October Review

Highlights

Who doesn’t love Autumn? The changing of the guard, as many of our breeding species depart and birds from the east arrive en masse. Stepping out into the darkness on a cold autumn night and hearing the first high pitch zeeer call of migrating redwing never ceases to make me smile. After these first pioneering birds early in the season numbers tend to slowly build until conditions are perfect when 10s if not 100s of thousands arrive over the course of a few days. This year unprecedented numbers arrived on the 19^th with vis miggers across the country picking up 10s of thousands in just a few hours. Although not quite in the same league, Oxfordshire got its share of birds with many birds passing through during the day and 100s heard migrating overnight.

It is another species from the east though, that made a decent incursion into the county during October and which makes the highlight of the month.

Yellow-browed Warbler

After last months 1 day bird at Port Meadow, you’d be forgiven to think we might have had our fill of this eastern sprite. Luckily a near record influx of birds into our county saw 4 records spread across the county with at least 3 birds in total. A typically elusive individual was in Abingdon on the 8^th and present until the 9^th, whilst another elusive bird was in Lockinge from the 22^nd until the 24^th. Thankfully a bird found at Farmoor on the 22^nd was much more obliging and allowed many of the counties birders to admire this Siberian wanderer until at least the 29^th. A probable record came from Ardley at the M40 services on the 24^th although no confirmation was forthcoming. With all these records coming within a few days of one another it is clear that at least 3 birds were in the county and one can only wonder how many more might be lurking out there in amongst the tit and crest flocks.

Courtesy of Richard Tyler.

The Yellow-browed Warblers diagnostic call captured here by Conor Mackenzie.

Courtesy of Andy Last

Waders

As expected, wader migration tailed off this month and other than the lingering group of 4 little stint at Pit 60 on the 1^st there wasn’t much in the way of highlight birds for October. A disappointedly brief phalarope species present on Dix Pit on the 6^th unfortunately couldn’t be identified and was seen by only one observer, in what would been a very popular bird.  A great count of 3 jack snipe from Pit 60 came on the 11^th and again were present between the 15-16^th.

Courtesy of Caroline Walker

A single greenshank was present on Pit 60 on the 1^st whilst redshank records came from Port Meadow on the 6^th and Farmoor on the 18^th, with 5 present at the latter. A single ruff continued to be recorded at Farmoor through until the 10^th after a near constant presence through September, with an additional 2 birds recorded on the 3^rd. Ardley ERF also had 3 birds on the 1^st until the following day with a single bird remaining until the 7^th. The odd dunlin continued to be recorded throughout the month with 2 at Farmoor on the 10^th, a single bird on Grimsbury reservoir on the 19^th and 26^th and another lone individual on Ardley ERF 25^th-26^th . Two ringed plover were also present on Farmoor on the 10^th and 18^th of the month.

Green sandpiper continued to be widespread across the county albeit in smaller numbers, although a count of 17 on the 5^th at Bicester wetlands was a good count for the time of year with double digits recorded a few more times later in the month. Common sandpiper continued at Farmoor until the 22^nd whilst additional birds were recorded at Ardley and Ducklington. Several nice flocks of golden plover were recorded from White Horse hill with 420 on the 3^rd and 125 on the 7^th.

Gulls & Terns

Not much to talk about this month with a record of a 1^st winter Caspian gull from Farmoor on the 4^th the only noteworthy bird in October. A single Mediterranean gull was recorded at Blenheim on the 17^th. Yellow-legged gull continued to be recorded in small numbers at Farmoor with additional records coming from Ardley with 6 the highest count on the 15^th.

Courtesy of Gareth Cashburn

Wildfowl etc

The change of seasons brought with it our first winter wildfowl with a family group of 4 whooper swan on Farmoor on the 11^th whilst a party of 5 brent goose of the dark-bellied variety were present on the 12^th, the concrete dish bowl continuing its fine form of the place to find this wanderer from the arctic. Eight white-fronted geese were present at Cassington GP’s on the 11^th and a single bird was with greylags on Otmoor on the 17^th but neither lingered long and were gone the following day. The first returning goldeneye was recorded on Farmoor on the 3^rd with a female bird associating with the tufted duck flocks and 6 birds on Dix Pit on the 30^th, whilst a female scaup was recorded several times throughout the month but proved difficult to pin down for most until the 29^th.

Courtesy of Bryan Manston.

Courtesy of Dave Murphy

Probably the same black-necked grebe recorded in September was again on Dix Pit after been missing for a few weeks, it was present on the 3^rd and again reported on the 8^th. A drake ring necked duck was at Appleford GP’s on the 17^th but only remained for the day before departing. Goosander were reported from two sites with a male on Otmoor on the 6^th and a juvenile on Pit 60 on the 11^th. Mandarin records came from two sites and probably relate to the same individuals with one on Wolvercote lake on the 14^th and a pair in Marston on the 16^th. The largest count of red-crested pochard came from the usual place, Tar Lakes, with a count of 59. The unusual hybrid presumed to be a goldeneye X hooded merganser returned to the Standlake area for it 2^nd year been picked up at Dix pit a couple times at the end of the month, where has it been in the meantime is anyone’s guess.

Egrets, herons etc

In what has already been a great year for spoonbill records in the county, another came from Pit 60 on the 9^th with an immature present for the day only. After a record-breaking year at the species stronghold in Norfolk and colonies around the country it is no surprise that there has been a significant uptick in records this year, a pattern that looks set to continue. Another bird that has seen significant increases in records the last couple years a single glossy ibis was reported this month with a lone bird recorded on the 8^th, another species that seems set to colonise the UK at some point in the future.

