Eclipsing, Farmoor 7th June 2020

Not much was happening nationally in terms of rare birds to twitch so on Sunday we decided to return to Farmoor again and see if some of the same birds that we'd seen the week before were still there. We chose to walk in via the Thames Path as we'd done seven days ago, primarily hoping that the Grasshopper Warblers were still around, I never tire of watching Groppers, and also to see if "Reg" the Sedge Warbler was still strutting his stuff.

The first birds to wow us on this walk were a squadron of Common Swifts that were busy feeding above the river near to Pinkhill Lock. Swifts are another big favourite of mine and I will watch them for hours, and take photos of course, unless Mrs Caley's patience runs out. There was lovely sunshine too so I had no excuses when I edited the shots later on and found that pretty much all of them were rubbish! Definitely time for that new camera!

Common Swift

I had better luck with a Cormorant, a much bigger target of course, that flew downstream and then turned and passed going back the way it came. Cormorants are probably one of our least loved birds, anglers despise them as do fishery owners, and they don't have a lot going for themselves in the beauty stakes, but I like them. They are extremely proficient at catching fish and there must be a lot of fishermen up at the reservoir who are more than envious at that prowess.

Cormorant

We reached "Reg" the Sedge Warbler's corner on the river and noted that the Reed Bunting and Common Whitethroat were still present and singing away as before but of "Reg" there was no sign. In fact it appeared that he'd been usurped by the Whitethroat who was scratchily bellowing it out from the tangle of dead branches in the gloriously unkempt patch of long grass and wildflowers. There was not any sign of the Grasshopper Warblers either so the brood must have, hopefully, fledged successfully. The whole family group of Groppers would be feeding while keeping a low profile and out of potential danger. There is lots of cover around the Pinkhill reserve.

Reed Bunting

Common Whitethroat

The Common Whitethroat, nobody had bothered anthropomorphising his name, tired of singing and moved to the tall reed stems where it snipped off fresh fronds from the seed heads. It then carried them off and into the tangle of grasses where presumably it was building, or maybe maintaining, a nest.

Then we heard the excited babble of a Sedge Warbler from the dense bush right on the apex of the river bend. Probably "Reg" but who knows, all Sedge Warblers look the same to me. This Sedgie never took to the dead branches at all in the fifteen minutes or so that we sat idling on the bench, so it could have been another bird and maybe "Reg" had indeed been moved on. The Common Whitethroat had reclaimed that perch again in any case.

Sedge Warbler

We were later than usual setting out this morning and it was already well past nine o'clock so headed up towards the reservoir to be in time for the ten o'clock bell, stopping to admire a noisy little Wren that sang continuously from a tangle of vegetation next to the Sluice Works. I was keen to get up to there because I wanted to spend a bit of time with a moulting drake Garganey, that had been found a couple of days before loafing in the south-east corner of F2, before the hordes of walkers and other recreationists arrived.

Wren

Bang on ten we made it to the reservoir embankment, a quick scan revealed that the Garganey was in the same area, just fifty metres away from the causeway so we settled down to admire it and I rattled off some photos. Drake ducks, (is that an oxymoron?), that moult out of their breeding finery are said to be in eclipse plumage whereby they discard worn feathers in preparation to grow new ones in readiness for the next breeding season. No longer in that pristine breeding plumage, there were still enough clues left in the birds present state to help reveal its identity. The broad white supercilium had largely been lost but there was a remnant of it behind the eye and the grey vermiculated flanks were still retained. The long scapular feathers had all been moulted out and replaced with plain brown feathers. To all intents and purposes it now resembled a small Mallard but, of course, the long, sturdy dark grey bill remained.

eclipse plumaged drake Garganey

When the Garganey stretched and opened its wings, the three diagnostic broad wing bars, white, turquoise green and white, were very much evident. 

We watched the Garganey for a while, it was swimming very close into the bank where it dabbled amongst the weedy fringe. It had no concern at our presence at all. Earlier in the year we had seen several Garganey and none were anywhere near as confiding as this one. But of course the Garganey always had the sanctuary of the open water should it feel threatened.

