November Review

 Highlights

Well well well! Which of us had Booted Eagle on our radars for the Oxon list?! And in November no less?! Oxfordshire has often punched above its weight in terms of big rarities, see Nighthawk 2022, Oriental Turtle Dove 2011, or Baltimore Oriole 2003/04 etc, but in terms of unexpectedness this has got to be close to, if not at, the very top of that list!

News was initially slow to get out, with it first appearing on the 31st October at Warburg, but with the finder wanting solid evidence before releasing to the wider public (see - https://www.birdguides.com/articles/britain-ireland/rarity-finders-booted-eagle-in-the-chilterns). With a 2nd birder now on the case it was seen again the following day but this time just over the border at Remenham Hill, Berks. The 2nd confirmed sighting was enough to mobilise folk and the beginnings of sizeable twitch was formed. Day 3 saw groups of birders stationed at various vantage points around the Chilterns centred on the last confirmed sighting at Remenham Hill. With so many boots on the ground and eyes to the sky, it took only a few hours for the first sighting to come through, this time from Aston - several hundred metres into Berkshire. And so began a game of chase the eagle across the Chiltern landscape. Over the subsequent two hours the bird ranged between Oxon, Berks and even Bucks briefly. By lunchtime, however, it had done a disappearing act again with the last confirmed sighting coming from Henley-on-Thames firmly on the Oxon side of the border. Subsequent sightings remained unconfirmed with no solid reports the following day, although a few probable sightings were reported from Oxon, Berks and Bucks! 

The Booted Eagle, photographed in Berkshire courtesy of Richard Bonser

Given its relative inconspicuousness, the abundance of habitat and minimal vantage points this was always going to be, in the words of one local birder, “really hard to twitch”. Fortune favoured the first responders though, with at least 3 of the local birders managing to connect and put it tentatively on their Oxon list. I don’t need to tell most that Booted Eagle has a complicated place in the British birding lore. A well-documented bird in 1999, having toured Ireland and Britain from the far south to far north through to 2000. This bird remains controversial as it was never accepted onto the British list despite many folk believing it deserves to be there. Since then a further 35 claims have come since then, including at least a dozen very solid claims. 2024 has actually seen a spate of records with a dark morph present in Nanquindo, Cornwall in spring followed by a pale morph present in almost the exact same spot in early October. Whilst a dark morph present in early September of this year may very well be “our” bird relocating and even the bird from spring?! Given this spate of records, it seems likely the BBRC will look to reassess records and finally accept Booted Eagle onto the British list. In the meantime, let’s hope our bird reappears during the lean winter period to give us all another crack of the whip.

Waders

A surprisingly busy month in November with several out of season species gracing the county’s border. Red Knot were present at three sites this month, although its not certain how many of these related to the same bird/s. The first came from Farmoor on the 2^nd with another record on the 15^th, likely the same bird reappearing. A pair were then also present at Days Lock on the 10^th, with the new scrape proving a magnetic draw here. Port Meadow then got in on the action at the very end of the month with a single bird on the floods on the 30^th, with it hanging on at the site until early December.  

Farmoor Knot courtesy of Steve Liptrot

Another somewhat unseasonal record came from Lollingdon, where a Sanderling was present on the 6^th – a fantastic record for any local patch away from the concrete bowl of Farmoor Reservoir. 

Lollingdon Sanderling courtesy of Alan Dawson

Another fairly unusual record was a single Greenshank at Sonning Eye GPs on the 10^th, probably a good bird for that patch at any time of year. Grey Plover had a decent showing with at least three sites hosting birds, probably relating to at least two different individuals. South Moreton continued to host a bird associating with a larger Golden Plover flock from the early part of the month until at least the 19^th. Pit 60 had a single bird fly through on the 15^th, not far from the site that hosted two birds in the winter last year. Otmoor also hosted a single bird on the 16^th, although you would not be surprised if there isn’t at least one bird here all winter given the extent of the habitat and birds present. 

