Otmoor 16th November

Marsh Harrier

Snipe

Stonechat

Grove Airfield 16th November

Great Grey Shrike seen briefly and then lost into scrub at 0845, along old runway, c400m NW of the "plane" roundabout (approx SU 391895).

Access from small parking area by the plane at SU 393891, and walk over the hump onto the runway.

Another, larger, parking area further along Downsview Road, past the Crown buildings, at SU 386891; walk NNE from here along runway for around 500m and then turn right at junction.

Didcot Landfill - 15th November

Didcot Landfill (no general access):

Caspian Gull  2, 1st w and 2nd w
Yellow-legged Gull  4

                                                                       1st winter

                                                         shouty 2nd w at nonplussed 1st w

 

2nd w

 

zinc white 2nd w

                                                                        long call 2nd w

Farmoor 15th November

Red-necked Grebe

SABINE'S GULL on F2 10:38 (per Dai)

No further sign by early afternoon though.

Red-necked Grebe on F2 off of the S/W bank.

Dix Pit 15th November

Yellow-legged Gull 2+
Goldeneye 4 (1m)
Wigeon 400+
Egyptian Goose 2

(Dave Lowe, Badger)

Otmoor.A.M. 15th November.

Marsh Harriers courtesy of Moth Clark

1 Peregrine
1 Short-eared Owl
1 Marsh Harrier
1 Bittern
300+ Golden Plover.

per JR MC DL PG.

Didcot Landfill - 14th November

At Didcot Landfill today (no general access):

Caspian Gull ad and 1st winter
Yellow-legged Gull 18
Raven 1

Otmoor: RSPB reserve: 14th November

Otmoor: RSPB reserve
Marsh Harrier: f. 16:00.

Jonathan Mercer

Radley Large Wood: 13th November

Radley Large Wood
2 Brambling: f. on my feeders in Sugworth Lane. 04:00.

John Hillsdon

Water Rail at Bicester Wetlands Reserve today

Courtesy of Nick Truby.

Otmoor 13th November

Bittern in reeds left of 1st screen early afternoon (per RBA).

Tubney: Tubney Wood: 13th November

Tubney: Tubney Wood
3 Brambling
8 Siskin

Mark Merritt

Port Meadow: 13th November

Port Meadow
4 Yellow-legged Gull: ad.
9 Egyptian Goose
50 Teal
20 Wigeon
40 Lapwing
4 Great Black-backed Gull: ad.

Adam Hartley

Otmoor: Thursday 12 November (a.m.)

2 Marsh Harriers
Bittern
2 Stonechat
Yellowhammer

Nice view of marsh harrier and red kite arguing at the first screen

Kingston Bagpuize: 12th November

Kingston Bagpuize
1000 Woodpigeon: 1000+ flew south in an hour inc 1 flock of 400. 07:30.

Jed Cleeter

Grimsbury Reservoir: 11th November

3 Yellow-legged Gulls (ad, 3cy and 2cy), am
Willow Tit, pm (per Mark Ribbons)

 

Port Meadow: 11th November

Port Meadow
9 Egyptian Goose: Came in at last light.
40 Lapwing
50 Teal
Good gull roost though nothing of particular note

Adam Hartley

Tuesday 10th November Port Meadow

7 White-fronted Geese: the usual feral Blenheim birds
40 Lapwings
80 Teal
A couple of hundred large gulls in the gull roost this evening

Cholsey 10th November

Barn Owl casualty on the A417 between Cholsey and Blewbury yesterday, so it was very good to see this bird hunting this evening in Cholsey.

Standlake Common :am 10th November

1 x Stonechat (male)
Flock of c80 Fieldfare (plus or minus a small number of Redwings)

Otmoor.

Goldcrest.

Tree Creeper.
Goldcrest.
Golden Plover.   c.350.
Lapwing.  c.350.
Merlin.
Marsh Harrier.  2.
Meadow Pipits.
Stonechat.  2.
Raven.
Fieldfare.  80.

