Aston Rowant Linky Down 7th April

Courtesy of Jez March.

Ring Ouzel 2 still 15:00.

Tree Pipit 1 over

Swallow 1

(per Jez March, SNT)

Courtesy of Old Caley.

Courtesy of Jez March.

Aston Upthorpe Downs 7 April am

1 Swallow
2 Curlew - one being chased unsuccessfully by a Peregrine!

Steve Burch, Mike Violette

Farmoor 7th April

10-12:00

3 White Wagtail
1 Yellow Wagtail
500+ Sand Martin
20+ Swallow
1 Redshank
2 Willow Warbler

Farmoor Reservoir: 7th April

Farmoor Reservoir
2 Yellow Wagtail
6 White Wagtail: Cold and misty.

Mick Cunningham

Farmoor: 6th April Evening

Yellow Wagtail

Farmoor April 6th 4-6:30pm

Common Tern - 3
Tern sp 2. (Prob Common although distant on F2)
Yellow wag - 1 male
Swallow - 20
Sand Martin - 2000 (?)
Little Gull reported earlier but not seen

Sent from my iPhone

Linky Down: 6th April

6th April

Linky Down
2 Ring Ouzel: male. 18:30.

Cowleaze Wood
8 Marsh Tit: At least 8 in and around the area. 18:00.

Michael Violette

Farmoor 6th April

(as per Ewan's post)

Yellow Wagtail

Redshank

White Wagtail

Worton: 6th April

Worton
2 Oystercatcher: SP460112. 16:30.
3 Pintail: SP460112. 16:30.
3 Shelduck: SP460112. 16:30.
Goosander: f. SP460112. 16:30.

Malcolm Teal

Farmoor Res 6th April

0800-1100hrs

Common Tern 1

Yellow Wagtail 1
White Wagtail 5
Grey Wagtail 1

Sand Martin 2000+
Swallow 3

Red Crested Pochard 2mf

Aston Rowant 6th April

Ring Ouzel Linky Down 07:40 (per Dave Doherty) 

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

Stanton St. John: 6th April

Stanton St. John
2 Swallow 14:29.

David Brown

Sarsgrove: 6th April

Sarsgrove
Swallow: First of the year on the patch. Circling over barns at Sarsgrove Farm. 11:30.
Willow Warbler: H/O - first of the year - in hedgerow alongside private road down to the farm. 11:30.

Steve Akers

Minster Lovell: Swan Inn: 5th April

Minster Lovell: Swan Inn
Blackcap: male. In loud and melodious song in trees alongside River Windrush. 13:00.

Steve Akers

: 28th March

2 Raven: Tumbling display high over meadows.

Farmoor Reservoir: Pinkhill: 6th April

Farmoor Reservoir: Pinkhill
Jack Snipe

Michael Violette

Upper Cherwell Valley 6th April

Whooper Swan still present in fields viewable from A361 or from Borrow Pit Pool, though distant.

Farmoor: 5th April - (6.30pm)

3 Terns arrived as I was leaving.

1 Common and ........................

Otmoor. Evening, 5th. April.

2. Bittern.
2. Short Eared Owl.
2. Shelduck.
4. Oystercatcher.
3. Curlew.
Kingfisher.

Per.  N.G.  R.L.  T.S. et al.

Short Eared Owl.  Greenaways.

Highmoor Common Wood - 5th April

Brambling - 30+ flock moving around woods to east of B481 this afternoon SU703854

(per SH, PL)

Aston Rowant 5th April

Ring Ouzel still at Linky Down 17:50 (per RBA) 

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

Farmoor - Fri 5th 9.00 -12.30

Little Gull courtesy of Ewan Urquhart.

Osprey over the western side of F1 c16:34 then flew north (per Keith Clack)
Common Scoter 2 (pr) F2,
Little Gull, ad F1 and still present 13:35 (per Ewan)
White Wagtail 8, causeway,
Oystercatcher,
Peregrine 2,
Willow Warbler, 5 singing near Pinkhill.
Shoveler 3,
Red-Crested Pochard 2 (pr)

Courtesy of Ewan Urquhart.

Port Meadow: 5th April

Port Meadow
2 White Wagtail
3 Little Ringed Plover
3 Redshank
4 Oystercatcher
6 Shelduck

Adam Hartley

Peppard Common 5th April

The possible Great Bustard reported earlier is an escaped Rhea. 

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Standlake : 5th April

pit 60
10:00 -12:00
3 Little Ringed Plover
2 Oystercatcher
2 Goosander (f)

Plus a rather unexpected addition to my garden list!

