It has been a while since I visited Farmoor Reservoir and to be honest I thought twice about it. I've fallen short of last year's year list at this point and thought I might go and target somewhere different. But hey, you just never know what you are going to find.
It wasn't such an early start this week and I set off onto the banks by 08.45am. 
I decided to try the causeway first as there might be some overnight drop ins. The place was very still and fly fishermen were already out on the water. The flies were also out but thankfully not in the numbers encountered at Draycote Water. Disappointingly, the only species of note on the causeway were two dunlin. Around 15+ swifts cruised the skies on the hunt, joining the common tern trying to keep my spirits up. As I got to the end of the causeway I wondered which way I should turn and decided to go straight ahead and onto the Pinkhill Reserve. There I could hear sedge warblers across on the opposite bank. Then from nowhere a cuckoo called to my right. I stepped round the tree only to see it take off from atop a tree on the opposite bank, 
and fly off left. Nice to see but a photo would have been nice.
I decided to head along the river bank for a while and soon came across a pair of calling reed warblers. At first they were unhelpful, skulking away in the depth of the reeds - then they flew off into a tree. I decided to be patient and sure enough one of the two flew back to the bed in front of me. Not too long a wait and up they popped for their portrait - a much better view than I'd been able to get at Otmoor.
A beautiful walk round the river with the occasional boat passing by - restful. 
Added blackcap, willow warbler and chiffchaff before I got to the hide. At the hide a sign indicated that you had to call in order to be provided with the entry code (the rangers). At first the Ranger gave me the wrong one but we got there in the end. Inside it was quiet and little to watch, other than a grey heron. Front left a bird dropped into the tree and when I looked it was a hobby, presumably having a rest from the the big dragonfly hunt. Gorgeous.
Back on the reservoir I opted to go round F2. Soon I came across a group of ducks and two turned out to be a pair of red-crested pochard [124]. Another short distance ahead and 
I saw what I initially thought was a little grebe surfacing - but it was in fact, a drake black-necked grebe. Two in summer plumage in just a few weeks. Luck was in. I posted on twitter but later found out it had already been reported, just after I got to site.
I paused to watch one of the fisherman play his trout from the bank. As he did so he said that there was a pike following it in. Damn me it took the fish and made the job of landing the trout almost impossible - the pike was at least 15-20 lbs. For some reason the pike then released the trout allowing it to be landed but all the time following the fish. 
Not the ideal condition for the fisherman but given that it's guts had been ripped out it wasn't going back in. An exciting end to the visit.
Sighting (37) included: black-headed gull, black-necked grebe, blackbird, blackcap, buzzard, canada goose, carrion crow, chaffinch, chiffchaff, common tern, coot, cormorant, cuckoo, dunlin, goldfinch, great crested grebe, great tit, grey heron, greylag goose, hobby, jackdaw, magpie, mallard, moorhen, mute swan, pied wagtail, red-crested pochard, reed bunting, reed warbler, rook, sedge warbler, swallow, swift, tufted duck, willow warbler, woodpigeon and wren.
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