Saturday and Sunday 18th and 19th November

Dunnock warming up (c) Bark

This weekend followed the pattern of the previous week with dour damp Saturday and a bright sparkling Sunday. On Sunday morning the oaks especially, stood out like burnished gold when lit by the low sun. In just a week or two now the trees will be bare.

Golden Oak (c) Bark

We saw a number of flights by the bitterns this weekend, but it was much more difficult to estimate just how many different individuals we had seen. There seemed to be no apparent increase in the number of wildfowl on the lagoons but the lack of water out on the open fields must be limiting the number of ducks using the reserve. It has been exceptionally dry this autumn and in a normal year we would expect to see much more water in the scrapes and the ditches by this time.

Car Park Redwing (c) Bark

The car park field was full of Fieldfares and Redwings the latter seeming to outnumber the former by about two to one. They were feeding on the fast disappearing crop of haws, in addition to the carpark birds there were at least a hundred of them, feeding out in the grass on Greenaways. From time to time other flocks would pass over or flush from the hedgerows. As we walked down the path from Beckley later on Sunday morning, we pushed a noisy party of mixed thrushes down the hedgerow in front of us. Sometimes we would get quite close but views were always obscured and photographic opportunities very limited.

Shovellers.       Above (c) JR      Below (c) Tom N-L

At the screens on Saturday and Sunday there was nothing new to report apart from a very brief view of a Jack Snipe that flew in and stood briefly next to a Common Snipe before disappearing into the reeds, clearly smaller and with a shorter bill than the bird beside it there was little doubt as to its identity. Water Rails were seen occasionally and we saw one that swam across the ditch at the beginning of the visitor trail to the screens.

Ditch Swimming Water Rail (c) Bark

Yet again there were three different Marsh Harriers present and it was more difficult to decide which the regular pair were. They never come very close to the screens veering to one side or the other if they venture closer than sixty or seventy metres.

Crab Apple glowing like a Christmas tree decoration (c) Bark

Once again on Sunday we set off on another fruitless quest to find Hawfinches in Noke Wood or Sling Copse. Just as last week it was interesting to get a different view of the moor and different habitats. The air on Sunday was so clear and clean that from our viewpoint above the wood we could see a great distance and grasp the topography of Otmoor all the better.

"Barny" as he is known on the moor (c) Bark

The RSPB Webs count this week counted nearly eight hundred Geese when Greylags and Canadas were added together. As we walked up beside Sling copse it was very obvious just how many there were spread over the whole of Ashgrave. We even commented that we would not want to be the observer who would have to count them. Amongst them was still the one Barnacle Goose and the Ross’s Goose, the latter in a loose party with his mixed offspring.

Linnet in the sun (c) Bark

Yet again the male Hen Harrier is putting in irregular appearances and has been seen over at Malt Pit on occasions in the last week. It seems that he is most likely to appear at the time the Starlings are coming in to roost. Numbers are going up steadily and they provide a plentiful source of prey for all of the predators.

Raptor Food (c) Tom N-L