Grey Plover at Otmoor courtesy of Steve Sansom

Black-tailed Godwit had a better showing this month with four sites hosting birds. Port Meadow had a single bird on the 1^st, with the South Moreton floods proving attractive once more when ten birds were here on the 19^th. Days Lock had a pair of birds on the 22^nd for a brief stay whilst Waterstock also had a single bird on the 29^th. Dunlin were also present on four sites this month with Port Meadow proving the most attractive of the sites with a maximum of six present on the 7^th and hosting birds from 4^th until the 18^th. Otmoor had two birds present on the 2^nd whilst South Moreton proving its pull again with two birds here on the 14^th and 15^th. Days Lock was the last site to host birds with two present on the 22^nd. Jack Snipe season hasn’t quite got underway yet, with only two sites hosting birds this month. Bicester Wetlands had a single bird on the 2^nd whilst Waterstock got a rare pair of birds on the 17^th. 

Dunlin at Grimsbury Reservoir, courtesy of Adam Hartley

Green Sandpiper have firmly established their winter territories in November with most sites only hosting single birds. At least seven sites had birds this month, with only Chipping Norton hosting more than one bird with three here on the 13^th. Common Sandpiper were only at one site this month and where else but Farmoor. It would be interesting to know if this is the same wintering bird that has been present at the site for the last few years or whether there is a turn over of birds at this site during the winter months. 

Common Sandpiper at Farmoor courtesy of Steve Liptrot

Woodcock were present on six sites this month, with most birds observed leaving roost sites in the early evening. A single Curlew was present on Port Meadow on the 5^th and 6^th, whilst Redshank were also present at Port Meadow on the 6^th and 7^th with another record coming from Days Lock on the 10^th.

Wildfowl

The beauty of patch birding is the hope that if you put the hours in, anything can turn up anywhere even if it’s just transiting the site. With most of us having visiting Grimsbury Reservoir this month for a certain county rarity, I can certainly attest to a new found admiration for the patch birders at the site. A pair of Velvet Scoter were present on the site from the 2^nd of the month. A remarkable species for such a small site and just goes to show the value of putting in the hard yards on a site. A true inland mega, this was only the fourth record of the species in the county since 2009 with the last coming from the long staying bird at Henley Road GPs from late 2021 to early 2022. As with previous records these two 1^st winter birds had a prolonged stay from the 2^nd until the 19^th, allowing them to be enjoyed by many local and out of county birders alike. 

The Velvet Scoter, above courtesy of Nick Truby and below courtesy of Steve Liptrot

As if that wasn’t enough and with so many eyes on the site another county rarity apparently flew over on the 16^th, with a possible Great Northern Diver. Although it remained unconfirmed, it seems unlikely that it was anything else and unlike the Velvet Scoter it didn’t quite like the look of the small reservoir in the north of the county. Somewhat more solid, Whooper Swan came from two sites this month. Otmoor played host to the most records with a single bird present from the 10^th until the 14^th, which was followed by a pair of birds on the 26^th. Port Meadow also had a couple of records with a trio of birds present on the floods on the 11^th followed by a flock of seven flying through the site on the 17^th, in what has been a great site for the species already this winter. 

Three Whooper Swans at Port Meadow courtesy of Adam Hartley

A lone Common Scoter was reported this month, also from Grimsbury and came on the 6^th – clearly part of wider displacement of coastal birds during this period with Grimsbury on their flight path. Goldeneye were surprisingly more widespread than is typical for this declining species, with at least five sites recording birds. Dix Pit, the site for the species had a maximum of six on the 24^th, whilst Farmoor and Pit 60 hosted single birds this month, not surprising given the proximity to the Dix Pit. More surprising was a fly over record from Sutton Courtenay on the 25^th and a lone bird at Grimsbury earlier in the month. Goosander were present at only two sites this month, two present at Days Lock between the 9^th and the 11^th whilst Hinskey Lakes hosted six on the 25^th rising to nine on the 27^th inlcuding some on the artificial pond at this very urban site.

