Port Meadow: 16th May

Port Meadow
2 Little Gull: 1s.
3 Oystercatchers
1 Redshank (per Richard Foster)
3 Little Egrets

Adam Hartley

Otmoor.A.M. 16th May.

1 Garden Warbler (car park)
1pr. Shellduck (Big Otmoor)
8+ Hobbys (Greenaways)
1 Cuckoo
3 L.Whitethroat
1 Sparrowhawk (M)
1 L.Egret

Farmoor 15th May

Swift

Swift

Swift

Lots of swifts at Farmoor today. This Swift with no tail could cause indentification problems.

Cuckoo on Otmoor  (c) David Cuddon

Otmoor 14th May

Wheatear

Hobby

Farmoor 14th May

Sanderling 4 along the causeway.
Turnstone  1 west side of F2.
Whimbrel  1.
Common Sandpiper  4.
Dunlin  3
Peregrine 1.
Hobby  1.

 Photo taken 2011

The Insomniac Birder

Otmoor 14th May

Shelduck 2
Turtle Dove 3 (per Roger Wyatt)
Spotted Flycatcher
Mixed flocks of large gulls predominately imm birds all LBBG & Herring.

Otmoor Birding

Leucistic Starling for its fith year again in Abingdon
with one of two offspring (c) Mike Flemming.
Mike Flemming's Natural History Photos

Port Meadow: 14th May

Little Gull (1s)
Yellow Wagtail

Sydney Penner

Crowmarsh Gifford 14th May

At 13:55 this afternoon, I was treated to the incongruous sight of an adult male
Hen Harrier floating low above Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, before heading
over my office and down to the Thames.

(per Richard Broughton Oxonbirds)

Port Meadow: 13th May

Port Meadow
2 Little Gull: 1s. On the floods with the black-headed gull flock still.

Adam Hartley

Oxon Downs 13th May

Quail (h) (per The Wickster)

Otmoor 13th May

Garganey 2 (m/f) (per Bark)

Glaucous gull: what looked like an adult bird feeding with a large flock of herring and LBB gulls in the flooded grassland on the left of the path to second screen. The bird was quite active flying around from one patch to the next. 

Little egret, 1 on Ashgrave

Hobby, at least 12 over greenaways & bridleways

Gadwall, 2 m

Common tern, 2

Cuckoo, 2

Raven 1

Snipe, 1

Wheatear, 2 Ashgrave 

Pochards, 5 m 
Sandmartin, 1

(per Tom Pizzari)

Otmoor Birding

Whitethroat Otmoor (c) Jon Mercer

Port Meadow: Burgess Field Nature Park: 12th May

Port Meadow: Burgess Field Nature Park
Cuckoo: First heard calling from north end of Burgess Field. Sighted (presumably the same individual) still calling in a tree on other side of Oxford canal, approx. SP496095. SP497091.

Steve Goddard

Grimsbury Reservoir: 12th May

Grimsbury Reservoir
2 Arctic Tern: Over the reservoir.

Rachel Howard

Otmoor 12th May

Marsh Harrier reported
Hobby 11+ over Greenaways & Reed bed
Turtle Dove 2 along the bridleway
Cuckoo 2+
Gropper 3+ (2 reeling along path to 2nd Screen)
Lesser Whitethroats
(no sign of poss Glaucous Gull)

Otmoor Birding

12th May Shillingford

Hobby feeding on Mayflies.

Henley Road GPs: 12th May

Hobby 9
Cuckoo
2 Oystercatcher: On island viewed across lake from hide. 1 appears to be sat on a nest, the other more mobile.

Richard Marsh

Juniper Valley 12th May

Turtle Dove 2
Wheatear 4

(per TRa OOS)

Venn Mill: 12th May

Venn Mill
Raven: About 300 yards N of Venn Mill. Very low over road before landing in field - no doubt eyeing up the unfortunate ex-pheasant on the verge. First Raven I've seen in six years of travelling this road on a dailyish basis.

Mark Merritt

River Thames: Iffley to Sandford: 12th May

River Thames: Iffley to Sandford
Cuckoo

Steve Roby

Otmoor 11th May

Poss Glaucous Gull Otmoor RSPB on Ashgrave at 11a.m
(per Peter Coombes)

Radley GP: Ash-pit (Plover Pit): 11th May

Radley GP: Ash-pit (Plover Pit)
Ringed Plover
Dunlin

Jason Coppock

Marsh Harrier Otmoor 11th May (c) Pete Styles

Port Meadow: 11th May

Port Meadow
2 Little Gull

Adam Hartley

10th May Farmoor

Sanderling

 Dunlin

 Wheatear (Greenland)

4 Dunlin, 4 Ringed Plover, 1 Sanderling, 3 Common Sandpiper, 3 Wheatear, from the causeway.

Port Meadow: 10th May

2 Little Gull: 1s.

Adam Hartley

Garganey at Farmoor (c) Matt Prior

10th May Wytham Wood: Pied Flycatcher

Damien Farine reports a male pied flycatcher in Wytham Wood this morning being mobbed by the resident small birds.

