Since it was Good Friday and a national holiday, I had the day off work. Charlotte had made plans to meet some friends for breakfast, which gave me a few free hours, just enough time to sneak out for a bit of birding. I hadn’t seen a wheatear yet this year, so I decided to head over to Barford Aerodrome, a reliable spot for passage migrants around this time of spring.
Wheatears are one of the classic signs of spring in the UK. They are small, upright songbirds that migrate thousands of miles from their wintering grounds in sub-Saharan Africa to breed in the UK, usually arriving as early as mid to late March, numbers build through April. According to the Oxon Birding Blog's March 2024 review, the first wheatear sighting in Oxfordshire occurred on 15 March, which is two days earlier than the median arrival date of 17 March since 2000.
Cooler temperatures in March and early April may have influenced wheatear migration patterns. In Oxfordshire, temperatures during this period were often below average, with several days experiencing lows below freezing. - such conditions may have delayed the arrival of migratory birds as they rely on the weather and food availability.
They favour open, stony fields or pastures and are often found perching on rocks, fence posts, or hopping along the ground.
I was surprised, and a bit dismayed, to see that much of the shrub and scrub cover had been cleared from the area, reducing the available habitat. I honestly can’t imagine why anyone would go to the trouble of removing it. I’d heard that a few migrant birds spotted in recent days hadn’t been in their usual spots out in the fields but were instead turning up on the old runway.
RAF Barford is currently a non-flying military facility operated by the United States Air Force (USAF). Since 1951, it has functioned as a communications centre and serves as a satellite station to RAF Croughton. The site houses several large communications aerials and plays a role in signals intelligence operations.
While the base remains operational, much of its surrounding land is utilized for agricultural purposes, including sheep grazing, and there is minimal visible activity.
I set up my scope and began scanning the area, eventually picking out a single female-type wheatear at a considerable distance off to my left. After a few more minutes, I managed to spot two more, this time helped by the fact they’d perched up on a fence. I grabbed a couple of record shots, just in case, and soon noticed that one of the birds had moved on. The remaining wheatear was being harassed by a skylark, which faced it down before both eventually flew off.
Despite a bit more searching, I couldn't turn up any more wheatears. I did, however, chat briefly with another birder who was out for a short walk. He apparently conducts survey work for the Banbury Ornithological Society’s long- and short-day counts in this area. He wasn’t planning to stay long and soon continued along the track.
Eventually, I moved on and caught up with him. He’d just spotted a corn bunting perched on a tree with bare, dead branches. I quickly lowered my scope and managed to get onto the bird, it was still there, but only for a few brief moments before it disappeared. We chatted a bit more before he headed off home, while I stayed behind, hoping the bunting would return.
A while later, I noticed a bird in flight in the distance and I tracked it as it landed on one of the last remaining trees. Through the scope, I confirmed it was the corn bunting again. This time, it lingered for nearly ten minutes before dropping out of sight - I managed to relocate it again, perched on a fence, though still at a considerable distance, before it moved on once more.
I waited, and eventually my patience paid off - the bunting returned to the same tree with the dead branches, giving me a much clearer view. After a short while, it took off again, flying low over a field of rape. I followed it as best I could and managed to spot it perched among the plant stalks. It’s always a treat to see this species here, especially since I usually only ever see a single bird, though I imagine there must be more around ...
I started to walk back to the car and stopped to watch some activity from the skylarks - the place was alive with them. On one pass I tried to photograph one. The skylark's song in spring is one of the most iconic and uplifting sounds of the British countryside. Its song is a long, complex, and continuous warble, often delivered in flight, as the bird spirals upwards into the sky - it can sing for 2–5 minutes straight, sometimes even up to 10 minutes! The male sings to defend his territory and attract a mate.
I reached the spot where I'd viewed the wheatears from earlier and spotted one a bit closer - I took the opportunity to take some better record shots, all the time watched by the sheep and their new-born lambs.
Kev had been in touch to say he'd seen some stonechats on this site a couple of days ago and once I'd seen them, I watched as a red kite quartered the fields behind looking for any treat it might come across.
I jumped in the car and headed for home, but detoured to have a look and see if I could locate a whinchat that had been reported the night before - no luck. However, I was able to locate one of the little ringed plovers reported to be on site - might they stay or are they just on passage - we'll see.
A short outing but good to catch up with another arriving spring migrant.
Year list: 166.
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