Borrow Pit Upper Cherwell Valley 5th April

Whooper Swan still present this morning

Little-ringed Plover (f) at Grimsbury Res

Willow Warbler Spiceball Park 

(per Colin Wilkinson)

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

Oxford City Centre 5th April

Magdalen Tower:

2 Raven on top of tower calling.

No sign of the Peregrines for a while now?


Sent from my iPhone

Port Meadow: 4th April

Port Meadow
3 Little Ringed Plover
3 Redshank
3 Oystercatcher
4 Shelduck
300 Golden Plover

Adam Hartley

Farmoor Res 4th April

1230-1445 hrs

White Wagtail 6
Sand Martin 4000+
Swallow 100+
House Martin 20+

Thame: Kingsey Road: 4th April

Thame: Kingsey Road
3 Little Egret: Standing in field next to the Kingsey Cuttle Brook. SP734065. 14:45.

Mike Bond

Linky Down: 4th April

Linky Down
Ring Ouzel: Male. Feeding amongst the Juniper bushes despite the sideways sleety rain.

Jackie Newcombe

Farmoor Reservoir 3rd April

2ndy Mediterranean Gull Farmoor Reservoir courtesy of Jonathan Mercer.

Blenheim Park 3rd April

House Martin 5

Sand Martin c20

Swallow 2

Little Egret 4

Shelduck 2 yesterday 

(per Dave Doherty) 

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

Oxford University Parks 1st April

University Parks, path to Edgeways
2 Ring-necked Parakeet: Chasing off Squirrel from tree, lots of noise and fuss. SP517074. 15:20.

Mick Jackson

Aston Rowant: Aston Rowant NNR: 3rd April

Ring Ouzel: m. Feeding and perching on fence posts bottom of the valley. 14:48

Wheatear: m. Also on fence posts at bottom of valley, hoping down to feed. 15:59.

Steve Goddard

Lark Hill 3rd April

c110 Meadow Pipit in two flocks in rape - unprecedented numbers for Spring
76 Golden Plover
6 Swallow

: 3rd April

Cornwell
10 Teal: 5 drake, 5 duck. Feeding continuously on the small lake here on the Cornell Estate. Good views from the Bridle Way. SP284268. 12:00.

Cornwell
Chiffchaff: H/O. SP284268. 12:00.

Steve Akers

Yarnton Mead: 3rd April

2 Shelduck
2 Willow Warbler

(per Derek Evans)

Farmoor: 2nd April (pm)

Osprey  (flew over F1 before departing north over Wytham Woods)
Ringed Plover
White Wagtail 3
Swallow 5+
Sand Martin 250+

Wootton nr Woodstock: 31st March

Wootton nr Woodstock
2 Mandarin Duck: pair. 20:23.

Trevor Young

Shelduck on Port Meadow courtesy of Christopher Knight.

Pit 60: 2nd April

18:00 2 Little Ringed Plover

White Wagtail Farmoor Reservoir courtesy of John Workman.

Port Meadow: 2nd April

Port Meadow
5 Redshank 16:00.
2 Little Ringed Plover 16:00.

Andrew Siantonas

Farmoor Reservoir: Farmoor I: 2nd April

Farmoor Reservoir: Farmoor I
Osprey 16:18.

Jeremy Dexter

Shabbington: 2nd April

Shabbington
Little Egret: Flying east along the River Thame. SP663055. 14:00.

Mike Bond

: 2nd April

Graven Hill
8 Snipe: SP583213. 11:00.

Graven Hill
Buzzard: SP583213. 11:00.

Graven Hill
2 Black-headed Gull: SP583213. 11:00.

Graven Hill
3 Lapwing: SP583213. 11:00.

David Brown

Lollingdon

1 Willow Warbler
1 Sedge Warbler
1 Common Whitethroat
60+ Fieldfare
10+ Redwing
6+ Song Thrush
1 Little Owl

Otmoor 2nd April

Sedge warbler singing in the reeedbed this morning.
At least 2 Willow warblers signing in the trees round the reedbed.

Bicester Wetlands

Willow Warbler (2) first for reserve this year
LRP (2)
Cetti’s Warbler
Blackcap

Worton & Woodstock 31st March

Courtesy of M.Teal.

Belated news of 3 Cranes flying over Worton c19:00 (per Malcolm Teal) they were then seen over Woodstock a few minutes later heading in a S/W direction (per P. Willis).

