Farmoor Reservoir :: 12 May 2018

It has been a while since I visited Farmoor Reservoir and to be honest I thought twice about it. I've fallen short of last year's year list at this point and thought I might go and target somewhere different. But hey, you just never know what you are going to find.

It wasn't such an early start this week and I set off onto the banks by 08.45am. I decided to try the causeway first as there might be some overnight drop ins. The place was very still and fly fishermen were already out on the water. The flies were also out but thankfully not in the numbers encountered at Draycote Water. Disappointingly, the only species of note on the causeway were two dunlin. Around 15+ swifts cruised the skies on the hunt, joining the common tern trying to keep my spirits up. As I got to the end of the causeway I wondered which way I should turn and decided to go straight ahead and onto the Pinkhill Reserve. There I could hear sedge warblers across on the opposite bank. Then from nowhere a cuckoo called to my right. I stepped round the tree only to see it take off from atop a tree on the opposite bank, and fly off left. Nice to see but a photo would have been nice.

I decided to head along the river bank for a while and soon came across a pair of calling reed warblers. At first they were unhelpful, skulking away in the depth of the reeds - then they flew off into a tree. I decided to be patient and sure enough one of the two flew back to the bed in front of me. Not too long a wait and up they popped for their portrait - a much better view than I'd been able to get at Otmoor.

A beautiful walk round the river with the occasional boat passing by - restful. Added blackcap, willow warbler and chiffchaff before I got to the hide. At the hide a sign indicated that you had to call in order to be provided with the entry code (the rangers). At first the Ranger gave me the wrong one but we got there in the end. Inside it was quiet and little to watch, other than a grey heron. Front left a bird dropped into the tree and when I looked it was a hobby, presumably having a rest from the the big dragonfly hunt. Gorgeous.

Back on the reservoir I opted to go round F2. Soon I came across a group of ducks and two turned out to be a pair of red-crested pochard [124]. Another short distance ahead and I saw what I initially thought was a little grebe surfacing - but it was in fact, a drake black-necked grebe. Two in summer plumage in just a few weeks. Luck was in. I posted on twitter but later found out it had already been reported, just after I got to site.

I paused to watch one of the fisherman play his trout from the bank. As he did so he said that there was a pike following it in. Damn me it took the fish and made the job of landing the trout almost impossible - the pike was at least 15-20 lbs. For some reason the pike then released the trout allowing it to be landed but all the time following the fish. Not the ideal condition for the fisherman but given that it's guts had been ripped out it wasn't going back in. An exciting end to the visit.

Sighting (37) included: black-headed gull, black-necked grebe, blackbird, blackcap, buzzard, canada goose, carrion crow, chaffinch, chiffchaff, common tern, coot, cormorant, cuckoo, dunlin, goldfinch, great crested grebe, great tit, grey heron, greylag goose, hobby, jackdaw, magpie, mallard, moorhen, mute swan, pied wagtail, red-crested pochard, reed bunting, reed warbler, rook, sedge warbler, swallow, swift, tufted duck, willow warbler, woodpigeon and wren.

BOS Balscote Quarry & Shenington :: 06 May 2018

The WhatsApp group reported the arrival of wood sandpiper and whimbrel at breakfast time, but I didn't pick this up until mid-morning. The whimbrel was reported to have already departed but the wood sandpiper remained - I jumped in the car and headed over. The viewing area was empty when I arrived but the wood sandpiper (#122) was still there. Distant and with the heat haze, a bit difficult to get a photo of.

Roger Evans and Mark turned up to see if they could see the mistle thrush - on the long day count in SP43. I followed them to a field back along the main road as Mark had seen some red-legged partridge there on his way (couldn't get Roger to slow down enough to be sure). Nothing showing.

I went to Draycote Water for a circuit but this was pointless from a birding perspective due to the rest of humanity deciding to go there too. Still, got some exercise.

I've often heard people mention Shenington Airfield and so I dropped the car in Shenington and strolled around the paths and bridleways for a while. I spotted reed bunting, red kite, whitethroat and linnet. The best encounter though was with a skylark who dropped into the grass and stayed there, presumably thinking it was hidden. I took a few photos before some dog-walkers arrived and scared it off. I presume it was off to feed young given the contents of it's beak.

Wildlife BCN Summer Leys & RSPB Otmoor :: 05 May 2018

It is that time of year when I add garden warbler to my year list. My go-to place for this is Summer Leys in Northamptonshire. This year my decision was helped by reports of a pair of garganey, showing close on some days last week. I couldn't sleep overnight, waking up on multiple occasions, and so I gave in and arose at 5.30am, breakfasted, and was on-site by 7.30am.

