Farmoor Reservoir: 19th July

Dunlin 18/7 courtesy of Alan 

Dunlin: ad. On causeway. 4 Common sands also.
9 Yellow-legged Gull: various. Minimum of 9 Yellow-legged Gulls included a juvenile.

Mick Cunningham

Standlake Pit 60: 19th July

Standlake Pit 60
2 Yellow-legged Gull: 1 near ad and 1 3cy. The 'usual' near adult plus a 3cy that dropped in with some LBBs.
1000 Starling: The starling roost at Pit 60 ranges from 500 to 1000k, the latter is probably an undercount. The roost has attracted a peregrine, once, and a sparrowhawk, once. The dearth of small raptors barring hobbies when newly arrived in spring is obvious compared to what I used to see in a fairly 'ordinary' West Yorkshire birding area.

Mick Cunningham

Rushey Common lake, 19th July

pm
Dunlin
Common Sandpiper
Green Woodpecker juv
Chiffchaff 1 adult 3 juv

Clackers & Mrs Clackers

Stanford-in-the-Vale: 19th July

Stanford-in-the-Vale
Hobby: Hunting over the village. Per Josh Cleeter. 17:30.

Jed Cleeter

Rushy Common: 19th July

Rushy Common
Dunlin: ad. 1 from screen in company with juv LRP.
Green Sandpiper: n/k. 1 from hide.

Mick Cunningham

A329 near Moulsford: 19th July

19th July

A329 near Moulsford
Corn Bunting: Perched on fence post S of Silly bridge. SU5885. 09:20.
Yellow Wagtail: Perched on fence-line just over gate from Silly bridge - preening, then flew - prob same bird on ground with sheep, just N of Silly bridge. Juv or fem?. SU5885. 09:30.

Mike Amphlett

Otmoor 18th July

Juvenile Curlew courtesy of Eddie McLaughlin

1 Hen Harrier (1st sum male)
3 Spotted Flycatcher (2 juv)
2 Redstart
2 Turtle Dove
1 Bittern
4 Marsh Harrier
1 Sparrowhawk
3 Oystercatcher
1 Curlew (juv)
2 Little Egret

(Paul Greenaway, Terry Tossel, O.U Paul, Eddie McLaughlin)

: 17th July

Ardington
2 Spotted Flycatcher: At least this many calling, just one adult seen. SU4388.

Leo Bateman

Chinnor: Cement Works: 17th July

Chinnor: Cement Works
Green Sandpiper: 1 by a small pool at the southern end of the site. SU749993.

David Stracey

Otmoor RSPB 17th July

1st summer male Hen Harrier present since the winter courtesy of Luke O'Byrne.

Hen Harrier  (1st sum male)

1 Sparrowhawk
2 Oystercatcher
2 Kingfishers
1 Bittern
12+ Common Tern
1 Raven (over).
Spotted Flycatcher (juv)
Redstart 5 (2m)

(per Tezzer, Paul Greenaway, Luke O'Byrne, Derek Latham et al)

Above & Below Juvenile Spotted Flycatcher courtesy of Luke O'Byrne

: 17th July

Ardington
Hobby: SU4388. 13:00.

Leo Bateman

Farmoor 17th July

 .

Ruddy Shelduck still present photo courtesy of Dai

Farmoor July 16th 18:45-20:45

Dunlin - approx 20 flew in from NW, most didn't land only 2 adults remained on causeway
Curlew - 2 flew south (19:15)
Common Sandpiper- 4
Cuckoo - 1juv
GBBGull - 1ad
Little Egret - 2

Sent from my iPhone

Oystercatchers at Pit 60 courtesy of Steve Burch
The Tall Birder

Otmoor 16th July

2 Common Crane
1 Bittern
Marsh Harriers (inc 4 juv)
4 Oystercatchers
2 Raven (over)
40+ Lapwing.
Turtle Dove
Redstart 3

(per Paul Greenaway, Bark, Pete Roby)

Oxford: Woodstock Road: 16th July

Oxford: Woodstock Road
4 Oystercatcher: Feeding on Keble and St Hughes' college sports ground.