Shelduck were also present at two sites – two at Days Lock on the 9^th and a single bird at Pit 60 on the 13^th. Red-crested Pochard came back to their usual winter haunt of Dix Pit in force with a high count of 43 here on the 24^th, again the question of where these birds spend their summer remains unanswered. A single male was also present at Chinnor on the 5^th. Also at Dix Pit a massive count of 200+ Pochard was also present on the 24^th, a great number given the species declining wintering population in the UK. Mandarin were present at two sites – Ducklington and Blenheim with the former possibly being the most popular Mandarin in the county’s history! 

The Ducklington Mandarin 
Courtesy of Connor Pimm.

Also on the more plastic front the feral Ross’s Goose continued to find Port Meadow to its liking, along with the unusual Gadwall X Wigeon hybrid which was present in the early part of the month. Another unusual species present in the county was a pair of Bar-headed Goose at Waterstock on the 17^th. 

The Port Meadow "Gadgeon" courtesy of Thomas Miller

 

The Port Meadow feral Ross' Goose courtesy of Thomas Miller

Herons, egrets etc

Grimsbury Reservoir continued to its fine form with a flyover Glossy Ibis over the site on the 10^th of the month, possibly the Otmoor bird finally relocating from its extended stay at the site. Another fantastic patch bird for the local birders there and well deserved too. On the more usual front, Cattle Egret continued to be present in fairly large numbers this month and spread reasonably well across the county. At least nine sites hosted birds this month, with the fields around Wytham and the A34 proving to be attractive winter feeding grounds and usually following the cattle as they are moved between fields for winter pasture. These fields hosted up to 20 birds throughout the month, with most other sites hosting singles and small groups although Otmoor hosted at least ten birds on the 2^nd.

Great White Egret were also widespread again this month, with at least eight sites hosting at least one bird in November. The largest count came again from Otmoor on the 2^nd where a minimum of eight birds were present, along with the ten Cattle Egret. Most other sites hosted either singles or pairs, but Blenheim had at least four birds present on the 11^th. As mentioned in the previous review any Bittern records away from Otmoor are a fairly extraordinary affair, particularly for local patch birders. A single bird in flight being mobbed by Gulls over Hinskey Lake on the 10^th of the month certainly was an unexpected occurrence! Again, further proof if any was needed that putting in the hard yards are well worth it, even at the smallest or most urban of patches. 

Hinksey Bittern courtesy of Alex Figueiredo

 

For the fourth year in a row a Great Bustard graced the west Oxon Downs for the winter period. Possibly the same bird present the previous winter given its unusual behaviour of associating with the local Roe Deer. 

The Great Bustard courtesy of Geoff Dymott

 

Passerines

A fantastic month for this group in November, with two county mega’s just making it into the review period at the very end of the month. The 27^th of the month saw the county’s first twitchable Snow Bunting since 2017, although the last record came in 2021 with the news never put out at the time and for or that reason, this was always going to be a popular bird. Those able to react quick enough to the news were rewarded with fantastic views of this typically showy species with some amazing photos gripping those of us unavailable or in my case heading on a train to Devon! Unfortunately for the rest of us, the bird had departed overnight although you wouldn’t bet against it turning up again somewhere else in the county. 

The Farmoor Snow Bunting courtesy of Thomas Miller

courtesy of Jason Coppock

That looked set to be our last proper rarity of the year, but Radley GP’s had other ideas when it turned up a pair of Bearded Tit at the very last minute on the 30^th. This species, although much more widespread in the winter months is actually arguably rarer in the last decade or so and certainly is harder to pin down, with only two previous records in the last 11 years, although the 2022 record from the Balscote Quarry was a single day affair. With the weekend looming, it seemed that these birds would prove a rather popular twitch for the county’s birders and a vigil of the site was conducted by some dedicated folk Saturday – Sunday but with no luck it seemed they had gone. Thankfully they were relocated in the early part of December, of which we will have more details in the final review of the year. 

A video grab of one of the elusive Bearded Tits courtesy of Ben Carpenter

After the record year of Yellow-browed Warbler in the county, the long staying and occasionally showy bird in Abingdon proved popular in the early part of the month for as long as it stayed, remaining on Jackman Close until at least the 3^rd. I suspect we are not quite done with Yellow-browed Warbler this year, or at least that is what some of us are hoping for at least. A very late Ring Ouzel was definitely a surprise record this month, with a single corking male present on the Oxon Downs from the 29^th until at least the 30^th and this bird may continue to be present into the early part of December.

