Farmoor Res 7th August

1330-1430hrs

Adult Dunlin

 

Juvenile Dunlin

Dunlin 3  Adult & 2 Juveniles
Yellow legged Gull 2
Common Tern 3
Sand Martin 80+ only present in brief rain shower
Swallow 2

Standlake Pit 60: am 7th August

YL Gull
2 Common Whitethroat
Garden Warbler

Otmoor.A.M. 7th August.

Marsh Harrier seen with tag again, it was too far away to collect the number,
also the tag looked more of a light blue colour, seen at 9:53.
2 Snipe
2 Black-tailed Godwit
1 Bittern
1 Hobby
1 Hen Harrier (imm male)
1 Turtle Dove
2 Common Cranes.

Duns Tew 6th August

Tree Sparrows Duns Tew courtesy of J.R

Farmoor Reservoir: 6th August

Mediterranean Gull: juv moulting to '1st w'. Med gull in roost. Mostly in juv plumage but with at least one 1w grey feather moulted into upperparts. Asio owl: in case I can't work out how to enter 'asio sp'- at c 21.15 pm as I drove from res to farmoor village an asio flew over road. It descended towards res using flight v like displaying SEO. Both asio were regular breeders on my old patch do very used to seeing including silhouettes at dusk. 20:40.

Mick Cunningham

Turnstone courtesy of Richard Tyler

Turnstone
Dunlin
Ruddy Shelduck

(per Richard Tyler)

Ruddy Shelduck courtesy of Richard Tyler

Otmoor rspb. reserve 6th. August.

Evening:

3. Marsh Harrier.  2 adult birds.  1 juvenile with green wing tag. ( not a locally bred bird). 
To distant to read information on tag.

Lesser Whitethroat courtesy of Ewan Jones

2. Marsh Harrier.
Water Rail.  (juv.)
Hobby.
Sparrowhawk.
5. Stonechat.  (2. adult, 3. juv.)
7. Redstart.
2. Spotted Flycatcher.

Per.  Otmoor M.

Juvenile Water Rail.

Kingston Bagpuize: 6th August

Kingston Bagpuize
OTHER SPECIES: Possible Pale Clouded Yellow Butterfly. Small pale yellow butterfly through quickly through the garden heading east. 2 Painted Lady flew West.
2 Hobby: High on the soar together.

Jed Cleeter

Sonning Eye GPs: 6th August

Sonning Eye GPs
Common Sandpiper

Marek Walford

Standlake Pit 60: 6th August

1 Hobby
2 Redshank: juvs. 2 juv redshank flew in from ENE.
2 Redstart (m/f)

(Mick Cunningham, Dave Lowe,Derek Latham)

Hobby courtesy of Derek Latham

Farmoor 5th August

Ringed Plover courtesy of John Workman

Marsh harriers 2 imm heading ssw 8:40 (presumably to fyfield!)
greenshank 1  over
Ringed plover 1
Turnstone 1   per dai
Ruddy Shelduck 1
Egyptian goose 2
Common sand 6

Dunlin 6
Sanderling 1

Dai, John, Ian, Mike, Peter, Sally, Terry, Tom

Dunlin & Sanderling courtesy of John Workman

Bicester Wetlands 5th August

7 green sandpiper
sparrowhawk
3 little egret

Farmoor 5th August

common sandpiper

dunlin

sanderling

Egyptian goose

Standlake Pit 60: 5th August

Standlake Pit 60
2 Dunlin: 1ad 1 juv. Adukt and juv dunlin yesterday 4 Aug with AWE JD and Bill. Apols late submission.

Mick Cunningham

Standlake Pit 60: 5th August

Standlake Pit 60
2 Hobby: ad and 2cy. Ad and 2 cy hobby pit 60. Together at one point.

Mick Cunningham

Farmoor Reservoir 5th August

Sanderling 2
Dunlin 6
Common Sandpiper 12

(per Nick Truby)

Bicester Wetland Reserve 5th August

1 juvenile Water Rail seen well from the car park hide, after a numbers of sightings of adults and lots of calling during the past 6-8 weeks great to finally prove breeding for the first time at BWR.

Also
 5 Green Sandpiper
2 Heron
10 juv Tufted Duck
1 Green Woodpecker
lots of Reed Warblers, Whitethroats and Chiffchaffs

Key Holder Reserve
Alan Peters

Kingston Bagpuize: 5th August

Kingston Bagpuize
Yellow Wagtail: Flew West calling. 09:47.

Jed Cleeter

Fyfield: 5th August

Fyfield
2 Marsh Harrier: Circling together, viewed from Kingston Bagpuize. Gained some height and then drifted SSW, possibly Imm/Fem types. 09:10.

