Kev @kev07713 and I only had a long morning for birding this weekend as Kev had a family birthday to attend in the afternoon - the weather was also forecast to be rubbish and so we decided to keep it local. We met earlyish and made our way to a site in Buckinghamshire that had reported a calling male quail, something we like to connect with each year. Found in grasslands, farmland, and open countryside, quail are small, plump birds with a mottled brown plumage that provides good camouflage in their grassy habitats. They are migratory, arriving in the UK during the summer months to breed before migrating back to Africa in the winter - they are omnivorous, eating a mix of seeds, insects, and other small invertebrates.
We parked up on the side of the single-track road, so that cars could pass, and as soon as we stepped out of the car immediately heard a calling quail. We listened as it worked right across the field, eventually pausing right of centre, occasionally stopping and calling; it is a distinctive call and often described as a "wet-my-lips" sound. It is a three-note call, with the second note usually being the loudest and most pronounced - the call serves to attract females and establish territory. Interestingly, while we were there a second bird called from the field to the right, less pronounced but definitely a call from a second location. While hoping to catch a glimpse we could see a number of curlew flying and so we all ought to be considerate and minimise disturbance of curlew potentially nesting in the same fields - currently at their most vulnerable.
We bumped into Colin Oram who had tried for the bird the previous evening and been unsuccessful - back for another try. The bird had fallen silent, and we left him on his quest, deciding to make for Bicester Wetlands Reserve as a couple of green sandpipers have been reported there of late - somehow managed to avoid seeing any so far this year.
We entered the main hide to see if any sandpipers were showing - they weren't. A photographer was in place when we arrived, and we chatted to him about what he'd seen. Eventually we decided that we'd make our way round to the back pool but as we got to the car for our gear the rain started to fall, getting heavier by the minute - we returned to the shelter of the main hide. The other chap was already packing up to go.
We watched as reed and sedge warblers moved around the reedbed to the side of the hide, Cetti's calling but never seen. A lone shelduck swam on the water and has apparently been associating itself with a female mallard and her ducklings - occasional groups of swifts, a handful of swallows and the odd house martin passed over us and the reedbed - the water works behind was playing host to hundreds of hirundines. A single hobby flew through and didn't stop.
Watching the sedge warblers move around it became clear they were leaving and soon returning to the same spot and soon I was able to see a juvenile that was being fed. Eventually I counted four fledglings.
Kev continued to scan and eventually spotted a green sandpiper way off to our left and in the very far corner of the pool across the road. The bird walked back round behind some reeds out of view, and then later relocated several times before getting to within about half the original distance. The green sandpiper is a medium-sized wader that can be seen in the UK primarily during migration periods and in winter - we are lucky to have almost continuous presence of these birds here at Bicester Wetlands. They show dark greenish-brown upperparts with a distinct white belly and underparts, and during flight, a contrasting white rump, and a dark tail. They feed on a variety of invertebrates, including insects, worms, and crustaceans, which they pick from the surface of mud or shallow water - there are several margins and pools that are perfect for them here on the Wetlands.
Alan Peters, the Reserve Manager, arrived and we had a nice chat about the reserve, visiting birds, and the quail we'd visited earlier. It also gave Kev an opportunity to collect a key for the reserve - a keyholder's reserve here - not to be reliant on being with me and using mine.
Alan eventually left to go and try to hear/see the quail and not long after a mash harrier appeared on the far side of the reedbed. It was mobbed by some lapwings and crows but continued quartering the area, occasionally stalling, and dropping towards the reeds. After a few minutes it dropped into the base of a tree and was lost, and before Kev could set up and start videoing.
The rain seemed to have passed for the moment and so we left the hide and went to have some breakfast before relocating to a village where there are regular spotted flycatchers. Refueled we arrived and parked the car short of where we might be standing, starting to listen and watch. Slowly we walked on, coming across a section of wall that had been dismantled - we knew it had been dismantled, rather than having fallen, as stones were 'neatly' stacked, there was a great deep hole under where the wall would have been, there were various tools scattered around the area, and some roots removed that had encroached into and under the wall. Kev immediately vocalised the worry that this disturbance wouldn't help our quest. This was reinforced when a workman started up a chainsaw and started clearing once more. Fortunately, it didn't last long, and he was interesting to chat to - we couldn't see any of our flycatchers and so eventually worked back down the lane, hoping to find a displaced bird.
We were passing a gateway to some disused outbuildings and stopped when a bird flitted through, landing on a floodlight - a spotted flycatcher. We watched as it left, but it soon returned to the same spot this time with a fly in its beak. It then flew right, and we presumed to a nest site.
These insect-eating birds breed across Europe and migrate back to Africa for the winter. They have a relatively plain appearance and song but can be recognised by their upright posture and a habit of perching conspicuously while hunting for insects; typically, they hunt from a perch, darting out to catch prey mid-air before returning to the same or a nearby perch. They build nests in many structures including tree crevices, buildings, or on branches, typically laying 4-5 eggs. A second bird appeared. Watching them was very entertaining due to their behaviour and hunting styles, although much of the time they were hunting along and behind structures looking for prey rather than displaying their considerable aerobatic prowess.
Though not the most colourful of birds, their subtle plumage and movements have a charm of their own, and the streaked (not spotted!) chest and delicate feathers add to their understated beauty.
The rain came down and we watched two birds on a fence, one departed and the other stopped out. Kev got a nice video of the remaining bird and the rain and posted it on X here. We had to get Cinders home for his birthday party and so drew our outing to a close with this encounter.
Year list: 215.
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