Last week of November

Long Tailed Tit in the rain (c) Bark

From the top of the Lane in Beckley you can see that once again the moor is a proper wetland. The rain of the last few weeks has transformed many fields into lakes with just hedgerows, bunds and banks standing clear. The MOD land is now all flooded as are the four fields of Noke Sides and they are attracting huge numbers of birds. 

Not much room left for Snipe

On Saturday we estimated that there were in excess of four thousand Lapwings in several different flocks that erupted from separate parts of the moor when flushed by one or other of the attendant raptors. The Lapwings were accompanied by flocks of Starlings that were not feeding far from their reedbed roost site. There were also large numbers of Golden Plovers that were more difficult to count, but certainly their numbers are in excess of two thousand.

Blizzard og Gulls (c) Bark

The flooded fields have attracted large numbers of Gulls. As well as the smaller Black-headed Gulls and at least one Common Gull there are  also many more larger Gulls than we normally find on Otmoor. Mostly adult Lesser Black backed Gulls, there were Herring Gulls, Greater Black backed and at least one Yellow Legged Gull, the latter a new addition to the year-list. Despite a lot of scanning we were unable to tease out a Caspian Gull. 

Yellow Legged Gull (c) Pete Roby

There are large numbers of very larger gulls around and so it is well worth looking through them to find what would be the first ever record of this species on Otmoor.

Hen Harrier (c) Bark and Marsh Harrier (c) JR

As is to be expected with such a high biomass present on and around the moor we have been seeing lots of raptors and seeing them more frequently. Where initially the Starling roost was their prime attraction, in addition it is also the flocks of larger prey species feeding out on the floods. There were four different Buzzards around the reedbed on Sunday and there are still two Ring-tailed Hen Harriers roaming across the moor. 

A Bittern appeared out of the gloom on Sunday (c) JR

The resident Marsh Harriers are also likely to be seen as well as Kestrels and Sparrowhawks. Peregrines are now being seen regularly and the only expected raptor not seen this weekend was a Merlin. We also had the bonus of seeing a rather damp and disconsolate looking Barn Owl in the hedge beside the bridleway today.

Bedraggled barn Owl (c) Bark

Duck numbers across the moor have gone up very significantly but they are not being seen on the lagoon in front of the first or second screens. They have plenty of other places to be at the moment and undoubtedly the continuing presence of a family of three Otters in the reedbed is keeping them away for now. 

Otters above two (c) JR below (c) Bark

The Otters are being seen almost every day and seem quite used to being watched from the screen. Sometimes the youngsters can be seen rolling and tumbling in the water, at other times hunting and feeding and once today out on the edge of the bank. 

Weasel (c) JR

Last weekend we were lucky enough to see Weasel along the path to the screen, the Otters at the screen and finally a Stoat near the hide. Its not often you can see three mustelids in a day! The flooding has concentrated many small mammals on the higher ground and as with the birds it is also concentrating their predators.

Reed bunting and Meadow Pipit from the hide (c) Bark

 Have started the winter feeding programme alongside the hide and on the path towards July’s meadow. After only a week it is attracting a large number of Chaffinches, Linnets and Reed Buntings. As the winter hardens it will  attract many more and hopefully a few more of the scarcer finches. 

Blue Tit in the rain (c) Bark

Last year there were very few sightings of Redpolls or Siskins on the reserve and just a couple of regular Bramblings, hopefully we will find a few more this year.

Fallow Deer (c) Tezzer and cheeky Hare (c) JR

First two weeks of November

Hen harrier (c) JR

The wet and stormy weather over the last few weeks has had a huge impact on the way that the moor looks and feels. It has also had a massive impact on the birdlife to be found around the reserve. Scrapes, pools and lagoons are once again full, and the long summer drought seems a long time ago.

Autumn Colour (c) Tom N-L

The leaves on all the trees and in the hedgerows are flaring with last blaze of autumn colour.

What has taken the eye and attracted the most interest recently has been the raptors. That are now much more active and obvious. 

Harrier Kite and Kestrel (c) JR

Over the weekend we recorded all eight of the regular winter species including the more elusive Merlin and the rare Hen Harrier. Peregrines also made appearances, but unpredictably, as they tend to be. We were pleased to have identified from photographs two different juvenile Hen Harriers. They are roaming widely across the moor and are best looked for from the bridleway looking across towards the northern boundary hedge. Merlin was seen both across Greenaway’s and the Closes but as always these are” blink and you miss it” sightings.

Lapwings and Starlings (c) Tom N-L

What has attracted these birds is the steadily rising number of prey species. Two or three hundred Lapwings are frequenting the moor with at least a similar number if not more of Golden Plovers.

Starlings (c) Bark

There is a substantial Starling roost taking place but as yet there have been no spectacular displays. The birds have been arriving and going straight down to roost without producing a shape shifting spectacle. This roost has been attended by Marsh Harriers and by at least three Barn Owls.