As is often the case, birds that have hung around for days suddenly depart on a Saturday when I am able to get to see them ... the garganey pair were no exception - I often think it is related to the number of people moving around at weekends, but I was there so early that wasn't the case - the curse of Saturday mornings.

So many black-headed gulls, building nests and making a racket - joined by dozens of common tern (#119). A single black-tailed godwit was chased around on the far shore from the Pioneer Hide. A cuckoo also flew from right to left on the opposite bank above a single oystercatcher, but nothing else unusual to see so I set off on a circuit.

Not far from the start I found my target bird and managed a few photos - not the best but given the garden warblers (#120) insisted on sitting with he sun behind them, it could have been worse. Whitethroat and blackcap joined in the song.

There were so many sedge warblers on and around the railway embankment - whitethroat too. Although I could hear them, I couldn't see any reed warbler. Ahead a cuckoo landed in a tree but left before I was in range for a photo; I saw it again by the time I reached the turn off the embankment and onto the reserve proper.

When I got back to the car park field I recognised two guys crossing - @987jonty and @grimsbury_birds. Amazing to bump into them so far from Banbury - they were on a mission, around Northants, to top 100 species for the day - possibly going to include Rutland Water as they had had a fall of seven wood sandpiper and a black-winged stilt.

Sightings at Summer Leys (46) included: black-headed gull, black-tailed godwit, blackbird, blackcap, blue tit, bullfinch, canada goose, carrion crow, chaffinch, chiffchaff, collared dove, common tern, coot, cormorant, cuckoo, gadwall, garden warbler, goldfinch, great crested grebe, great tit, greenfinch, grey heron, greylag goose, jackdaw, lapwing, lesser black-backed gull, little egret, long-tailed tit, magpie, mallard, moorhen, mute swan, oystercatcher, red kite, redshank, reed bunting, rook, sedge warbler, shelduck, shoveler, song thrush, tufted duck, whitethroat, wigeon, willow warbler and woodpigeon.

I'd promised to take Charlotte for lunch so got back and dropped into the Great Western Arms in Aynho. Was surprisingly quiet when we arrived but soon started filling up. Once finished we decided to drop into RSPB Otmoor to see if we could see the newly arrived turtle dove.

Though the car park was full, the reserve was quite quiet with little in the skies, not even swallow or martins. The reeling gropers from my last visit were silent, and it wasn't until we got to the bridleway by Greenaways that we started to hear the song of sedge and reed warbler. We bumped into a family of four (two young daughters) who we pointed out the turtle dove (#121) to - then a range of other species (including hobby overhead) that the daughters duly checked off in their book. Though we could hear cuckoo they didn't fly past.

Charlotte felt tired so we turned back at the first screen; a number of marsh harriers, red kite and buzzard soared overhead or quartered the reed beds. We heard a bittern booming off to the right but it didn't show itself.

Returning along the bridleway we were luckier with our reed warbler sightings with one climbing high enough and for long enough to allow a quick photo.

Sightings at Otmoor (30) included: black-headed gull, blue tit, buzzard, canada goose, carrion crow, chaffinch, chiffchaff, coot, goldfinch, grey heron, greylag goose, hobby, jay, lapwing, linnet, little egret, magpie, marsh harrier, moorhen, mute swan, pochard, redshank, reed bunting, reed warbler, rook, sedge warbler, shoveler, teal, turtle dove and woodpigeon.

Grimsbury Reservoir :: 01 & 02 May 2018

A quick lunchtime visit on Tuesday to see if I could see anything of interest - @grimsbury_birds mentioned hearing redstart, etc. The usual array of jackdaw, crow, rook, great-crested grebe, mallard joined by whitethroat, linnet, chiffchaff, but nothing out of the ordinary. Good to get the fresh air.

An alert on Wednesday from @987jonty at breakfast time to say that the squally conditions had dropped in a sanderling. As I arrived (after dropping Ailsa at school) the rain was persistent. I crossed with @987jonty and @grimsbury_birds who joked that it had been joined by three others and then left 5 minutes earlier; the answer I deserved when asking if it was still on-site! They also mentioned that a wheatear had flown through while they watched.

I walked round to the NW corner but found only a pair of pied wagtails. Not much further round I then found the sanderling (#118), working the shoreline back to the NW corner. As the others predicted, the weather was worse on the return as the wind was blowing it directly into your face. No sign of a wheatear either.