Per. P.G.  R.W.  T.S.



Baulking pit 8th Nov

no sign of black necked grebes at c11:30am
c12 grey partridge flew across a420 near littleworth

Sandford-on-Thames: 8th November

Cetti's Warbler
Kingfisher

D Moden

Otmoor RSPB 8th November

Marsh Harrier 3 inc the tagged bird
Sparrowhawk
Short-eared Owl reported a.m
Pintail (f)
Wigeon c100
Teal 50+
Golden Plover 350+
Lapwing 300+
Water Rail
Kingfisher 1+
Redpoll
Grey Wagtail
Stonechat 3 (1 on Greenaways 2 Lower Farm)

Starling roost consisted of large numbers with birds arriving
continually for c45 minuets from about 15:30 but going straight in to reds beds.

(per Bark, Andy Last, Lew, Steve Roby, Badger)

Full weekend Round-up this week on Otmoor Birding

Grimsbury Reservoir: 07th November

Mediterranean Gull (2cy)
Yellow-legged Gull (ad)

GB, JFT and MP

Grimsbury Birds

Farmoor 7th Nov

Red necked grebe still in NW corner of F1

Standlake Pit 33: AM November 7th

2 Egyptian Geese on adjacent field

Otmoor 6th November

Marsh Harrier observed during Starling Roost.
Both wings carrying green tags. Right wing marking; P4. Left wing believed to carry the same inscription.
Two other Marsh Harriers present.

Eds:
These birds with green wing tags originate from North and North West Norfolk,
more info on the scheme here Hopefully we will be able to gain some more details
on the Otmoor bird in due course.

Farmoor :PM 6th Nov

Red-necked Grebe still on F1 this morning (per Dai)

Pinkhill
Little Egret
Gadwall
(Great new hide!!)

Causeway
Meadow Pipit

Little Egret © Jim Hutchins

Otmoor Starling Roost

Courtesy of Graham Lenton

Otmoor: Thursday 5 November (am)

1 Marsh Tit
1 Snipe
1 Marsh Harrier
1 Peregrine (at first screen)
2 Goldcrest
20+ Golden Plover
100+ Wigeon

Standlake Pit 60:AM 5th November

Green Sandpiper
3 Snipe
7 Yellow Legged Gulls
15+ Gadwall

(JDH with AMC)

Shrivenham: 05th November

Black Redstart, per MRo (O.O.S. website)

Farmoor 5th November

1 Rock Pipit along the causeway.
2 Goldeneye F1.

Swinford: 5th November

Swinford
Short-eared Owl: Flying east, low across B4044 from Farmoor Reservoir. 08:00.

Chris D'Agorne

Grey Heron Cumnor courtesy of John Reynolds

Chipping Norton: 4th November

Chipping Norton
Peregrine: fem. (location witheld). 09:30.

Steve Akers

Baulking 4th November

Black-necked Grebe 2 still on the Fullers Earth pit today (per RBA).

Barn Owl Cholsey courtesy of Loren Chaplin

Otmoor 4th November

Short-eared Owl on the ground in Greenaways, to the west of the diagonal track, seen to fly high from the North.

3 Swallows low over the first screen heading South.
1 Marsh Harrier
1 Marsh Tit
1 Coal Tit
C. 750 Golden Plover
1 Merlin
1 Water Rail
2 Cetti's Warbler (H).

(per Paul Greenaway & the RSPB)

6 Swallow
75,000 Starlings approx coming in to roost
50+ Pied Wagtails
1 Merlin (f)
1 Woodcock in the gloaming


(per Bark)

Otmoor 3rd November

Stonechat © Jim Hutchins

Up to 70,000 Starlings in roost
2 Marsh Harrier - one hunting seemingly unsuccessfully in the starling murmuration at dusk

20+ Fieldfare
10+ Snipe
1 Kingfisher
2 Stonechat (m/f) on path to Julys Meadow
2 Siskin
3 Redpoll
1 Cetti's Warbler.

