th. Port Meadow hosted the most birds with two here on the 14th with a single there the previous day. Peep-o-Day Lane also hosted a lone bird on the 27th. Dunlin had obviously reached their peak passage the previous month, with the wintering flock finally dispersed and presumably on breeding grounds somewhere much further north. Port Meadow hosted the most birds with up to four recorded between the 14th and 26th. Pairs were also seen at Otmoor on the 1st and at Farmoor between the 15th and 27th.
Farmoor Dunlin courtesy of Nick Truby |
Little Ringed Plover were well represented across the county this month with at least seven sites hosted birds back on breeding territories. The most birds came from Peep-o-Day Lane and Chinnor where seven were present on the 13th and 27th respectively.
Grimsbury Reservoir Little Ringed Plover courtesy of Edwin Barson |
Common Sandpiper migration was also got well under way with at least seven sites hosting birds during April. The first returning bird came from Grimsbury Reservoir and Moreton Golf Course both on the 7th, whilst new bird joined the wintering bird at Farmoor on the same date. Farmoor was the site that saw the most individuals seven on the 16th , although Pit 60 had five between the 14th and 27th. Green Sandpiper were only at three sites this month, with long staying birds at Bicester Wetlands and new birds in at Appleford on the 18th and Fyfield Wick on the 23rd, whilst a late Jack Snipe record came from South Leigh on the 6th.
Wildfowl etc
A typically quiet period for this group, the main highlights bookended the month with the group of four White-fronted Geese still present between the 2nd and 4th. Garganey have been a bit thin on the ground this spring, with very few records compared to 2023 where several sites had pairs and one site even had up to six birds for much of the spring. A lone female was on Pit 60 on the 16th which was then seemingly joined by a male on the 25th just down the road in Widford. The pair remined here until at least the 30th. A single drake was also present on Otmoor on the 23rd, which raised hopes of a successful breeding year here again with a female potentially tucked away elsewhere on site.
Widford Garganey courtesy of Ewan Urquhart |
Shelduck were fairly widespread this month with at least six sites hosting birds. Typically the most birds came from Port Meadow with up to six birds here between the 5th and 26th. Four birds were at Sandpit on the 1st, whilst Farmoor, Days Lock and Rushy Common all hosted between 1-3 birds in the latter part of the month. Goosander lingered on at Pit 60 where two birds were present on the 21st, even more surprising was a late Goldeneye also here on the 21st where it remained until the following day. Mandarin were on three sites this month with pairs at Days Lock, Chipping Norton and Sonning Eye GP’s on the 1st, 8th and 11th respectively.
Herons, egrets etc
In what is now becoming an annual occurrence since the reintroduction project down at Knepp Estate in Sussex, a White Stork was picked up over Oxon airspace on the 21st with one circling Iffley in Oxford. A few days later it was seen over Otmoor on the 24th and initially appeared un-ringed only for the requisite bling observed the following day when the bird was seen on the deck. Whatever your thoughts on the reintroduction project the species looks set to be a permanent fixture of the countries avifauna and a regular occurrence in the county.
Otmoor White Stork courtesy of Peter Milligan |
Another now permanent fixture, at least of the southern counties, Cattle Egret continued much in the same way they did the previous month. The wintering flock now having dispersed from their preferred pasture field by Wytham with six sites hosting birds including the breeding colony at Blenheim. The largest flock still around came from Farmoor on the 16th where 10 birds were seen over in flight, although eight were also seen at Pit 60 on the 14th. Great White Egret also continued where they left of the previous month with at least nine sites recording birds. The highest count and seemingly a county record came from Pit 60 on the 6th where at least eight birds were recorded and potentially up to 11 were across the site and wider landscape. Eight were here on two other occasions and surely the first breeding record for the county can’t be too far behind. Port Meadow also had a decent number of birds where five were present on the 22nd.
Great White Egret Blenheim, courtesy of Michael Enticott |
Gulls and Terns
One of the most anticipated parts of the spring season, the overland migration of the countries seabirds, got under way on the 6th with the first Sandwich Tern at Farmoor. A 2nd bird followed at Grimsbury Reservoir on the 15th, although both records were typically brief appearances. Kittiwake soon followed when two birds were present at Grimsbury Reservoir on the 9th, both adults. Farmoor followed quickly after with a single bird on the 10th, also an adult. On the last day of the month a single Little Tern, another not always annual species within the county’s border, was picked up at Otmoor on the 30th not the typical location for this diminutive seabird.
