Otmoor Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th October

Beardy (c) Mark Chivers

Beardy take off (c) Bark

Seen off by this Robin (c) Bark

Very Confiding Kestrel (c) Mark chivers

The same bird (c) Tom Coyne

Clouded Yellow (c) Tom Coyne

 Despite the occasionally inclement weather it has been a very “birdy “ weekend on the moor with lots of interesting things to see.

The Great White Egret is still present and seems to be favouring the ditches beside the diagonal track across Greenaways. It appears to vanish into the reed fringing and then reappears further up or down the ditch. It flushed this morning when the shooting started on the rifle range and headed out onto the north western edges of Ashgrave. We were fortunate enough to have excellent views of two Bearded Tits on Saturday morning. They came out of the reedbed and flew into the bushes and scrub beside the path to the second screen, where they were foraging until chased back to the reedbed by a very territorial Robin.

It has been a six raptor weekend (probably seven if the possible Merlin seen yesterday was confirmed). A superb male Peregrine sat up in a tree bordering the fields beside the reed bed, perfectly lit by the sun against a dark lowering sky behind. A Sparrowhawk was again sat out on top of one of the willow bushes growing in the reedbed. A Ring-tailed Hen Harrier was seen several times on Saturday and probably today, hunting along the hedge on the northern side of Greenaways. Kestrels are very noticeable along the paths and there is one individual that is allowing very close approaches and it seems to have an injury to its neck. It does appear to still be hunting successfully and may be feeding on the abundant hatch of crane flies across the grasslands. Kites and Buzzards are of course ubiquitous. The female Merlin seen on Friday and at other times last week had not put in an appearance by the time I left.

A Short-eared Owl was seen this morning being harried by corvids over Greenaways. As far as I know this is the first record from this winter period. On Saturday morning seven Ravens flew over cronking and doing aerobatic stunts. Their interactions did not seem to be aggressive but simply exuberant, without wishing to be anthropomorphic it must feel wonderful to be able to fly like that. It struck several of us that a party of seven Ravens did sound a little like the start of a Scandinavian myth or fairy story.

Three Stonechats could be seen along the path from the hide, several Yellowhammers were near the farm at Noke and a lone Wheatear was feeding out amongst a large flock of several hundred Fieldfares on Greenaways. There seemed to be a major movement of these Thrushes over the weekend accompanied by smaller numbers of Redwings and large numbers of Skylarks.

There is a Marsh Tit using the feeders again and several small parties of Redpoll were seen, often in flight. Duck numbers are increasing slowly as water levels begin to creep up.

A Clouded Yellow butterfly was found near the first screen almost certainly the last we’ll see this year.

There has been a major influx of Great Grey Shrikes in the east of the country and its not too optimistic to hope that we will get one on the moor soon to join the Short-eared Owls and the Hen Harrier.

 

Saturday 12th October (a belated posting)

Little Grebe from the first screen

Chiffy

Goldfinch along the bridleway.

Frog on the path. all pics (c) Bark

A brief posting as I only managed one visit to the moor this weekend. Sunday was a washout with rain almost all day. It seems churlish to complain about it as we have been experiencing close to drought conditions over the past few months and the scrapes and ditches have been bone dry. We will only get large numbers of wildfowl overwintering if there is sufficient water for feeding and secure roosting.

All day on Friday I had seen parties of Redwings passing over Headington heading west on the strong winds. I saw several groups of them over the moor on Saturday and notably my first Fieldfares of the year, a group of seven and later a singleton.

Finch and tit flocks are active in the hedgerows with a larger flock of Goldfinches feeding on burdock along the bridleway towards Noke. A loose flock of at least thirty Skylarks were very noticeable over Greenaways chasing around making their buzzy calls. There were also two individuals singing. A Chiffchaff was singing in the carpark field as I arrived and there were at least three other individuals along the path to the second screen. This is where we had a number of overwintering birds last year.

Lapwings are beginning to be seen in larger groups and one party on Saturday numbered over fifty. Although the Bittern was not seen on Saturday it had been seen flying from one side of the southern reedbed to the other on Friday morning. All I saw of the Bearded Tits was one individual briefly flitting over the top of the reeds and pinging. At this time of year we often have irruptive groups of Beardies and I hope that our resident birds are joined by some others.

Saturday and Sunday 5th and 6th October

Great White Egret Saturday morning (c) Oz

Whinchat at the first screen (c) Tezzer

Ubiquitous Kestrels (c) Andy Last

Great White again (c) Darrell Wood

Chiffy (c) Bark

Confiding Hare (c) Bark

Commas and Blackberries (c) Bark

Michaelmas Daisies (c) Bark

 Back from my travels, I could not have hoped for a finer weekend on the moor. Early mist lifted to warm, golden October sunshine and the colours glowed in the hedgerows, while Michaelmas daisies made bright splashes of white, pink and purple along the edge of the reedbeds. There were plenty of good things to see on the bird front as well.

A Great White Egret found earlier in the week was still present on Saturday and showing well at times although it has not been reported since. Three Bearded Tits appeared in front of the first screen on Sunday. One of them was a male and may be one of the juveniles that has moulted into adult plumage, rather than a new individual. Three Stonechats could be seen along the path south of the hide along with a Whinchat. Other Whinchats were in the reedbed and the oaks beside the first screen. A Wheatear was found at the Noke end. Golden Plover were seen flying over and a real portent of winter were a party of seven Redwings, the first of this autumn.

Kestrels are currently the default raptor and there are at least four different individuals hunting over the fields. On Sunday morning as it warmed up at one point we could see at least seven Buzzards soaring over Greenaways and the reedbeds. A Garganey was on the southern lagoon with Teal on Friday.

