It had been a busy week at work and I'd not been able to pop out to see any of the arriving migrants. Saturday morning arrived and I decided to make for Bicester Wetlands (keyholder reserve) as there had been sightings of grasshopper warbler and whinchat. Although I'd seen a gropper at RSPB Otmoor, it had been difficult to photograph whereas the one at BWR one had been posing on a post.
I arrived just after sunrise with the temperature at 2°C and frost covering the grass. I made straight for the cattle bridge pool hoping to see the whinchat - despite a thorough search it could not be located. I went back to where the gropper had been showing and settled in - for about half an hour there were only the calls from sedge warblers, common whitethroat and assorted tits and finches. Then a brief reel and the gropper was to be found perched in the base of the brambles - sitting in the clear and possible to photograph. I hoped it would perch on a post as it had done for others but when it took to the wing it flew off across the meadow and into the bushes along the railway line. I thought about following but decided that it would be back soon - I was right and when it returned it landed not in any scrub but directly on a post. It paused there for at least a minute before popping onto one a little closer (!) and started to reel - heaven. I rattled off a few photos and then raised my bins to get a really close look. All too soon the bird dropped out of view and into the ditch behind. Instead of returning to the bushes and posts I saw it relocate to the trees behind. I wouldn't see or hear the bird again - later I was informed that there had actually been three individuals reported.
I went in search of the whinchat again but could never locate it - perhaps it had decided to move on ...
There were more sedge warblers and whitethroats plus numbers of linnet. Several swallows flew through. After several hours of enjoying the birds on view I started back to the car. In the distance I noticed some hirundines in the sky over the water treatment works - there was a single swift, my first of the year. When I reached the car park I could see numbers growing and there were two sand martins, two house martins, two swifts and numbers of swallows. Two of the regulars arrived, one the reserve warden Allan Peters - I stopped to chat but soon was on my way home for breakfast.
I got home to find an update on the Banbury Birders WhatsApp saying that Mike Pollard had seen a whinchat at Top Dawkins, Wardington at 9.00am. I turned round and left again without breakfast, hoping the bird would still be there. I arrived by around 10.00am and drove slowly along the lane. As I reached the barn I saw the male whinchat on top of the hedge - I stopped at a safe distance, hopped out the car and walked back to see if I could get a photo. My luck was in again and I got several with one a keeper. A great morning - the remainder of the day would prove to be great too as it was Kev's wife's birthday and we had an invite to her bash.
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