Courtesy of Connor Pimm |
Another one of our diminutive species put in a brief appearance with four Little Gull over Farmoor on the 27th coinciding with a small passage of other windswept seabirds pushed in by some inclement weather.
Farmoor Little Gull courtesy of Ewan Urquhart |
The annual spectacle of Arctic Tern flocks over a local waterbody is also an event eagerly anticipated by local patch birders. Farmoor, typically, had the first birds where two were here on the 9th, although Grimsbury also had two birds the same day and were possibly the same pair. Sonning Eye GPs also had two birds the following day on the 10th. The peak though came in the middle of the month when 20 birds flew through Farmoor on the 15th, followed swiftly by 19 birds on the 22nd which lingered until the next day. Sonning Eye GPs also got more action with four birds on the 26th increasing to six on the 27th, whilst West Oxon Sailing Club also got in on the action during the peak passage with two birds on the 15th. Common Tern made a welcome return to the county on the 2nd , a few days earlier than the median arrival date, with a single bird at Farmoor. This was followed by birds at Radley on the 7th and Port Meadow on the 12th. Birds then became more widespread from there with several sites recording their first birds in the middle part of the month.
Farmoor Arctic Tern courtesy of Trudi Rowland |
Grimsbury Reservoir Arctic Tern courtesy of Kyle Smith |
Passerines
Waxwing continued to hang on in the county well into the month of April, somewhat unsurprisingly given the weather. You can’t really blame them for not thinking spring had quite started and I can well imagine conditions in the north of Scandinavia weren’t exactly beckoning. A single bird was reported at Wantage on the 5th in the Waitrose carpark. But the main tranche of records came from Blenheim where between 18-21 birds were present between the 18th and 26th. What is more surprising, given the date, was these weren’t the latest record for the county.
Bladon Waxwing courtesy of Ewan Urquhart |
Late Waxwing records
Date |
Year |
Location |
5th May |
1966 |
Hinksey Hill Farm |
26th April |
2024 |
Blenheim |
18th April |
2005 |
Milton |
5th April |
2011 |
Wolvercote |
4th April |
2013 |
Oxford |
Ring Ouzel had a very good spring in the county. Most of the records typically came from the Oxon Downs with four sites across the Ridgeway hosting multiple birds. A pair continued from Aston Upthorpe through most of the early part of the month whilst Gramps Hill and Devils Punchbowl had up to five birds by the 11th. Ardley ERF managed to get in on the action, a nice bonus of the local birder putting in the effort there, on the 7th. Offering those in the north of the county an easier connection compared to those birds much further south along the downs. The last bird hung on at Scary Hill until at least the 13th.
Ardley Ring Ouzel courtesy of Nick Truby |
The one and only Rock Pipit of
the spring came on the 22nd with the classic location of Farmoor playing
host to this brief flyover record. A cracking male Black Redstart was in
another private garden in Great Haseley this month and remained
for the single day on the 7th.
Black Redstart courtesy of John Hewes |
Whinchat were a little thin on the ground with maybe more yet to come in the early part of May, although passage appeared to start early across the country as a whole. The first Oxon record was around a week earlier than typical with bird on the Oxon Downs on the 13th. Birds followed at Otmoor, Days Lock, Shennington Airfield and Grimsbury Reservoir most coming from the middle part of the month. Wheatear, however, continued to pile through the county en masse with a whopping 18 sites recording birds throughout April. By far and away the most birds were recorded from the Oxon Downs with 12 birds at Aston Upthorpe on the 15th, although many of the 18 sites recorded multiple birds across April.
Whinchat and Wheater at Otmoor, courtesy of Cath Rose |
Redstart were only on six sites this month, with only one site recording more than one bird. Grimsbury Reservoir recorded two birds on the 7th with one present here until at least the 15th. Cholsey, Cassington GPs, Woolstone Down, Henton and Chimney Meadows all recorded single birds between 10th and 23rd. The first Spotted Flycatcher of the spring turned up quite a bit earlier than expected when Farmoor hosted a bird on the 23rd, with a median arrival date of the 2nd May.
