On Saturday evening I was admiring some great photos of a wood sandpiper at Graven Hill Bicester, posted by Nick Truby, and resolved that I would modify my plan to visit RSPB Otmoor - an earlier start would place me by the Graven Hill floodwater field for sunrise and International Dawn Chorus Day.
I arrived and turned the car so that I was on the right side of the car to view out the window. I spotted the pair of garganey but at that point they were on the far righthand edge of the field - they would relocate and gave good but distant views. They could also be heard giving mating calls and it would be great if this site could be given a local wildlife site designation - it has much to offer.
Mike Pollard arrived and reminded me that I should stay in the car as lapwing are nesting close to the road and they are prone to leave the nest as people pass by. Although people do use this road as a thoroughfare, the least disturbance the better. We parked and watched the field for any sign of the wood sandpiper and as we waited we had lesser and common whitethroat in the scrub and a little ringed plover on the water. After about 15 mintes I had a call from Mike to say that the wood sandpiper had dropped into the pool beside his car and so I gently rolled the car forward until I could see the bird. It was in the closest pool and feeding in amongst the grasses and plants - great for watching through bins but difficult to get a photo. We had a great watch but by 7.30am it took to the wing and away - it would return regularly in the coming days.
I set off for RSPB Otmoor and arrived just after 8.00am and found that the car park was already full - I managed to squeeze in at the end of a row. I jumped out, put on by boots and made my way up the path towards the feeding station with a couple of Cetti's warbler calling and showing quite well. A cuckoo flew over and called from high in a tree on the Roman Road. At the feeders a lesser whitethroat called and showed briefly plus garden warbler sang from the corner to the bridleway.
Reed and sedge warbler called from every drection, blackcap fed in several trees with several lesser whitethroat joining in. Marsh harriers fed over Greenaways - it was difficult to know where to look there was so much going on.
By the wetland hide two common cranes fed out in Ashgave and as I got my bins on the spotted redshank it took off and out beyond the cranes - I am destined not to get anything but a record shot of this bird. A curlew appeared to fly in to a distant part of Ashgrave. Another Cetti's showed in the hedge but it was partly obscured and not possible to get a good photo.
One of the other birders mentioned that he'd seen a glossy ibis in The Closes from the path by the feeders and I decided to make my way back. Two hobby had started hunting over Greenaways and were my first of the year. I eventually found the glossy ibis but it was much more distant than had been described - still better than when I saw it last.
I was joined by Dan and Trish Miller and we eventually made for the car park, spotting and photographing a lesser whitethroat on the way.
No comments:
Post a Comment