Migrant Birds at Muswell Hill Plus A Bit Of Otmoor, End Of August 2020

 Thursday 20th August

A quick visit to our new migration watchpoint on a breezy morning. We've already learned that windy weather doesn't provide the best conditions for birding on Muswell Hill, which, by its very nature and topography, is a very exposed site. However with commitments later in the day it would do for a couple of hours birding. On the grassy slope close to the Manor, our usual first stop on our walk, which gets more buffeted by the wind than elsewhere, a scan produced none of the expected Wheatears that we'd found at this time last year. We climbed the stile and walked along the top of the ridge. I spotted a Fox sauntering across the slope below us, which would explain the lack of birds in that area. A juvenile Green Woodpecker flew noisily up and away at the Fox's approach.

Fox

As we continued along the path and emerged from the large trees, I noticed a bird perched on top of one of the fence posts that border the horse paddock. It could only really be a Wheatear but I still made sure by locking the scope onto it. Unfortunately the Wheatear was working its way away from us, dropping to the grass to secure a snack but always flying back up onto a post further away. We continued down and into the small area of scrub that will surely one day produce a Wryneck or Shrike for us since it looks absolutely spot on for birds of that ilk. Today though we could only muster up a couple of juvenile Bullfinches and a Willow Warbler, none of which were very obliging in the breeze so I managed no photos. We retraced our steps and I found a juvenile Green Woodpecker that had returned to the slope, now the Fox had departed, and was pecking away at an ant hill. Why couldn't it transmogrify into a Wryneck for once? The Wheatear was still feeding along the fence line but had more obligingly moved back towards the ridge so that, by using the few trees as cover, I was able to at least get a record shot that counted.

Wheatear

The paddock was now very lively with lots of House Martins and Swallows hawking for insects low over the grass. I tried hard to get some photos of some but in the strong wind they were just too quick to lock on to so in the end I had to be content with a few photos of some House Martins that were flying at eye level out over the slope. 

House Martin

The fences and hedge along the access road produced nothing of note apart from the usual Red Kites and Buzzards that use the updraft to soar along the ridge. One day a Honey Buzzard is going to join them up here, more wishful thinking on my part I fear. We crossed the road to take a look at the small paddock which is now home to a couple of young Lambs. We took our normal route around the paddock so as to keep distance between us and any birds that may be sheltering in the hedge and from any birds that use the fence from which to launch off after flies and such. This was the prime spot for Spotted Flycatchers last autumn but today there were none, it's possibly still a week or so too early for them. The only bird we saw of note was a juvenile Common Whitethroat that dived into a log pile and then refused to come back out and have its photo taken. We had to leave for our appointment but as we walked back towards the car a Falcon flew up the hill directly towards us. I watched it approach and realised it was a Hobby and not the expected Kestrel so reached for the camera. As I pointed and fired the Hobby had noticed us and was already banking away rather than continuing straight at us so I had to be content with some more "nearly" shots although, as my Hobby photos go, they weren't too bad.

Hobby

Back at home we had an interesting visitor to our garden feeders in the shape of a leucistic House Sparrow. Strikingly plumaged in clean creamy-white the House Sparrow certainly cut a distinctive figure against its more subdued coloured congeners. The odd Sparrow more than held its own too, dominating the feeders when it wanted to and it fed heartily. Its biggest problem will be to avoid predation because it is so noticeable. A warning soon presented itself overhead when a Sparrowhawk cruised by sending the Sparrow flock diving into the nearby bushes for refuge.

Leucistic House Sparrow

Sparrowhawk

Sunday 23rd August

After our successful trip down to Devon on Saturday, where we saw a Melodious Warbler, a Purple Heron and much more, it was back to the humdrum and to another breezy morning on Muswell Hill, our weather is certainly changing with many more windy days than we are used to. In the rough grazing field close to the road, a Barn Owl flew away, down the slope and out of view, the first I've seen up on the Hill. It didn't reappear but a couple of Red Kites, a Buzzard and a Carrion Crow were hanging around the area. I realised that they were all feeding on the carcass of a recently deceased Sheep. Nature is quick to take advantage of any food source. My mind wandered to the Lammergeier that is currently residing in the Peak District further north and I wondered fancifully if I could send a message to it and tell it that we had something for it right here in Oxfordshire! We need to go and see that Vulture again since, despite seeing it fairly well the second time around, I really wanted to get some much better photos.

Red Kite on Sheep carcass

We continued along the track but as on Thursday it was too windy on the ridge for there to be any birds braving it openly apart from the residential flocks of Jackdaws and Starlings. I had carried the scope this morning but prolonged scanning of the grassy slope revealed nothing, not even a Fox. The Wheatear was still present at the Horse Paddocks, adorning various posts and very active in its quest for food. Views were pretty much the same as three days before although I think the Wheatear may have been a couple of posts closer to the path this time.