RSPB Otmoor :: 21 April 2018

It was a beautiful morning and the temperature was set for 23C by lunchtime - although 13C when I left, there would be no need for a coat today. RSPB Otmoor hosts cuckoo in the summer months and so, having heard of their return, I was off to catch a glimpse, or just hear their calls.

As I got to the car park (08:30) it was absolutely full and there I met a rather grumpy looking gentleman in camouflage gear. I asked if he had been lucky with any shots but he replied how he was annoyed at having seen great pictures of wheatear on the Oxon Birding Blog but they weren't around this morning.

The next guy I met was in a better mood and enthused that I would be unlucky not to see cuckoos this morning as he had 5 encounters in his time there. At the feeders grasshopper warbler reeled but I couldn't locate them through my bins.

Walking along the bridleway I could hear sedge and reed warbler but only caught short glimpses of sedge [#110]. A couple of people were staking out a dead tree, hoping that the cuckoo would stop there on it's next passage along the tree line. I continued on and very shortly after watched the cuckoo [#111] land in a distant tree - waiting were I was it flew left and then towards me, landing in a tree ahead. Fortunately I was close enough to get off a few shots before it moved on. A single snipe drummed overhead.

A significant flock of linnet were feeding and resting in the trees around the hide but I didn't stay there long; as I left a yellowhammer dropped into the tree ahead.

Heading to the first screen I talked with a woman I'd parked next to in the car park and she passed on that a whimbrel had been spotted out on Big Otmoor. Just visible over a ridge this was another year tick [#112], almost right behind it was a barnacle goose [#113], lying down but sticking up it's head. More sedge then as I got to the first screen a reed warbler [#114] sang and climbed the reeds to my right - just as I managed to get a focus through the reeds it took to the wing and flew off.

Looking back down the path I could hear and see the cuckoo in trees near where I had seen it, then it flew right and into some very tall trees and I lost it when it left.

Marsh harrier and red kite quartered the reed bed but again no bittern here. Onto the second screen I picked up willow tit, joining in with the throng of chiffchaff. Nothing much at the second screen but as I returned I could hear the bittern boom but couldn't see it anywhere - I waited but it stayed hidden.

I stopped at the first screen and watched the common lizards for a few minutes before heading back to the bridleway. As I went through the gate there were a few people watching sedge in the brambles opposite; I joined them and as we watched we saw a lesser whitethroat [#115] hop by.

Skylarks rose from Greenaways and in the distance a lone hobby [#116] worked the far hedgerow. A curlew flew past and stopped briefly between Greenaways and Moorleys, too far away for a decent photo. Heading back I then added common whitethroat [#117] - a showy bird hopping between trees and the overhead cable.

It was noticeable that I didn't hear the cuckoo again as I walked along the bridleway to the car park - early is obviously best at present.

Sightings today (47) included: barnacle goose, black-headed gull, blackbird, blackcap, blue tit, buzzard, canada goose, carrion crow, chaffinch, chiffchaff, coot, cuckoo, curlew, dunnock, gadwall, goldfinch, great crested grebe, great tit, greylag goose, hobby, lapwing, lesser black-backed gull, lesser whitethroat, linnet, magpie, mallard, marsh harrier, moorhen, mute swan, pheasant, pochard, red kite, redshank, reed bunting, reed warbler, rook, sedge warbler, shoveler, skylark, snipe, teal, tufted duck, whimbrel, whitethroat, willow warbler, woodpigeon and yellowhammer.

Balscote Quarry :: 19 April 2018

This Banbury Birders WhatsApp Group is proving to be the sure way to communicate what is going on around town. Tonight we had an update that there was a short-eared owl hunting across Balscote Quarry. A few of us shot over but by this time a buzzard had flushed the bird and it had moved over the field edge and out of sight, not to return. Just our luck.

While there it would be rude not to look and I added little ringed plover [#108] to the year list. As the sun dropped below the horizon most left, until just @Vanellus26 and I remained. The final bird of the day was a barn owl [#109] sitting on the screen on the other side of the water, flying only 10 feet or so then returning to the sit on the screen. Another barn owl popped it's head out the box but soon disappeared.

A few pipistrelle bats fed between the trees as we packed up and left.

Grimsbury Reservoir :: 12 April 2018

Another breakfast time tweet from @987jonty and another visitor to Grimsbury Reservoir in Banbury, this time a summer plumage black necked grebe [#107]. A great find and a beautiful bird.

Initially @987jonty said he though it was a female tufted duck, head down and resting, as it was hanging out with a male tufted duck. He realised what it was as he got nearer. It favoured the NE end of the reservoir and was reported to be calling frequently and at lunchtime had a good feed, diving near the edge.