Devil’s Punchbowl: 25th July

 

Yellowhammer in the valley leading to the Punchbowl.

Letcombe Regis: 25th July

Goldfinches at Letcombe Valley Nature Reserve

 

Farmoor Reservoir 25th July

Dunlin 14 along the causeway 16:30 (D.J)

Otmoor rspb 25th July

Glossy Ibis at the 1st screen 11:02

Cattle Egret 40

Great white Egret 2

Little-ringed Plover juv

Crossbill 7 flew over the 1st screen

Whinchat f on Greenaways 14:10

(per Simon Myers et al)

28 of the 40 courtesy of Peter Law

Sonning Eye GPs: 25th July

Sonning Eye GPs
Yellow-legged Gull: Seen with Richard and Bert. Close in on third post cracking bird. 15:10.
7 Common Tern 15:10.

Ralph Watts

LWVP Hides repair - Update 25 July

Martyn Lane of the LWVP reports that the bird hide at Rushy Common will be open today (Friday 25th July).  I can confirm this, as I visited it in the afternoon today. 

The replacement work on the Rushy bird viewing screen has been delayed until week beginning 11th August.  It should then be open from the 15th August.

Work on the Pit 60 hides has yet to be confirmed, but provisionally it will be in the first week of September.

Stephen Burch

Knighton: 25th July

Knighton
5 Spotted Flycatcher: At least. 10:01.

Jed Cleeter

House Sparrow courtesy of Brian Walker 

 

Henley Road GPs: 25th July

Henley Road GPs
2 Mandarin Duck 07:40.
64 Egyptian Goose 07:40.

Hugh Netley

Sonning Eye GPs: 25th July

Sonning Eye GPs
Yellow-legged Gull: ad. 07:09.
Peregrine 07:09.
4 Mandarin Duck 07:09.
Oystercatcher 07:09.

Hugh Netley

Otmoor: 100-acre: 24th July

Otmoor: 100-acre
Redstart: One along northern boundary hedge.

Steve Roby

Woodstock 24th July

In the fields north of the town this evening:

Redstart - juv male

Lesser Whitethroat - 1

Marsh Tit - 1

RSPB Otmoor 24 July

At reedbed:

Glossy Ibis 1
Green Sandpiper 1
Black Tailed Godwit 1

Little Ringed Plover 1

Snipe 1

Oystercatcher 1

Lapwing 50

Great White Egret 1

Little Egret 2

Cattle Egret 2

Bittern 1

Grey Heron 2

Cormorant 3

Great Crested Grebe 2

Little Grebe 2

Common Tern 2

Wildfowl: 160, mostly mallard, but including tufties, teal and shoveler

Green Woodpecker 1

Lesser Whitethroat 3

Lesser Whitethroat 

 

Farmoor Reservoir 23rd July

Caspian Gull 2cy in roost

Yellow-legged Gull c53

(T.M)

Chinnor: Cement Works: 23rd July

Chinnor: Cement Works
2 Oystercatcher: Lake 2b. 11:00.

David Stracey

Otmoor rspb 22nd July

Glossy Ibis

Cattle Egret 

Crane 2

Black-tailed Godwit 3

(A.H et al)

Courtesy of Andrew Hall

Courtesy of Andrew Hall

Bicester Wetland Reserve: 22nd July

Bicester Wetland Reserve
11 Green Sandpiper 13:56.
18 Lapwing 13:56.
Water Rail 13:56.
Kingfisher 13:56.
3 Grey Heron 13:56.
4 Little Egret 13:56.
Green Woodpecker 13:56.
Sparrowhawk 13:56.
12 Green Sandpiper 13:56.

Colin Oram

Heyford Bridge: 22nd July

Heyford Bridge
Little Egret: In river south of bridge. SP477247. 09:35.

Patrick Keiller

Farmoor Reservoir 22nd July

Swift 40+ some visiting the recently installed nest boxes hopefully with a view to occupying next year

Sand Martin 50+

House Martin 10+

Swallow 10+

Dunlin F2

Yellow Wagtail 2 juv

Marsh Harrier 08:43 flying south along Thames (D.L)

(Ewan Urquhart et al)

Common Sandpiper: Flying around sludge pits by F1. 09:45.
Redshank: North eastern edge of F1. 09:45.
4 Grey Wagtail: Around F1. 09:50.

