December and a look back to 2023

Bird of the year 2023 Pallid Harrier (c) JR

Since I last wrote at the end of November one of the Otmoor Volunteers, who lives in Oddington, measured 100mm of rain in December and 40mm in the first five days of January. As one might expect the Otmoor basin currently is more like an inland sea than a regular wetland.

Noke sides (c) Bark

To see the moor now amply explains why no one ever built houses down there. The path to the first screen is almost high enough to overtop wellies!

Nearly over wellies (c) Bark

The abundant water has led to a sharp increase in the numbers of Lapwings, Golden Plovers and wildfowl.

Lapwing (c) Darrell Woods

The Starling roost has diminished somewhat but still numbers many thousands. The huge biomass obviously continues to attract many raptors, with a ring-tailed Hen Harrier being seen frequently over Greenaways in the late afternoon and single, but different, Peregrines are being seen on most visits. Sparrowhawks are being spotted flying low over the reedbed, perhaps looking for injured or moribund Starlings. They are also making more regular visits to the seed feeding site beside the hide, where they panic the Linnets, Reed Buntings and Chaffinches into flight.

Sparrowhawk waiting for a finch supper (c) Bark

It usually takes about half an hour for the birds to regain their confidence enough to return, and resume feeding. There are currently two female Marsh Harriers being seen regularly on site and there have been reports of an adult male being seen in the late afternoons. In amongst the numerous Lapwings and Golden pLovers the first waders are being seen.

A flush of lapwings on one of the few sunny days (c) Tom N-L

A photograph that was carefully scrutinised last week revealed at least one hundred Dunlin flushing up from the flood field and five Ruff were seen on the most recent WEBS count. There are huge flotillas of ducks out on the Flood Field with significant but slightly smaller numbers on Big Otmoor and Closes. With the birds so distant it is difficult to go through them carefully to look for the more unusual species, it might well be that the American Wigeon has returned or that there may be a Green-winged Teal lurking amongst the two or three thousand Eurasian Teal that are currently overwintering with us.

Reed Bunting (c) Bark

Last year we recorded 157 species on the moor, not a record year, but still a substantial number of species for an inland site.

Great Egret and Cattle Egret (c) Bark

What was most interesting was the absence of some species that we once would have expected to see, and the arrival of three that had never been recorded before. It was a poor year for waders with no Stints or Sanderlings and no Grey Plovers. There was no passage Osprey, no Mandarin Ducks nor did we see any Parakeets. Another species that has become much more regular recently on Otmoor and in the UK is Glossy Ibis, yet we did not see one last year.

We did attract a pair of Bewick's Swans in December (c) Bark

There was a welcome increase in the number of Cattle Egrets and Great Egrets using the site. Up to three Spotted Crakes were heard calling for a number of weeks and it may very well be that this secretive species bred on Otmoor this year. Black-winged Stilt and Night Heron were new birds for Otmoor.

Stonechats are present across the moor (c) Bark

The heron was photographed in flight late in the evening but was not seen again, although another was found in the county, around the same time near Abingdon. 

Night Heron (c) Jeremy Dexter 

The Stilt, the Night Heron and the Spotted Crakes are wetland species that are thought to have been pushed further north by global warming that is drying and degrading their traditional breeding grounds in the Iberian peninsula.

Black-winged Stilt (c) Rob Cadd.

Pallid Harrier (c) Bark

Our bird of the year was without doubt the juvenile Pallid Harrier that appeared on the 9^th September. Initially identified from a photograph. It remained on Otmoor until late morning before moving on. We were very fortunate to have it fly directly over our heads as we stood on the bridleway near Noke. It was without doubt my stand-out birding experience of the year. With the brief visit of a juvenile male Montague’s Harrier in August we were proud to have hosted all four common European Harrier species this year, a feat probably not matched by any other RSPB site in the country.

Ashgrave (c) JR

As we move on through January the Otmoor basin remains like an inland sea. The waters will of course draw down in time and as the surrounding countryside begins to dry out birds will be drawn into the wetland to feed and roost.