Jed Cleeter

Otmoor 4th evening

5:15 - 8pm

2+ Green Sandpiper
1 Cuckoo (juv)
20+ Swallows

Per Tezzer & Andy

Redshank Farmoor Reservoir courtesy of John Workman

Otmoor RSPB 4th August

0700-1030 hrs

Turtle Dove- male

Turtle Dove 2
Marsh Harrier 3
Water Rail 1 juvenile

Green Woodpecker 2
Common Swift 8
Common Redstart 3

Reed Warbler
Common Whitethroat
Willow Warbler
Common Chiffchaff
Cetti's Warbler
Blackcap

Reed Warbler

Green Woodpecker - juvenile

Otmoor 4th August

Stonechat   3 juveniles on the MOD

Redstart      3 

Crane           2   Greenaways 

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

BWR 3rd August

15-16:00
6 green sandpiper
1 common sandpiper
1 little grebe

Otmoor rspb. Reserve. 3rd. august.

2. Common Crane.
Hobby.
2. Marsh Harrier.
Cuckoo.  (juv.)
Per.  P.G.  T.S.

Juvenile Cuckoo

Harwell Laboratory: 3rd August

Harwell Laboratory
Redstart: fem.

Mark Merritt

July Highlights & News

Green Sandpiper Standlake Pit 60 courtesy of Stephen Burch.

July traditionally sees the start of the return southerly migration with a trickle of northern breeding waders at the beginning of the month slowly increasing as the month progresses. Green sandpipers are typically one of the first returning migrants we see in Oxfordshire and increasing numbers were reported across the county in the month.  An impressive 11 birds were reported on the 26th at what has become their favored county site at the Bicester wetlands reserve.  Other birds were reported from Standlake pit 60, Chinnor, Rushy, Otmoor and Farmoor. These delightful waders are mainly artic breeders who produce one brood with the female normally migrating before the juveniles have fledged leaving the male to feed the young. Apart from failed breeders, the females are hence typically the first returning migrants seen in early July with the males following in late July and finally the juveniles in August.

We again had excellent news from Otmoor with confirmation that the Marsh Harriers and Bitterns have again successfully bred.

Class of 2017  Juvenile Bittern Otmoor RSPB courtesy of Tezzer.

Bitterns have had yet another excellent year on the Otmoor nature reserve having been observed and photographed with suggestions that the pair may have raised three young.
Hard to believe that these enigmatic and cryptic Herons were once thought of as only occasional winter visitors only a short while ago. Hopefully with the controlled lowering of the water in front of the first screen, these Bog thumpers may become a little easier to spot along the muddy margins...

In terms of raptors there was a report of a Red Footed Falcon from Kingston Bagpuize on the 9th. Peregrine were see off and on at Standlake Pit 60 throughout the month, at Kingston Bagpuize on the 7th and at Farmoor on the 23rd. The first summer male Hen Harrier was regularly reported from Otmoor throughout the month. An Osprey was reported from Farmoor on the 31st.

The big news within the Oxon raptor camp is that once again Marsh Harriers have successfully bred
on the Otmoor RSPB reserve for the third consecutive year managing to fledge four juveniles, unfortunately a fifth juvenile didn't survive, this is again testament to the continued hard work and dedication of the RSPB team and volunteers.  

Class of 2017 one of four juvenile Marsh Harriers

Being mobbed by Black-headed Gulls

Courtesy of Norman Smith

Autumn is well under way within the wader world with Turnstone being seen at Farmoor from the
24th as well as a returning Sanderling also at the Oxford resevoir from the 27th.

Turnstones Farmoor Reservoir courtesy of Ewan Urquhart 

Sanderling Farmoor courtesy of Nick Truby

Sanderling courtesy of Andy Last

Whimbrel Otmoor RSPB courtesy of Tezzer

Wimbrel were seen over Otmoor (3x) on the 25th and Summertown on the 9th. Black-tailed Godwits were again in evidence with 11 on Otmoor on the 11th and a single at Standlake Pit 60 on the 7th and Rushey Common on the 31st, an impressive 33 birds were recorded over Farmoor Reservoir at the start of the month on the 2nd.

Juvenile Curlew Otmoor RSPB courtesy of Eddie McLaughlin

The 3 juvenile Oystercatchers were seen throughout the month at Pit 60 with a regular pair on Otmoor throughout. A juvenile Curlew was a welcome record at Otmoor with 13 Curlew seen over Otmoor on the 26th.

Redstart Otmoor courtesy of Pete Roby.

Three spotted Flycatchers and one adult were seen at Otmoor on the 18th and two were seen at Ardington on the 17th. Increasing numbers of Redstarts were reported from across the county with an impressive 10 being reported from Otmoor on the 29th with a surprise find of a Fire-flirt on the Unipart site at Cowley.