(per Oliver Hedley)

Otmoor rspb 21st July

Glossy Ibis at the first screen 13:26 (K.N)

Courtesy of Carol Payne

Wolvercote lakes: 21st July

Wolvercote lakes
Great White Egret: SP487098. 11:00.

Matthew Southwell

Farmoor Reservoir 21st July

Juvenile Common Tern

 

Farmoor

Turnstone - initially picked up on call over F1, eventually landed on causeway but flushed soon after on bank of F2 with Common Sand. 

Common Sandpiper - c.10

Goosander - 5 RH off Thames onto F1

Common Tern - 15 at least with one juv

Little Egret - 16 

Sand Martin - 30+

Swift - 12

Greenshank (D.J)

New Marston: New Marston Meadows: 21st July

New Marston: New Marston Meadows
Grasshopper Warbler: Marston Hamms, still. 09:15.
2 Sedge Warbler: Marston Hamms. Presumably dispersing individuals as none bred on site. Also lots of juvenile common whitethroat and chiffchaff. 09:15.

Steve Jennings

Radley GP: Home Farm: 21st July

Radley GP: Home Farm
Common Crossbill: 1+ flew over calling. 09:44.

Jason Coppock

Otmoor rspb 20th July

Glossy Ibis at the first screen 17:51 (per RBA)

Temporary closures of the LWVP hides for repairs

Martyn Lane of the OCC run LWVP has informed me that the Rushy and Standlake Common hides will be closed temporarily for repairs shortly. 

For two weeks from 21st July, the Rushy Common Bird Hide will be closed for roof replacement and also replacing the bird screen at Rushy Common.  Note however that this schedule is weather dependant.  The works are being kindly funded by Smiths Bletchington.

There will be signs up later this week at Rushy Common to inform visitors.

The schedule for the roof replacement works at Standlake Common should be available next week, and there will be a further post then.

I also hope it will be possible to confirm when the hides are re-opened.

Stephen Burch

Rushy Common 20th July

Great White Egret 1

Little Egret 1

Lapwing 24

LWVR

Little Ringed Plover 1

Common Sandpiper 1

Yellow legged Gull 2 

Little Egret 1

Abingdon 19th July

Sent from my iPhone

Farmoor Reservoir: 20th July

Farmoor Reservoir
Red-crested Pochard: Female in southeast corner of F1. 13:35.

Yacky Morris

Farmoor Reservoir 20th July

Black Tern ad still on F1 10:57 (per Dave Lowe et al) 

Standlake, pit 60: 20th July

Crossbill 2 over (1st site record)
Common Sandpiper 1
Oystercatcher 3
Common Tern 2

Bicester: Bicester Sewage Farm: 20th July

Bicester: Bicester Sewage Farm
Common Crossbill: Calls heard in trees on the garden centre side of the stream. 12:16.

Michael Hunt

Bletchingdon Park: 20th July

Bletchingdon Park
Peregrine: Stooped a couple of times but was unsuccessful. Not seen one in the village before. SP503176. 10:10.

David Watkinson

Farmoor Reservoir 19th July

Oystercatcher 4

Little-ringed Plover 2

Common Sandpiper 

Common Tern 5+

(A.L)

Courtesy of Andy Last

Courtesy of Steve Liptrot

Ardley ERF Lagoon 19th July

Green Sandpiper - 6

Common Sandpiper - 1

Little Ringed Plover - 2

Lapwing - 5

Yellow Wagtail - 2 juvs

Wantage: 19th July

Wantage
42 Swift: An impressive number these days. 10:20.

Jed Cleeter

Wantage: Market Square: 19th July

Wantage: Market Square
14 Swift 09:42.

Jed Cleeter

Charney Bassett: E: 18th July

Charney Bassett: E
16 Swift 08:15.

Fyfield Wick
12 Swift 08:15.

Jed Cleeter

Kingston Lisle: 18th July

Kingston Lisle
Hobby 09:38.
12 Swift 09:38.

Jed Cleeter

Chipping Norton: 18th July

Chipping Norton
Green Sandpiper: Heard calling at Wetland nr Cornwell. SP283268. 10:15.
Little Egret: SP283268. 10:15.
2 Grey Heron: SP283268. 10:15.
6 Reed Bunting: In the reed beds at Cornwell marsh. SP283268. 10:15.
4 Black-headed Gull: Hawking for insects over the marsh. SP283268. 10:15.
3 Chiffchaff: SP283268. 10:15.
7 Mallard: Female with brood of six young on Salford Brook. SP283268. 10:15.