Wheatear

The scrub and brambles held nothing that showed or called despite us spending a good half hour surveying the area. The only visible birds flying past were loose flocks of Wood Pigeons and a few Red Kites. When we discovered Muswell Hill last year, I don't recall the birding being this hard and the area so devoid of birds.

Wood Pigeon

We had another view of the Wheatear on the way back, but more distantly since it had moved into a fenced coral in the centre of the lower paddock. The mass of hirundines seen on Thursday had all disappeared and the sky above the fields was empty.

Saturday 29th August

We decided to visit Otmoor for a change, it had been more than six weeks since we'd been out on the Moor which is not good form at all. Otmoor had been our salvation during the spring Lockdown period but since the relaxing of the restrictions and with the extra freedom we've taken advantage to travel more widely so our local "Jewel in the Crown" has been rather neglected. Of course plenty of other folk are out on Otmoor on a daily basis so we knew what had been seen and so far we hadn't missed out on anything too rare over the last month or so. It was another breezy day, seems to be the norm at the moment, as we walked idly along the track towards the main reserve. Most of the Warblers had either departed for their African wintering grounds or were quietly going about their business unseen. The silence was only broken by the gusty winds and the staccato call of a Cetti's Warbler. I momentarily forgot the need for stealth and unfortunately disturbed one of Otmoor's star birds from its feeding by the cattle pens before Mrs Caley had caught me up. We never saw that bird again during the morning so my wife was understandably a bit miffed. A Common Whitethroat called meekly from the bush next to the pump house but generally it was very quiet and from the early signs it appeared that there would be little to get excited about.

Apart from a small flock of nine Common Redshanks which flew over and landed on Greenaways there was little showing on our walk along the bridleway. Proving how out of touch that I've become this year, I failed to realise or remember that a flock of Redshank at this time of year is a noticeable record considering that the species generally leaves the Moor once breeding has ceased and the young have fledged in July. I was doing well this morning it seemed! We met Peter, JR and Oz as we reached the gate and learned that they had seen a Cattle Egret while viewing from the second screen just half an hour before. It was only the second recorded sighting of a Cattle Egret for Otmoor but it had flown high and back towards Greenaways where we'd been. We hadn't seen anything resembling an Egret though but it could easily have landed amongst the lush grasses and reeds before we'd even reached the bridleway. Peter also shared some info that at least one of the Common Redstarts that we'd originally found in Saunders Field on our last visit were still present and were giving some excellent views. We made a note to go there on the way out. Firstly though we continued on our way towards the lagoons thinking that there may be a chance that the Cattle Egret would still be around that area, we still hadn't seen one this year, so it was worth a shot. By the path to the first screen a couple of juvenile Bullfinches were feeding in the hedgerow but they had already learned at their early age that Bullfinches are wary birds and don't like giving prime photographic opportunities to the likes of me so they made me work hard to gain even a record shot.

juvenile Bullfinches

The water levels at the Southern end of the lagoon were very high so the birds there were restricted to just the standard duck species, Mallards, Gadwall and Shoveler, plus Coots and Moorhens. There won't be any wading birds stopping off at the first screen this autumn. The water is high because in contrast, on the Northern lagoon the level has been dropped to expose the banks so that the reeds can be cut back to encourage new growth. Hence from the second screen there is much exposed mud on offer to wading birds and that has been attracting a fair few over the preceding weeks including some Green and Common Sandpipers. This morning though we could only find Common Snipe amongst the base of the reeds although there were around thirty of them which was a good count.

Common Snipe

I was surprised to see a small squadron of Common Swifts appear above the lagoon. Most Swifts have left the UK already and headed off towards Africa but the recent trend of southerly winds has led to a few lingering later than usual. I cannot resist photographing Swifts and waste a lot of memory space on them in my quest to get a good photo of one. I consistently fail to gain that good photo although I have had a few, a very few, successes. These Swifts were staying too far out over the water so for once I did resist, until a couple flew fairly low past the screen.

Common Swift

With no sign of the Cattle Egret we walked briskly back towards the car. Halfway along the bridleway we stopped to have a chat with another Otmoor regular, and another Pete. It's always good to catch up with our fellow local birders, most of them are much more faithful to the local sites than we are and thus have much more local knowledge. A Peregrine cruised past and a Kestrel hovered over Greenaways but there was still no sign of the Cattle Egret and we assumed that it must have flown off elsewhere. We did find a pair of long-legged birds, another Otmoor speciality, but they were way out beyond the cattle and almost as far out as they could be without being the other disc of the hedge, as usual. 