Matthew Southwell

Rushey Common lake, 16th July

pm
Common Sandpiper 3
Hobby
Oystercatcher 2
Little Egret

Clackers & Mrs Clackers

Otmoor 15th july

Grasshopper warbler  4 - males reeling

The pill

Car park field

Riffle range area

Cow field East of Otmoor lane near Beckley

+ usual

Marsh harriers

Turtle doves

2 oystercatchers

Water rail

Segsbury Camp: 15th July

3 Common Redstart
90 Goldfinch (more than half juvs)
Siskin (over)

Stonesfield Common 15th July

Video courtesy of Wreny.

Redstart 2 (per Paul Wren)

: 15th July

CABI-HQ, Wallingford
2 Grey Partridge: Making a heck of a racket, as they flew in and settled nr the main gate - two males?. SU6188. 14:00.

Mike Amphlett

: 14th July

St Edward's School playing fields
2 Oystercatcher: pair seen together for last few days. SP498093.

Peter Lodge

Farmoor 7pm July 14th

Sent from my iPhone1 Juv Med Gull (f2)
4 Common Sandpiper

Bicester 14th July

Leucistic magpie still present this morning on roofs of houses in Scott Close, Kingsmeadow but not seen so far this evening. Bird is recently fledged and is still being tended to by its parents.

Kingham 14th July

Great Spotted Woodpecker juvenile

Otmoor.A.M. 14th July.

1 Turtle Dove
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Raven (over)
1 Bittern
Marsh Harriers
1 Kingfisher
Common Tern juveniles flying.

Sedge Warbler courtesy of J.R

Stonesfield: Stonesfield Common: 13th July

Stonesfield: Stonesfield Common
Redstart

Paul Wren

Otmoor Thursday 13 July am

4 Marsh Harrier (juveniles)
1 Bittern
1 Grasshopper Warbler (reeling in car park field)
2 Turtle Dove
2 Snipe (still drumming over Greenaways)
1 Water Rail (juvenile at 1st screen)
2 Oystercatcher
3 Little Egret
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker

juvenile great spotted woodpecker

juvenile water rail at 1st screen

Bicester 13th July

Leucistic magpie seen off Browning Drive, Bicester today. Presumably a newly fledged bird.

Farmoor Res 12th July

1200-1400hrs

Yellow legged Gull 3
Common Tern 2+
Common Sandpiper 1
Little Egret 1
Barn Owl 1

Lollingdon Hill 12th July

Male Redstart courtesy of Paul Chandler

1 male Redstart
1 Whinchat
8 Yellow Wagtail

Cholsey Wildlife

Wantage: 12th July

Wantage
Barn Owl: Near A417 by Wantage Cricket Ground- per Josh Cleeter. 07:30.

Jed Cleeter

Rushey Common lake, 12th July

Dunlin 2
Oystercatcher
Sparrowhawk

Clackers

Oxford: Summertown: 12th July

Oxford: Summertown
Whimbrel: Flew over my garden, calling, 8 am.

Tom Evans

Otmoor 11th July Evening

5:30-7:30pm in almost constant heavy rain.

11 Black-tailed Godwits at first screen still
3 Juv Marsh harrier (3 briefly all perched up on view at the same time)
1 Green Sandpiper (Heard only)
1 Turtle Dove

Wholly unconfirmed report of Pied Flycatcher feeding behind the
Wetlands Watch hide (via social media).

Black-tailed Godwits

Above & Below: Juvenile Marsh Harriers this morning courtesy of Luke O'Byrne.

Chinnor: Cement Works: 10th July

Common Sandpiper courtesy of David Stracey

Common Sandpiper: By fishing club lake. SU754999.

David Stracey

: 8th July

Cholsey,
Yellow Wagtail: Seen from my motorcycle: flew W from fence/field on S side of Westfield Rd. (ca.700m N of my recent sightings nr Silly bridge). SU584857. 18:00.

