Grimsbury Reservoir :: 03 May 2019

I was replying to emails at work from early and eventually decided to go to the kitchen and get a coffee, just before 9.00am. While waiting for the kettle to come to the boil, I found that @987jonty had posted in the WhatsApp Group - "RED-RUMPED SWALLOW at Grimsbury!!". In reply there were various posts of astonishment including the obvious "Ruddy Hell !!!!" and "I'm on my way!". I dropped everything and headed for the door.

I got to the reservoir and opted to turn right - wrong. As I got passed the sailing club I saw that birders were on exactly to opposite side of the reservoir to me - I had to do the long circuit. I got there and it didn't take long to spot the bird. Helpfully it also landed on distant railings so that we could see it standing still. It had landed right beside some arriving Oxford boys who managed to take advantage of their luck - I expect to see that they have the best photos/videos from today. I had been talking with Mike Pollard and we opted to walk closer. I took a couple of record shots. Good numbers of sand and house martin, swallow and swifts. Unfortunately it took off and I had to leave as I had to get back to work.

The RRS left late morning and wasn't seen over lunchtime. At teatime to appeared to have returned and so after dinner I popped back. I saw the bird again but also got rained on. @old_caley turned up having been in Welsh woods for the day and has now reached #206 for the year. We had a sparrowhawk through which caused some excitement amongst the collected hirundines.

Left as the light was giving out.

Spiceball Park, Banbury :: 29 April 2019

Shot out tonight as Colin Wilkinson has again found a Wood Warbler in Spiceball Park. He got the news out quickly and word spread. Fortunately I was able to drop what I was doing in head down. As I parked and found Colin it was obvious where the bird was, and Colin had managed to eventually get himself a decent photo of the bird.

It had been singing from trees by the northern footbridge, but by the time I got there it rarely sang and stayed high and mobile - sun soon falling away. I did manage to get a photo of sorts. I heard from Mark Ribbons and confirmed the bird was still there and it was not long before he was there enjoying views but with the bird starting to move from tree to tree and also getting higher.

As the light started to draw in the bird disappeared from sight and became quiet - Mark and I left and headed for the cars.

Well done Colin - 4 years in a row now!

Farmoor Reservoir :: 22 April 2019

I left home and proceeded along the old road from Banbury to Oxford. Leaving Adderbury I saw two jays in a tree above the left side of the road. Then, between the turns for Wootton and Tackley, I saw a partridge's head sticking above the grass verge. I spun round and when I got closer found a pair of red-legged partridge.

I arrived at the reservoir by 08.45am and climbed up to the bank with a walker. Unfortunately, as we got to the causeway she was ahead of me with her sticks, waving them around to move the flies around her, simultaneously scattering a group of wagtails. No chance of stopping to investigate these for the present.

I started across the causeway and soon caught up with another birder, intently scanning F1 with his scope. As I drew beside him he pointed out the three little gulls quartering the centre. In summer plumage they were easy to spot and follow. Over of F2 there were also a dozen common tern. More common tern passed overhead.

No sign of any of the arctic tern from yesterday (there had been 46+). When I reached the end of the causeway I received a message from Nick Truby saying that he might come over later, if he every got bored of the grasshopper warbler he was watching at Otmoor. He also inquired whether there were any black terns; I said not.

I dropped down to the Pinkhill Reserve and heard a reed warbler in the reeds on the opposite bank; as I watched one popped out and onto the stem of an outer reed. Behind me a garden warbler sang - mobile but often visible.

I continued along the riverbank hearing the occasional Cetti's and sedge warblers, but only seeing the sedge. Numbers of reed bunting joined in the singing. The cuckoo was calling and I managed to pick it out in a tree but it quickly took off and headed across the river and back where I had come from.

In the Hide I was just getting comfortable when a cuckoo flew from left to right - great views - but unfortunately my camera was not prepared and I couldn't get a photo. I waited. while but it didn't pass by. Sedge and reed warbler sank in the reeds opposite, occasionally showing.

Back on the reservoir I looked at F2 to see a number of boats sailing around, accompanied by a speedboat. On F1 there was a group of paddle boarders. The number of gulls and terns had reduced very substantially when I was down in the reed bed and meadow. I opted to return round F1. The little gulls were still there and in two groups now numbered 7.

When I got to the valve tower I saw a group of wagtails fly off with at least one being a yellow wag. As I got to the causeway a couple waited for the yellow wag return - chatting they were from South Wales (lived in Barry) and were on their way home from birding in Surrey. As we talked a local birder popped over to see us and pass on that a black tern had dropped in, followed by an arctic term. Check. I sent a message to Nick but apparently he was already nearly home and decided to try another day. I left for home and lunch.

