News and Pictures - Oxfordshire - to 31^st March 2011

19^th March. Well it’s about time I managed to get out and finally for the first time this year I managed to do so and track down a new species for the website. I had done one unsuccessful trip to Chipping Norton a few weeks earlier, with the fateful “It was seen 10 minutes ago” line the closest I got to seeing the Cotswold towns famous avian visitor. This visit was better planned as I aimed to get there early whereas the previous visit was an early afternoon trip. The drive was for once stunning. Driving into a rising sun the world was a picture and I managed to see my first Stock Doves of the year along with Red-Legged Partridge. I parked up at 6:50 and when another birder arrived at 7 we walked up the Leys together and were almost immediately greeted at #41 by Stephen. He welcomed us in and I grabbed one of the chairs positioned in his kitchen looking over the frosted back garden. The light was going to be a real challenge, even more so shooting through the back door glass! With 800ISO and shooting wide open exposures were coming in around 1/50th so it was going to be a spray and pray session! Fortunately the Oriental Turtle Dove arrived around 10 minutes after I sat down and after a further few minutes prospecting flew to feed on the plentiful seed on the grass. Obviously numerous images were unusable but I got some decent ones in the circumstances, showing all the distinguishing features of the bird, with the eye ring being very distinctive. After a few minutes feeding the bird flew off to the trees near the back of the garden into partial cover. The arriving birders were still happy as the bird was within sight but I hoped for another clear view with the light improving. We all had to wait a while but the entertainment was provided by half a dozen Brambling, a pair of Blackcaps, with all the common Finches, Tits and usual garden visitors present in healthy numbers. The carpet of finches was lovely to watch. After an hour or so the Dove flew back into the garden, and eventually found a spot on the path where it seemed to sun itself for a while. I could just sneak a view of this and got a few decent images, again showing the eye ring well. After a further wait (with only four of the original twenty or so birders left) the bird again made another visit and this time fed on the seed. Again more shots but still in the shade, but I managed to get some better shots when the bird walked slightly further away towards the bird table including one showing the tail bar. After the bird had a feed on the bird table and flew off it was time to depart and after thanking Stephen for his wonderful hospitality (you can’t fault birding in your socks with toasty toes!) it was back to the car and south to hopefully get another new tick. This one was going to be much more difficult and after some quite bouncy driving along a very muddy track I arrived at Cholsey Downs within sight of the Didcot cooling towers. It was a great spot with good views over the countryside and Red Kites aplenty. I was on the lookout for raptors and with the sun out and a gentle breeze it was a perfect day for them. 6 Common Buzzards held promise and on reaching the few birders present, they informed me that the Rough-Legged Buzzard had been seen 10 minutes earlier. Unfortunately its behaviour was not so encouraging. It had last been seen thermalling higher and higher until it was lost from sight. We all continued looking but my attention began to wane when I heard the song of a Corn Bunting. Still a bird I’m wanting to improve my images of I managed to locate the singing male and even managed to get quite close but it kept itself in cover very efficiently and although there were only a handful of trees, none of them in leaf, my view was always “branchy”. I had one look through the camera at the bird which was my best ever view of a Corn Bunting but the bird then flew, but its chunkiness and big dark eye were very evident. Another birder came back the other way and inadvertently managed to flush the Bunting away over the fields. Still whilst looking for the Buteo there were other nice things to watch, a couple of Red-Legged Partridge were vocal and I managed a few decent shots of one hiding. I also heard an unfamiliar call which I eventually worked out was Grey Partridge as I saw one flying away from me when I peered through a gap in the hedgerow. All the while Red Kites and Common Buzzards were visible and a displaying pair of Sparrowhawks together with a Peregrine flypast kept the raptor count ticking. Time was ticking on and I guessed that the sighting of the Rough Leg before I arrived may well have been the last from the site. I headed back towards the car and packed up not feeling disappointed but rejuvenated with signs of spring and a successful morning finally kick starting my birding year. A Brimstone on the drive to the A34 was another nice slice of spring! Here’s hoping for some more successes in the near future.