(per Paul Greenaway, Terry Tossell, Jim Hutchins & David Cleal)

Marsh Harrier Otmoor courtesy of Norman Smith

Red Kite Tackley courtesy of John Reynolds

Blenheim / Witney Lake, 3rd November

Blenheim, Combe End
Redpoll x 2
Raven
Redwing 2 large flocks each over 100

Witney Lake
Siskin c20+
Goldfinch c40+
Redpoll x3
Grey Wagtail
Large tit flock alongside river Windrush including at least 6 Goldcrests
Chiffchaff
Kingfisher

Clackers

Otmoor.

Redpoll. Active in Morleys and Ashgrave.

Baulking 1st November

Black-necked Grebe 2 still present on the Fullers Earth Pit today (per Mark Chivers).

Courtesy of John Reynolds

Farmoor Reservoir 1st November

Red-necked Grebe on F1 this p.m
Rock Pipit along causeway

Pinkhill
Barn Owl
Water Rail
Cetti's Warbler
Fieldfare
Siskin 2

(Andy Last, Badger)

Otmoor 1st November

Cetti's Warbler courtesy of Tezzer

Merlin: male.
2 Short-eared Owl

(per Barry Batchelor)

Marsh Harrier 2
Golden Plover c350 though mobile
Snipe c30
Water Rail 2+
Marsh Tit along bridleway
Cetti's Warbler

Goldies courtesy of Tezzer

October Highlights & News

Merlin Otmoor courtesy of Derek Lane

Headline Birds

So that's October been and gone now. Statistically the best month of the birding calendar year though with an inland county of course it can be very hit and miss. As I look down at the list of headline birds it doesn't look too bad though to be honest it has felt very quiet for much of the month with just a late flurry of sightings to retrieve what would otherwise have been a frankly disappointing month.

The star bird of the month has to be a splendid Great Grey Shrike that was found in July's Meadow at Otmoor on the afternoon of the 26th and which stayed for just one more day. As this location also recently hosted a Red-backed Shrike it has been suggested that it should be renamed "Shrike Meadow" though it was pointed out that the Farmoor site of the same name has never seen a Shrike since it got named and it's probably best not to jinx it. Anyway, it was a gorgeous bird that showed reasonable well on the 27th to the county birders who came to pay homage. There's been a big influx of this species this autumn in the country and unlike many autumn vagrants, Shrikes are prepared to go and share the love inland as well. Whilst it's probably one of the commonest of the Scarce+ Oxon birds, it was still very nice to have it grace our county.

Great-grey Shrike Otmoor courtesy of John Reynolds

Next on the headline list are a pair of Yellow-browed Warbler sightings. It's been a record-breaking autumn for these gorgeous Siberian sprites and I'm sure that I've not been the only county birder to hope that some would trickle down through our county.Whereas in 2014 we managed a couple of twitchable birds, sadly this year the records were the all too familiar post facto single-observer ones: one at Donnington Bridge on the 15th and one at Great Coxwell on the 28th.

A possible Black Kite at Otmoor on the 3rd would have made it to star bird status had the record been firmed up but sadly it was never seen well enough. Also in the list of brief and untwitchable birds was a Crane that was seen in flight between Eynsham and Stanton Harcourt on the 6th

Getting down to the "good county birds" section of the headliners we next have a pair of Black-necked Grebes at Baulking on the Fullers Earth pit from the 21st to the end of the month and at least one may have been present from as early as the 15th. The pair were seen displaying to each other and many county birders paid them a visit during their stay.

Black-necked Grebe Baulking courtesy of Jim Hutchins

Talking of Grebes, our now-annual Red-necked Grebe came back again and stayed at Farmoor all month. It's great that this rare Grebe finds the reservoir to its liking - it's now the third year of it visiting.