Young Tawny Owls Sonning Common (c) Linda Garner-Langham (goingbirding)

Otmoor: 10th May

2 Turtle Dove (Two flying over greenaways then along bridlepath near pumphouse).
Hobby 3
Merlin
Grasshopper Warbler (car park field).

Peter Coombes


Otmoor Birding

Farmoor 10th May

Garganey (drk) on F2 (per The Wickster & RBA)
Sanderling

10th May- Spoonbill- Sutton Courtenay

Spoonbill still present at 06:00 this morning. Seen flying south over B4016 at 05:40; however, although it was pointing south it was heading in a north-easterly direction due to the strong wind. It then 'flew' north and then east and was lost to view behind trees near the Thames. It must have then thought better about flying in such strong wind as it was picked up back on the floods at about SU496940. Best viewed along B4016 (on the opposite side of the road to a southerly heading public footpath).

Purrrrfect Wed. 8th May
Turtle Dove showing well at Buscot, also Whitethroat.
camboy

Farmoor 9th May

Osprey (yesterday)
Short-eared Owl
Whimbrel
Ringed Plover 2
Dunlin 3

The Insomniac Birder

9th May Sutton Courtenay: Spoonbill

Tom Wickens has found a 1st year spoonbill this evening on the floods
north of the B4016 between Drayton and Sutton Courtenay just before
you reach Sutton Courtenay approx 3/4 mile east of 1066 still present
at 20:00.

North Newington: 9th May

North Newington
Cuckoo: calling.

Michael Hunt

Otmoor Kite 9/5

North Moreton 9th May

A4130 nr North Moreton
2 Grey Partridge: As I headed west towards Didcot - in large field to south of Wallingford-Didcot road, just past the sharp-left turn to Nth Moreton - 2 birds still there at 14.15!. SU563095.

Mike Amphlett

Port Meadow: 9th May

Garganey: drake on the west shore of the floods this afternoon

Adam Hartley

Otmoor 9th May

Avocet on Greenaways 15:20 (per RSPB)
No further sign by 19:00

2 Shelduck on flooded field to left of path to 2nd screen.

Otmoor Birding

OOS Talk 'Oxfordshire A World of Gulls' - Tuesday 8th May

Ian 'gull whisperer' Lewington is giving a talk to the OOS this Tuesday entitled "Oxfordshire - A World Of Gulls'' Lew has been at the forefront of Gull identification in the UK with a particular passion for Caspian Gulls (and who can blame him) and promises to be an informative and educational talk.

George Candelin will also be giving a talk on a recent ringing trip to the continent entitled "French Reedbed Warblers.'' The meeting will start at 7.45pm with a brief AGM. Free tea & coffee and rumour has it that the OOS may even throw in some free biscuits! Free to members A £2 donation from visitors is appreciated. 

Any Questions or biscuit preferences? Contact Barry Hudson (Secretary) 01993 852028.

Otmoor: 8th May

Otmoor
2 Oystercatcher
2 Ruddy Shelduck

Joe Harris

Otmoor 7th May

Wood Sandpiper  - Seen from hide this evening

Aston Upthorpe: Juniper Valley: 7th May

Aston Upthorpe: Juniper Valley
Ring Ouzel: m.

David Hastings

7th May Blewbury Downs

Turtle Dove

White Stork

Video taken on 29th of April

Linky Down 7th May

Ring Ouzel 2 at Linky Down at 13:30 (per RBA)

Port Meadow 7th May

No sign of any of yesterday's waders. Lots of hirundines hawking low over the water and a couple of dunlin flew in.

River Thames: nr Sandford-on-Thames: 7th May

River Thames: nr Sandford-on-Thames
Redstart: male.

Steve Roby

Balscote Quarry 7th May

Dotterel still in field adjacent to Balscote Quarry 07:00
But no further sign by 10:50 (per RBA)

Grove: Airfield: 6th May

Grove: Airfield
Whinchat: male.
3 Great Black-backed Gull
3 Curlew: One male in display flight.

Wantage
3 Corn Bunting

Leo Bateman

Otmoor: 6th May

Yellow Wagtail (ssp flava)
Short-eared Owl 2

Nick Suckling

Port Meadow: 6th May

Port Meadow
3 Bar-tailed Godwit
5 Greenshank
Whimbrel
Oystercatcher
Kingfisher

Sydney Penner

Also
1 reed warbler on the Trap Grounds
2 garden wablers on Burgess Field

Adam Hartley

Otmoor 6th May

Hobby 13 over Greenaways (per Steve Roby)
Marsh Harrier (f)
Greenshank
Wheatear c13
Whinchat 3
Cuckoo 3+
Gropper 2+

Otmoor Birding

Grimsbury Reservoir: 6th May

Grimsbury Reservoir
Garden Warbler: m. singing.

