WkWT Brandon Marsh :: 04 February 2017

Charlotte has been trying to get out for a walk each day recently but was getting tired for the same old routes. I suggested that we head for Brandon Marsh, have a coffee and have a walk out in the reserve. Having coffee we could see that work parties had been busy clearing bushes and small trees from behind the feeders. Great spotted woodpecker made a brief appearance but no sign of nuthatch or bullfinch. Onto the reserve and down to the East Marsh hide. Good numbers of gulls but few lapwing. Good numbers of cormorant too. Just the usual collection of regulars so tried Carlton. Reports that the bittern had dropped into the reeds to the right of the hide gave us hope that we would see it when it left but after 30+ minutes we had to get back ... the bittern had been quite mobile but as usual we were just too late to catch up.

A nice afternoon to follow Draycote with, and a roaring fire after dinner.

Sightings (30) included: black-headed gull, blue tit, canada goose, carrion crow, chaffinch, coal tit, common gull, coot, cormorant, dunnock, gadwall, goldeneye, goosander, great spotted woodpecker, great tit, greenfinch, greylag goose, herring gull, lapwing, lesser black-backed gull, magpie, mallard, moorhen, reed bunting, robin, rock dove / feral pigeon, shoveler, teal, tufted duck and woodpigeon.

Draycote Water :: 04 February 2017

An early breakfast and off to Draycote Water for my first real birdwatch of the year. A cold start and needed to scrape the car before getting off the drive. There were already a good number of runners and cyclists in the carpark on arrival. As ever the tricky question was whether to do the circuit clockwise or anticlockwise. Not knowing where the target birds would be I decided on anticlockwise - seems wrong the other way anyway, and last time I saw a smew at Draycote it was in Toft Bay.

As I got onto the footpath and looked down towards the pontoon I was taken by the large number of little grebe, at least 12 diving. Joining them were some of the scaup that had been noted by others in recent weeks. No sign of the smew at Toft though.

Just before reaching Biggin Bay a blackbird was disturbed in the hedgerow to my right. It turned out to be the result of a weasel working it's way along the hedge - I followed for around 20 metres with some good views but a poor photo. Eventually it disappeared and I continued on my way.

Past the valve tower and at last came across the first target bird, a red-necked grebe. Visible with the ducks but too far offshore for a decent photo. Chatted briefly to another birder who had spent some time with the tree sparrows. Soon after I bumped into him again taking photos of scaup that I presume had moved round from the pontoon area. Fortunately he pointed out that I'd just walked past the redhead smew - must have been diving when I looked. By the time I got back she had decided enough was enough and had climbed onto the rocks at the side for a bit of shuteye.

Nothing extra from there so headed back home for lunch.

Today's sightings (42) included: black-headed gull, blackbird, blue tit, buzzard, canada goose, carrion crow, chaffinch, coot, cormorant, dunnock, gadwall, goldeneye, goosander, great crested grebe, great tit, grey heron, grey wagtail, herring gull, jackdaw, lesser black-backed gull, little egret, little grebe, long-tailed tit, magpie, mallard, meadow pipit, moorhen, mute swan, pheasant, pied wagtail, red-necked grebe, reed bunting, robin, rook, scaup, smew, starling, teal, tree sparrow, tufted duck, woodpigeon and wren.

Over Norton :: 28 January 2017

Started the day with breakfast and the Big Garden Birdwatch. An enjoyable hour but with nothing to enthuse over (blackbird - 4, blue tit - 1, carrion crow - 1, chaffinch - 2, dunnock - 2, goldfinch - 4, house sparrow - 3, magpie - 2, robin - 2, starling - 7, and woodpigeon - 4). No sign of the long-tailed tit flock that had been frequenting the garden at breakfast over the previous few days nor the collared doves. Later in the afternoon a wren decided to show and preen, long enough to force me to get my camera but not long enough for me to take a photo.

Having read that a little bunting had been found locally in Over Norton I planned to drop the car somewhere near the A3400 roundabout and follow the path towards Over Norton. Better I thought than dropping the car in a village with other birders possibly doing the same; little did I know that the path where the little bunting was showing was actually the public right of way and that you therefore viewed from one end or the other.