Almost all our breeding migrant species have now returned to their summer breeding grounds in the county, with the continued theme of early returnees apparent across several of those species. The first Swift was reported on the 10th at Grimsbury Reservoir, nearly a week earlier than usual with the next birds not been reported until nearly two weeks later on the 22nd at the same site. The year’s first Cuckoo were bang on time with time with a bird at Wytham on the 8th, whilst the first Whitethroat came on the 7th at Farmoor also pretty much bang on time for the species typical arrival date.
Otmoor Cuckoo courtesy of Malcolm Bowey |
Lesser Whitethroat however was nearly a week earlier than usual with a singing bird at Ewelme on the 9th. Likewise the seasons first Grasshopper Warbler was also about a week earlier than is typical with a reeling bird at Farmoor on the 6th.
Farmoor Grasshopper Warbler, courtesy of Paul Tomlinson |
The first Garden Warbler was bang on time with a bird at Port Meadow on the 14th. But our first Reed Warbler was nearly two weeks earlier with a bird at Otmoor on the 2nd, followed by other early birds on the 7th at Farmoor and Rushy Common. The first Yellow Wagtail bucked the trend though by been a few days later than the median arrival for the one of our brightest summer birds, with a the first at Grimsbury Reservoir on the 3rd. The highest count came from Churn on the 14th with a nice flock of 20 birds here. White Wagtail were recorded from five sites this month with most sites recording single birds – Grimsbury Reservoir, Sparsholt Firs, Farmoor and Widford, although Port Meadow hosted four birds on the 19th.
Farmoor White Wagtail courtesy of Ewan Urquhart |
Raptors
Spring passage of Osprey was fairly decent in April with eight records across six sites. The first of the month came from Otmoor on the 5th, followed by another bird over Port Meadow on the 6th which also hosted another flyover bird on the 13th. The most confiding record came from Farmoor on the 12th with a bird seen perched on one of the bollards along the reservoirs rim, making for a quite surreal picture. One was here again on the 16th and the 27th which was seen later that day over Freeland. Days Lock also had a fly over bird in the 15th, although this bird was at least seen to catch a fish before disappearing over Little Wittenham Woods. Grimsbury also hosted a brief flyover record on the 16th presumably the same bird seen earlier that day over Farmoor.
Farmoor Osprey courtesy of Steve Sansom |
Short-eared Owl continued to linger on at Otmoor this month, although only been recorded in the latter part of the month it may relate to a new bird moving through the county. The single bird was recorded sporadically from the 21st until the end of the month.
Otmoor Short-eared Owl courtesy of Richard Stevens |
A single Merlin also was a surprise this month where a
female or immature bird was present on the Oxon Downs on the 13th.
The first returning Hobby of the spring came from Otmoor on the
16th with two birds here and were also bang on time. Birds continued
here until a peak of 12 birds were seen on the 27th. Pit 60 and
Spring Hill Farm were the only other sites that recorded a bird with a
single here on the 20th and 29th respectively.
Hobby Otmoor courtesy of Daren Curtis |
Patchwork
challenge
Patch |
Birder |
Points
|
Species |
Highlights |
Aston eyot |
Ben Sheldon |
67 |
66 |
Common Sandpiper (100th species for patch) |
Ardley ERF |
Gareth Casburn |
75 |
71 |
|
Dix pit |
Simon Bradfield |
76 |
70 |
|
Grimsbury reservoir |
Gareth Blockley |
107 |
100 |
|
Lye valley |
Tom Bedford |
67 |
64 |
|
River Thames |
Geoff Wyatt |
150 |
127 |
|
Sutton Courtenay |
Conor MacKenzie |
113 |
103 |
Wheatear |
Radley GP’s |
Ian Elkins |
109 | 99 |
Cattle Egret, Marsh Harrier
and Black-necked Grebe |
Freeland |
Glen Pascoe |
64 |
63 |
|
South Hinksey |
Alex Figueiredo |
57 |
55 |
|
Cholsey |
Alan Dawson |
104 |
98 |
Greenshank |
Hobby courtesy of Bryan Manston |
VOLUNTEERS WANTED!