Gareth Blockley

Farmoor 6th May

Red-rumped Swallow 09:45 to 10:15 until a hobby flushed all the hirundines. As the weather brightened, most birds started to feed at a much higher altitude.

Balscote Quarry 6th May

Dotterel (f) (still present 18:30 per RBA)
Golden Plover
Ringed Plover 2
Little ringed Plover 3+
Wheatear 4
Willow Warbler
Tree Sparrow

Ashbury: Odstone Hill: 6th May

Ashbury: Odstone Hill
8 Corn Bunting

Mark Merritt

Balscote 6th May

The Dotterel still at 15:20 this afternoon (per Badger)

Yellow Wagtail Farmoor (c) Peter May

Farmoor 6th May

The Red-rumped swallow again this morning  just south of the tower at 09:44 but no further sign by 12:50 (per RBA)

Farmoor 5th April

The first Red-rumped Swallow for both Farmoor and Oxon was present from 8th to 12th May 1997 when it was still an official rarity. It's become commoner in the UK since then, with some big influxes, but it's still taken 15 years for another to turn up here. The weather today was pretty much identical to May 1997, cold and horrible, but it's these very conditions that are responsible for the bird feeding at the reservoir so it may hang around.........

Also an adult Black Tern on F.1.

Balscote Quarry 5th May

Dotterel still in field adjacent to Balscote Quarry 19:30
Golden Plover 2
Little ringed Plover 4
Wheatear 2

Red-rumped Swallow at Farmoor

Barry Batchelor has just found one along the edge of FII next to the car park.

Not seen since about 1:40 p.m though the hirundines are apparently all dispersed at present (per Lew)

Again from the causeway at 17:15 (per Steve Goddard)

Showing well from 18:15 onwards off the causeway near the car park 

 

The red-rumped swallow today (c) Roger Green

Pit 60 May 5th

Reserve completely flooded for fourth day. All land nests washed away.  Access paths still under 25 cm of water.

1 Garganey m
13 Teal 5 m 8 f
1 Little Egret
1 Wigeon m
2 Common Tern
35 Tufted
2 Redshank

Grove: Airfield: 4th May

Grove: Airfield
Short-eared Owl
2 Redstart: male.

Leo Bateman

Grimsbury Reservoir: 5th May

Grimsbury Reservoir
Arctic Tern: Through north.
18 Swift: Through north.
4 Yellow Wagtail: Individuals, over north.
Common Sandpiper: and possibly a second or the same one on flooded fields north of the res.
12 Whitethroat
Hobby: Over fields north of the res.
Reed Warbler: m. singing in scrub next to the canal.

Gareth Blockley

Otmoor: 5th May

Otmoor
Raven

Nick Truby

Otmoor: 4th May

Otmoor
Cuckoo
2 Short-eared Owl: Resting on posts near feeders, car park field.
Greenshank: Scrapes in front of hide.

Nick Truby

Farmoor 4th May

 Arctic Tern

 Common Tern

 Ringed Plover

 Ringed Plover

 House Martin

Swallow

Balscote Quarry 04th May

24 Bar-tailed Godwits for short time early a.m.
Whimbrel still present
(per Roger Evans - BOS)

Farmoor 4th May

100+ Arctic Terns passed over at c07.45 a few stopping to feed on F.1.
Lots of Swallows and House Martins.

Henley Road GPs: 4th May

Henley Road GPs
3 Egyptian Goose

Marek Walford

Marsh Baldon: 4th May

Marsh Baldon
Cuckoo: calling near Baldon House.

Peter Law

Otmoor.A.M. 4th May.

8 Snipe
1 Hobby
1 Turtle Dove (Noke End)
1 Sparrowhawk (m)
1 Greenshank (Ashgrave)
4+ Curlew.
4 Cuckoo (3M/1F)

Port Meadow: 4th May

Port Meadow
Whimbrel
2 Bar-tailed Godwit
3 Common Sandpiper
3 Dunlin
2 Oystercatcher
2 Little Egret
4 Shelduck
2 Wheatear
2 Common Tern

Adam Hartley

Grove Airfield 3rd May

Whinchat (m)
Curlew
2 Cuckoo
Grasshopper Warbler
3 Lesser Whitethroat
Barn Owl
Grey Partridge

3rd May Port Meadow

1 Grey Plover
1 Whimbrel
1 Redshank
14 Dunlin
2 Little Gull
1 Common Sand
5 greenshank
2 bar-tailed godwit
2 oystercatcher
22 tufted duck
4 pochard
2 common tern

