February Review

 The Highlights

Occasionally, highlights carry over into the following month. A long-staying and stunning drake Long-tailed Duck certainly fits that description, made all the better by finally choosing a wintering spot that offered views at far closer range than the 1km distances it had previously kept. After going missing on the 18^th, it would be a full two weeks before it was relocated just a few miles west, as the duck flies, at Rushy Common and the Tar Pit Lake complex. Showing well but in dreadful weather conditions, it was enjoyed by a few lucky souls who ventured out in the rain to see it. It seemed a fine decision at the time, with the bird disappearing again on the 4^th, looking destined to be another one-day wonder – albeit one that had clearly been lurking, unseen, for several weeks! Friday 13^th, however, brought no bad luck, when it was relocated adjacent to Rushy Common on a large, flooded gravel extraction pit. Once again, the weather was abysmal – a running theme in this individual’s appearances, seemingly preferring to impose maximum discomfort on observers whenever it was found. It remained for the rest of the day before bunking off for 48 hours, only to reappear just down the road at Tar Lakes on the 15^th. Clearly, the bird was following its favoured Tufted Duck flock around the various lakes, of which there are many.

Courtesy of Kyle Smith

With this pattern finally established, it became much easier to pin down, being present mostly on Rushy Common until the 27^th. With this, some pretty excellent views were attained and anyone who had this species omitted from their county list or just anyone who was frankly interested in seeing such a great county bird. By the 28^th it had departed Rushy Common and the rest of the Tar Lakes, moving to Dix Pit where it remained for at least the first few days of March before reappearing at its favoured haunt of Rushy Common.

Waders

The surprise of the month came in the form of a large flock – at least by Oxon standards – of Knot on the 6^th. Initially reported as Dunlin at North Cross Valley Way, a return visit on the 7^th revealed four Knot lingering from the original flock, all confirmed by the finder as the same species. The remainder stayed on the extensive flooding there until at least the 9^th, and NCVW looks set to continue its fine form from 2025 into the new year. Black-tailed Godwits were also on the move again, with a small flock of five noted at Otmoor on the 10^th, whilst a single bird remained present until the 27^th.

Dunlin were observed across three sites, two of which were new this month. Otmoor continued to host a flock that this month ranged from four to 15 until the end of February and it seems likely quite a few more were out on the extensive habitat un-birded and unseen. Farmoor hosted the highest count this month, where a flock of 20 were present on the flooded fields south of Whitley Farm on the 23^rd, along with a small flock of White-fronted Goose. No reports followed this, although a single and likely different bird was on the actual reservoir on the 26^th. Finally, Duxford was the last site to report any birds with a single individual on the 28^th. Jack Snipe continued to be recorded regularly at Cornwell Marsh throughout the month, with up to two still present at least until the 18^th. Balsocote Quarry had the highest count this month and actually higher than any in recent memory, when five were flushed during conservation work on the 7^th. Only one record of Green Sandpiper this month, with the regularly reported bird from the winter only recorded on the 4^th at Cornwell Marsh. Woodcock continued to be reporting only sporadically in February, with two records – Garford on the 1^st and two from Bruen/Foxholes on the 12^th.

Knot courtesy Gareth Casburn

Oystercatcher returned in force after the initial flurry of incredibly early records the previous month. Seven sites recorded one or two birds back on territory or simply passing through during the first half of the month. A further seven sites then saw birds return over the following two weeks – a welcome and noisy comeback for those fortunate enough to have these birds breeding on their patches.

Also building in number after their initial return last month were Curlew, with a minimum of 20 on Otmoor on the 27^th, along with a single Redshank and we should not have to wait too much longer for further arrivals.

Wildfowl, game etc

Aside from the obvious highlight of a certain sea duck in the west of the county, another rarity graced the far southern reaches of Oxfordshire in the latter part of February. Our second Slavonian Grebe in less than 12 months turned up at Henley Road GPs, a site with a strong record of scarce wildfowl, having already hosted Smew this year and several good birds in recent years, including a very popular Velvet Scoter in 2022. Found on the 26^th, it remained on site for the rest of the month and lingered into March, though, as is often the case with birds at this site, it was not always the easiest to see and was in winter garb. The most recent record coming in March 2025, was of an excellent pair of birds coming into their summer finery and showed far better than this bird. But with this being a less than annual species in the county, it’s a welcome bird in any context!