Steve Akers

Warburg Reserve - Friday 18th July 2025

Bullfinch x 8 (3m, 1f + 4 Juveniles), Hawfinch (Juvenile -appears to be travelling with Bullfinch Juveniles), Spotted Flycatcher, Song Thrush (Juvenile), Blackcap x 2 (m + Juvenile), Coal Tit, Wren, Marsh Tit x 3 (2 adult + juvenile), Chiffchaff, Nuthatch x 2 (adult + Juvenile), Red Legged Partridge x 8.

Hawfinch -Juvenile

Bullfinch - Juvenile

Spotted Flycatcher.

Cholsey: Cholsey Marsh Nature Reserve: 18th July

Cholsey: Cholsey Marsh Nature Reserve
Reed Warbler: A couple of song bursts, quite muted. SU597852. 11:30.

Mike Amphlett

Farmoor Reservoir 18th July

Little Ringed Plover 1

Common Redshank 1

Oystercatcher 2

Common Sandpiper 2

Common Tern 6

Yellow legged Gull 3

Cattle Egret 3

Little Egret 7

Egyptian Goose 3

Raven 2

Common Swift 2+

Otmoor: RSPB reserve: 18th July

Otmoor: RSPB reserve
Greenshank: S1 now departed. 11:11.
Redshank: S1. 11:11.
30 Cattle Egret: S1. 11:11.
Great White Egret: S1. 11:11.
Glossy Ibis: S1. 11:11.
Hobby: S2. 11:15.

Paul Woodham

Letcombe Bassett: 18th July

 

Little egret at the old watercress beds in Letcombe Bassett

Otmoor rspb 17th July

Glossy Ibis at the 1st screen this afternoon (per RBA)

Farmoor

Common Scoter - Drake on F1 although no sign by 9:30

Dunlin - 2

Little Ringed Plover - 2 (1 juv) 

Common Sandpiper - 10

Red-crested Pochard

Common Tern - 7 (2 juv)

Crossbill - calling over F2 

Yellow-legged Gull - 2 ad

Redstart Cholsey courtesy of Paul Chandler 

 

Farmoor Reservoir 16th July

1600-1730hrs

Dunlin 3 all adults

Common Sandpiper 2

Sanderling (DJ)

Little Egret 5

Common Tern 5 (4 adults 1 juv)

Yellow legged Gull 1 adult

Egyptian Goose 3

Red crested Pochard 1 juvenile

Little Grebe 3 

Common Coot 342

Mute Swan 24 

Sand Martin 8

Red Arrows 10

Otmoor rspb 16th July

Glossy Ibis at the 1st screen 18:00 (per RBA)

Oxford: Magdalen College: 16th July

Oxford: Magdalen College
2 Tawny Owl: juv. 1 juvenile seen and a second heard. 03:00.

Nick Suckling

Otmoor rspb 15th July

Quail calling from the Closes 15:39 (C.T)

Glossy Ibis from the 1st screen 20:37 (per RBA)

Chinnor: Cement Works: 15th July

Chinnor: Cement Works
Common Sandpiper: By West screen Lake 2b. 11:00.

David Stracey

Chadlington: 15th July

Chadlington
Little Egret: Beside River Evenlode. SP325205. 14:00.
Kestrel: SP325205. 14:00.
25 Goldfinch: At least 25 possibly more - many juv birds - in small flock. SP325205. 14:00.
2 Reed Bunting: pair. SP325205. 14:00.
4 Whitethroat: SP325205. 14:00.
14 Stock Dove: SP325205. 14:00.

Steve Akers

Chipping Norton: 14th July

Chipping Norton
Green Sandpiper: On the wetland at Swailsford Bridge nr Cornwell - plus Brown Hare and large bat hunting high by side of wood probable Noctule Bat. 21:18.
Kestrel 21:18.
23 Mallard 21:18.
9 Swift 21:18.
7 Swallow 21:18.
Tawny Owl: Heard only. 21:18.

Steve Akers

Farmoor

Red-crested Pochard - female in marina with mallard. 