Lizards can still be found basking by the first screen but I presume that they will soon start to hibernate once the weather changes and it gets colder. A northerly airflow is predicted for later this week along with much lower temperatures, perhaps the northerlies will bring some of our other familiar winter visitors, conditions all over the reserve this year look really good for Hen Harriers and Short Eared Owls.

Otmoor Sparrowhawk 6th October

Sparrowhawk amongst the reedbeds 6th October filmed by Andy Last.

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October begins with a bang.

Yellow Browed Warbler Holme Norfolk (c) Bark

Great White Egret (c) Terry Sherlock

Distant Bittern (c) Pat Galka

I turn my back on the moor for a couple of weeks and birds start to appear. Most notable is the Great White Egret that is currently on Greenaways and on Ashgrave. A Bittern is being seen regularly over the reedbed and a pair of Gooseander appeared last week. Both the Egret and the Gooseander are new species for the year and coupled with the Common Gull I found just before I went away our year list now stands at one hundred and fifty two. thanks to T.S. for the pics of the Egret and to Pat Galka for the one of the Bittern. I include a picture of a Yellow Browed Warbler photographed in Norfolk last weekend as I hope we will manage to track one down on the moor this week.

Saturday and Sunday 14th and 15th September

House Martin over the first screen (c) Bark

Reed Warbler feeding up (c) Bark

Just some of the geese on a morning panic (c) Bark

Eleven Blackwits (c) Bark

and again (c) Bark

Whinchat (c) Darrell Wood

Sedgie (c) Darrell Wood

 Autumn is really kicking in now with hips, haws and blackberries in the hedgerows and the grey and damp weather. Passage migrants are still on the reserve with both Whinchats and Wheatears to be found. Notable today was a party of eleven Black tailed Godwits that circled the reedbed and when they could not find anywhere to land went out onto big Otmoor. There are still warblers feeding up in the hedgerows but not as many as last week. Most noticeable today were the very large numbers of hirundines feeding over the fields, they were mostly Swallows and House Martins with just a scattering of Sand Martins amongst them.

The resident flock of Canada Geese and Greylags has been swollen by a major influx of birds. I counted at least four hundred individuals out on Big Otmoor and when a kind of mass panic overcomes them and they take to the air the noise is extraordinary. Hopefully having such an extensive feral flock will encourage their wilder congeners to overwinter with us. Peregrine was seen both days and a Sparrowhawk seems to have taken up territory around the reedbed.

I have just received a report that a Bittern was seen this afternoon flying between the southern and northern reedbeds. This is early but given the breeding successes that this species has had this year it is not surprising.

Saturday and Sunday 7th and 8th September

The default bird this weekend. Juvenile Reed Bunting

One of the newly fledged Reed Warblers

Wheatear at Noke

Confiding Moorhen

Feeding Goldfinches

Lesser Whitethroat

One of the Kingfishers

Signs of Autumn

Migrant Hawker       All pics this week (c) Bark

 Another sparkling weekend on the moor with plenty of passage passerines to be seen. The weather whilst a little cooler, was bright with clear bright sunshine early in the day.

There are still significant numbers of Whinchats present. Scattered in small parties both on and off the reserve. Some at Noke, others on the MOD land and six more on the path leading up to Beckley that goes past the hide and beyond July’s Meadow. Most easy to see however, were three individuals that were feeding beside the ditch alongside the visitor trail to the first screen. They were hunting from the wooden posts and also from the blue plastic stakes that carry the electric fence. On Sunday morning there was also a Wheatear with them. Juvenile Wheatears were also feeding from the fence at the western end of big Otmoor close to the cattle. Redstarts and Spotted Flycatchers were also found south of the hide on the same fence as the six Whinchats.

There are good numbers of warblers to be seen and a Reed Warbler was feeding a late brood of at least five noisy juveniles in the ditch alongside the bridleway. There are a pair of great Crested Grebes out on the northern lagoon with two young chicks and we presumed that these too were a later second brood.

Kingfishers are very much in evidence with at three individuals present. One frequenting the northern reedbed, another in the ditch near the pumphouse and yet another on the balancing pond beside the turning to Noke.

There was a small flock of fifteen to twenty Linnets out at the Pill on Sunday and several other small groups of Goldfinches feeding on seed heads beside the paths. The most numerous and the most noticeable seed eaters are Reed Buntings. There are large numbers of juveniles to be seen alongside the moulting adults, which implies that they have had a successful breeding year.

I was informed that most evenings there are still over fifty Yellow Wagtails going into the reedbed to roost.

On the raptor front: a Marsh Harrier is still present and Peregrine, Sparrowhawk and several Hobbies were recorded. There are still at least five juvenile Kestrels spread over the main fields. They are spending most of their time hunting from fence posts and seem to be feeding on the abundant grasshoppers. Ravens were seen flying over and cronking on both days.

There was a ridiculously confiding juvenile Moorhen feeding on the bridleway on Sunday morning. It allowed approaches up about two metres and good photo opportunities.

Sadly the Wryneck found and seen by some lucky people on Tuesday was not seen again. On a brighter note three Grey Partridges were found in the carpark field on Sunday morning and flew over onto the Closes. They became the one hundred and forty-ninth species to be recorded on the moor this year only one species short of last years total. There are still some relatively common birds that have not yet been seen and I am hopeful that our total this year will be higher than last.

Perhaps we might be lucky and have a visit from one of the rarer heron species.......Little Bittern or Great White Egret perhaps.....I can dream.