End of August

Redstart (c)  Bark

August has been a quiet month on the moor, as it often is. There has been a smattering of passage waders through, a couple of Black-tailed Godwits, a few Green and Common Sandpipers and just the other day a Spotted Redshank. The Lapwing flock has swollen to over two hundred and amongst them are a good number of juveniles, distinguishable by their slightly yellowish faces and shorter crests. The first Golden Plovers have been seen in just ones and twos, very different to the thousands that we regularly host during January and February.

Lapwings (c) Bark

Spotted Redshank (c) Pete Roby

Black-tailed Godwit (c) Paul Thomas

Golden Plover (c) Noah Gins

The Common Cranes are still with us and are yet to take their annual “migration” back to the Somerset Levels where they spend the winter. They can often be seen flying across the northern part of Greenaways and also feeding and preening out in the middle of big Otmoor. They can often be heard rather than seen, bugling loudly. The different individuals can be identified by the coloured ring sequences on their legs, this is much easier to do, now that the grass has been mown out on Greenaways and Big Otmoor.

Cranes in flight (c) Tom N-L

There are still mixed flocks of tits and warblers moving along the hedgerows. We are now finding family parties of Whinchats, individual Stonechats and young Wheatears in some of the scrubby areas and on the newly mown and much shorter grass.

Wheatear (c) Bark

Whinchat (c) Pete Roby

Redstart (c) Bark

Yellow Wagtails have been noticed going in to the reedbed in the evening to roost and they are increasingly being seen feeding around the grazing cattle and sheep.

Yellow Wagtail (c) Pete Roby

Common Tern (c) Bark

The Common Terns have now departed, and they would seem to have had some breeding successes but we cannot be sure how many young they fledged. They were still feeding, the by now fully fledged, youngsters on the muddy edges of the northern lagoon.

Hovering Bullfinch (c) Bark

There are plenty of seeding weeds along the pathways and in the fields and they are attracting small flocks of Linnets, Goldfinches and Chaffinches. We have noticed Bullfinches hovering to pick seeds from the very ends of a plant that produces its seed head on stems so fine and delicate they would not support the weight of a bird. The seeds must be especially nutritious to make the amount of energy expended in reaching them worthwhile.

Linnet (c) Bark

At least five different Kestrels are hovering over the fields and we have also seen Hobbies hunting low and fast along he ditches and smaller reedbeds. 

Kestrel (c) Paul Thomas

The Hobbies are feeding up before starting their southward migration and they are preying upon the abundant large dragonflies that are present across the whole moor. Marsh Harriers are still present but are being seen less frequently. 

Overflying Raven (c) Bark

We now have resident Ravens, up to four have been seen recently scavenging on Big Otmoor. I have not visited recently without hearing or seeing them, last week the  four of them were together in the top of one of the bare oaks that borders Noke Sides.

Dragonflies (c) Tom N-L

Courtesy of Badger.

The Dragonflies and Damselflies are attracting odontata enthusiasts once again. The moor is hosting yet another rare species, this time the Willow Emerald Damselfly, another species that is extending its range northwards and westwards, possibly in response to climate change. It must reflect the quality of our water, helped by no use of pesticides and with very little agricultural runoff from the wider Otmoor basin.

Young Roe buck on Ashgrave (c) Bark

The coming month will see the comings and goings on the moor increase. Hopefully as we get to the time when Bearded Tits irrupt from their breeding areas, we will get them back on the reserve once again, we will be eagerly watching and listening out for their distinctive “pinging” calls.

Whinchats (c) Bark

Beginning of August

Sparrowhawk (c) Bark

The weather has been flipping between very hot and cooler interludes and at times the moor and its wildlife has reflected the lassitude of the season. In the early mornings there is still plenty of activity in the Carpark-field and along the bridleway. 

Mixed parties of Tits and Warblers forage through the trees and bushes. All the while they make short sharp contact calls that tie the members of the flock loosely together and will make universally understood alarm calls should danger threaten. 

I see a family party of Bullfinches half-way along the bridleway almost every time I visit. They are feeding on the fresh seed heads of lettuce like plant and other weeds.

At the first screen the water levels are high and will remain so throughout the autumn, but at the second screen more mud is appearing all the time. One evening this week it attracted four passage Green Sandpipers and a Little-ringed Plover. Over the next month we can expect to see a number of passage waders calling in to refuel and rest up on their way back south. 

There are still a couple of adult Common Terns at the raft and they seem to have two well grown chicks, that look as though they are soon to take to the wing.

A Kingfisher was hunting from one of the willow bushes that is to the left of the first screen. They usually appear post breeding as there is nowhere that suits their nesting requirements actually on the reserve, we assume they nest further down the River Ray. There are many young and eclipse wildfowl loafing about in the shallow water. It is possible to find young Pochard, Shovellers and Gadwall amongst the commoner Mallards. There are still two or three Tufted Ducks with fluffy ducklings in tow that disappear under the water to feed and pop up like corks beside their mothers.

Brown Hairstreaks are being seen regularly along the Roman Road when the weather is right. They are coming down to nectar on the brambles and the umbellifers when they can be extremely confiding. I was down there last Friday morning, before it got ridiculously hot. I was looking up into the crown of one of the “master” ash trees and having a chat with another county birder about what we have seen on the moor this year.

I was grumbling about not having seen a Spotted Flycatcher, when one landed exactly at the top of the tree I was looking at! It stayed for twenty seconds and was gone but I did get a picture albeit from a funny angle.

On Saturday between the two screens we spotted a very blue dragonfly although we followed it seldom settled long enough to get a proper look at. On Sunday morning I was more fortunate and manged to photograph two different individuals which have been identified as Southern Migrant Hawkers, male and female. The other records of this very rare species came from the track towards Oddington and were not seen on the reserve itself, so it was very satisfying to get it as a reserve record………..although I would rather have seen the Savi’s!