Blashford and Longham Lakes :: 17 September 2022

It had been weeks since Kev and I had been able to arrange our diaries and get out together for a spot of birding. Our friends Nick and Anne Truby had been to Longham Lakes to see the white winged tern on their way home from a trip through Cornwall and Devon but there hadn't been a sighting of this since Friday morning. There had also been a sighting of a great grey shrike on the same morning in the same area, so we decided to make for Blashford Lakes and watch the news boards to see if these or anything else turned up locally. An early start with a stop for breakfast on the way put us at Blashford Lakes an hour before the formal opening time and when the hides would be unlocked. We parked up and made our way to the Viewpoint overlooking the Lake behind the Tern Hide. On the way there it became apparent that there were numbers of chiffchaff gathering, in trees and along the hedgerows. A few hirundines shot past overhead. We climbed up the slope behind the main car park and into hirundine central - there were sand and house martins galore, with a few swallows thrown in for good measure. Over the lake clouds of hirundines fed and swirled (many hundreds if not a thousand or more).

On the water we could see Egyptian geese and when all counted, we reached 21. They were accompanied by both greylag and Canada geese. We spent a while here watching the scene and enjoying being buzzed by the house and sand martins. Wagtails occasionally perched atop the Tern Hide and the tern rafts beyond - grey and pied. Eventually a car drew up and some staff unlocked the hide.

We took a swig of coffee from the flasks in the car, now relocated in the car park and set off to the Education and Visitor Centre. As we approached the smaller car park on this side of the road, we could hear more chiffchaff and some jays - we kept left along the edge of the fence line. There were at least three jays calling and we watched as one flew across from a fir tree into an area where two other birds had been calling from. We saw some staff ahead who brought our attention to the signs to make sure you stayed on the paths and didn't damage any of the rare ground lichens. We chatted with the woman for a short while and dropped into the closest hide - just as we approached a rather noisy family joined us and briefly visited the hide ahead of us - we didn't stay much longer ourselves with only a few mallards and gadwall to note and the sun direction obscuring our view through permanently closed windows.

We moved along the tracks finding nuthatch, treecreeper, siskin, chiffchaff, chaffinch and assorted tits. Jays could be heard calling out of sight, as could a bullfinch. We eventually arrived at the Ivy South Hide and waiting here we couldn't see anything of any note - just water boatmen and whirligig beetles to catch our attention. I'd hoped to catch a kingfisher on the numerous sticks ahead of the hide, but it was not to be.

We returned through the reserve back to the Tern Hide and joined a few people already watching across the lake. Both little (5) and great (1) egrets, along with grey herons, were now very active on both sides of the lake. Large numbers of cormorants fished on the opposite bank. The assorted geese all lounged on a distant scrape. Little and great crested grebes fished at relatively close quarters and a couple of common sandpipers passed the front of the hide, feeding along the water's edge. They weren't visible for long as they soon rounded the corner and flew out of sight.

Suddenly there was an influx for cormorants - diving and shepherding a shoal of fish towards the bank and into a narrow channel. This got the egrets and grey herons very excited and they began to arrive, flying back and forth trying to find a good spot. The cormorants decided that the shoal was now contained and started diving en masse - Kev counted as dozens of roach and perch were caught and devoured by the assembled fishers - absolute carnage! This lasted for a good five minutes before the remaining shoal must have dispersed and the egrets, herons and cormorants moved on.

It was now approaching lunchtime and we decided to make for a local pub, regroup, and see if anything interesting had dropped in locally. As we approached the pub we came across a number of free-ranging donkeys standing in the road - we worked around them and down the entrance drive to the pub. When we got to the pub itself, we had been followed and the donkeys were milling around the drive.

Over a pleasant lunch we noted that there were some interesting birds at RSPB Lodmoor (citrine and blue headed wagtails, and a little stint). Given it was over an hour’s drive there, I was not keen as I'd need to be back for visitors that evening - the return journey from Weymouth to Banbury would then be over three hours - Kev was willing but happy to go with the flow. Instead, we decided to visit Longham Lakes where the white-winged tern had been in recent days, just on the off-chance. We parked up, found a public footpath, and arrived on the lakeside.