22^nd March. After the barren winter birding spell and news of a potential new species down the M4, I had to make the effort so set the alarm for silly hours and set off in what looked like perfect weather. The patchy fog had seemingly missed Llanelli when I arrived at Sandy Water Park and I parked the car as the sun rose. The light promised to be perfect so I quickly scanned the lake for signs of ducks. Some Pochard, Tufted Duck & several pairs of Gadwall looked pristine in the low orangey sunlight and even the Coot & Moorhen had a unnatural quality to their plumages. A few Sand Martin flicked in and out of my attention but it was smaller ducks that I'd come to see and as I scanned I couldn't see any sign of an American visitor anywhere. I walked round the open side of the lake and then around the populated side, which was more heavily vegetated. I'd almost walked round the entire lake when I managed to spot half a dozen teal through the trees, dabbling in the shallows. Common drake, common drake, common female, drake Blue-Winged Teal! I'd been getting that bad feeling but the early morning and drive had been worth it as there amongst the jumpy Common Teal was the main attraction. I managed to get a few record shots through any gaps I could find but the small flock was very wary and noticed me even as I stood motionless in the best cover I could find. The small flock split into two and with a female Common Teal, the Blue-Winged Teal seemed a little more at ease and allowed me to get some better shots. A cyclist went past and up jumped all the Teal revealing the blue wings in all their glory as they flew further down the lake. It was impossible to get flight shots through the trees and as I reached the birds again, they took flight to the other side of the lake. I wandered round the lake again getting closer until a dog walker inadvertently managed to flush them again. This time the Blue-Winged Teal split from the others and located itself near the pub. After catching up with the bird again, this time it was much more at ease and I managed to get some nice shots as it dabbled in the shallow water. It eventually found its way to the inlet past a few Gadwall that were utterly photogenic and were wonderful to photograph. The Blue-Winged Teal had obviously fed well and hauled out alongside a pair of Gadwall in an accessible spot. I managed to approach closer and closer until I could almost fill the frame. I dared not go any closer for fear of moving it but got several different poses due to it being moved a few feet here and there by the local ducks as they squabbled amongst themselves. I eventually left the bird after it moved to roost standing on a submerged branch and partially obscured from view after a stunning display by this cracking little bird. I'd long got back home and started work before remembering that a first winter Little Gull had also been seen over the past few days and learning that a first winter Glaucous Gull had been seen later that morning. I do remember seeing a whitish gull sitting on its own on the lake before I'd located the Teal but in my single minded search for the duck didn't even begin to think that a white winged gull could be present. Thinking more about the image in my mind it does look like images of the Glaucous gull I've seen but I can't say for sure. The same goes for a possible Osprey I saw whilst barely moving in slow traffic as I crossed the Britton Ferry bridge on the way home. It looked promising but was into the sun and I couldn't glance for any decent length of time. Anyway, I can't complain after such stunning views and good images of a cracking little addition to the website!

24^th March. Totally impromptu this one but a very nice bonus birding experience. We've got some holiday time and after packing in the morning we headed down to Hampshire mid afternoon. It had been a stunning day all day and we'd made good time so after unpacking the car I managed to slip out the house and get down to Keyhaven for some early evening birding. It was an unusual experience for me as I'm usually an early morning birder and to work with evening light and the setting sun was a nice change. I headed straight to Cut Bridge and immediately saw a small flock of Brent Geese feeding in the outgoing tide. One of them initially looked close to a Brant but was certainly a Brent. I fired off a few shots but my best shot from there was of a Black-Headed Gull looking resplendent in its fresh summer plumage. With only a pair of Herring Gulls present there I moved on to Keyhaven where I knew I'd get a few more shots by walking along the coastal path. A male Reed Bunting held station in the small copse before Keyhaven lagoon and I added one more shot to the collection. Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Grey Plover, Redshank were all present out on the marshes but a Curlew fairly close in gave some good views opposite Keyhaven lagoon. Several small skeins of Brent Geese flew over along with numerous Black-Tailed Godwits to allow me to attempt some flight shots. I reached the Fishtail lagoon and noted the usual Teal, Shelduck & a few Shoveler on the water there along with a Cetti heard and numerous Meadow Pipits and a few Greenfinch in full song. A quick scan of the sea produced nothing more than a few Great Crested Grebes along with a nice 50 plus Dunlin and the ever present Turnstones. I thought about heading onwards to try and find a Spotted Redshank but the sun was dropping fast and I was running out of light. I decided to head back to the car park and en route took a few shots of some squabbling Shelduck, a nice Little Egret reflection but best bird of all was a Spotted Redshank on the Keyhaven lagoon. It had tinges of its impending summer plumage and was difficult to photograph into the low sun but always a nice bird to observe. A nice singing Linnet had too little light to photograph but was pleasant on the ears but nice on the eyes was my first Wheatear of the year, a female just at the holiday cottage before the car park. I tried to manipulate a sunset shot with a Mute Swan but the sun had dipped below the treeline for the hoped for image. Still, a nice unexpected outing and always great to do some birding at Keyhaven.