Mike Amphlett

Balscote Quarry: am 10th July

4 Tree Sparrows

A329 nr Cholsey: 10th July

A329 nr Cholsey
4 Yellow Wagtail: At least 4 x birds present in bean and pea fields; 1m + *3f (*one with food). SU5885. 21:15.
2 Corn Bunting: Two birds present (and calling) in pea field, one perched atop crop. SU5885. 21:15.

Mike Amphlett

Standlake Pit 60 9th July

Peregrine: adult. probably male?. Spooking starlings from pylon. It perched there a while after. BTO ring right leg. Possibly green darvic on left but not sure. Probably male? Looked like unspotted white breast down to bars. SO615357.

Mick Cunningham

Starlings and Cows Otmoor courtesy of Derek Latham

Kingston Bagpuize: 9th July

Kingston Bagpuize
Red-footed Falcon: male. 1st summer male, circling at medium height before gaining height on a thermal. Hawked insects briefly at height before drifting very high WNW after 5 minutes. SU410985. 13:02.

Jed Cleeter

Otmoor: 8th July

Curlew: ad. Flew in from east, calling. Landed by scrape, drank, calling between sips. Then it bathed, again pausing to call every few seconds, then flew back east over cattle pens and away. SP565130.

Suzanne Parrott

Reed Warbler Otmoor RSPB courtesy of J.R

Pit 60: 8 July am

6 Little Egrets (including 5 together)
2+ Common Terns
1 Hobby
3 Oystercatchers (ads - 2 displaying)
1 Yellow-legged Gull (reported)
No sign of the Black-tailed Godwit or Common Sand.

8th July Bicester Wetland Reserve

3 Green Sandpiper (6 yesterday)
1 Little Ringed Plover
11 Lapwing
1 Little Egret
2 Heron

Please note track to the new tower hide now has a gate, please keep gate closed as cows now grazing in the meadow.
key holder reserve.

Alan Peters

: 8th July

Chinnor Old Quarry
2 Little Ringed Plover: SU753999. 06:00.

Chinnor Old Quarry
Stonechat: Heard Calling. SU753999. 06:00.

Jez March

Standlake pit 60:am 7th July

Black Tailed Godwit
Common Sandpiper
2 Oystercatcher ( Ad, Juv)
2 Little Egret
+3 Common Tern

Kingston Bagpuize: 7th July

Kingston Bagpuize
Hobby: Flew East.

Jed Cleeter

Otmoor.A.M. 7th July.

3 Little-ringed Plover (2 Juv)
2+ Cranes
1 Bittern
3 Oystercatchers
1 Shelduck (f)
2 Marsh Harrier (1 juv).

Cowley: Car works: 7th July

Cowley: Car works
Redstart: On the Unipart Site.

Colin Oram

Otmoor, Thursday 6 July, a.m.

2 Common Crane (Greenaways)
2 Marsh Harrier (incl brief appearance of a very dark looking juvenile)
1 Whinchat (male on the Closes)
2 Bittern
5 Little Egret
1 Hobby
2 Turtle Dove
Curlew (heard east of Greenaways)

Bittern. Pic taken at 1st screen looking to the end of the channel on the right

Turtle Dove in one of the oak trees along the bridleway

3 Little Egrets and a Cormorant

Otmoor Bullfinch

Courtesy of John Workman

Kingston Bagpuize: 6th July

Kingston Bagpuize
Peregrine: male. Flew fast west. 06:12.

Jed Cleeter

Rushy Common: 5th July

Rushy Common
Green Sandpiper: ad. Autumn has arrived. SJ848147.