Red-necked Grebe Farmoor courtesy of Steve Burch

Finally, a Black Redstart was seen in Juniper Valley on the 10th to the 11th and another of these dusky chats was found at Grimsbury Reservoir on the last day of the month.

Black Redstart Grimsbury Reservoir by Badger

Raptors

The first of two male Hen Harriers were seen at Kingston Bagpuize on the 13th with the second bird

on Otmoor late afternoon on the 26th. A ringtail was seen to the north of the county near Burford on the 17th with a further unconfirmed sighting this month near Watlington on the 11th. At least two Marsh Harriers stayed faithful to Otmoor RSPB throughout and could now be regarded as a resident species on the reserve.

The wintering pair of Peregrines started to be seen more regularly on Otmoor over the course of the month and a pair were also noted at The Lees near Cholsey on the 13th. To the north of the county a Peregrine was at Grimsbury reservoir on the 13th with a magnificent female at Chipping Norton on

the 17th and 28th.

Merlins were recorded at Cholsey on the 2nd, Islip on the 22nd, at Churn on the 4th, a male at West Ginge on the 15th and a female near Burford on the 17th. Single birds were seen on Otmoor over the month with two birds seen on the reserve on the 29th.

Short-eared Owl numbers started to increase in the county with singles seen along the border at Remenham on the 26th and at Begbroke on the 28th with numbers on Otmoor peaking at four individuals on the 11th.

Short-eared Owl Begbroke courtesy of Simon Dowell

Waders

A superb Spotted Redshank was discovered at Standlake's Pit 60 on the 4th and remained until at least the 11th, allowing many of the counties keenest birders to finally add this elegant passage wader to their county list. Also at Pit 60 was a showy (probably due to distance) Jack Snipe from the 2nd-25th with three birds also noted on Otmoor and a single at Farmoor on the 31st. Two Ruff were seen at Otmoor RSPB on the 3rd. A Grey Plover flew over Farmoor reservoir on the 4th with a second bird heard on the 20th.

Spotted Redshank Pit 60 courtesy of Jeremy Dexter

Gulls

At least four Caspian Gulls were at the Didcot landfill site this month with two adults on the 13th and two 1st winters and an adult on 20th. At least twelve Yellow-legged Gulls were also at the landfill on the 13th.

Adult Caspian Gull Didcot Landfill courtesy of Lew

Waterfowl

The first of two Brent Geese in Oxfordshire arrived at Farmoor reservoir on the 16th with the second at Port Meadow on 30th - unfortunately neither of these wary geese stayed for very long. 

Brent Goose Farmoor courtesy of Dai

Mandarin Ducks were on the move around the county with singles noted at Otmoor on the 6th, at Rushy Common on the 28th and at Ewelme on the 25th.

Mandarin Duck Ewelme Cress Beds courtesy of Thomas Stevenson

A Garganey was at Pit 60 on the 4th and the Bittern continued its residency on Otmoor all month

Passerines

A Lesser-spotted Woodpecker was seen briefly near Cumnor on the 30th. Two Ring Ouzels were a great discovery amongst the Cholsey Downs from the 12th-13th and mirrored a national movement of these charming thrushes. A late Redstart was within Juniper Valley on the 10th with another on Cholsey Downs on the 20th. A pair of Rock Pipits found Farmoor to their liking over much of the month with five present at the reservoir on the 9th. Five Crossbills were seen in flight over the Ridgeway on the 4th with singles over Headington Hill, Oxford on the 22nd and Otmoor RSPB on the 29th.

The now-regular but sporadic Ring-necked Parakeet was again at Grimsbury reservoir near Banbury on the 11th. Two Tree Sparrows were a welcome discovery at Lollingdon Hill on the 13th. A Hawfinch was seen at Blenheim on the 23rd.