The Ring Ouzel courtesy of Geoff Dymott

Whilst the Yellow-browed Warbler invasion has died down after a very busy October, the Hawfinch invasion continued to delight dedicated patch birders and county twitchers alike. A whopping 14 sites hosted birds across all parts of the county this month, with plenty of small flocks present across Oxon. The largest flocks came from Great Tew, the site that has some decent pulling power for this species even outside of invasion years, with numbers fluctuating between one and 11 birds throughout the month. Middle Assendon also hosted a fairly sizeable flock with nine here on the 2^nd, found invariably whilst folk were out dipping on the Booted Eagle. But the by far the biggest came from Woodstock on the 7^th where at least 19 were present, with birds frequently commuting between here and the Blenheim Estate where at least eight were present on the 5^th. The other sites to get in on the action, in order of when they were recorded, were Port Meadow, Henley-on-Thames, Kidlington, Lockinge, Headington, Moreton Golf Club, Grimsbury, Kingston Lilse, Fyfield Wick and Ardington. 

A Hawfinch at Great Tew courtesy of Steve Sansom

 

Courtesy of Julie Dickson

It has also been an excellent month for Black Redstart records with no fewer than six sites hosting birds in November. Chinnor continued to host a single bird from the 1^st and 5^th, with the 2^nd bird seemingly departed the previous month. Harwell Lab, a classic but out of bounds site, also hosted a single on the 1^st, whilst Farmoor had one on the 4^th briefly. Peep-o-Day Lane had a female type bird on the 13^th, albeit disappointedly brief and obscured by sewage treatment works. The most popular individual of the month, however, came from Christchurch Meadows on the 27^th. A stunning 1^st winter male in an equally stunning background couldn’t be resisted once it became apparent it was staying put for a little while – with it still being present as write. The last record of the month came West Ginge Down on the 28^th and likely the Harwell Lab bird relocating, which could very well be the same bird at several of the above sites. 

The Black Redstart at Christ Church Meadows courtesy of Thomas Miller

A Rock Pipit played 2^nd fiddle to most of the above records this month, with two records from Farmoor on the 2^nd and 30^th and could very well be the same bird reappearing. Something which could have caused a major storm if it had been pinned down was an apparent Swift sp. Flying over Didcot on the 9^th. Given the lateness of the record, thoughts of Pallid Swift immediately on the mind – but unfortunately no distinguishing features were seen other than the distinctive and unmistakable Swift silhouette. Another very interesting record came from Peep-o-Day Lane on the 4^th where a Sand Martin was present on the sewage treatment works. Already at this point the latest record of the species in the county it went on to stay at least another nine days (13^th) before seemingly being finally moved on by a cold snap – shifting baselines before our very eyes! Also on the Hirundine front was two late, but not completely unheard of, records of Swallow with one over Farmoor on the 6^th and Leafield on the 9^th.

Gulls and Terns

By far and away the standout record this month came from Port Meadow on the 19^th, where quite unbelievably a flock of 14 Kittiwake flew over the floods on very cold morning. A fantastic record for the species even during the peak passage periods, a flock this size is almost unheard of during the winter months. Part of country wide displacement of the species with lots of inland sites recording ones or twos with the occasional flocks, the Port Meadow flock was still the largest one observed across the country. 

Some of the 14 Kittiwakes over Port Meadow courtesy of Thomas Miller

Capsian Gull were found at a minimum of four sites this month, with the two regular gull roosts of Farmoor and Port Meadow producing a 1^st winter on the 1^st and 25^th respectively. Ardley ERF hosted two adults on the 17^th whilst two Cassington GPs on the 20^th. A single Mediterranean Gull was also in the Port Meadow roost but only on the 1^st of the month and not thereafter. 