After a while the Garganey became tired of paddling and stepped up onto the concrete bank to preen and to stretch. Even in its slightly dishevelled state the male Garganey is still a smart looking bird and surely one of our nicest and eye-catching species of duck. Interestingly the Garganey is our only migrant summering duck  and winters in Africa. In our part of the world they are never seen in large flocks, the most I've seen in one place at a time is only three!

We had had the Garganey to ourselves for nearly half an hour but now the reservoir was getting busier and other birder/toggers had arrived to get their fill of the bird. Having taken plenty of photos, we left the Garganey and the others to it and returned to the causeway. Besides the Garganey had joined the resting Mallards, gone to sleep and had tucked its head away.

drake Mallard

A Carrion Crow flew in ahead of us and landed on one of the lifebelts. It had its eyes on a dead trout that had been washed up on the concrete apron but the amount of human traffic meant it would be continually disturbed in its quest for a meal.

Carrion Crow

At the causeway we met Kyle who informed us, replying to my inquiry, that there was nothing of note along the causeway at all, no wading birds of any description. So we decided to forego the walk up the causeway and back and instead just sat on the wall and watched the birds that use the pontoon as a nesting platform. Not taking a walk along the causeway proved to be a mistake as we found out later that a small flock of mixed waders, containing three Turnstones and a few Dunlin, had flown in while we took our repose!

So we had to be content with watching the tender love exhibited by a pair of Coots towards their offspring. Cootlets or Cootlings, I'm not sure which they prefer, have faces that only a mother can love and, in this case a father too. They are pretty ugly (oxymoron, hey!), but somehow still adorable. The young Coot sat in the comfy and safe straw nest of its parents with, presumably, the mother Coot while the male fetched fresh weed for nourishment. Generally the feeding of the chick followed a ritual whereby the male would pass the weedy titbit to the female who would then feed the chick. I often think about what it would be like to face a lifetime of solely eating weed, or fish, or, in the case of the best bird on the planet, pine needles! Better than many take-aways available in the High Street I would imagine.

Coot family

Many pairs of Black-headed Gulls have also nested on the pontoon and a few chicks were dotted around the straw holding metal cage including one that had managed to get inside it. It would be safe there of course but may not be able to get out if it eats too many fish. A Cormorant was taking a rest on the pontoon, well trying to anyway. One particular Black-headed Gull had taken exception to the larger bird and was repeatedly dive-bombing it in an attempt to drive it away while its mate on the nest gave encouragement. The feisty Gull continued unrelenting for at least ten minutes before the Cormorant finally gave in and plunged back into the water.

Black-headed Gulls & Cormorant

Another Black-headed Gull, in similar fashion to one we saw the week before, flew in carrying some extra material to bolster its nest. This time it was a reed stem rather than a stick, but the Gull was having just a much difficulty in trying to deliver it. I felt as if the other Gulls were laughing at it as it passed over the pontoon.

A little bundle of cuteness overload greeted us in the corner of F2 with a very young Greylag Gosling that dozed on the concrete bank. Bearing in mind that many of the Goslings at Farmoor are pretty much fully grown, this was a late addition to the sites avifauna. Both parents were very close by, but didn't seem particularly attentive to their offspring. 

Greylag Gosling

It was a warm day by noon so we headed for home having enjoyed our walk and the close company of the Garganey. At "Reg's" corner the Common Whitethroat still held court and was singing even more vociferously. "Reg" the Sedge had definitely been ousted, or had just got bored of trying too hard.

As we passed Pinkhill Lock a male Kestrel sprung out of the grassy meadow and flew so closely past my head that I swear I felt the rush of its wings. That might be wishful thinking on my part, it may have just been a gust of wind, but, hey, I have poetic licence on here. 

Kestrel

It had been another really good few hours at one of our premier local spots. I've decided that I really do need that new camera and lens though so it'll be a browsing kind of afternoon!