Bramblings started appearing this month with a single bird on Otmoor on the 13th and several small flocks over Kingston Bagbuize. Birds were also noted on the Downs near Cholsey on the 20th.

Brambling Cholsey Downs courtesy of The Gun-slinger

News

A Rediscovered Birding Hotspot in Oxfordshire: 

Dix Pit at Stanton Harcourt.

Dix Pit used to be one of the most popular birding locations in Oxon and in the early/mid 90's was regularly in the top three of sites generating the most records entered into the county database. Over the years as other areas have become more birder friendly (Otmoor for one) Dix Pit now attains a rather lowly 12th/14th position. One of the main reasons for this has been the growth of vegetation around the pit shoreline (especially over the last decade) which has made viewing problematic to say the least. Many folk used to pull up at the weighbridge car park and have a fine view of the whole pit with no real need to walk the perimeter. The whole southern edge is now an impenetrable mass of trees and bushes where there was once an open shore - not good for birds or birders.

Now thanks to the contacts and negotiation skills of OOS president Sir Clive Elliott, permission has been granted to clear three small viewing areas between the pit and the now defunct landfill. Thanks also to a small intrepid party of hackers two of these sections have already been cleared. The first (see photo) is about 100 yds east of the weighbridge car park along the path to the 'Devil's Quoits' and the other is a further 200 yds along this track. Viewing from both gives a complete coverage of the pit. Unfortunately clearing the area  of the car park was not granted (and would have needed a bulldozer rather than saws, axes and loppers) but it is hoped the provision of these viewing gaps will encourage more birders to visit and in turn increase the number of records received from the site.

Ian Lewington Oxfordshire county recorder.

Farmoors new hide at Pinkhill

Thames Water have rebuilt the hide which overlooks the Pinkhill reserve adjacent to Farmoor reservoir and it is now open to the public. The new hide is part of a wider plan
which will see some active management of the Pinkhill and Shrike Meadow reserves.

The new hide is larger than the last one and allows much more light in due inpart to the two large viewing windows, the hide also boasts viewing slots at different heights and disabled access.

It's a great place to see Water Rails, Kingfishers, the resident Barn Owls and if you're lucky even the occasional Jack Snipe.

Both pictures courtesy of Dai John.

 


Continuing with the Farmoor theme,
Farmoor stalwart and all round top bloke Dai John has revamped, refreshed, and renamed his blog and will be launching ' Birding the Concrete Basins' this month so keep an eye on the blog thumbnails along the right hand side. We wish him every success and look forward to reading it.

RSPB team take the top spot.

Congratulations to the RSPB Otmoor team 'The Otmoor Arries' for winning the 2015 annual Bird race by finding an impressive 67 birds on the reserve last Saturday morning, well done chaps and chapesses.

Xmas Stocking Filler

Our own Mary Clifton has used her years of experience of county birding to put together a book which might tempt you this Christmas. It's the diary of a year in the life of a young and accident prone birder called Tim who travels around Oxfordshire and occasionally further afield birding, having mishaps, and wooing a young lady.

Called "The Diary of a Hapless Twitcher", it can can be purchased for £3.99 from Amazon in paperback or £2.99 in Kindle format - click here for details.

Calling all 'Birdsworths'

Have you a birding tale to tell? 
A story of birding daring do, 
an EPIC twitch or simply a story 
of an encounter with one of our feathered friends. 
If so we would love to hear from you...

Rushey Common area, 1st November

Egyptian Geese 2
Pochard 9
Grey Wagtail
Lapwing c200 with SNT from carpark
Golden Plover c200 with SNT from carpark

Clackers

Cothill Fen 1st Nov

Crossbill,  flew from cothill over Hitchcopse pit
4 Nuthatch
4 Treecreeper

Grimsbury Reservoir 1st November

No sign of 1stw Black Redstart within the water treatment compound by 10:00.
But Willow Tit in the wood.

(per Gareth et al)