Mick Cunningham

Otmoor 4th July evening

5:30 - 7:45pm

Stonechat (juv) - initially on greenways then flew to track by hide then towards July's meadow
Bittern - flew into small reedbed in centre of greenaways
Turtle Dove 2
Kingfisher
Sparrowhawk

Stonechat juv

Stonechat juv

Sedge Warbler

Sparrowhawk

Farmoor Reservoir 4th July

Ruddy Shelduck on F2 (per Tracy Winkworth)

Courtesy of Tracy Winkworth

June 2017 Highlights

Spotted Flycatcher June courtesy of JR

Headline Birds

June is traditionally a very quiet month in the country where many birders turn to summer distractions such as insects or flowers. This month was no exception with no "big one" travelling alone and late to disturb the county's peace. Instead we have to make do with a smattering of "good county birds" and just to enjoy the summer in other ways until things start to pick up again in the autumn.

As far as those good county birds are concerned, the headliners were a couple of Honey Buzzards - always a hard bird to catch up with in the county. These were reported from Millets Farm on 10th June and from Blenheim on 29th June. A Quail was heard singing on Otmoor mid month and a drake Common Scoter was at Farmoor on 30th June. And that's basically it!

The Highlights
By Tom Bedford

With spring passage just about over, June was a quiet month in the county. Birds were established in their breeding cycles and this combined with a heatwave in the third week of the month, when temperatures reached 33°, meant received reports were significantly below the numbers received in April and May.

Common Crane by Derek Lane

The RSPB reserve at Otmoor held the widest selection of breeding birds in the county. The numbers of Common Cranes on Otmoor has been a recent topic of debate amongst Oxonbirders. Two birds were regularly reported and were often seen simultaneously. A third, apparently unringed, Crane has also been photographed at the site (see above).

Turtle Dove by J Mercer

Turtle Dove by Tezzer

It has been a regular pleasure to see and hear Turtle Doves along the main bridleway at Otmoor and this rapidly declining species was regularly reported, and photographed, throughout the month.

Bittern by Paul Tomlinson

A small number of Bittern have summered on the reserve, with 2 being reported on a regular basis.

Some, presumably unmated, Common Cuckoos were still singing in the first half of the month. A hepatic Cuckoo was one of a total of 6 Cuckoo reported from Otmoor on 3rd June.

A Common Tern in "portlandica" plumage was reported from Grimsbury Reservoir on 5th June. These are first summer/second calendar year birds that usually remain on their wintering grounds in Africa for their first breeding season, but it appears a few return north with mature adults.

Marsh Harrier by Roger Wyatt

4 Marsh Harriers were seen on 9th June at Otmoor, the stronghold for this species in the county, whilst a singing Quail was heard on the reserve on 13th, 15th, 16th and 22nd, but not subsequently. At least 4 Yellow-legged Gull were at Grimsby Reservoir on 21st June, whilst Oystercatchers were proved to have bred at Standlake Pit 60 on 26th June:

Juvenile Oystercatcher by Jim Hutchins

The final day of the month saw a fine drake Common Scoter at Farmoor. Mid-summer records of Common Scoter in Oxfordshire were discussed in this article (scroll down link to view) and are thought to relate to post breeding birds moving to traditional moult sites. For some species failed or early breeders are already passing through the county and as June gives way to July, we await the onset of returning migrants. 

Common Scoter by Tezzer

 Common Scoter video by Badger

Tom Bedford

The Art of Birds

This month Paul has captured an encounter on Otmoor with our most colourful of corvids, the Jay.

Farmoor 3rd July

Common Sandpiper 12
Redshank 2
Oystercatcher 1
Great Black-backed Gull 1 adult.

Dai

Otmoor.A.M. 3rd July.

3 Marsh Harrier (one juvenile, short flight)
4 Cranes (together on Greenaways)
1 Bittern
1 Turtle Dove
Oystercatcher (h).
1 Kingfisher (reported).

A329 near Moulsford: 2nd July

A329 near Moulsford
2 Corn Bunting: 2 x males singing; on nr Silly bridge, t'other 100m S on fence line. Still in song at 21:30. SU5885. 21:20.

Mike Amphlett

Farmoor Reservoir: 2nd July

Minimum of 33 Black-tailed Godwit c13:45 flew around calling for 20 mins left s. SO250978.