Common Tern - 6 including juv

Headington, Oxford: 12th July

A Mediterranean Gull flew north, calling constantly. Two flight calls are just about audible on this hasty phone recording (volume up!):

Farmoor

Cattle Egret - Pinkhill with 9 Little Egret

Common Sandpiper - 2 

Common Tern - 4 Adults and 1 fledged juv being fed. 

Bicester Wetland Reserve 14th July

11 Green Sandpiper
19 Lapwing
5 Little Egret
5 Heron
8 Gadwall
20 Moorhen

A Peters C Oram
Key Holder Reserve

Otmoor rspb 14th July

Glossy Ibis at the 1st screen

Cattle Egret 34+

(L.O)

Bucknell: Trow Pool: 14th July

Bucknell: Trow Pool
2 Kingfisher 05:45.

Patrick Galka

Otmoor rspb 13th July

Glossy Ibis still present at screen one this morning (et al)

LWV Pits: 13th July

LR Plover 1, N Cross Valley
Green Sandpiper 1, Rushy Common quarry
Common Tern 2
(Lesser Emperor 1+, Rushy Common main lake)

Cholsey: Cholsey Hill: 13th July

Cholsey: Cholsey Hill
Marsh Harrier: fem type. Quartering the fields. Seen briefly while driving. SU583878. 09:10.

Michael Pocock

Otmoor rspb 12th July

Glossy Ibis still present (M.C)

Courtesy of Mark Chivers

Standlake, pit 60: 12th July

Black-tailed Godwit 2
Common Sand 1
Snipe 1
Cattle Egret 10
Wigeon 1

Otmoor rspb 11th July

Glossy Ibis

Greenshank 

Snipe

(M.B)

Courtesy of Malcolm Bowey 

Bladon 11th July

White Stork flew south over Bladon 18:56 (per Terry Tossel)

Farmoor Reservoir 11th July

Cattle Egret 11

Little Egret 7

Whimbrel

Greenshank 

Little-ringed Plover 

Common Tern 2

(per Ewan Urquhart et al)

Eynsham: 10th July

Eynsham
Cuckoo: Juvenile showing well. 19:48.

Yacky Morris

Kingston Lisle: 10th July

Kingston Lisle
40 Swift 14:45.

Jed Cleeter

Warburg Reserve - Thursday 10th July 2025

 Siskin (m) - a rare summer visitor here, Marsh Tit x 2, Goldcrest (Juv), Bullfinch ( 2m 1f)

Coal Tit (Juv), Song Thrush x 2, Chiffchaff, Wren, Blackcap (m & f), Chaffinch (f),

Long Tailed Tit,

Coal Tit - juvenile

Siskin - male

Siskin - Male

The Ridgeway: 10th July

Corn bunting

Whitethroat

 

Otmoor rspb 10th July

Glossy Ibis

Bittern

Cattle Egrets

Little-ringed Plover 

Green Sandpiper 

Corn Bunting along bridleway 

(J.F)

Courtesy of James Ford

Charney Bassett: 9th July

Charney Bassett
30 Swift 17:06.

Jed Cleeter

Farmoor Reservoir 9th July 2025

Cattle Egret 1

Little Egret 4

Grey Heron 1

Common Tern 1

Common Sandpiper 1

Common Swift 2 - showing interest in newly installed swiftboxes

Bucknell: Trow Pool: 9th July

Bucknell: Trow Pool
2 Grey Wagtail 09:30.

Patrick Galka

Courtesy of Pat Galka

Bicester: 9th July

Bicester
25 Swift: Over Buckingham road. 09:41.

Jed Cleeter

Fyfield Wick: 8th July

Fyfield Wick
Peregrine: fem. 18:34.
30 Swift 18:34.

Jed Cleeter

Baulking: 8th July

Baulking
Hobby 11:05.
35 Swift 11:05.

Jed Cleeter

Great white Egret Otmoor rspb courtesy of Nick Truby 

 

Chinnor: Cement Works: 8th July

Chinnor: Cement Works
Little Ringed Plover: Lake 2b. 11:00.
2 Oystercatcher: Lake 2b. 11:00.