Kestrel

We walked slowly along the path in Saunders Field. We were looking for a gap in the hedge where a pair of small Oak trees stood sentinel at each end. This was where the male Common Redstart was supposed to be and where it had been showing extremely well, giving point blank views to Bark and friends earlier. When we pitched up there was no sign of anything so we waited patiently. Even though it was a clear opening in the otherwise dense hedge the two Oaks provided a lot of cover and it was fairly dingy under them. After just a few minutes I spotted some movement to my left and sure enough the Redstart had appeared at the front of the branches, at eye level too, and less than ten metres away. I raised my camera slowly and fired off a few frames. The bird was unfazed by my actions and after a quick perusal of us it started to snare insects.

Common Redstart

The Redstart was initially busy and would flit quickly from one branch to another and was tricky to keep up with especially when it darted into the thicker parts of the understory and lower branches. Fortunately though Redstarts have a useful habit of perching still for a few seconds while they look around for their quarry and this bird was most confiding by sitting on exposed branches and thus giving me plenty of opportunities to gain some really nice images.

I chanced my arm at attempting to get some wing and tail shots of the Redstart as it sprung off the branches. Cameras don't focus quickly enough to stay sharp on a moving bird unless it stays at the same distance away and, of course, when a bird jumps from one place to another it will tend to move forward a fraction, or sometimes away, so focussing becomes an issue. Obtaining head on shots of moving birds is one of the hardest tasks to master with bird photography, especially when the birds are close and flitting about randomly.

The Common Redstart would disappear into the deeper recesses of the hedge for five minutes but then reappear, sometimes very close, and give more photographic sessions. It's very rare that a Redstart is as settled in human company as this one was, usually they are very wary birds. This bird got a lot of attention on the following day after other local birders had seen some of my photos on the Oxonbirding blog but was gone by the Bank Holiday Monday so we had got to it just in time. A message from Pete back on the bridleway burst our Redstart bubble when he announced that he'd refound the Cattle Egret on Greenaways.

Typically by the time we had rejoined Pete at the bridleway overlooking Greenaways, the Cattle Egret had already flown off back in the direction of the lagoons. We'd already been on the Moor for nearly four hours and had walked from one end to the other as well but we managed to summon up the enthusiasm to track back to the first screen again. We'd decided that was as far as we'd go so if the Cattle Egret wasn't there then would be our lot for the day and we'd have to wait a bit longer to add the species to our year list, and our Otmoor list too.  I definitely don't keep one of the latter though since I've consistently missed out on the best birds seen on Otmoor over the years, such as Whiskered Tern, Wryneck, various Shrikes, etc. We crawled up the entrance ramp as quickly as we could and looked out from the screen. Because of the high water levels there was only one place that a Cattle Egret could have settled and that was on the bush that stood alone in the water like an island. Usually the bush sits at the edge of the water and wouldn't offer the same security as it did now. I looked hard at the thickly foliaged bush but couldn't see anything within it. I shifted along to the window at the other end of the screen and when I looked again I noticed a slight movement in the lower left corner of the bush. As I watched the Cattle Egret emerged from the other side of the bush and into partial view. I got Mrs Caley onto the bird and our 209th species was duly added to the year list.

Cattle Egret

The Cattle Egret had moved because it had rested enough, that was evident shortly after when it took flight. It flew away back towards the cattle on Greenaways once more. If we had walked just a little more slowly then we'd have suffered the same fate as when missing out on the Ross's Gull in Devon back in March, although to be fair on this occasion we would surely have clocked the Egret flying past, it's a fairly large bird after all.

We toiled back towards the carpark, satisfied enough with our efforts, but stopped to scope the Cattle Egret at great distance from the bridleway again anyway. A Hobby was also busy over Greenaways and sealed a terrific days birding. Otmoor generally delivers something interesting.

Monday 31st August

Our epic day in pursuit of the Lammergeier yesterday was followed by a more relaxed amble back at our local "Peak District" of Muswell Hill. For once the weather was not only sunny but also there was barely a breath of wind so we set off on the walk with heightened anticipation for a change. Plus we were still buzzing from the experience of the day before. By the time we'd reached the stile that leads down to the grassy slope though, with none of the expected Wrynecks or Pied Flycatchers in the bag, a fair bit of that initial excitement had worn off. Idling by the gate and enjoying the warm sunshine, I spotted a couple of birds zipping around in an Oak Tree at the bottom of the hedge line about a hundred metres away. I couldn't really make out what they were through my binoculars at the distance but had an idea of what they were owing to their jizz. Scope views revealed the Spotted Flycatchers that I'd suspected, not new for the year but the first we'd seen on the Hill this autumn. There was in fact a large flock of birds in and around the Oak, Warblers and Tits and a few Blackbirds were all busy feeding in there. I noticed a male Blackcap too and actually began optimistically thinking that there would be something scarcer with the mixed flock. Very helpfully the whole flock of birds was moving up the hedge towards us but they were moving very quickly so it was difficult to get sustained views of any of them. By the time the birds had reached the tall trees at the top of the slope, we had counted four Blackcaps, a Lesser Whitethroat, the two Spotted Flycatchers plus Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers, Robins, Blackbirds, Blue Tits, Great Tits and Long-tailed Tits. This constituted a major "fall" of birds for Muswell Hill!

