Smew Dorchester 10th Jan

5 Smew Dorchester Pits
http://benewetom.blogspot.com/2011/01/dorchester.html

Banbury Waxwings

17 Waxwings today at 14:55 in Gatteridge Steet, just across from Morrisons.

Gareth (per Tony, Banburybirds).

North Leigh Common Near Witney

Sunday Afternoon 9th Dec

6 Brambling, small flock of Redpoll, c100 Linnet and March Tit

Appleford: Glaucous gull

The juv. glaucous gull on the Spit Pit this morning but the iceland gull wasn't seen between 10:15 and 11:15

Bewick's Swans nr Berinsfield 10th Jan

6 Bewick's Swan
9 Mute Swan
Still between Berinsfield and Drayton St Leonard 08.08
(per Ian Smith)

Field craft at the Spit Pit, Appleford

With regard to viewing Gulls at Appleford, can I implore anyone visiting the site to please stay in their cars. The Gulls are skittish enough without birders adding to the angst of their screwed up minds. After all, they have to cope with the sad antics of the falconer and his pyrotechnics, the flight path of RAF choppers, trains and lorries honking their horns and the bangs of local game shooters. If you want to see any Gulls, particularly if you enjoy prolonged, close views, getting out is just counter productive. Having the first Slaty-backed Gull for Britain flushed, never to be seen again, by a firework would be bad enough but by a birder . . . .

One other gentle reminder about this site; the haul road to the tip and the pit are private and the site managers have been very tolerant of visiting birders over the last decade, particularly as we shouldn't really be there. Please make sure that you are parked well off the road as any slight obstruction to the visiting trucks get reported to the Waste Recycling Group manager who is then duty bound to come out and advise the obstacle to move. This increases the chances of decreased tolerance in future.

Happy New Year

Waxwings Long Hanborough 9 Jan

50 Waxwings Long Hanborough 1420hrs

Cholsey Harris Hawk

Paul has very kindly sent us these photo's of the escaped

Harris Hawk taken recently near Cholsey.

For more info and pictures of this awesome raptor check the superb....

http://cholseywildlife.blogspot.com/

Photo's (c) Paul Chandler

Waxwings 9th Jan

No sign of any Waxwings around Long Hanborough, Combe or Stonesfield between 11am and 2pm today (per Dave Morgan)

Yet again there were waxwings in the same ash tree a little way into Alexander Close (not Drive) Abingdon when I drove past this morning. About 9.15 seems the optimum time to view them.
(per Rachel Everett)

30+ Waxwings at 12 o'clock in gardens of flats just behind Hi-Q Tyres in Gatteridge Steet, just across from Morrisons
(per Tony Banburybirds)

Pits around Abingdon Sewage Works c3-5pm

Redhead Smew; Green Sandpiper; 2 Raven; Bittern (reported c1.00pm but not seen towards Dusk/at Dusk); Water rails both seen and heard and with Little Grebes back on a number of pits after recent absences, as most pits are now clear of ice excepting a few very sheltered patches. Barn Owl over fields to SE, near Dusk.

Appleford Spit Pit - west side of Railway Level Crossing

c12.00-2.30pm First winters birds: Iceland Gull present almost continuously and Glaucous on and off. 9 min Common Gulls.
Best viewed from roadside at SE corner of pit - near the spit. Birds will flush if stepping out of car, No ice.

Blenheim Hawfinch

A single hawfinch seen briefly at top of a tree north from the Pleasure Garden about 3pm

Appleford; Iceland & Glaucous gulls

Both juvenile iceland gull and juvenile glaucous gull present on the Spit Pit early afternoon (per B.B)

Iceland Gull at Appleford 8 Jan

A couple of flight shots of Badgers bird.

Henley Road GP 8th Jan

Smew - 2 redheads
Red-crested Pochard - 1 drake

Iceland Gull at Appleford 8th Jan

Here are a few shots of another bird found on MY patch by Jason. Well done Badger.

Linnets

A phone call from Alan Larkman telling me about a huge flock of Linnets he and David Daniels had been watching in the Oil Seed Rape stubble field lying to the right alongside the entrance road to the BBOWT Chimney reserve public car park resulted in breathtaking views of several flocks of Linnets totaling in excess of two thousand birds , not at all approachable keeping either to the middle of this large field or making for the far side if I changed position. Met Albert Allen there and our very rough estimates are 2,000 plus Linnets, 200 plus Fieldfare and 100 Starlings.

Long Hanborough: Waxwings 8 January

A flock of 57 Waxwings between 0830-0950 frequenting telephone wires and flying down to cotoneaster bushes alongside A4095 Main Road. Became more mobile after 0950 splitting in to smaller flocks and dispersing over wider area in village

Smew Henley Road GP

Two Redheads on the Henley Road gravel pit.
Quick visit on the way through to playing golf on the other side of Reading! Its not an Otmoor sighting but it is still Oxfordshire (just).

Gareth Luscombe
Otmoor Assistant Warden

Mid Cherwell Valley 8th Jan

Wigeon 1000

Teal 200

Shoveler 2

Lapwing 168

Peregrine 1