In the evening I popped out to RSPB Otmoor to see if I could see the short-eared owls. Mostly I was watching a distant pair of bittern, the male displaying to the female the entire time (puffed up). There were also three brown hares.

I was about to give up when one of the warden's walkie talkies cracked into life and a report of the SEO on Greenaways was passed on. After about five minutes we picked it out and watched through scopes on a few occasions - the SEO disappearing for long periods of time. Well worth the visit though - even if the SEO was circa 900m away!

Sightings at Farmoor Reservoir (41) included: arctic tern, black tern, black-headed gull, blackbird, blue tit, buzzard, carrion crow, chaffinch, chiffchaff, common tern, coot, cormorant, cuckoo, dunnock, gadwall, garden warbler, goldfinch, great crested grebe, great tit, grey heron, greylag goose, jackdaw, jay, kestrel, little gull, long-tailed tit, magpie, mallard, moorhen, mute swan, pheasant, pied wagtail, red-legged partridge, reed bunting, reed warbler, rook, sedge warbler, tufted duck, whitethroat, woodpigeon and yellow wagtail.

Grimsbury Reservoir :: 21 April 2019

After a delicious BBQ I decided to make a quick circuit of Grimsbury Reservoir. The water was very quiet with only a handful of the usual species. At the waterworks I searched along the hedge hoping for black redstart but always unlikely. There was a single linnet.

At the north end there were plenty of tits and a number of blackcap and whitethroat. Nothing overly special on the riverside but still happy to see chiffchaff and willow warbler. Unusually there were a couple of house sparrows in the brambles.

Sightings included: blackbird, blackcap, blue tit, bullfinch, buzzard, canada goose, carrion crow, chaffinch, chiffchaff, goldfinch, great crested grebe, great tit, greenfinch, house sparrow, linnet, long-tailed tit, magpie, mallard, moorhen, mute swan, pied wagtail, reed bunting, robin, rook, whitethroat, willow warbler and woodpigeon.

RSPB Otmoor :: 19 April 2019

The weather forecast was set fair and so we decided to visit RSPB Otmoor. We dropped into the petrol station and stocked up with lunch on the way. When we arrived the car park was full but amazingly I saw Nick Truby and his wife arriving at their car, ready to depart. I hopped out the car and over to chat with Nick and congratulate him again for his photos being selected as in the Birdguides' "Photo of the week - Other notable images".

Nick had spotted redstart (common) in Long Meadow last Sunday, and so we decided to have a look - not many seem to survey Long Meadow and so the lack of reports didn't mean they weren't showing. We set off and immediately came across a lesser whitethroat, showing well, but mobile.

Down Long Meadow we spotted chiffchaff, yellowhammer, blackcap (m&f) and a distant muntjac deer. As we approached the last bush before the large brick wall, I saw what initially appeared to be a blackbird. But looking through my bins it then presented as a ring ouzel! - who'd have thought?! I just spend a day looking for these at Linky Down but here was one on Otmoor.

We continued on but failed miserably to locate any redstarts but were entertained by several willow warbler. I decided to work back down the opposite side of the meadow and came across the ring ouzel and flushed it back across to distant bushes and out of sight - not one minute later I then flushed a woodcock which shot off ahead and quickly out of sight too - another tick.

We circled back to the car and ate our lunch. The weather wasn't disappointing us and the temperature was already up to 23°C. Refreshed we were off around the reed beds.

On the bridleway we could see distant marsh harrier and a single redshank preening in one of the shallow pools. By the bench we were told that the 'booming' we had been hearing was coming from the reeds ahead and that two bittern had been showing from there. We watched from here until one of the guys to our left spotted one on the edge of the water in the distance - a challenge for the camera at around 200m! All this time a reed warbler sang below us, but out of sight. I waited for the warbler to appear, so Charlotte continued on to the hide. Eventually the it showed, briefly, then skulked back into the dense reeds.

I joined Charlotte in the hide but there wasn't much there, other than a few reed bunting and a smaller flock of linnet than we have seen through the winter months. We didn't hang around.

Down the first screen we could hear 'booming' from the channel beside the path but obviously no sighting. No sign either of the reeling grasshopper warbler near the kissing gate that Nick had mentioned. We reached the screen and had views of distant marsh harrier and tumbling buzzards; not a behaviour I have seen in this species before. A cuckoo called in the distance and I picked him out in a far tree; confirmed by a silhouette on the photo I took, and later by a group with a scope.

