January 2022 Review

Headline bird

There really isn’t any question as to what the headline bird for January was in Oxon. For many inland birders, a Yellow-browed Warbler is the holy grail of patch birding – finding one is a dream. An inland Pallas’s Warbler is near mythical though – the stuff of legend. In fact, Oxfordshire has never had a record of Pallas’s Warbler. That is until 15:48 on the 5^th, when a Pallas’s Warbler was found at Abingdon Sewage Treatment Works by Gareth Blockley. Mad panic ensued across the county, but as with most finds in Oxon as of late, only 30 minutes of light remained before dusk. For a couple of lucky birders close enough, a rapid twitch was possible. For most though, the next morning would have to do. After a tense night, there was an even tenser wait the next morning, as despite a large number of county birders on site, it took several hours to refind the bird. Fortunately, it was still present, allowing many to connect. Views weren’t great initially, but as the bird remained until at least the 28^th, many better views were had, and spectacular photos of this superb bird soon emerged over the following weeks. Who knows how long the warbler has been present at Abingdon Sewage Treatment Works for? A phenomenal way to start the year and surely the bird of the year already just 5 days into 2022? Would take quite something to beat a Pallas’s Warbler…

Pallas' Warbler courtesy of Roger Wyatt

 

Waders

Port Meadow hosted the only records of Black-tailed Godwit this month, with 3 on the 5^th and 1 on the 31^st. There were also singles of Redshank at Port Meadow on the 20^th, 24^th and 27^th, with the only other record coming from Abingdon on the 31^st. Otmoor saw the only Ruff records with 1 on the 10^th and 2 on the 24^th. There was an Oystercatcher at Abingdon on the 30^th.

Green Sandpiper were recorded from multiple sites, with 1 at Ducklington on the 1^st and 2^nd, 1 at Sonning Eye GPs on the 3^rd and 2 at Appleford on the 5^th. There were also singles at Abingdon on the 8^th, 23^rd and 31^st, and at Bicester Wetland Reserve on the 20^th. The highest count came from Bicester Wetland Reserve on the 26^th with 3 present. A single Common Sandpiper was seen at Farmoor throughout the month. There were singles of Dunlin at Port Meadow on the 1^st and Otmoor on the 10^th.

The peak count for Woodcock this month was 9, recorded at Wether Down on the 20^th and Boarstall on the 22^nd. There were also records from 8 other sites. There was a showy Jack Snipe at Otmoor from the 5^th to the 10^th, with 2 being seen on the 19^th and 1 again on the 21^st. Upper Cherwell Valley hosted 2 on the 3^rd and Waterstock had 1 on the 16^th.

Jack Snipe courtesy of Gareth Blockley

 
Gulls

There were a couple of records of Caspian Gull over the last month with singles at Appleford on the 4^th and 5^th and 2 at Farmoor on the 5^th. Singles of Mediterranean Gull were recorded at Chinnor on the 18^th and Radley on the 29^th.

Mediterranean Gull courtesy of Ian Elkins

 

Wildfowl, grebes, divers etc

The female Velvet Scoter found at Henley Road GPs at the end of December remained until the 3^rd. The Great Northern Diver at Farmoor also remained for the entire month.

Great Northern Diver courtesy of Ewan Urquhart

The male Ring-necked Duck at Radley was present until at least the 22^nd. The female at Appleford remained elusive, being seen on the 4^th to the 7^th and then again on the 22^nd. The female Scaup at Farmoor remained until at least the 22^nd, with presumably the same individual visiting Dix Pit on the 14^th. There was also a male at Dix Pit on the 1^st. Henley Road GPs hosted a male from the 2^nd to the 4^th, with up to 2 seen at Sonning Eye GPs throughout the month.

 

Ring-necked Duck courtesy of Gnome

There were a few White-fronted Geese around this month, with 14 at Day’s Lock on the 1^st and a single there on the 5^th. Long Wittenham had 12 on the 7^th and 2 on the 9^th. There were also 3 seen flying over Moreton on the 17^th. The overwintering Garganey at Pit 60 was seen on the 21^st, 28^th and 29^th. 2 Whooper Swan were also reported from Thame on the 25^th.