We scanned hard but the tern was just not on the lake we overlooked and so we made for the causeway, spooking a common snipe and having views of what looked like a reed warbler. A Cetti's warbler called ahead. Still no sign but in the trees on the far side of the causeway we were entertained by a fixed flock of tits and chiffchaff. Over the telegraph wires we could see what appeared to be a peregrine 'playing' with a rook - I say playing as there seemed to be little aggression and they appeared to be taking turns in chasing each other. It later became apparent that it wasn't a peregrine but was in fact a hobby - the wonders of photography and zoom. After five minutes they got bored of that game and they parted and disappeared from view.

We watched the gulls as they moved around the water but never saw anything that even looked like a tern - a great crested grebe fishing was as good as it got, although we had more encounters with what appeared to be reed warblers. We rounded the final corner and saw a chiffchaff fly right from a tree down the slope to our right - as we watched, a couple of spotted flycatchers popped into view. Although they remained distant it was entertaining to watch them doing what it says on the tin. We left empty handed, but I'd had a nice day birding and it isn't always about getting year ticks, although it would have been nice!

Hams Hall, Ladywalk Reserve :: 14 September 2022

The working week was living up to my fears and a couple of evenings had already been taken up with preparing assets for projects the following day. However, on Wednesday evening I wasn't scheduled to do any work and so after a Conference Call to end the working day, I jumped in the car and headed for the Ladywalk Reserve.

Ladywalk is owned by E.on and is leased to, and under management of, the West Midland Bird Club - I joined earlier this year but haven't visited this reserve before. The reserve is located behind the Hams Hall Distribution Park and sits in a loop formed by the River Tame. The bird I was looking for though was located behind the Distribution Depot where, for the last few days, it has been working its way along the fence line. A grassy footpath runs between the main tarmac path coming over the bridge and River Tame, and the Depot - it is from here the views have been reported. My birding buddy Kevin Heath had ventured there in the morning with his wife and had seen the bird so I was armed with all the details I needed - he'd also sent me a photo.

I approached the area finding two birders already in place - one had seen the wryneck just 10-15 minutes before I arrived, the other hadn’t yet. The chap shared that he had managed a photo through the leaves as the bird sat on a low branch of a tree immediately ahead - I didn't like him already 😜 - lucky chap!

I joined and waited - we occasionally strolled up and down the path looking for movement but only saw passing tits and finches. After about 30 minutes one of the chaps left saying he would try again tomorrow and then the guy that had seen the bird earlier also departed. And so, there was just me. It wasn't looking good.

After only 5 minutes there was some movement to my right and then the wryneck popped up into a leafy tree right in front of me (and where it had shown for the chap earlier) giving an opportunity for a couple of photos. In moments it moved left and I tried to follow but after a couple of brief stops and without further photos, it vanished. I searched up and down for another 15 minutes or so without success and as the light started to go, I made my way back to the car parked on Edison Road. I turned the corner and could see the car ahead, when a small rat ran across in front of me presumably enjoying the bounty of small apples being dropped from a tree overhead. I also presume there were more rats given the rustling in the bushes beside the pavement. I jumped into the car and made for home – I arrived home to find that the girls had eaten dinner but my wife hadn't yet returned from tennis - so I didn't even need to trade in any brownie points after my detour home!

Stratfield Brake :: 11 September 2022

Work has been hectic and even on Sunday morning I had to put in a few hours to deliver on projects for Monday morning. So it was after a late lunch that I noted that a single glossy ibis was still nearby and with my wife out with her tennis team, I decided to take the afternoon for myself.

I arrived at the Stratfield Brake Sports Ground, parking in the car park with some sports in progress around the extensive facility. I made my way to the hedge line and the footpath, heading for the water at the western end of the site - I'd never been here before and it was a very pleasant area to walk. I reached the pool and talked to an elderly gent who was watching through bins - he said that a glossy ibis had just walked behind the bushes in the middle of the pool. The pool itself looked great for waders with lots of exposed mud on the water's edge. It was only minutes and the ibis strolled out and began to feed - I took photos as you might expect.