Courtesy of Robin Elkins

The winter goose invasion from the East continued to please local birders and visitors alike, with the flock of Tundra Bean Goose and the masses of White-fronted Goose remaining mostly in situ. At least 17 Tundra Bean Goose remained on their preferred site, Otmoor, until the 10^th with only six remaining by the 16^th. A bird reported at Blenheim Palace on the 26^th did not materialise for local patch birders who turned up to check it out. White-fronted Goose continued to be reported far and wide in the county as well boggling the mind with the number present. A minimum of 11 sites reported birds, although the majority of the records came from Otmoor. By far in the way the highest count came from here, with a whopping 292 counted on the 27^th, surely a record for the county and certainly an unprecedented number in recent memory! Other notable counts came from Pit 60 on the 22^nd with at least 100, Farmoor saw 31 flyover west on the 11^th and Chimney Meadows continued to host at least 32 on the 16^th.

Ruddy Shelduck courtesy of Ewan Urquhart

The pair of Smew continued to find LWV Pit 18 to their liking and, although occasionally going missing, were present there until at least the 16^th. Far more fleeting was the appearance of a pair of Dark-bellied Brent Geese, which dropped into Farmoor ahead of a squall, circled for five minutes and then departed high to the north. A fantastic example of being in the right place at the right time for two lucky birders, and just a glimpse of what may pass through the county unseen. A Ruddy Shelduck on Peep-o-Day Lane has become an expected annual occurrence these days, with the site hosting a bird every year for the last four years. This one though, did a bit of a tour of the county, with it arriving on Peep-o-Day Lane on the 7^th before moving to Marcham on the 11^th. It was then back at Peep-o-Day Lane on 14^th before being picked up at Days Lock on the 23^rd.

Common Scoter courtesy of Ewan Urquhart 

Both the Common Scoter and the Scaup continued to find Farmoor to their liking, been regularly reported through the month, with the former now starting to look more male like in appearance with every passing week or so. Shelduck also continued to move through the county at pace and in decent numbers. At least nine sites hosted birds, often pairs with the occasional decent count also reported, such as the six at Port Meadow on the 27^th or the four at Rushy Common throughout the month. Hopefully a few of these pairs may linger long enough and breed as a couple of pairs have in recent years. Goldeneye were a little more widespread than in recent months, with seven sites hosting the species. The highest count came from Pit 60, where six were present – a sad indictment of how far the county’s wintering population has declined. The situation is also reflected at Farmoor, where two birds reported on the 14^th are now notable, compared with counts of 70+ that were the norm some 20 years ago.

Goldeneye courtesy of Debbie Cummings

Goosander were present on six sites, with lots of the wintering population beginning to head for the faster and clearer rivers of the north. The highest count as it often does came from Port Meadow where ten were present on the 12^th, whist six remained here until the 27^th. Blenheim had a pair of birds potentially engaging in courtship, and so it looks like this year may very well be another good year for this newly added breeding species to the county. Red-crested Pochard remained confined mostly to the west of the county, with its abundance of old gravel pits and newly cleared fishing lakes, with the maximum count of 20 coming from LWV Pit 18 on the 22^nd. The oddest record came from Otmoor on the 12^th, with two birds here – a site that probably closely resembles their natural breeding habitat elsewhere.

Some notable counts of more common species came from Pit 60 which continues to pull in huge numbers of wildfowl, this included a count of 424 Pochard on the 5^th and 488 Pintail at Pit 60 on the 21^st. The numbers of the former species feel particularly notable, given the well documented declines of Pochard and interestingly on the 21^st in amongst nearly 1000 combined of both species, a Ferruginous type hybrid was noted within the throngs of birds – an interesting bird even if its origins or parentage remain uncertain.

Herons, egrets etc

A flyover Spoonbill over Rushy Common on the 28^th was massive consolation for the missing Long-tailed Duck. An early bird clearly moving from wintering grounds somewhere on the coast, it was not seen at any further sites and another case of right place right time for a species that seemingly has an aversion to landed within the fine county of Oxfordshire. The Glossy Ibis pair continued to winter at Otmoor although only reported sporadically, likely due to the extensive habitat that is un-birded at this site and not due to any excursions the birds might have had. This pair is beginning to look fairly settled and with spring on the horizon it will be interesting to see how this plays out in terms of any breeding activity.

Glossy Ibis courtesy of Jamie Mayall

The Cattle Egret flock, after going missing for a few weeks was located eventually just to the south of Oxford at Water Eaton, with 32 birds here on the 2^nd. Not one of the flocks usual haunts, it seems likely that due to the winter flooding the birds have become more mobile in their search for suitable winter foraging. Ony two other sites recorded the species this month, Peep-o-Day Lane and Days Lock both usual sites and with two and five there respectively. Great White Egret were on 11 sites, in much the same places as they were in the previous month and much of the winter. The most intriguing of these records was of a bird coming into breeding plumage at Blenheim on the 20^th. The site which hosts both breeding Little Egret and Cattle Egret could well prove suitable for the county’s first breeding pair, with potentially four species of heron nesting on this one site.