(Mick Cunningham)

Grimsbury Reservoir: 2nd July

Grimsbury Reservoir
3 Little Ringed Plover: Feeding by the reservoir. 07:15.

Steve Holliday

: 1st July

Pit 60
Yellow-legged Gull: 3/4 y. Dropped in to bathe. SO274831. 19:00.

Mick Cunningham

Otmoor RSPB 1st July

Common Crane 3 (inc unringed bird)
Curlew 2
Little Egret 6
Turtle Dove 2
Hobby 4

(per Luke O'Byrne, Derek Latham et al)

Turtle Doves courtesy of Derek Latham

Henley Road GPs: 1st July

Henley Road GPs
Peregrine: Quite high up, but my first for this site!!. 11:00.

Richard Jinks

Farmoor Reservoir. 1st. July.

Grasshopper Warbler.  (heard and seen).
Kingfisher.
Common Sandpiper.
Yellow Legged Gull.
Red Crested Pochard. (f. with young)

Per The Wickster et al.

Farmoor Reservoir 1st July

No sign of the Common Scoter by 09:55 (The Wickster)

Otmoor.A.M. 30th June.

Snipe courtesy of Eddie McLaughlin.

1 Bittern
1 Marsh Harrier
1 Greenshank (h)
Snipe (drumming)
1 Turtle Dove.

Farmoor Res 30th June

Common Scoter (drake) still on F2 off of western bank 18:06 (Badger & The Wickster).

1.pm.  Male Common Scoter still present F2.  No further sign of female.
(Per. Tezzer)
8.10.am.  2 Common Scoter, (pair), F2, close to causeway.
(Per.  Dai)

Egyptian Goose
Curlew
Oystercatcher
Red-crested Pochard c7

Common Scoter.  m (courtesy of Tezzer)

Standlake Pit 60:AM 30th June

Common Sandpiper

East Hendred: East Hendred Downs: 29th June

East Hendred: East Hendred Downs
Quail 21:30.
2 Grey Partridge 21:30.

Mark Merritt

A329 near Moulsford: 29th June

A329 near Moulsford
2 Corn Bunting: 2 x birds at far S end of pea crop, close to Halfpenny Lane... diff birds from prev ob's...?. SU5884. 21:00.

Mike Amphlett

A329 near Moulsford: 29th June

A329 near Moulsford
3 Grey Partridge: 2 x flew from pea crop, one will be in SU5885. SU5884. 21:00.

Mike Amphlett

A329 near Moulsford: 29th June

A329 near Moulsford
6 Yellow Wagtail: Quite a day for Yell Wag's: an apparent pair flew S (twrd pea crop) from nr the muck heap at Silly bridge at 09:30 today. This evening, from SU5885 > SU5884 there were at least 2 x males, poss 3 fem's and, what I took to be a juv - all perched on fenceposts/wire and occasionally in cereal crop and pea crop. SU5885. 20:45.

Mike Amphlett

A329 near Moulsford: 29th June

A329 near Moulsford
3 Corn Bunting: It seems there are 3 x males sing in the area. 1 x S side of Silly bridge, on fence line + 1 x singing in opposition in a tall hawthorn at Silly bridge. Five mins later, on walk back, there's *another singing from the hedgerow which divides the ex-sheep field from the cereal crop (* at SU5985). SU5885. 09:20.

Mike Amphlett

Otmoor Thursday 29 June am

1 Bittern
3 Common Cranes
1 Turtle Dove
1 Grasshopper Warbler (reeling in Car Park Field)
3 Little Egret
1 Snipe (drumming)
Common Terns doing well on the tern raft

Bittern on a food flight from the reed bed to the Closes.

Blenheim Estate 29th June

Honey Buzzard flew over Blenheim Estate and lake before drifting off west c12:50
(per Dave Doherty)

Ruddy Shelduck still on main lake
Spotted Flycatcher

A329 near Moulsford: 28th June

A329 near Moulsford
Corn Bunting: Male singing, atop a tall Hawthorn. SU5985. 09:30.

Mike Amphlett