Friday, 24 August 2018

Grimsbury Reservoir :: 23/24 August 2018

On the Oxon Bird blog, Thursday morning, Colin Wilkinson reported green sandpiper, redstart and two wheatear at Grimsbury Reservoir. @987jonty also reported a teal and two sand martíns. At lunchtime @987jonty visited again and located the wheatear on the west side of the reservoir. With my work laptop out of action, I decided to drop in and have a look - after all, I’d managed to miss wheatear all through the spring.

I made a full circuit and couldn’t find the bird at all. As I left the site I turned to look back at the sailing club building. A small bird was hopping around the kerb and it turned out to be a female wheatear [#136]. Result.

Today, again at lunchtime, @987jonty spotted a redstart in the hedge between the cattle field and the waterworks. I was just starting lunch I thought I would drop in again. As I neared the reservoir my photo chimed and reported @987jonty had now spotted a whinchat. Although I arrived within just a couple of minutes, the whinchat had flown off across the cattle field. I chatted to John and waited to see if the restart would show - eventually John left and I continued to vigil. Eventually the redstart [#137] obliged.

I finished a circuit of the reservoir but no joy with the whinchat, or the yellow wagtails John had over.

Sightings (18) included: black-headed gull, blackbird, canada goose, greenfinch, grey heron, house martin, jackdaw, kestrel, magpie, mallard, mute swan, pied wagtail, redstart, robin, rook, wheatear, whitethroat and woodpigeon.

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