As I was standing by the rightmost window of the screen a flying bittern came inoto view - I wasn't ready with the camera and only managed to get it focussed at 300mm before it was almost passed. At least I managed to alert everyone in the hide and we all got what must be the longest flight I have seen. Cracking.

On the bridleway, as we returned to the car, we had closer views of marsh harrier and then a cuckoo dropped into the trees behind me. Unfortunately it was off before I could get round but at least I had better views of it in flight.

Sightings (39) included: bittern, blackbird, blackcap, blue tit, bullfinch, buzzard, canada goose, carrion crow, chaffinch, chiffchaff, coot, cuckoo, gadwall, goldfinch, grey heron, greylag goose, jackdaw, lapwing, lesser whitethroat, linnet, magpie, marsh harrier, mute swan, pheasant, red kite, redshank, reed bunting, reed warbler, ring ouzel, robin, rook, shoveler, teal, tufted duck, whitethroat, willow warbler, woodcock, woodpigeon and yellowhammer.

Blenheim Palace :: 16 April 2019

Another day off as it is the end of my holiday year at work, and as the family are all off work due to school or University Easter breaks. We decided to visit Blenheim Palace for a walk, and because there was a Bonaparte's gull reportedly still present. It was reported to be on the old shooting hide by the boardwalk on Queen's Pool this morning but when we got there there was no sign, although there were common and artic tern; one of each. It was interesting to see the grey herons and little egrets in the trees on the island in Queen's Pool.

We strolled round the grounds and as we reached the turn I dropped round the edge of Queen's Pool again; still no sign. We continued back to the bridge and could see some birders on it. From here we could see numerous sand martin and swallow, but no Bonaparte's gull. I talked to a couple of the guys and no one had spotted it recently.

The family were growing restless and so we headed back towards the Visitors entrance for afternoon tea. I could see some gulls off to my right and so negotiated to head off on my own to look over to the back end of the South Lake, west of the bridge. I could see one of the birders I had talked with (Dave Lowe) and dropped down to see what he had found. Sure enough the Bonaparte's gull was there and spinning round with a number of black-headed gulls. I took some decent photos given the poor light and gentle drizzle, unfortunately of the wrong bird! I did get a few of the right bird, but poor and from distance. We also had flypasts from the terns, particularly the arctic.

The family were waiting and so I had to leave without a better opportunity to get a decent photo, now that it was feeding on the opposite bank.

Sightings (29) included: arctic tern, black-headed gull, blue tit, Bonaparte's gull, Canada goose, carrion crow, chiffchaff, common tern, coot, cormorant, goldfinch, great tit, grey heron, greylag goose, jackdaw, little egret, mallard, moorhen, mute swan, pheasant, pied wagtail, red kite, rook, sand martin, shelduck, swallow, teal, tufted duck and woodpigeon.

Aston Rowant - Linky Down :: 15 April 2019

I hadn't been here before and was somewhat doubtful that I was going in the right direction, despite having talked to four guys in the main car park. Eventually I saw two birders at the foot of the valley. I approached the beginnings of a path down the valley edge and stopped to look at some movement in a tree / bush ahead. Damn me, it was a ring ouzel; and there was another hopping along the ground to the left. As I raised my camera the bird dropped to the ground and I was never able to get focus on the birds as they fed and bobbed right to left. Eventually I lost them.

I noted another couple of birders higher on the hillside and wondered why they were so high up. I made my way round in their direction, and then saw a female ring ouzel fly ahead and very shortly after a male dropped into and out of a tree to my left.

As I got closer the two birders approached and one noted the male I'd just seen in the tree. I mentioned the two further back up the track. One said it had taken him more than an hour to locate where he should be. In any case, they mentioned that they had very good views on the top plateau of the valley with a bird dropping in very close. In a short time three ouzels were showing albeit at a little distance.

As I watched, another birder passed through the gate below me and I waved him up - John Edwards. I pointed out the birds I had and as we watched they got closer and more numerous. Whilst watching four birds in bushes at the top of the valley, another three flew in from the right. A very fruitful visit to Aston Rowant NNR with sightings of 7 ring ouzels.

I was after a specific species and so wasn't searching extensively but sightings (12) included: blue tit, chiffchaff, dunnock, goldfinch, great tit, green woodpecker, long-tailed tit, magpie, pheasant, red kite, ring ouzel and song thrush.