Barn Owl as it gets dark! (c) Bark

Out on Greenaway’s two Short-eared Owls have been seen just as darkness falls. As the fields have flooded many small mammals have been forced to move to higher ground and several were witnessed swimming out in the fields, offering easy targets for opportunistic hunters.

The very friendly Hare is once again close to the screen. (c) Derek Lane

On several evenings Woodcock have been spotted flying between the scrub in the Carpark Field and the flooded areas on Greenaways and Closes.

Water Rail (c) Bark

On Thursday evening three swans were seen coming in the gathering dark, from the north and landing on the southern lagoon. 

Whooper Through starlings (c) JR

When I looked closely, I realised that one was a Whooper Swan. The mute swans that it had landed with were quite belligerent and the male threatened it and chased it around the back of the island and out of sight. It is always exciting to see these “ proper” wild swans and it was the one hundred and forty third bird to be recorded on Otmoor this year.

Whoopre Swan (c) Bark

Wigeon numbers have finally started to grow perhaps as a result of the colder weather and northerly winds encouraging them south.

Wigeon and Teal (c) Bark

 Redwing and Fieldfare numbers on the other hand are still low although we did find a small mixed flock feeding in July’s meadow on Saturday morning. As is usual with these birds they are very skittish and flighty when they first arrive.

Fieldfare (c) Bark

Snipe are taking advantage of the flooded grassland and on Sunday morning at least thirty were steadily flushed out from part of Greenaway’s as the cattle moved through the area where they had been feeding.

Otter pics (c) Trefor Knight

The Otters have continued to be great crowd pleasers. They have appeared daily, often several times during a day, at the southern lagoon. They have seen to be catching plenty of fish some of them of quite respectable size. However, this weekend if one wanted to see the animals it was always better to be at the first screen when I was not in there as I missed them by minutes on at least three occasions! This week three were seen together confirming that this is indeed a female with two cubs.

Long Tailed Tit and the first touch of frost (c) Bark

End of October

Female Stonechat (c) Bark

A combination of adverse weather and “can’t miss” rugby matches have meant that  I have not been down to the moor as regularly as normal. Heavy rains over the last couple of weeks have made the biggest impact on the look and feel of the moor and it is finally looking like a proper wetland once again.

Shovellers coming out of eclipse (c) Bark

Now there are extensive pools in front of the main hide and the lower northern edge of Ashgrave is again looking attractive to wildfowl. There have been up to twenty Pied Wagtails flitting around the margins of the scrapes and feeding amongst the tussocks. 

Pied wagtails from the hide (c) Bark

There have also been several small flocks of Meadow Pipits foraging in the same areas. A pair of Stonechats have taken up residence in the long stand of bulrushes that is to the left of the hide.

Meadow Pipit and Stonechat (c) Bark

Barn Owls are showing most evenings now as the Starlings and Wagtails come into roost in the reedbed. There are also at least two Short-eared Owls hunting over Greenaways. Conditions for them across the reserve look perfect, with adjacent areas of cropped grass, ranker growth and low scrub. This mix results in optimal habitats for small mammals especially voles and it is these that  the Owls feed on. As the winter progresses, we will expect the owls to be out and about much more in the mid-afternoon, whilst at present they are only appearing at dusk.

Barn Owls at dusk (c) Paul Wyeth

There has been no further sign of the pair of Bearded Tits seen over two weeks ago. It seems unlikely that they have moved on with a massive reedbed as well as so many small reedbeds and reed-lined ditches available. They could very well be in an out of the way clump of reeds where they will not be seen or heard by anyone.

Swimming Muntjac (c) Tom N-L

The southern lagoon has recently hosted two unusual mammal species. Two Muntjac were seen out on the island in front of the screen and were photographed wading and swimming across the deepest part. More exciting still is the now regular appearances of Otters  on the northern part of the lagoon. There were two seen at the same time on Sunday. They have been watched hunting and catching fish every day since Wednesday and have been noticed going in and out of the furthest clump of reeds. It is pleasing to see that there is clearly a healthy enough fish population in the lagoon to keep Otters on site. I have just heard that they are now thought to be a female with young.

Distant Otters (c) Luke O'Byrne

As yet there have not been large numbers of Fieldfares or Redwings in the hedges although did flush about thirty of them from the bushes besides the track as I walked back from the Starling roost last Thursday evening. The same evening I was able to give my bat detector a trial as it got dark and there are certainly plenty of bats around the carpark, in the Roman Road and along the bridleway. The frequency at which they echolocate suggests that they are either Pipistrelles or Daubenton’s or possibly both. I have yet to refine and fully understand the signals!

Long Tailed Tit and Blue Tit (c) Bark

Several hundred Lapwings and a similar number of Golden Plovers are now moving between the Flood Field, Noke Sides and Ashgrave. There were a pair of Peregrines present over the weekend and as the number of prey species grows during the next few months so will the number of raptors turning up to hunt them. Last evening (Monday 4th November) there was a Ring-tailed Harrier on the northern edge of Greenaway’s having a bit of a dispute with a Barn Owl. The Barn owl was one of three present yesterday.

Emergency Access looks as though its needed for this bedraggled pheasant