I walked on further and there were other areas of trampled grass that allowed closer access to the fence line - this allowed slightly better views over the reeds. To my right was a little grebe, a snipe and a black-tailed godwit and out in front a great white egret. Talking to some of the other birders this pool is usually full of water and only contains ducks and geese - the recent extremely hot weather has made quite a difference. One passer-by was extremely keen to try and get birders to visit and take an interest in the pool to try and stop development of the area for a Football Stadium.

After about half an hour the ibis and then the black-tailed godwit flew to the left reed edge and fed closer but worked further and further away, to the back left corner. In the sun you could really catch the iridescence of the feathers on the ibis - I suppose that is where it got the 'glossy' moniker from. Thankfully the blackwit flew back to the near edge and I managed to catch a photo on the wing.

Time was getting on and after a long period of preening the glossy ibis eventually decided to fly but only at the back of the pool and to a position halfway along - no better for photographs. I talked with a few of the birders that passed by and as I did so a flock of swallows passed over the far end of the pool in strangely a northern direction.

I was back home before my wife and settled down ready for the coming week, it was looking like it was going to be another bust one.

Little Marlow GP :: 09 September 2022

Not a long visit to see the red-necked phalarope but just a bird that I wanted to see as a life tick - frustratingly work has been very busy meaning that I hadn't been able to get down to Cleeve Hill to see the two dotterel over recent days - as would be expected they were gone before a weekend opportunity to travel. This was a perfect antidote.

I was able to wrap up in the office by 4.45pm and checked with home that I could be later for dinner - pass stamped. It took just 50 minutes to reach the small car park to the south of Little Marlow. There had been quite a bit of rain over the last week and so I popped on some walking boots and within 5 minutes was standing beside a birder looking through his scope across the Gravel Pits. In an instant the phalarope could be seen on the far side of the tern rafts busily working right then back left – 90m out - it didn't seem to be feeding as much as I had expected, and was much further from the shore than the grey phalaropes I've encountered.

For the entire visit the bird simply repeated this behaviour (to and fro) - the light decreased and photos always distant. A kingfisher flew past, returned but always stopped out of view. A black swan cruised on the water over on the very opposite shore. A family of great-crested grebes fed close in front.

Before long I had to leave and make the journey back up the M40 to join the family for a late dinner. Short but sweet.

Grimsbury Reservoir and Wormleighton :: 01/02 September 2022

As lunchtime arrived I noted an update on the Banbury Birds WhatsApp Group from Gareth Blockley (@grimsbury-birds) of great white egret at Grimsbury Reservoir. I quickly jumped in the car and noted on arrival that three had now been recorded. I worked my way round and found "just" the one in the northwestern corner but with two little egrets - possibly the three noted earlier? A grey heron flew past and I couldn't resist a photo. I only had my 30 minutes lunch and so I took some record shots of the GWE and made my way back to work.

The following morning I had to drop my daughter at the train station just before 6.30am and was then eating breakfast when Gareth posted another update, this time for a ferruginous duck on the reservoir - a first for the Res and possibly also a first for the Banbury Ornithological Society monitoring area. I quickly got ready for work and headed down to see the bird before going to the office. On the bank I met John Friendship Taylor (@987jonty) and Adrian Tysoe before they both had to leave. The bird was associating with some mallards, and they swam out and onto the northern bank so I followed them round. I could see Gareth with Steve Holliday by the bench on the northwestern corner and dropped round to talk to them before heading on. Gareth said the bird had made two attempts to leave, the first circling the water and heading north before returning just minutes later and a second time where it circled but dropped straight back on the water. Could this be one of the Draycote birds or perhaps more likely the one from Daventry Country Park.

That was two special birds in two days ... what next?!

I then had an opportunity to drop into Wormleighton for just a few minutes and stood watching the numbers of spotted flycatchers around the entrance to the water treatment site. There were quite a few amongst the great and blue tits, and chiffchaff - unfortunately I couldn't find a pied flycatcher amongst them, or the redstart that has been mentioned by others. Perhaps if I had more time.

