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Singing sedge Warbler (c) Mark Chivers |
As we move into early June the countryside looks fresher cleaner and more
verdant than at any other time of the year. So it is on the moor. Arriving in
the carpark there is still a riot of birdsong coming from every direction but as
the morning wears on things quieten down much more. Birds are busy feeding
chicks and the urge to proclaim a territory loses out to the need to provision
the next generation.
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Reed Bunting still singing (c) Bark |
I immediately heard two different Turtle Doves purring, one from the Roman
Road and another from the familiar area near the pumphouse. Snipe were drumming
over both the Closes and Greenaways, but again as the morning progressed they
stopped. Two or three Cuckoos chased up and down the bridle way calling. Over
Big Otmoor Lapwings and Redshanks flew up to challenge Kites and one or other of
the two Marsh Harriers. There are lots of chicks to be spotted among the
tussocks and along the ditches, some fluffy and just out of the egg others close
to flying, all of them accompanied by vigilant parents.
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Challenging Lapwing (c) JR |
The Dog Roses are coming into flower and the briars are flecked with pink
blooms that shade through to white and attract nectar gathering insects. The
Flag Irises too are splashing the ditch edges with strident vivid yellow.
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Flag Iris and Dog Rose (c) Bark |
There are a small but indeterminate number of Ringed Plovers on Big Otmoor
and a single Black-tailed Godwit. The number of Little Egrets has increased and
they are mopping up small fish and tadpoles as the pools shrink. Two Shelduck
flew over our heads at the first screen and headed out towards Ashgrave. There
are now two Bar-headed Geese on the moor and they are accompanied by a lone
Barnacle Goose, they were seen both days. The other new addition to the yearlist
was another Spotted Flycatcher, one had been seen on Thursday on the wires up Otmoor Lane, this one was in the Roman Road area. Another yearlist addition was a Grey Wagtail seen today (10 June)
As more and larger dragonflies are emerging so the Hobbies are starting
hunting earlier in the day and on Sunday there were four different individuals
swooping down at high speed sometimes almost disappearing into ditches before
shooting up to eat their prey.
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Broad Bodied Chaser ? (c) Bark |
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Four spotted Chaser (c) Mark Chivers |
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Common Blue (c) Bark |
As the birding quietens down over next few weeks and before the first
returning waders start to appear, the rich variety of invertebrates will give us
lots to look for and admire.
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Flying Squirrel (c) JR
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