David Stracey

Otmoor

Glossy Ibis - 2nd screen

Black-tailed Godwit - 2 1st screen

Cattle Egret - 35+ across the site today

Port Meadow: 8th July

Port Meadow, this morning
2 Common Crossbill
Common Sandpiper
Oystercatcher
2 Common Tern
Great-crested Grebe

Adam Hartley

Blenheim: Blenheim Lake: 8th July

Blenheim: Blenheim Lake
Kingfisher
3 Oystercatcher: two adults and one fully fledged juvenile on the grassy bank on the lakeside close to the island.
7 Common Tern
10 Cattle Egret: At least 10 birds on the island. Nests? 3 maybe more, very difficult to be sure.
15 Little Egret: Mainly still on the island.
10 Grey Heron: suprisingly still one nest on the island with two fairly young juv.
30 Tufted Duck: Very nice to see a brood of four very young juv.
6 Pied Wagtail: 1 adult with five fledged young, seemed to have adopted one grey wag juv as well.
36 Great Crested Grebe: Feels like a good year, plenty of growing juv and still several on nests.
11 Mute Swan: three broods of 4, 4 and 2 juv.

Bob Pomfret

Bicester Wetland Reserve 8th July

1 Common Sandpiper
8 Green Sandpiper
10 Little Egret
4 Heron
6 Lapwing

A Peters C Oram
Key Holder Reserve

The Ridgeway: 8th July

 

Skylark singing from its perch in the middle of the crop

Ardley ERF Lagoon: 8th July

Ardley ERF Lagoon
7 Little Ringed Plover: 6 on the lagoon, 1 on the quarry. 08:15.

Ardley: Ardley Field Quarry
Common Sandpiper 08:15.
2 Green Sandpiper 08:15.

Laurie Bryant

Port Meadow: The Perch: 7th July

Port Meadow: The Perch
9 Common Sandpiper: Calling, flushed easily as a group by walkers. 21:20.
4 Goosander: Mother and 3 juveniles. 21:20.
2 Common Tern 21:20.

Matthew Lloyd

Ardley ERF Lagoon 7th July

Little-ringed Plover 9

Green Sandpiper 2

(JFT)

Otmoor rspb 7th July

Glossy Ibis at the 1st screen 12:11 (per RBA)

Bicester Wetland Reserve 7th July

 10 Green Sandpiper
1 Water Rail
4 Heron
3 Little Egret
1 Lapwing

A Peters C Oram
Key Holder Reserve

Sparsholt: Ridgeway: 6th July

Sparsholt: Ridgeway
Raven 14:00.
3 Corn Bunting 14:00.
5 Skylark 14:00.
4 Whitethroat 14:00.
7 Linnet 14:00.
11 Swallow 14:00.
9 Swift 14:00.
3 Meadow Pipit 14:00.
5 Long-tailed Tit 14:00.
2 Buzzard: Hawking. 14:00.

Steve Akers

Fyfield Wick: 6th July

Fyfield Wick
Cuckoo: Flew SW over garden. 11:05.

Jed Cleeter

Marston Hamms: 6th July

Marston Hamms
Barn Owl: SP519091. 20:40.
Grasshopper Warbler: Reeling. SP519091. 20:40.

Matthew Lloyd

Otmoor rspb 6th July

Glossy Ibis 1st screen

Cattle Egret 20+

Bittern

Black-tailed Godwit 

Snipe

(et al)

Hatford: Sandpit: 6th July

Hatford: Sandpit
4 Little Ringed Plover
Common Sandpiper
12 Egyptian Goose

Mark Merritt

New Marston: New Marston Meadows: 6th July

Whinchat: Male. Marston Hamms. 08:46.
Grasshopper Warbler: Marston Hamms, still. 08:15.

Steve Jennings

Uffington: 5th July

Uffington
Yellow Wagtail: On cricket pitch after game. 19:21.

Jed Cleeter

Radley village: Radley College: 5th July

Radley village: Radley College
2 Spotted Flycatcher: pair. 15:00.
2 Green Woodpecker: ad plus juv. 15:00.

Ian Elkins

Otmoor RSPB; Saturday 5th July

Juvenile Cuckoo fed by Reed Warbler foster parents along the bridleway (about 100 metres west of Bittern Bench). Always in deep cover.

Old Caley's Diary

Standlake, pit 60: 5th July

Common Sandpiper 1
Snipe 1
Oystercatcher 2
Teal 2
Redstart 1m, Thames fields

Otmoor rspb 5th July

Glossy Ibis 09:58 at the 1st screen (et al)

Black-tailed Godwit 

Snipe

Cattle Egret 12

Little Egret 15

Great white Egret

Courtesy of Nick Truby 

Courtesy of Nick Truby