Last two weeks of February

 

Stonechat (c) Bark

The cold of the start of the month has been replaced with much warmer sunnier weather and all over the moor there are signs of spring.

Singing Wren (c) Bark

Birds are singing, winter visitors are leaving, breeding waders are returning, bumble bees are on the wing and the first white blackthorn flowers are opening.

Snowdrops in the carpark (c) Tom N-L

Ring Necked Duck above with "Luke" (c) Bark and below (c) Nick Truby

It has been an exciting couple of weeks with a fine drake Ring-necked Duck appearing amongst the Tufties at the first screen last Sunday. In addition, the first Curlew, Redshanks and Oystercatchers have arrived at about the same time.

Redshank and Oystercatcher (c) Bark

Already the soundscape on the moor has changed. Not just the distinctive and evocative Curlews calling and circling over the Flood and Greenaway’s but also  Redshanks yodelling over Big Otmoor, where there were at least six this weekend, with many more to follow in the coming weeks. The resident Lapwings are already courting, both on the ground performing their odd “banana” display, where they lay their breast on the ground and push their behind up showing the orange under-tail coverts and the males calling whilst making their aerobatic tumbling territorial display flights.

Chiffy (c) Bark

In the carpark field on Sunday there were two Chiffchaffs singing as well as a Song Thrush, while along the bridleway several Chaffinches were delivering their songs.

Songthrush (c) Tom N-L

Cetti’s’ warblers are at their most vociferous at this time of year and with very little foliage on the bushes they are also at their most visible. They are doing exceptionally well down on Otmoor. They were first recorded in 2002 and apart from an absence for the whole of 2013 and over half of 2014, have been ever present.

Cetti's (c) Nick Truby

The prolonged severe cold at the end of 2012 and into the start of 2013 wiped out the Otmoor population completely. It is an example of how vulnerable sedentary insectivorous birds can be to prolonged cold snaps. Our population has survived the recent cold weather very well and seventeen calling individuals were heard across the moor this Sunday.

Singing in the mist (c) Bark

Wrens have also survived the cold and are staking claim to territories around the reedbed and along the hedgerows. Treecreepers, Nuthatches and Coal Tits have been recorded along the woodland edge on the southern side of Ashgrave.

Singing Dunnock (c) Bark

There has been a return of Stonechats to the moor after their temporary absence through the cold wet spell. There was a party of six together on the edge of Greenaways last weekend.

Stonechats (c) Bark

There have been up to five different Marsh Harriers active over and around the reedbed. Last weekend they were displaying and calling high overhead before undertaking tumbling dives, there was also a food-pass seen, which is described in the B.W.P. as courtship feeding of the female by the male.

Marsh Harrier from the first screen (c) Nick Truby

There is an active pair of Peregrines around the moor at present the male is much smaller and much paler than his mate who is a very dark and well-marked individual. They currently favour perching in the skeletal oak tree on the far side of the second field on the left as one walks towards the second screen.

Peregrine tree above (c) Tom N-L below (c) Nick Truby

There are still good numbers of Golden Plover and winter visiting Lapwings out on the Flood Field. Their presence only really noticeable when a raptor such as a Peregrine goes over.

Goldies (c) Tom N-L

On Sunday when they all flushed there were fourteen Ruff and at least forty Dunlin flying with them. The water levels across the moor augur well for spring wader passage over the next couple  of months.

Five Cranes on Greenaway's (c) Tricia Miller