Balscotte Quarry B.O.S Reserve 30th October

Bearded Tit reported at Balscote Quarry yesterday morning in the small reed bed on the back lake below the viewing screen (I.L)

Port Meadow: 31st October

Port Meadow
Water Pipit: Briefly by Burgess Field gate before being flushed by a dog. Per Steve Lavington.

Adam Hartley

Kings Lock: 31st October

Kings Lock
20 Cattle Egret: Amongst cattle in field by Thames Path between A34 viaduct and Kings Lock. 15:00.
2 Stonechat: 1 male/1 fem. By Thames Path upstream of Hagley Pool. 15:00.

Andrew Siantonas

Appleford: Appleford GP: 31st October

Appleford: Appleford GP
2 Green Sandpiper 15:10.
Great White Egret 15:10.

William Lester

Blenheim 31st October

Wigeon - 3

Great white egret - 1

Snipe - 7

Swallow - 1 around Bridge before appearing to land on the bridge out of view.

: 31st October

Bletchingdon
12 Grey Partridge: Covey of Partridge feeding together. SP512188. 08:23.

David Watkinson

Counting Coots

Not a sighting, but a general observation regarding coots.

The following two graphs provide numbers of Coots counted on Allen Pit (in Dorchester), and Thrupp/Bullfield Lakes (Radley Lakes). As can be seen in the graphs, there has been a significant and sudden unseasonal decline in Coots on these lakes over the last week.

 

In contrast, numbers of Coot on Farmoor Reservoir have increased. The graph below provides the number of Coot on Farmoor Reservoir recorded in 2022 during twice monthly counts (blue bars), and the average number recorded between 2018 and 2021 for comparison (red line). The graph highlights that far from Coots starting to decline on the Reservoir (as they typically do at this time of year), the number of Coots recorded at Farmoor today (1140 individuals) is broadly double that typically recorded at the end of October. Further, the count of 1140 individuals is the highest number I have recorded at Farmoor since commencing regular monitoring in 2013. Finally, to note, the majority of the individuals were on F2 (with 1.1% of Coots on F1). 

Based on the above, have Coots from Allen Pit and Thrupp/Bullfield Lakes moved to Farmoor? If so, why? Has the reduced water level at Farmoor increased its suitability for Coots? Further, how do Coots know to leave the lakes to move to the Reservoir? It is interesting to note that the majority of birds were on F2, with few on F1 when the water level was of a similar level (though I note today, the water level had risen on F1). Are the depths of F1 and F2 different to explain this pattern of occurrence, or could disturbance be implicated (i.e. paddleboards who typically paddle around the periphery of F1 and could flush Coots to F2). Finally, the combined numbers of Coot that have been ‘lost’ from Allen Pit and Thrupp/Bullfield Lakes (c150 individuals) do not equate to the increase in number on the reservoir, therefore are there any waterbody/waterbodies in Oxfordshire that have lost c370 Coots? 

Coots at Farmoor

Blenheim: 30th October

Blenheim
2 Swallow: Feeding around Grand Bridge. 19:34.

Trevor Young

Dix Pit: 30th October

Dix Pit
Great White Egret 16:23.
6 Goldeneye: 1 drk and 5 fem. Plus one strong candidate for a hybrid drake Hooded Merganser x Goldeneye. 16:23.
Egyptian Goose 16:23.
33 Red-crested Pochard 16:23.

Ian Elkins

Oxford: Aston's Eyot: 29th October

Oxford: Aston's Eyot
Firecrest: Loosely associated with Goldcrests in ivy-covered trees near Jackdaw Lane entrance. First site record here. 08:20.

Ben Sheldon

Wytham: Field Station: 30th October

Wytham: Field Station
30 Cattle Egret: With cattle in the field north of the Field Station by the river.
30 Fieldfare: Flew over the Thames north of the Field Station.

Kings Lock
2 Stonechat: A pair in the field next to Kings Lock.
Goosander: r/h. In the weir pool by King's Lock.

Adam Hartley

Just some of the Cattle Egrets

Balscote Quarry B.O.S Reserve 30th October

No sign of the Dartford Warbler by 12:30

Yarnton 30th October

Cattle Egret 20 at Yarnton GPs in cattle field 

(per RBA). 

Farmoor Reservoir 30th October

Scaup ad f

Common Sandpiper 

Curlew

No sign of the Yellow-browed Warbler 

No sign of the Black Redstart 

(per Ewan et al)

Standlake Pit 60: 30th October

Standlake Pit 60
Green Sandpiper 10:32.
14 Pintail 10:32.
Caspian Gull: ad. Actually hybrid but don't know how to record these. Superficiality looks pure but isn't. 10:32.

Mick Cunningham

Letcombe Bassett: 29th October

Letcombe Bassett
Stonechat: f. 18:13.

John Taylor

Balscote Quarry B.O.S Reserve 29th October

Dartford Warbler still present c14:54 (N.T)

Stonechat 

Lesser Redpoll 4

Brambling 

Merlin 

(per Ben Sheldon et al). 

Thanks to visiting birders for keeping to mown path follow white-topped posts from entrance.

Farmoor Reservoir 29th October

Yellow-browed Warbler still behind the toilet block in the main car park at 09:30 but no further by 13:30 

Scaup F1

(A.L et al).

Bicester Wetland Reserve 29th October

 180 Teal
2 Green Sandpiper
3 Little Grebe
10 Lapwing
1 Grey Wagtail
1 Cetti's Warbler
2 Chiffchaff

Alan Peters

Key Holder Reserve

Marston: A40: 29th October

Marston: A40
7 Brambling: A single then a group of 6 heading S over. 08:38.
2 Lesser Redpoll: Heard (only) around Cherwell. 08:38.
Siskin: 6. Quite a few passing over S/SE. 08:38.
Common Sandpiper: One along river. 08:38.

Simon Myers