Port Meadow Mediterranean Gull courtesy of Adam Hartley

 

The final interesting record also stemmed from Port Meadow with a potential candidate heinei (Russian subspecies) Common Gull. An interesting article on identification can be found here - https://gull-research.org/papers/papers8/2016heineiCommonGulls.pdf

The putative Heinei Russian Common Gull courtesy of Thomas Miller

 

Raptors

The winter raptor season got well underway this month, with three records of Hen Harrier in November. A ringtail was present in the south of the county on the 29^th plus a second ringtail on Otmoor. A cracking male was also present a little further west at in a much more likely place near the downs at Childrey Field also on the 29^th. Three records of Short-eared Owl came this month, only one of which came from the downs on the 9^th at Lowbury Hill. Otmoor hosted its usual single bird towards the end of the month with a bird reported sporadically between the 21^st and 30^th of the month. The final record came from a presumed flyover bird at Ducklington on the 29^th.

Merlin records came from at least three sites this month with Otmoor hosted one on the 3^rd, Thame STW on the 6^th and Fyfield Wick later in the month on the 29^th. Records of Marsh Harrier away from Otmoor came five sites this month – Cassington GPs, Farmoor, two over Freeland, Buckland and Rushy Fen. A final noteworthy record came from the Lye Valley where a very urban Barn Owl was the only the 2^nd at the site in the last 5 years – a fantastic bird to have in such an urban location.

Patchwork challenge

Patch	Birder	Points	Species	Highlight
Aston eyot	Ben Sheldon	83	81
Ardley ERF	Gareth Casburn	112	100	Cattle Egret & Caspian Gull
Dix pit	Simon Bradfield	91	84	Water Rail & Stonechat
Grimsbury reservoir	Gareth Blockley	134	115	Velvet Scoter (!), Goldeneye & Glossy Ibis
Lye valley	Tom Bedford	88	82	Hawfinch & Barn Owl
River Thames	Geoff Wyatt	163	135	Knot
Sutton Courtenay	Conor MacKenzie	144	125	Black Redstart & Goldeneye
Radley GP’s	Ian Elkins	116	104	Bearded Tit
Freeland	Glen Pascoe	87	74	Marsh Harrier
South Hinksey	Alex Figueiredo	68	65	Bittern, Little Grebe & Goosander
Cholsey	Alan Dawson	112	106	Sanderling

Conor Mackenzie

Photo Of the Month

This month's Photo of the month award goes to Thomas Miller's amazing set of photos of a pair of Peregrines harrasing all the birds over the frozen Port Meadow floods. It's worth looking at the entire set which can be found on his blog here.

Port Meadow Peregrine courtesy of Thomas Miller

 

"Birds in Black & White" by Phil Barnett

A review by Adam Hartley

I was lucky enough to be given a copy of this book by the author himself, who has been a regular visitor to my local patch of Port Meadow in recent weeks. Most county birders will know Phil as a dedicated birder who has found more than his fair share of county rarities in his time. But back in the day, he was also a keen academic and he spent a fair bit of time as an ornithologist, studying various aspects of bird life. This is reflected in the first part of this book which consists of some thoughts on some of his research over this phase of his life. While it was very interesting and often illustrated the author's own input and research suggestions, it did make for slightly depressing reading as it largely consisted of how many bird species we have lost in the county over the decades due to various factors.  Still, that is the harsh reality that we live in now. This section of the book is written in an informal and accessible style so despite it's slightly academic subject matter it is very readable.

The second part is more cheery, consisting of a write up of various top county birding sites along with an informal list of some of the key species that have been seen over the years. Of particular interest to me were the historic records for Port Meadow (often sadly after having been shot - such was the fashion back then).

Tacked onto the end of the book is a short section on some of the old fashioned bird names and it finishes with a poem.

However, what makes this book special are the delightful drawings. They are just simple black and white pencil line drawings, so really no more than caricatures of various bird species and often somewhat cartoonish in nature. However, despite their simple nature they somehow capture the essence of the species so that it is usually possible to identify them despite their simplicty. They really are very appealing! The book is liberally sprinkled throughout with these throughoutdrawings and this, for me is the highlight of the book.

So, all in all, an excellent gift for anyone interested in birds. The book is published by Oxford Folio and can be bought by following the link below. All proceeds go to RSPB Otmoor.
https://www.oxfordfolio.co.uk/Birds-in-Black-White