Chinnor: Cement Works: 1st April

Chinnor: Cement Works
2 Little Ringed Plover: Lake 2b.

David Stracey

Linky Down: 1st April

Ring Ouzel courtesy of Jeremy Dexter

One male still present this evening
c18:55 (per Peter Law).

One possibly two singing males this
afternoon (per R. Morton).

Upper Cherwell Valley: 1st April

Upper Cherwell Valley
Whooper Swan: Still present in fields with mute swans. 16:15.

Steve Holliday

Cowlease Wood 1st April

Brambling in tree tops from car park

Thame: Cuttle Brook: 1st April

Thame: Cuttle Brook
Little Egret: Flew in along Cuttle Brook. from main river, spent 5 minutes perched in large willow, then carried on towards Moreton. SP701058. 13:58.
Raven: Flying fairly high south east.

Mike Bond

Stanton St. John: Stanton Great Wood: 1st April

Stanton St. John: Stanton Great Wood
Raven: One over calling. 13:59.

David Brown

Aston Rowant NNR 1st April

Ring Ouzel (m) 

(per RBA) 

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

Farmoor Reservoir 1st April

Yellow Wagtail along the causeway.
Willow Warbler Pinkhill Reserve.
White Wagtail.

White Wagtail

Yellow Wagtail

Port Meadow: 1st April

Port Meadow
4 Ruff
Redshank
Little Ringed Plover
4 Oystercatcher
4 Shelduck
1 Swallow over north

Over Wytham Wood, as viewed from Port Meadow
Raven
2 Red Kite
2 Sparrowhawk
3 Buzzard




Adam Hartley, Steve Roby, Pete Roby, Barry Batchelor

Farmoor Reservoir 1st April

Yellow Wagtail along the causeway 09:57

(per Dai) 

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

March Review

Little Ringed Plover at Chinnor Cement Works, courtesy of David Stracey

The past month in Oxfordshire produced little in the way of headline birds, so this review will focus largely on arrivals and some lingerers as spring passage clicked into gear. The classic early season migrants were all represented in good numbers around the county, with plenty to keep our patch workers occupied as we move forward once more from winter.

Spring Chiffchaff in Cholsey, courtesy of Alan Dawson

As March opened, record breaking mild weather that had brought the first hirundines to Great Britain in late February soon yielded to cold and windy north-westerly conditions. This put migration largely on hold until mid-month, but Sand Martin made it to Oxfordshire before the change with an initial 10 birds seen at Standlake GPs on 2nd. Subsequent records through the month came from that complex, Farmoor Reservoir, Cassington GPs, Grimsbury Reservoir, Otmoor and Port Meadow; with many more over the last weekend.

Sand Martin, courtesy of Nick Truby

The year's earliest Little Ringed Plover arrived at Grimsbury Reservoir on 12th, also before the freezing gales abated. Thereafter individuals were seen again at that site on 20th & 22nd; while between those same dates, Port Meadow, Bicester Wetland Reserve and Chinnor Cement Works also hosted LRP. Otmoor and LWV Pit 60 got in on the act on 24th, then to month's end records continued from various of these and other sites.

Little Ringed Plover at Grimsbury Reservoir, courtesy of John Friendship-Taylor

Hirundine and passerine arrivals not surprisingly picked up once more clement weather set in. The first Barn Swallow sighting submitted in this log came from Otmoor on 17th, by which time Common Chiffchaff were also being seen and heard at various sites. Singing Blackcap were noted at Standlake GPs on 22nd & 23rd, then more widely to month's end.

Wheatear at Lollingdon Hill, courtesy of Alan Dawson

Meanwhile Northern Wheatear made its 2019 Oxon patch debut on 18th when two birds passed through Lark Hill, Wantage. The next sighting came from in-form Grimsbury Reservoir on 22nd, after which passage birds occurred frequently across the county and especially at southern downland locations. The first Rock Pipit of spring visited Farmoor Reservoir on 27th.

Garganey pair at Otmoor, courtesy of Terry Sherlock

Most of these staple March migrants arrived earlier than in 2018, and the same was true of Britain's only summer visiting duck, Garganey. During a national influx a displaying pair was viewed on the lagoon at Otmoor on the afternoon and evening of 29th, but in the morning they had moved on. Then a drake visited Port Meadow as briefly on 31st, where and when the year's first Osprey also flew over. 