West Oxfordshire Farmland Bird Project is looking for ornithologists, ecologists, conservationists and anyone keen on nature!
The West Oxfordshire Farmland Bird Project (WOFBP) was set up in 2016 with the aim of monitoring farmland birds and using this data to help engage with and guide farmer lead conservation. The monitoring involves bird ringing, nest monitoring, and observational counts that all feed into the British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO) national dataset as well as local and regional databases, such as the Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre. Both our team and these organisations use this data to better understand the populations of farmland birds and to feed into scientific research and practical conservation projects. The information is also fed back to the landowners, farmers, and land managers to advise how they can create habitat for birds and other wildlife alongside sustainable food production.
At the core of the farmland bird monitoring are the surveys we conduct of our four target species: Skylarks, Reed Buntings, Yellowhammers, and Corn Buntings. While we also survey other species such as Grey Partridges, Tree Sparrows, Linnets, and other farmland specialists, these core species act as farmland indicator species. We use these species to assess the quality of the farmed environment and target conservation efforts. In the case of Corn Buntings, we have begun expanding our surveys across southwest Oxfordshire with the hope of understanding their abundance, distribution, and population dynamics.
For the Corn Bunting research we run an extensive colour ringing project with observational counts to map their distribution across a wide area of farmland. As part of this project, we colour mark roughly 150 birds per year across the Thames Valley and Lambourn Downs and attempt to resight these birds throughout subsequent years. The resulting dataset is helping to better understand their population behaviour, such as post-juvenile dispersal, adult site fidelity, adult survival, breeding productivity and breeding ecology. This data is helping to inform us about the habitats that farmers can created to conserve the species and where these should be targeted in the landscape. In conjunction with these surveys, we undertake observational counts of Corn Buntings across the project area to map the summer and winter populations and where there are declines or increases.
A Corn Bunting in the hand |
The Corn Bunting surveys and conservation work is divided into three core aspects of work: supplementary feeding, observational counts, and bird ringing. It is these three roles that we are currently looking for keen volunteers to join our team.
Our supplementary feeding programme during winter stretches across 14 farms in southwest Oxfordshire with most of these now hosting Corn Buntings. Throughout the winter we visit these supplementary feeding stations at least once a month between November and April to undertake observational counts as well as conducting three bird ringing surveys. We also undertake standardised counts during June and July, mapping the locations of singing males across our study farms.
Due to the expansion for these surveys, we are keen to attract new volunteers looking to actively contribute to the conservation of a species that has declined by over 90% since the 1960s. The data collected will play a direct role in conserving this species in Oxfordshire by guiding practical, on the ground conservation efforts lead by farmers. Volunteers will also get training that will widen their knowledge of farmland birds and conservation of the species as well as gaining controlled access to private farmland sites hosting bird populations comparable to those found on many nature reserves.
The roles we are hoping to recruit volunteers to assist with are listed below:
- Weekly supplementary feeding between December-April (can be single or multiple sites)
- Observational counts (summer and/or winter)
- Bird ringing surveys (becoming a licensed bird ringer requires more time and regular training which can be discussed further with our team)
Depending on the activities undertaken by the volunteer they would ideally be able to reach sites by car (public transport is possible for only a few sites). Volunteers undertaking observational counts will require a pair of binoculars and/or telescope and have basic to advanced identification skills of farmland birds by sight and song (training can be provided). Volunteers do not need to commit to any number of surveys but can cover as many sites and visits as they wish.
Anyone interested in contributing to the conservation of Corn Buntings, farmland birds and the wider farmland environment please do get in touch with us via email at westoxfarmlandbirds@gmail.com. Please do not hesitate to get in contact with any questions regarding our work and how you can get involved.
New record set for Oxfordshire big day.
Congratulations to Tom Bedford, Ben Sheldon and Thomas Miller who smashed the record for the amount of species seen within Oxfordshire in a single day. What's even more impressive, is that they achieved it all by bike and on foot!
Despite punctures, the cold and at times wet weather, by the end of Saturday the 27th the team had amassed an incredible 118 species, well done chaps.
Full write up and species list on Out of the Blue Sky
The big day team with support from Tom Wickens. Courtesy of Ben Sheldon |