Tom Wickens, Dave Lowe & Gnome

 

The Grey Plover (c) Gnome

Cassington Turtle Dove

Turtle Dove (c) Mike Thomas

This bird seen and photographed in a Cassington garden today by Otmoor Volunteer Mike Thomas

3rd May Farmoor

Grey Plover on the causeway

Dai John

2nd May Stonesfield Common

Stonesfield Common
Lesser Whitethroat 2
Whitethroat 3
Reed Bunting 2
Marsh Tit 1
Tufted Duck 6 on adjacent flooded field

Paul Wren

Grimsbury Reservoir 2nd May

An excellent but sadly brief trip down the left side of the reservoir this afternoon (just 20 mins, 4-4.20 pm):

Wheatear 3
Dunlin 1 (lovely summer plumage)
Hobby 1 hunting hirundines
Whitethroat 2
Gadwall 2
Coot (!)
Spotted Flycatcher - 1 seen in trees over the river behind the water treatment shed near entrance on the way back to the car.

Didn't see Whinchat but didn't have time to walk around so possibly still present.

Otmoor: 2nd May

Otmoor
Greenshank: From hide. SP560127.

Phil Chapman

Port Meadow: 2nd May

Whimbrel
2 Common Sandpiper

Peter Law

Also:
Grey Plover
9 Dunlin

Adam Hartley

Otmoor: 2nd May

Otmoor
Merlin
4 Curlew
Whinchat: Male in front of hide, being harried by female wheatear.
Grasshopper Warbler

Peter Coombes

Grimsbury Reservoir: 2nd May

Grimsbury Reservoir
2 Gadwall: pair.
Coot: Maybe the one I heard early this morning? From 2008 to 2011 I had only recorded Coot two times on site. So far this year I have had three.
2 Whinchat: 2m.
3 Wheatear: 2m.
3 Swift
14 Great Crested Grebe
15 House Martin: 15 + (also over 100 Swallows and Sand Martins).
2 Grey Wagtail: pair.
2 Sedge Warbler: m. singing.
2 Whitethroat: m. singing.

Gareth Blockley

2nd May: "Our" Storks are now in Sussex

5 white storks over Littlehampton Beach at 12:31 and at Pagham Harbour at 1:06 pm & again at 2pm

Grove Airfield 2nd May

4+ Lesser Whitethroat
Grasshopper Warbler
Cuckoo
8+ Whitethroat (big increase overnight)
2 Wheatear (m/f)
7 Willow Warbler
2 Greylag Geese
2 Chiffchaff (1 nominate singing on territory, the other a good candidate for tristis with a whopping supercilium of Willow Warbler-length, grey above, white below, and jet black bill (both mandibles) and legs. The latter bird was working its way through hawthorn scrub 100m NW of the "plane on a stick" and unfortunately failed to call)

Banbury: 2nd May

Banbury
Coot: Heard calling, flying around over my flat for around 30 secs.

Gareth Blockley

Otmoor: RSPB reserve: 1st May

Otmoor: RSPB reserve
Whinchat: On Ashgrave with 4 Wheatears.
Garganey: male. On Big Otmoor.
2 Shelduck: male and fem.
2 Cuckoo

Steve Roby

Farmoor 1st May

2 Little Gulls

1 Cuckoo

10+ Common Terns

1 Wheatear

Bill Foley

Photo (c) Bill Foley

Port Meadow: 1st May

Port Meadow
Whimbrel
Dunlin
3 Little Egret
2 Little Gull: ad. sp.
2 Common Tern
Lesser Whitethroat
Hobby
2 Yellow Wagtail
12 Tufted Duck
Rosy-billed Pochard

Adam Hartley

Also
Pochard      (per Sydney Penner)

More at Port Meadow Birding

1st May: Newbridge Storks, One has now Died

RBA reporting them as still present in the same place this morrning. Best viewed by walking west along Thames on the public footpath from the Maybush pub at Newbridge and viewing North between the 2nd and 3rd kissing gates.

John Hillsdon writes:
"The storks flew off to the south at abour 10.30., one hit the power lines and fell dead into the field. The remaining 5 returned at about 12ish, flew around for about 10 mins, the flew off south again."

Lee Evans is interested in the body of the dead bird if anyone knows who has it.

Photos (c) Sam Viles

Sonning Eye GPs: 1st May

Sonning Eye GPs
8 Black Tern: At the water ski put (per Hugh Netley).

Marek Walford

Miscellaneous Recent Sightings

Abingdon: Longmead Lake, Barton Lane: nightingale singing on Saturday

Radley Lakes area: cuckook calling on Monday

per David Guyoncourt and Joe Cartmell