RSPB Frampton Marsh :: 28 August 2022

My regular Saturday birding schedule had been cancelled due to Kevin Heath having something else to do - how very could he! I'd also had to work late on Friday in any case and really needed a lie in after a long working week. So, it was Saturday night when I decided that on Sunday morning I'd go and see if I could see the European Roller that had been showing in Timberland, Lincolnshire. This bird had showed well the previous day and been reported up until dark on the Saturday evening - there was a chance I'd be able to find it if I went early.

The journey was uneventful, and I was on site by just after 7.30am finding two birders already in residence. I joined them but as I approached, they turned and shared that the bird had not showed at all - damn. I joined them and began a 2½hr vigil which unfortunately didn't yield any sightings - the bird had already moved on - it transpired that a hobby had attacked the bird the night before but that it had returned to its normal perch and appeared likely to stay - it hadn't. While seeing hobby and golden plover in flight was very pleasant, as was a single whinchat in the fiedls ahead, I'd dipped. Fortunately, I had planned to stay out longer and made for RSPB Frampton Marsh.

The extension to Visitor's Centre is still being constructed and so porta-loos are provided on arrival. I immediately made for the 360° Hide as there had been reports of curlew sandpiper there in recent times and found quite a few people already in place. As I entered the hide there was a buzz as a pectoral sandpiper was showing at distance - two younger chaps and a dad were the main observers and they shared the location. I'd considered dropping into Eyebrook Reservoir on the way home for one, but this was a real bonus. I found some space on the benches and set up my scope - with the help of some already on the bird I located it feeding with dunlin and ruff, working right across the vista.

Out in the scrape there were so many ruff but also numbers of curlew sandpipers - 26 counted over the reserve. There were dunlin and a single knot in amongst a flock of black-tailed godwits. Two spoonbills slept in the distance, occasionally preening and going back to sleep. I spent quite a time here and the personnel changed a few times - one group picked out a little stint far out to the left. I'm glad I was carrying my scope as I was able to join the viewing of this bird - it would have been impossible just through bins.

In front of the spoonbills I picked out a couple of spotted redshanks and over time counted up to six - they are great to see but having experienced them in their fine black livery they are not quite as appealing. The pectoral sandpiper had gone AWOL behind the vegitation on an island - it had probably flown from there but no one had managed to follow it. Avocet fed across the mud as did black-tailed godwits, some getting closer than those by the spoonbills. Two pink-footed geese waddled to an island to my left, one with a damaged wing and a single barnacle goose wandered about in the same area, appearing to have no apparent purpose.

Eventually I thought it was time to make a circuit of the reserve and as I did, I bumped into the couple of lads and the dad from earlier, reporting to them that a little stint was showing - they also passed on the sighting of a lone whimbrel which I later saw but only briefly. There were also small flocks of yellow wagtails but again at distance. It wasn't long before I was at the turn and deciding whether to make for the car or return to the 360° Hide - the hide won and as I arrived I could see Ricky Sinfield who I've met several times at Summer Leys and Pitsford Reservoir. He'd been following the curlew sandpipers and I joined in, however still hoping to get better images of the pectoral sandpiper.

After ten minutes or so the birds were put up a couple of times, the first we could see why but the second had a hobby tear passed the hide chasing what appeared to be a hirundine - swallow, house and sand martins were all visible across the reserve. The hobby passed so close we thought it might pass through! This mixed up all the birds and we started to scan again - at this point the chaps and dad returned and they again were first to spot the pectoral sandpiper, off to our right and distant but in better conditions than before. Having just seen a hobby, a lone and rather vulnerable looking moorhen chick swam across very much in the style of "there once was an ugly duckling". Hopefully it makes it. A rather bright yellow wagtail appeared on the bank opposite.

Three RSPB Volunteers dropped in, and then a fourth. We continued watching the pectoral sandpiper but one of them spotted that the little stint had appeared out and ahead. It didn't show for long, and our attention returned to the pectoral sandpiper. It appeared to be working its way along the water's edge and closer, maybe we'd get relatively good views? ... everyone else seemed to be content with the views they’d had, but Ricky and I waited for the bird to work closer and indeed it did. A couple on other chaps appeared and I presume knew Ricky well. Time was getting on and so I made my way back to the car stopping only to take some photos of some swallow fledglings being fed on the edge of their nest - a very entertaining end to a good day at Frampton.