Pintail pair (c) JR

Ducks are pairing up and displaying. The Coot wars have started, with fights that look certain to cause drownings taking place across the lagoon.

Coot wars (c) Bark

The battles are conducted with a screeching chorus and a clicking clacking calls. Water Rails are also very vocal at the moment as are the Cetti’s Warblers looking for partners or establishing territories. It always surprises me how quickly spring comes around once we get through January!

The mammals are taking to the higher ground (c) JR

November Round-up

 

Bewick's Swans (c) Jackie Newcombe

Until the first frosts at the very end of the month November was uncharacteristically warm and wet. The frequent heavy rain has added to the lying water and scrapes and ditches are now full and some fields, especially out on the adjacent MOD land, are already flooding up. 

Goosander courtesy of Paul Wyeth.

Water levels across the reserve are already fifty centimetres higher than they were at the same time last year.

Wigeon and Mallard (c) Bark

The Flood Field on the Oddington side of the moor is already holding a lot of water and this is attracting large numbers of wildfowl. Teal, Wigeon and Shoveller numbers recorded on the latest WEBS survey are higher than those usually seen at this stage of the winter. We have also recorded over forty Pintail which usually appear in the middle and later winter periods.

Meadow Pipit and Pied Wagtail on ice at the Hide (c) Bark

The winter seed feeding for seed eaters has started beside the Wetlands Watch and is already attracting good numbers of Linnets, Chaffinches and Reed Buntings.

Chaffinch Linnet and Reed Bunting by the hide (c) Bark

As the natural supplies of small seeds out in the wider countryside diminishes, we will find even larger numbers of birds coming in to feed. In previous winters Bramblings, Redpolls and Yellow Hammers have been regular visitors along with a scattering of Goldfinches and Bullfinches.

Yellowhammer (c) Bark

We were treated to a visit by two Bewick’s Swans on the last weekend of the month. The birds were on passage and left before dark, heading westward.

Bewick's Swans (c) Pete Roby

They were the first Bewick’s to visit us since February 2011, which sadly reflects their increasing rarity. They left heading west and one of them was recognised at Slimbridge the next morning, as “Bruton”. Bewick’s swans have unique bill patterns that make them identifiable as individuals.

Mute Swans (c) Bark

We tend not to pay too much attention to our resident Mute Swans, which is a pity as they are both beautiful and display a host of fascinating behaviours. A pair brought their seven small cygnets to the reedy bank in front of the second screen in the spring and spent a lot of time in May and June resting up there when not out on the water.

Cygnets in June by second screen (c) Bark

It has good to watch them develop, although the original seven cygnets are now reduced to five, they are now fully fledged.

Marching across Greenaway's in September (c) Bark

They are still sticking together as a group but will soon disperse and eventually be driven off by the adults.

In front of the first screen last week (c) Bark

The Starling roost is underway but often fails to offer the spectacle that it once did. There are significantly large numbers of birds coming into the roost, but they do not always perform the expected display.

Warming up after a cold night (c) Bark

As soon as we have significant frosts and the water under the reedbed freezes solid the Starlings will move, to somewhere that does not make them vulnerable to predation from below. The large number of birds present attracts predators.

Sparrowhawk over the reedbed (c) Bark

This year there is a ring-tailed Hen Harrier being seen, as well as three Marsh Harriers, several Sparrowhawks and at least two regular Peregrines. 

Marsh Harrier courtesy of Paul Wyeth.

People have also reported seeing  Short-eared Owls hunting in the dusk across Greenaway’s, as they make their way back to the car park.

Reed Bunting munching reeds (c) Bark

If travelling down to see the Starlings try to avoid the weekends and if possible, car-share. After the heavy rains the paths out to the viewpoints are very muddy indeed, which is further compounded by the very heavy footfall at this time of year.

The low sun in the mornings can light up the trees.