male Blackcap

Willow Warbler

I knew that the Spotted Flycatchers, the celebrity birds of the flock, would choose exposed branches at the top of trees from which to launch their feeding sorties so studied any bare twigs that I could see. It didn't take long for one to perch prominently allowing me to get some half-decent record shots. Spotted Flycatchers are the ultimate in "little brown jobs", the group of plain looking birds that go unnoticed a lot of the time but which are all beautiful when looked at in depth, with a subtle plumage of shades of grey as well as brown and a multitude of streaks and spots. The bill is so broad based that it vaguely resembles those of the more exotic Frogmouths and Potoos, I bet nobody has ever compared a Flycatcher to those species before!

Spotted Flycatcher

The mixed flock of birds exited stage left towards the Farmhouse which is at the end of a private drive, so we walked back along the main access road towards our car, quite happy with what we'd seen already. Up ahead a familiar small pale bird was standing on one of the fence posts. It was a Wheatear, probably the same bird that had been present for the past week or so but could have been a different bird. We weren't its only admirers either.

Wheatear (& Sheep)

The Wheatear flew across the track to the county boundary hedge but kept going into Buckinghamshire. As we proceeded towards a lower part of the fence, styled as a jump for equestrian horses, a couple of Meadow Pipits sprung up from the coarse grass along the road and replaced the Wheatear on the posts. They proved to be most obliging for Meadow Pipits and allowed a close approach and even appeared to positively enjoy being photographed, pulling a number of nice poses for me.

Meadow Pipit

There is another horse jump built into the county boundary fence and I noticed that the Wheatear had reappeared there. Using the hedge as cover for my approach I inched closer to the bird. As I did so another, slightly smaller but similar coloured bird, flew out from a bush and joined the Wheatear on the fence. It was a juvenile Common Redstart. The day was becoming a bit of migrant fest! With the Redstart and Wheatear stood side by side on the fence a neat comparison could be drawn between the species.

Common Redstart

Both the Redstart and the Wheatear were using the fence as a staging post between drops into the grass to catch their insect meals. I concentrated more on the Redstart since it was the first I'd seen on the Hill this year but it reverted to type and proved to be far more wary than the one on Otmoor on Saturday. The Wheatear was far more confiding.

We crossed the road to the small paddock where the two seemingly important Lambs are being housed. This was where the Spotted Flycatchers, as many as six, congregated last year at this time. We did find one, initially using the fence in Wheatear fashion but then more characteristically it perched at the top of a Hawthorn. It was indeed a lone bird though so I could be fairly confident that we'd seen three different Spotted Flycatchers on the walk.

It had been a fine morning and a brilliant weekend, so we were happy indeed as we retraced our steps back to the road, stopping briefly to admire a small charm of Goldfinches that were feeding on thistle heads.

Goldfinch

Wednesday 2nd September

A Garganey was found at Bicester Wetlands by JFT on the first of September. This was the first record for the species at BWR and, owing to the fact that Garganey are all nondescript brown ducks at this time of year, an excellent find. I couldn't get down there until Wednesday after work but the bird had been reported throughout the day so I knew it was still there. We looked out from the Tower Hide and for the next hour could not find the Garganey out on the lagoon at all. All we could muster up was Teal after Teal after Teal. Birding can be very frustrating sometimes and when you can't find a bird that others have seen so easily, then all the self-doubts about your own abilities as a birder resurface and you wonder why you bother. I did manage to find a few nice Common Snipe dotted around in the grassy edges of the pool.

Common Snipe

We were considering giving up when Jon joined us in the hide. "Right", I said, "Now you're here you can find the bloody Garganey for us!". The next moment and unaided, I spot the Garganey swimming across the water directly in front of us! I inquired of Jon, "Does it live with you and you just bring it here for some exercise, letting it out of your car as you drive in?". Of course, in reality it had been hiding in some of the reeds that border the pond. At least I'd managed to find and identify the Garganey myself so most of those self-doubts were put to bed until the next time that a bird proves elusive. Happy days!

Garganey