First two weeks of February

Ring-necked Duck (c) Tezzer

There is a palpable sense of spring in the air despite it only being mid-February. It has been very mild although sometimes grey and cloudy with blustery winds.

Goldfinch near the hide (c) Bark

There have been some notable returnees to the moor, turning up very  much when we might have expected them. Two Cranes have returned one of them un-ringed and the other after some initial difficulty was identified as Maple Glory. She was the female Crane that attempted to breed unsuccessfully for five consecutive years on the moor when partnered with Wycliffe who sadly disappeared in 2020.

Record shot at a distance (c) Bark

We are also expecting last years successful breeders to return probably with last years youngster in tow. The pattern would then be for them to drive the youngster away once they start courtship, mating and nesting. There were a further two Cranes that made occasional visit to the reserve last spring and they may well put in another appearance this year. Expert opinion suggests that there is enough space on Greater Otmoor to accommodate three pairs of Cranes although issues of disturbance by people and predation of eggs and young would be a major problem.

Glossy Ibis (c) Debbie Cowee

There is no way of knowing for sure if the Glossy Ibis that put in a brief appearance at Port Meadow and promptly left for Otmoor, is the same one that spent so much time with us last year, but it does seem likely. It may very well still be in the vicinity and out on one of the flooded fields to the north, where it spent a lot of time last year.

"Luke" (c) Bark

One bird that we can be certain is a returnee is “Luke” the leuchistic Pochard. He was back in front of the first screen with a party of mostly male Pochards and three females. His pale blond head mean he is unmistakeable. We first saw him in 2015 as a juvenile and have seen him every year since. He seems quite able to compete with more conventionally pigmented males and has been seen in company with a female. We assume that the leuchistic gene is regressive as we have yet to identify any of his progeny.

Bullfinch chewing desiccated Blackberries (c) Moth Clark

The Starling roost and murmuration is to all intents finished for this season. There are still large numbers of Starlings in the vicinity, but they are not staying in the reedbed anymore, and their choice of roosting places is variable. They are frequently using the body of water that is halfway up Ashgrave for a pre roost wash and brush up. Unfortunately, this is one of the most difficult parts of the reserve to watch.

Lapwings and Goldies (c) Bark

We have noticed that many members of the  public are still coming down to see the murmuration and are leaving under the impression that the massive whirling flocks of thousands of Lapwings and Golden Plovers are indeed Starlings. These flocks fly very densely when they first flush and if they are being pursued or threatened by a raptor, they will take evasive action in tight synchronous flocks.

Tufted Duck Diving (c) Bark

A drake Ring-necked Duck appeared at the first screen on Saturday afternoon but did not linger until the next day. Another odd-looking duck arrived at the end of last week and was still present at the weekend. It is a hybrid that shows some elements of Teal, Ferruginous Duck and Pochard. It is associating with the Pochard out in front of the first screen.

Duck of dubious parentage (c) Bark

Another interesting fact is that its arrival coincided with that of a drake Ferruginous duck at another Oxfordshire site. There were over fifty Common Snipe out on the reed stubble at the right of the second screen on Sunday, once again one individual was hunkered down in the reeds right in front of us on the water’s edge.

Common Snipe back in front of the second screen. (c) Bark

Redshank are already back on site in small numbers as are Curlew, over the next few weeks I would expect the numbers of both species to rise steadily.

Yellowhammer by the Hide (c) Bark

Finally, there is a male Marsh Harrier that may occasionally be mistaken for a Hen Harrier as it has quite a pale rump that in some lights and at a distance can cause confusion. I have attached one very fuzzy distant shot that was taken in poor light to illustrate this. The Hen Harrier itself is still present on the moor although unpredictable.

Marsh Harrier showing pale rump (c) Bark