Easter Weekend Overload Part 2, 21st-22nd April 2019

Despite knowing that it was probably a bit too early in the spring we headed to Paxton Pits in an effort to add Nightingale to the year list. In my experience you usually have to wait until around St. Georges Day to hear Nightingales singing full pelt and that was still a few days away but we thought we'd try anyway. Last year we tried at Paxton even earlier, on the 18th April, and failed completely to even hear any Nightingales at all. Another reason that we made the trip was that some Black Terns had been present on the Heronry Pit the day before and we still needed one of those for the year list.

We walked around the Heronry Pit stopping at viewpoints and hides but couldn't see any Black Terns so they'd obviously moved on overnight. All of the usual spots for Nightingale were quiet too except for the more common warbler and thrush species. My fears were founded, we were too early. We explored pretty much everywhere we could over the next few hours and came up blank.

There were other birds around of course, we watched a Willow Warbler collect nesting material and were impressed at its wariness in not letting on where the actual nest site was. Just as well since Cuckoos were calling close by.

Willow Warbler

A pair of Yellowhammers foraged amongst a weed covered bank by the gravel works, the male then perched on an overhead wire and looked resplendent in the bright sunshine. It was joined by a Linnet which joined in the now late dawn chorus.

Yellowhammers

Linnet

As we neared the visitor centre we both stopped in our tracks at same instant. We thought we had heard just a snippet of a Nightingales call but despite loitering for a few minutes it didn't call again and without a visual it couldn't be added to our year list. We made a mental note not to bother looking for Nightingales ever again before St. Georges Day!

Later on Sunday we returned to Otmoor to look and to listen for Grasshopper Warblers. There was no sign or sound of any at the Carpark field so we continued onto the bridleway. The cattle herd were wallowing in the scrapes and I noticed that on the edge of the middle scrape were 3 Yellow wagtails that were also bathing. Yellow Wagtails closely associate with cattle running amongst them to snatch up insects disturbed by the animals grazing but are hard to observe when in the longer grass. Here they could be seen easily.

Yellow Wagtails

By the bench, the unofficial Bittern watchpoint for the past few weeks, I scanned the area where a Bittern had been hanging out and sure enough spotted one in the rough grass. A long way out but we managed good scope views of this normally secretive resident of reedbeds. The Bittern then broke cover completely and walked out from the tussocky grass to a reed lined ditch. Even in the ditch it remained on view most of the time and often wandered out into shorter grassy areas on its way back to the main reedbed.

Bitteren

I knew that at least one Grasshopper Warbler had been reeling away along the path to the first screen and thanks to Terry, an Otmoor regular, I knew the area where it would be reeling from. Luckily it was vocal as we approached so we knew exactly where to concentrate our efforts in pinning it down. Groppers can be difficult to pinpoint since they can throw their voices ventriloquist style and can fool you as to their whereabouts. They also favour dense scrubby areas with brambles and long grasses and rarely emerge into full view. We've had a lot of practise over the years though so I was confident that I'd be able to find the bird. In the event it took me nearly an hour of listening and searching before I was confident that I'd isolated the singing perch which was deep in a dense but small bush no more than 10 feet away from the path. Once I'd discovered that bush then it was a matter of time before the bird showed itself. It was getting late though and the light was going but eventually I saw the Gropper reeling away but in a difficult to see position and try as hard as I could I just couldn't get Mrs Caley on to it. It was nigh on impossible to get a photo too since the bird was mostly obscured by foliage. We'd return in the morning and have another go.

Grasshopper Warbler

A few folk had gathered by the bench including our friend Pete and they'd all had decent views of not one but two Bitterns out on Greenaways. In fact the Bitterns had had a bit of a scrap in our absence before one had seen the other off. The defeated Bittern had flown over our heads as we returned along the path, too slow with the camera that time. Most of the other people drifted away back to their cars but Pete and us stayed chatting about various birdy subjects. We were delighted when, right after I had poured scorn on the suggestion that Hobby's would hunt so late in the day, two Hobby's did just that and sailed past. The Hobby's made it 194 on the Old Caley year list although I will need some better views later in the spring to get photos. 

A couple of Common Snipe flew over drumming away, one of the sounds of the moor at this time of year, and were then, surprisingly since I certainly wasn't expecting to see it, joined in the air by a Bat. And a big bat at that! Almost as big as the Snipe, it hunted close to the bridleway and fairly low over our heads. I'm not at all familiar with bat species but the consensus is that this bat was a Noctule, the UK's largest species with a wingspan of up to 18 inches! Impressive creature to have entertaining us on a fine spring evening.

Noctule Bat

We headed for home but didn't see Robin or the Joker.

So early on bank holiday morning we were back on Otmoor this time with a singular mission, that to get good views of the Grasshopper Warbler. Birds were singing freely on another fine start to the day and some were showing well as we walked past the carpark field particularly one of the many Sedge warblers that make Otmoor their summer home.

Sedge Warbler

We could hear Cuckoos calling from the oak trees that line the bridleways. These trees will hopefully be home to Turtle Doves soon but had been heard yet this year. I spotted a Cuckoo perched, as they quite often do, openly on a dead branch within one of the oak canopies. Looking directly in to the sun meant the resulting images were silhouetted but that just added to the experience.

Cuckoo

Arriving at the Grasshopper warblers territory we could hear that it was already merrily reeling away and sure enough it was singing from the same bush as the evening before. This time it was also a bit higher up in the branches although anything like a partially clear view was still tricky to obtain. At least by being up on a loftier perch it was easier for Mrs Caley to see the bird.

Grasshopper Warbler

We watched the Gropper sing for a while, then it dropped down into the grass before reeling again from an unseen perch. I figured that it must be singing from the back of the bushes, lower down of course, so that we couldn't see it. I moved away from the immediate area so that I'd get an oblique view of it and from the path could just make out the singing bird on the lowest branches of a bramble bush. The Warbler then flew past just feet away from me, and disappeared into a denser patch of brambles. I could see the twigs moving as the Gropper jumped from one place to another and it briefly showed at the top of the bramble before it flew back to its favourite bush and began reeling again. It repeated the same procedure a couple more times and I was confident that I now had an opportunity to get some decent photos.

I manoeuvred myself into a position, from where I could see the low branch where the Grasshopper Warbler would sing, by lying prone on the bank, the signs state, "please do not stand on the banks", so strictly speaking I wasn't upsetting anyone. Sure enough within a few minutes the Gropper had started reeling again from its usual bush and from there it bounced down to the lower perch and I had my chance. The resulting images were very satisfying and I believe captured the essence of the Grasshopper Warbler beautifully. Not a brightly coloured bird and not striking in any way except for the repetitive whirring song but the Grasshopper Warbler has always been and always will be one of my favourite birds and one that I just have to see every spring.

We had things to do so had to curtail our visit this time and the Gropper had gone quiet anyway. In fact most of the birds on the Moor had stopped singing except for one of the ubiquitous Reed Buntings that issued his weedy little ditty from his tree.

Reed Bunting