Juvenile Mediterranean Gull Farmoor Reservoir courtesy of Dave Lowe.

Juvenile Mediterranean Gull with Black-headed Gulls Pit 60 courtesy of Mick Cunningham

Immature Mediterranean Gulls have been well documented with individuals recorded at Farmoor Reservoir on the 14th, Standlakes Pit 60 on the 29th  and at the Bicester Wetlands Reserve on the
23rd an adult was also reported over Kingston Bagpuize on the 23rd.

Yellow-legged Gull numbers built up during the month with sittings at Standlake Pit 60 and 15 reported from Farmoor on the 25th.

Ruddy Shelduck courtesy of Tracy Winkworth

A smart Ruddy Shellduck of unknown origin was loyal to the pontoon area of F2 on Farmoor until the month end and was regularly seen keeping company with a pair of equally exotic Egyptian Geese.
3 early Goosander were a notable sighting from Otmoor on the 28th.

Egyptian Goose Farmoor Reservoir courtesy of Jim Hutchins

Common cranes were regularly reported from Otmoor during the month with the long staying two ringed birds being supplemented by occasional reports on an unringed third and even a forth bird.

Possibly overlooked amongst are breeding birds is the confirmed breeding once again of Stonechats
on the Downs, there is also evidence of a close proximity of a breeding pair near Otmoor with a juvenile seen on the reserve on the 4th.

Juvenile Stonechat Otmoor courtesy of Andy Last

Farther afield in the UK it has been a really fantastic year for rare breeders with Night Heron,
Cattle Egrets, Great White Egrets and Black Winged Stilts all fledging young plus Bee-Eaters currently feeding young in Nottinghamshire. Let’s hope that in a few years time we will be able to report similar success from Oxfordshire as these wonderful birds expand their range. Giving the long stayers we had from late summer through to spring and the proximity of their Somerset levels stronghold, my betting is on breeding Great White Egrets within the next 2 years!

Jim Hutchins.





News

BBOWT urgently need your help.

Our local wildlife trust have just received an incredible opportunity to purchase 113 acres of farmland
alongside their Chimney Meadows reserve in Oxfordshire.

On the banks of the River Thames lies Duxford Old River, a tranquil floodplain and ancient meander
of the Thames that could provide an undisturbed haven for our struggling wildlife-but it is at risk.

It has just come up for sale,and with no protection whatsoever, there is nothing to prevent its new owners from destroying this peaceful haven for wildlife,

With your help, BBOWT could buy it and keep it safe for wildlife.

BBOWT need to raise an additional £82,000 of a £220,000 total by the 30th of September.
Any donation however small, would be greatly received.

Please click here to donate

For Sale


An unopened new Manfrotto MH X-Pro 3-way tripod head mint condition £60.
Contact Dave Lowe at DL@HARDSCAPE.CO.UK

Should anyone wish to buy or sell anything birding or photography related, please email all relevant
information and details to myself or Adam for inclusion by the end of the month.

Farmoor Res 2nd August

1300-1500hrs

Ruddy Shelduck 2 at southern end of F2 (per RBA)
Egyptian Goose 1

Sand Martin 600+
House Martin 100+
Swallow 2
Common Swift 85

Yellow legged Gull 2
Common Tern 8

Rushey Common lake, 2nd August

Whimbrel   flew from Conveyor Belt lake area across road and headed south over far end of Rushey
Peregrine
Common Sandpiper 2
Kingfisher
Swallows 6 moving south
House Martin  with Swallows

Clackers & Mrs Clackers

Otmoor rspb. reserve. Evening. 1st. August.

2 Marsh Harrier.
Hobby.
2. Common Crane.
Hen Harrier. (1st summer male)
Green Sandpiper.
Dunlin.
Cuckoo.  (juv.)

Per. C.T.  P.W.  T.S.

Juvenile Cuckoo

Little Egret

Snipe 2

Teal 12

Shoveler 5

Kingfisher

Redstart 3 (1m)

(per Bark, Badger, Terry Tossell, Luke O'Byrne)

Yesterday 2 Black-tailed Godwit 1st screen (per David Wilding)

Turtle Doves Otmoor RSPB courtesy of John Workman

Farmoor Reservoir 1st August

Great black-backed Gull courtesy of Dai

Whimbrel
Turnstone
Dunlin
Ringed Plover
Common Sandpiper 5 (north end of F1)
Great black-backed Gull 3
Egyptian Goose
Ruddy Shelduck
Snow Geese c70 until c09:20 then flew west

(per Dai, Peter Law, Alex Carlisle)

Egyptian Goose courtesy of Jim Hutchins