As I arrived I talked with a birder on his way out. Carrying a camera sporting a very large lens he told me that he'd been there for two hours and not seen the bird, and also that he wasn't aware anyone had seen it since the previous morning. Met the nice chap from Slough again, with his repaired camera body - he was disappointed with his cattle egret photos using his other older camera body and had hoped to get something. He hadn't seen the bunting either and was beginning to think of moving on too.

Two hours passed with reed bunting, yellowhammer, chaffinch, blue tit, great tit, blackbird and brambling enjoying the seed scattered on the path but no sighting of the little bunting. At one point one of the number thought he had it in view but on review it was just a reed bunting. News from the other side on the copse (Over Norton) suggested that they had seen it briefly earlier and a few people braved the comments to walk down the footpath and change ends with no luck. Overhead we had red kite, buzzard, raven while in the field we also had pied wagtail and lots of fieldfare. In the end I decided it was time for lunch and headed home out of the cold. Could it be that the sighting earlier had been incorrect and another eager birder incorrectly identifying a reed bunting?

This morning, on the Oxon Birding site, I note that the distinguished Mike Pollard is credited with the sighting report- no doubt there then. I dipped and the bird changed its behaviour showing little on the day I chose to visit, and only at one end.

Middleton Stoney & Stow-on-the-Wold :: 14 January 2017

At the recent monthly meeting of the Banbury Ornithological Society (BOS) it was reported that during the Short Day Count, held the previous day, three cattle egrets had been found on a farm along the B4030 just outside Middleton Stoney towards Enstone. The birds could be found down the 'Restricted Byway Aves Ditch' on left, approximately 500 metres to view muddy field of pigs with metal shelters. The farmer kindly allows the BOS to survey the land twice a year. This is a first recorded sighting in the BOS monitoring area!

I had so far been unable to visit (due to having to go to work) and got up early before the rest of the household had stirred. Directions were good and as I got my boots on I hooked up and chatted with a nice chap from Slough who had travelled up for a look. We found the field but talking with the observer in residence the birds had been pretty static at the other side of the field all morning - after an hour and a half he then packed up and went. An hour passed and we were only afforded distance views of one of the egrets in flight, landing briefly, then repeating. Eventually it came closer and I enjoyed watching the egret following the pigs around as they disturbed the ground and, as the pig moved on, it dived in to see what might have been uncovered.

While talking with Mike Pollard he said his next port of call was going to be the long-staying blue rock thrush over in Stow-on-the-Wold. Why not I thought. So off I went, passing John @987jonty and Gareth @grimsbury_birds as I left.

Rained most of the way to Stow - was supposed to be sunny all day! Parked up, found Fishers Close and a small group watching the blue rock thrush low in the tree. They had talked with locals and it appeared that it was being fed with mealworms in the bad garden of a house. It dropped low for quite extended periods and showed behind branches. Got a slightly better view before it dropped to feed again. Then off home - time for lunch.

Roade and Longelandes Way, Banbury :: 02 January 2017

Having dipped at Woodford Halse on 27th (a no show after feasting on berries all of the previous day), a trip to Roade to catch up with the long-staying waxwings. A group of up to 40 had thought to do the same and were spread from a large tree at the top of the railway bank along to berry trees outside a row of houses. Some were trying hard and getting a little too close - comments starting to be exchanged. Great start to the year list.

On return to the house I had a Twitter notification from @Vanellus26 "ICYMI - Waxwings on Longelandes Way, Banbury, around turning into Portway". A resident had phoned his sighting into the RSPB office and news had spread. I needn't have gone to Roade - waxwings were just along the road!

Initially I didn't see or hear them and so I first found redwing feeding on berry bushes along Longelandes Way. As I returned to Portway I could hear waxwings calling from a tree just round the corner and circled round to see if I could get an angle for a photo through the branches. I felt envious of a resident who was hanging out of his bedroom window taking photos; turned out when I talked to him later (he was the one who called in the sighting) that he couldn't get a clear view either.