Courtesy of Mick Cunningham

The cattle egret flock continued in their new preferred location of Kings Lock with over 40 been recorded on the 15^th, with anywhere between 15-30 been in constant presence throughout October. Additional records came from Pit 60 with 3 recorded at various points throughout the month and a max count of 10 on 22^nd. New sites to record birds came from Cassington with one on the 11^th and New Bridge with up to 4 between the 9^th and 11^th. Great white egret also continued to be widespread in the county with at least 10 sites recording single birds, with only Blenheim recording 2 birds on the 5^th.

Courtesy of Adam Hartley

Passerines etc

Somewhat outshone by the yellow-browed warbler incursions this month, a Dartford warbler at Balscote Quarry through the latter part of the month was the 2^nd record in the county this year. Luckily, unlike previous records, after initially remaining elusive it was finally pinned down on the 22^nd October and was present until the 29^th at least. This is another species that seems to be recorded in increasing frequency in recent years after previously been an extremely rare bird in the county, evident by how popular this bird proved to be with county listers.

Dartford Warbler above and below courtesy of Kyle Smith.

A water pipit proved harder to pin down commuting between several sites. One was present at Farmoor on the 13^th and possibly seen on and off through until the 22^nd. Presumably the same bird was then seen at Port Meadow on the 23^rd, only the 2^nd record for the site. It was again seen on the 27^th and 31st on the meadow with a possible sighting also on the  27^th at Eynsham. Rock pipit were unusually widespread through the county, with 4 sites recording the species. Three were at Farmoor 3^rd with one remaining on and off until the 12^th, 2 were on Pit 60 on the 9^th and a single bird was recorded at Grimsbury reservoir on the 14^th and 20^th. Port Meadow also had a single bird present on the 16^th. A pipit with a buzzy call on the meadow on the 20^th but unfortunately couldn’t be relocated, whilst a tree pipit was recorded on Pit 60 on the 4^th.

Courtesy of Mike Pollard

A cracking record of a flyover woodlark over a Cholsey garden on the 16^th surely constitutes one of the better garden ticks! A black redstart was present on Farmoor from the 21^st until at least the 28^th spending most of its time on the sewage treatment works although occasionally commuting to the causeway, whilst a late record of a ring ouzel came from Childrey field on the 23^rd. A possible willow tit record came from Ducklington on the 20^th a species now lost from Oxfordshire’s breeding avifauna after the depressing and somewhat inevitable demise of the Grimsbury birds.

Courtesy of Conor Mackenzie

Courtesy of Badger

A single whinchat record came from Chimney on the 1^st whilst records of wheatear came from Aston Upthorpe and Oxford University grounds on 2^nd and 7^th respectively, a late wheatear on Port Meadow on the 22^nd justifiably required closer scrutiny but unfortunately it was just Northern. Firecrest were recorded at three locations with Pit 60 on the 1^st, Grimsbury on the 7^th and Aston Eyot on the 29^th hosting single birds. Along with all the returning thrushes this month also had the first of our winter finches with redpoll recorded across the county and brambling recorded at 4 sites. Hawfinch also were recorded from 3 sites with Grimsbury, Cutteslowe and Marston all having flyover birds.

Some late swallow records came from Pit 60 on the 10^th with 6 birds and two birds remained at Blenheim through until at least the 28^th.

Raptors

Short-eared owl made a welcome return to the county this month with two birds frequenting Otmoor, with the birds putting on a great show for locals on most evenings between the 2^nd and 18^th of the month. Merlin records were more widespread with 5 sites recorded birds – Aston Upthorpe (2^nd), Ardley ERF (15^th-25^th), Ardington (25^th), Childrey Field (29^th) and Balscotte Quarry (29^th).

Courtesy of Lee Wilcocks

Marsh harrier were recorded from 4 sites including Otmoor, 2 birds frequently recorded at Pit 60 and single records from Chimney (1^st) and Blewbury (9^th). Late hobby records came from Pit 60 on the 4^th and Otmoor on the 8^th and 14^th.

Look ahead

With the change in seasons the next couple months will be dominated by returning winter wildfowl with birders across the county searching local arable fields and waterbodies hoping to pick out a rarity out of the duck and goose flocks.

The last two Novembers have produced great northern diver with both records coming from, where else, Farmoor with the last one been the record staying bird through until May 2022. Slavonian grebe have also been recorded several times with the last November birds coming in 2019 and 2013, whilst red-breasted merganser records came in 2018 and 2015 all of which were present on Farmoor. On the rarer side of things, the last American wigeon in the county came in November 2018 but was unfortunately on a private site not accessible to the wider county and with the last widely accessible bird coming in 2011 another would prove very popular indeed.

Its not all about wildfowl though and some good rarities can and have been picked up in November in recent history. Who can forget the unfortunate little auk on the Thames last year? A cracking Richards pipit in 2018 proved hugely popular within and out of the counties borders with the bird sticking around for several days. November has a good affinity with great grey shrike records with 2013-2016 producing birds this month, the last coming in 2018 which hopefully means we are due another soon!

With all the talk of a waxwing winter after record numbers in southern Scandinavia earlier than usual that’s where my thoughts/wishes will be turning over the next couple months. Birds have been picked up along the east coast this week with the first inland flocks in not so far Staffordshire on the 30^th, one can only hope this is a sign of things to come.