The peak count for Goldeneye this month came from Dix Pit with 35 on the 1^st. Records were also seen at Pit 60, Farmoor and Cassington. Meanwhile, the highest count for Goosander was 19 on the 28^th, with records also from 7 other sites. Shelduck were recorded from 6 sites.

Goldeneye courtesy of Jessica Crumpton

 

The 2 Red-breasted Geese remained at Port Meadow until at least the 10^th, with singles then seen at Port Meadow on the 26^th and King’s Lock on the 30^th. There was an impressive count of Red-crested Pochard at Hardwick on the 1^st with 228 present.

Egrets, herons etc

A Spoonbill was seen flying over Islip on the 1^st. The Cattle Egret flock remained around the Wytham area with 12 on the 7^th and 8^th, dropping to 9 until at least the 22^nd. Great White Egret were recorded from 10 sites, with an impressive count of 6 roosting at Blenheim on the 29^th. Singles of Bittern were seen at Henley Road GPs on the 3^rd, Pit 60 on the 21^st and Otmoor on the 24^th.

Great White Egret courtesy of Jessica Crumpton

Passerines

Though slightly overshadowed by the Pallas’s Warbler, there were at least 2 Siberian Chiffchaff seen at Abingdon throughout the month, amongst a wider flock of up to 30 Chiffchaff. There was also a Firecrest seen on the 9^th, and one at Magdalen Wood on the 14^th.

Siberian Chiffchaff courtesy of Roger Wyatt

There were 2 records of Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in January with 1 reported from Bagley Wood on the 3^rd and 1 at Otmoor on the 19^th. Otmoor also hosted a Water Pipit on the 25^th and 28^th, with 1 also at Drayton on the 7^th. 

Otmoor Water Pipit courtesy of Peter Alfrey

There was a Mealy Redpoll at Henley Road GPs on the 2^nd. Ardington proved a reliable site for Hawfinch with up to 3 seen between the 3^rd and 22^nd. There were also up to 6 seen at Great Tew in the last few days of the month.

Great Tew Hawfinch courtesy of Kyle Smith

Stonechat were recorded from an impressive 17 sites this month, with Brambling seen at 15 sites. The peak count of Brambling was 50 at Sarsgrove on the 14^th.

Raptors

There were multiple records of Hen Harrier over the course of the month, with ringtails seen at Balscote on the 3^rd, Otmoor throughout the month, Fyfield Wick on the 13^th, and Farmoor on the 20^th. There was also a male at Devil’s Punchbowl on the 18^th. Up to 3 Marsh Harrier were seen at Otmoor, with a single also at Pit 60 on the 2^nd. Singles of Merlin were recorded from West Ginge, Cogges, Fyfield Wick, Seven Barrows, Lambourn and Otmoor. There were up to 2 Peregrine at Otmoor throughout, with records also from 9 other sites.

Hen Harrier courtesy of Roger Wyatt

RSPB Otmoor hide closure

The Wetland Watch hide at Otmoor will be closed today (1^st February) for a period of time to allow for essential repairs to be undertaken.

We will update once the hide is open again.You will still be able to Ashgrave from the path that runs past the hide.

 We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

 The Otmoor Team

Charity: On 30th January Wire Fence Will Donate 100% of its Profit for Big Garden Birdwatch Weekend

Wire Fence will give away 100% of their profits made on Sunday 30th January for Big Garden Birdwatch Weekend. If you are an organization supporting the welfare of birds and you are in need of additional funds please follow the steps on how to apply mentioned at the bottom of this blog.

See here for details.

Bird Flu

There has been a record breaking outbreak of Avian Flu this winter so lots of dead birds are turning up in a variety of locations. Below is the key advice for finding a dead bird.

In Great Britain, if you find dead wild waterfowl (swans, geese or ducks) or other dead wild birds, such as gulls or birds of prey, you should report them to the Defra helpline (03459 33 55 77).

See the Defra web page here for details.