Off they flew and so I started to search for them around the estate. It didn't take long to find them again, at the bottom of Portway. Up to 13 seen and joined by Sandra Blechly (BOS) just before they moved again, out onto Longelandes Way and right above my car.

[Photo of gathering from Martin Swannell's twitter post]

Seamill and West Kilbride :: 16-18 August 2016

I've not been out much lately so took the opportunity to take a few pre-breakfast was to catch up on coastal species while staying at the Waterside Inn and Hotel in Seamill.

Beautiful conditions and accommodation, just perfect for our needs. Two mornings along the coastal walk brought a surprising sedge warbler which I'd never noted here before; also common sandpiper which is new for me on this stretch. Also noted whimbrel which had been difficult to spot on previous occasions.

On the third morning I tried for sandwich tern in Ardrossan at the Inverclyde Marina where I had seen them before. No luck, but did find shag and black guillemot. Later on the day I had the opportunity to have a relaxing walk along the beach at Portencross and picked up sandwich tern and while doing so also noted wheatear.

Species noted (46) included: herring gull, rook, starling, carrion crow, jackdaw, mallard, kittiwake, oystercatcher, curlew, lesser black-backed gull, great black-backed gull, common gull, eider, black-headed gull, redshank, woodpigeon, linnet, grey heron, meadow pipit, goldfinch, swallow, blackbird, magpie, song thrush, dipper, mute swan, goosander, cormorant, pied wagtail, grey wagtail, common sandpiper, gannet, sandmartin, house sparrow, whimbrel, black-tailed godwit, buzzard, ringed plover, stonechat, dunnock, sedge warbler, housemartin, black guillemot, sandwich tern, wheatear and shag.

RSPB Otmoor :: 01 June 2016

The weather forecast looked to be poor for June so we didn't rush out and instead dropped into the Abingdon Arms at the top of Otmoor Lane for lunch. The three of us enjoyed a really nice lunch of soup, sandwich and a Ploughmans.

Onto the reserve and straight away we could see swift and house martin feeding above, even in the light drizzle. Soon a red kite floated by, soon to be mobbed by lapwing as they sough to move it on. As we approached the feeders a jay scarpered and a pair of woodpeckers exited stage left into the trees; soon they we gone right down the hedgerow.

At least half a dozen snipe we drumming over as we made it down the carpark field and towards Big Otmoor.

No sign of the turtle doves at the gate or the trees beyond. I was disappointed. Still a lot of activity in the reeds on the righthand of the path, with quite a few reed warbler and a few sedge. As we turned the corner for the Wetland Hide we saw a turtle dove on the ground to the right of the hide, accompanied by a couple of linnets. From the hide we saw a large mixed flock of carrion crows, rooks and jackdaws feeding along the track; whether they were scaring of the usual flock of linnets, yellowhammer and reed bunting I am not sure but they were virtually absent. Eilidh spotted a rather acrobatic sedge from the window and we watched as it contorted itself catching flies.

Between the first and second hide we began hearing a cuckoo. By the time we got to the second hide we would hear it ahead in the conservation area. I had a play at playing cuckoo from my phone but although it appeared to get some response we never managed to set our eyes on it.

The highlight on the way back was again the turtle dove, back on the track beside the Wetlands hide. It took off and landed on a tree some distance down the path along Big Otmoor. We were fortunate to find it again on our way back. Further sightings of great spotted woodpecker and jays at the feeders as we finished our visit.

Species sighted (41) included: swift, wren, lapwing, red kite, snipe, greenfinch, reed bunting, jay, goldfinch, chaffinch, pheasant, woodpigeon, great spotted woodpecker, bullfinch, coot, carrion crow, black-headed gull, housemartin, reed warbler, robin, greylag goose, canada goose, Ross's goose, mute swan, kestrel, turtle dove, little egret, redshank, rook, grey heron, sedge warbler, linnet, jackdaw, tufted duck, shoveler, mallard, cormorant, whitethroat, blue tit, common tern and blackbird.