Finally, after their welcome return back to the county last month, a pair of Crane were back in their rightful place on Otmoor on the 14^th. Presumably the same pair were observed over Chilson on the 19^th, with pairs often been quite wide ranging in the early part of their arrival before settling once breeding commences.

Cranes on Otmoor courtesy of Peter Milligan

Gulls and Terns

The standout for the group this month, was a lovely adult Kittiwake into the Port Meadow roost on the 12^th, an excellent bonus for the county year list so early in the season. Surprisingly presumably the same adult was then observed at Farmoor the next day, with the species not usually lingering for more than a few hours. It soon became clear that the reason for this extended stay was that the bird was moribund and its attempts to extricate itself from the site were unsuccessful. A local hero was on hand to get the bird into care and offer it the best chance of been able to return to the coast fit and strong but as is so often the case with these wayward seabirds, this one did not survive its time in care. Two different Little Gull were present in the county this month. An adult was on Port Meadow on the 6^th whilst the same site hosted a 1^st winter on the 12^th and again on the 18^th.

Kittiwake courtesy of Thomas Miller

Also, this month, at least two different Mediterranean Gull were present in the county. An adult was present on Port Meadow on the 6^th, joining the Little Gull in a fruitful winter roost count. A 2^nd winter was then observed at NCVW on the 8^th, whilst either the same adult or potentially a different bird all together was on Farmoor on the 26^th. Finally, Caspian Gull were on at least four sites this month, of at least three different age groups. An adult was on NCVW on the 8^th, whilst a 2^nd winter was on Port Meadow and Blenheim on the 12^th and 20^th respectively. With then a 1^st winter on the outskirts of Thame on the 26^th.

Passerines

The male Black Redstart continued its prolonged winter stay at Christchurch throughout the month, looking ever more resplendent in the occasional spring like sunshine towards the end of February. A flyover Hawfinch over Dean Grove on the 21^st was the only other real species of note for this group, although with spring around the corner this should change in the coming weeks.

Black Redstart courtesy of Graham Parkinson

Brambling were recorded on seven sites this month, with the highest count of 12 birds in one lucky birders garden at Middle Assendon on the 20^th must have been a very nice bonus to their garden bird feeders. The Blenheim Crossbill flock continued to be endlessly popular with at least 30 still present on the 13^th with even a singing bird noted at one point in the middle of the month. At least three sites also recorded birds this month, Buckland Warren and Wytham both expected sites whilst Otmoor on the 14^th was atypical for this species.

Brambling Otmoor courtesy of Peter Milligan

Raptors

Another fairly quiet month for Raptors this month, in what has been mostly a disappointing winter for Owls and Harriers. Short-eared Owl were seen at least on three sites, Otmoor on the 12^th and Blewbury Chalkpit and Days Lock both on the 13^th. Birds were also reported on the wider Oxon Downs and it seems likely the true extent of the species wintering presence is probably under reported. Merlin were recorded at four sites – Water Eaton, NCVW, Blewbury Chalkpit & Marcham

Short-eared Owl courtesy of Paul Wyeth

Finally, Marsh Harrier were recorded at seven sites outside of the more expected sites such as Otmoor and Pit 60. Days Lock and Blewbury Chalkpit both recorded at least two different birds in different parts of the month, whilst at least one of the same birds at Days Lock was also seen at Appleford. The remaining sites probably shared some of the same birds as individuals move around in search of good hunting grounds, with all four been in the west of the county.

Merlin courtesy of Caroline Walker

Patchwork challenge

Patch	Birder	Points	Species	Highlight
Grimsbury reservoir	Gareth Blockley	79	76
Lye valley	Tom Bedford	63	61	After an incredible January, my best February ever (53 species), but only 3 additions to the year list: an inner city Woodcock (only the 7th record in 7 years for this species); a Firecrest (2nd ever patch record!) and flyover Canada Geese (about two records per year).
River Thames	Geoff Wyatt	111	97	S.E.O.
Blewbury Chalkpit	Conor MacKenzie	78	71	Short-eared Owl, Marsh Harrier, Merlin
Radley GP’s	Ian Elkins	79	77

With thanks to Peter Barker and John Reynolds for the new banner, welcome back Sand Martins!