Farmoor Dunlin, courtesy of Barry Neale and
Oystercatcher, courtesy of Christopher Knight

Otmoor Redshank, courtesy of Andy Last

Wader passage built up through the month with Oystercatcher and Redshank again the most frequent sightings. But Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Green and Common Sandpiper, Ruff, Curlew and Black-tailed Godwit all featured from a number of places. Perhaps the stand-out sighting was an Avocet at Farmoor Reservoir on 22nd. As one observer commented it is quite unusual to see one swimming and feeding in the middle of F2.

Avocet, courtesy of Dai John

This was a good month for Mediterranean Gull of various ages in the county. A different adult from that seen in February was photographed in the Port Meadow roost on 4th. A 2w roosted at Baulking Pit on 17th, then a 1w was observed at Farmoor between 19th and 23rd. Even Otmoor joined in this Med-fest, producing a 2w on 23rd then an adult the next day. A first Little Gull of 2019 visited Farmoor on 24th, along with two more Meds. It is not clear how many individuals accounted for the Med Gull sightings.

Mediterranean Gulls - adult (above) in Port Meadow, courtesy of Thomas Miller -
and 1w at Farmoor (below) courtesy of Jeremy Dexter

 

On 13th the resident Peregrine at LWV Pit 60 was observed feeding on a Greylag Goose corpse. This gave rise to discussion herein as to whether that most dashing of raptors is capable of bringing down such hefty prey, and the consensus is that yes they can. The deceased in question was thought to be an injured bird that had been present at the site for some time, but this episode was impressive nonetheless.

Peregrine at Standlake Common (LWV Pit 60), courtesy of Jim Hutchins

The first half of March's wintry weather perhaps contributed to some wildfowl remaining with us through much of the month. The red-head Smew at Henley Road GPs was viewed several times until 11th though always distantly, while that at Cassington GPs was reported again on 23rd. Also in the south-east, a pod of Mandarin featured regularly at Sonning Eye GPs.

Whooper Swan at Borrow Pit, courtesy of John Friendship-Taylor

The Whooper Swans that have strayed on occasion into south-west Oxon did so again on 17th at Kencot, and news of another from the upper Cherwell Valley near Banbury broke in the last week of this month. But it will soon be time to say goodbye again to more frequent winter favourites such as Goosander and Goldeneye, that deserve inclusion here before they depart.

Goosander and Goldeneye (fem) at Pit 60 still, courtesy of Jim Hutchins

 

Also lingering a little longer were some passerines. After featuring in most of these reviews through the winter, Common Crossbill continued to be located at more east-Oxon sites: Cowleaze Wood (1st), then both Henley Rugby Club and Stonor Park (9th). Brambling too staged a last seasonal hurrah with a good sized group at Henley Road GPs on 23rd standing out amongst some late March sightings.

Common Crossbill at Cowleaze Wood, courtesy of Steve Roby

Lastly, Kingfisher is always a very popular subject with photographers but has yet to feature in my monthly reviews, being neither seasonal nor scarce. But one individual this month at Farmoor provided some especially fine and natural picture opportunities, so Voila!

Kingfisher, courtesy of Andy Last

With the advent of English summer time the peak spring passage period is now just around the corner. Many more waders, Warblers, Terns and other regular migrants will soon be contributing to one of the more exciting times of the Oxon birding calendar through April and into May. Dare I wish that a next county mega might be in there amongst them? Keep searching everyone!

Peter Law

Abingdon Swift Project

Swift numbers decreased by 51% from 1995 to 2015. One reason for this decline is a lack of available nest sites in the roof spaces of modern houses.

Over two years, Gavin Bennett recruited 19 householders in the Abingdon area, who put up a total of 56 Swift nest boxes.  Gavin has moved away from the area and Abingdon Naturalists Society has enthusiastically taken on his project.

Swifts have already nested in some of the boxes and others have entered nest boxes scoping sites for next year’s breeding season.  Swifts reach breeding age at about four years, but young non-breeding birds will visit boxes, and it is likely that they will nest in the boxes, prospected in the previous year.  Swifts need to be encouraged to visit the boxes and the participating householders have all played Swift calls on MP3 players to attract the birds.

If you are interested in putting up Swift nest boxes on your house, please contact:

David Guyoncourt       david.guyoncourt@ntlworld.com

Or Sally Gillard                  sally.gillard17@gmail.com 

Records submitted via Going Birding

When submitting records via Going Birding please leave the 'Post to Oxon Birding Blog' box as you find it (either ticked or unticked) as there is a built-in filter automatically to forward species that may be of interest to the wider birding community. Many thanks!