Lapwing and Golden Plover numbers are steadily increasing, as the wider countryside dries out and the moor remains wet, so it will attract even more of them.

Lapwings over the screen (c) Bark

There have been very large numbers of Fieldfares feeding in the hedges and out on the fields. They seem to outnumber the Redwings by about five to one.

Fieldfare by the hide (c) Bark

There is still plenty of fruit on the Hawthorn bushes and lots of rosehips in the hedgerows. We must hope that there are still some berries available should the Waxwings, that are already being seen in adjacent counties, come south to us!

Frosty goldfinch (c) Bark

October and into November

The month has been a very rainy one and the moor is looking very much a wetland. The scrapes and ditches are all much fuller than they were at same time last year. The summer visitors have now almost all departed, bar a few stragglers. There are still a few Chiffchaffs around the edges of the reedbed and they may well be birds that will overwinter here.

Chiffies (c) Bark

Over the course of the month the leaves have turned colour and the winter gales coupled with the first sharp frosts will soon strip them from the branches, which does at least make it easier to pick out the smaller birds. But for now, when the sun shines the trees light up in wonderful shades of bronze, gold and ochre. 

There is never any difficulty seeing the Cranes when they are on site and at the very beginning of the month there were three regulars, one of which was our only remaining colour ringed bird, the male “Ted”. They disappeared shortly after and we had assumed that they would not return until early spring, we were wrong.

Ashgrave Crane (c) Bark

A pair were back on Ashgrave on the 6th of November. They were very vocal and behaving in a territorial manner. As we have lost colour ringed birds it has become much harder to work out who is who, amongst the six or seven cranes that have been in and around Otmoor. Cranes are very vocal birds and I wondered if their bugling calls are unique and whether they can be distinguished one from another by sonograms.

Anonymous Bugling Crane (c) Bark

With mobile phone technology becoming ever more sophisticated it is not too fanciful to imagine that we might soon be able to follow the social interactions and pair successes of our Cranes. 

Stonechat beside the bund (c) Bark

Stonechats are now regular across both the reserve and the MOD, and the last Whinchats departed late in October. There were two late additions to the year-list when a Ring Ouzel was flushed from the hedge between Saunders and Greenaway’s and a Siskin flyover last weekend. We did not record Ring Ousel this spring, the time when we are more likely to encounter them.

Would it were Purple ! (c) Bark

The year-list currently stands at 155 species. There are some regular birds that have yet to appear, we have yet to record an Osprey or Mandarin Duck, there is still the possibility of visiting winter swans or Brent Goose, and of course the holy grail of some irrupting Bearded Tits not seen on the moor since 2019. 

Young roe Buck on Big Otmoor (c) Bark

There are significant numbers of deer across the reserve and the wider moor. At least nine or ten Roe Deer are feeding out on Greenaway’s and there have been several Fallow Deer on Ashgrave. Muntjac are ubiquitous and are becoming much more confiding and almost tame.

Confiding Muntjac (c) Bark

Otters are being seen from time to time, but Hares seem to me to much scarcer than they were. The banks of the reedbed have had to be mown and bushes and other cover has been removed. This is to comply with the Reservoir Act which the reedbed comes under. It is a pity as some useful scrubby habitat has been lost…. but the regulations have to be followed when applied by a punctilious official.

There are still a fluctuating number of Cattle Egrets out with the livestock and both Little and Great Egrets are being seen around the north and south lagoons.

Wildfowl coming out of eclipse and some Wigeon displaying (c) Bark

Wigeon and Shovellers are back in small numbers but they will increase as time moves on. One of the highlights of the last few weeks was the male Hen-Harrier seen for a couple of days and evenings around the reedbed and Noke Sides. 

Male Hen Harrier courtesy of Rob Cadd.

A stunning raptor that perhaps was attracted to the site by the burgeoning Starling roost. Hopefully other raptors will also be tempted in as the Starling numbers increase as autumn slides into winter.

Distant Bittern from the second screen(c) Bark