Friday 4th April; The Last of the Season
Our last visit of the year to our local raptor hotspot mainly for another hopeful attempt to get a reasonable close flyover from a Goshawk. Sadly the Gossies failed to perform again, ending a poor showing from them this spring. Yes, we saw one, as we had on each of our visits to the woods this year, but only one bird had been close enough for a half decent photo.
The only bird that graced me with a close view was a Common Buzzard which came and checked us out. There were plenty of birds about, Red Kites, Ravens, a Sparrowhawk, and a Kestrel were all seen as well as the Goshawk.
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| Common Buzzard |
Saturday 5th April; Bird on a Wire
Any Leonard Cohen reference is a worthy one in my eyes. I doubt he was thinking about a Woodchat Shrike when he wrote that song though. We travelled down to Newhaven in Sussex to see a Woodchat Shrike. I'm not really sure why, because we knew that we'd see a fair few in Lesvos later in the month. Days out however, do help to alleviate the boredom of humdrum birding at home.
Not too much to say about this "twitch" to see only our sixth of the species, and the first adult for a few years, apart from that wire played a big part in the proceedings. Firstly the cliff face, under which the Shrike had set up temporary home was protected by a six-foot high chain fence. That kept all birders about thirty metres away from the bird which spent a lot of time sat on a smaller fence at the bottom of the cliff. To make matters worse for the birder/photographer, there was a very strong breeze blowing which made holding a camera steady quite difficult, especially when trying to balance it against the fence to get it aligned through one of the gaps; I resorted to balancing it on the scope.
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| Woodchat Shrike |
So, we had good views of the Woodchat, but it's not a big bird and at the range, beyond the scope of my lens. Focussing was difficult for the reasons stated above. It was nice precursor for our upcoming trip though, a trip that was rapidly swamping my brain so much that I was finding it hard to concentrate on much else.
Sunday 6th April; Kings, (Temporarily) Dethroned!
We headed to our go to spot for Kingfishers on the River Thames at Oxford. Except that it was soon obvious that there weren't any. The river was at a very low level which I guess may have put the Kingfishers off this year. Inspection of the bank showed that a chunk of it had been eroded away as well so perhaps after years of hosting the birds, this popular spot with people, no longer held kerb appeal for Kingfishers. Hopefully that situation is just temporary.
A walk along the river gave us some nice views of a pair of Grey Wagtails that were busy picking out insects from the river bank. The Wagtails were coming into full breeding plumage and the male especially was looking very fine. By the lock, three early House Martins, our first of the year, were hawking for their own insect food over the river.
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| Grey Wagtail (male) |
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| House Martin |
There was no sign of Kingfishers anywhere on the mile or so of river that we walked so we'd have to put a bit of effort in to find some elsewhere this spring. Instead a pair of industrious Long-tailed Tits, acrobatically foraging in a willow tree, provided the main entertainment.
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| Long-tailed Tit |
We snuck into our local wetlands reserve on the way home and enjoyed some nice views of a whole host of Snipe. When the water levels are low, the reserve can entice many wading birds to visit. As well as the twenty odd Snipe, there was also a trio of Green Sandpipers, a few Lapwing and a couple of Little Ringed Plovers.
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| Common Snipe |
Tuesday 8th April; Wardens of the Tower
Acting on a tip-off from a friend, we headed just over the county border to check out a church and its tower, which we were told hosted a pair of breeding Peregrine Falcons. I know my local area, and its bird life, pretty well, and yet I had no idea that, just under twenty miles from home, you could see one of our most magnificent birds of prey at close quarters. I had never obtained a decent photo of a Peregrine perched anywhere so I was keen to see them and to "fill my boots".
I finished work early and drove the half hour or so to the church. I knew to look at the church tower where one of the falcons would normally perch if in residence. It goes without saying that the ledge (actually a gargoyle) was empty. Not a Peregrine in sight. We waited fifteen minutes, and with no sign of the target birds, left to go for a coffee and cake in a nearby village. We'd go back for another look once refreshed.
When we got back to the church, we looked up at the tower and there was a Peregrine stood there! I couldn't believe my luck. I jumped out of the car, grabbed the camera from the car, pressed the shutter, and two seconds later the falcon flew off and disappeared over the adjoining houses. I couldn't believe my luck for a second time, only this time it wasn't of the good type. I did manage to grab a whole three frames of the bird but it was hardly the prolonged session I was hoping for.
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| Peregrine Falcon |
The Peregrine didn't return for another hour. We'd have to try again later in the week. A beautiful and very approachable male Kestrel provided a worthy and welcome distraction while it perched on a much lower ledge. The smaller falcon easily won the staring contest until getting bored with me and also flying off. I have that effect.
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| Kestrel |
Friday 11th April; Work Owls
I was working in a village in north-west Oxfordshire. My drive to work took me through some nice farmland dominated countryside and over the previous few weeks I'd encountered many birds on my way to and from the site. On Thursday morning as I approached the village, I noticed a Barn Owl quartering along the grass verge ahead of me. I watched the owl fly over a hedge so I stopped where I could and was able to see that the owl was now hunting over a rough grassy field right next to houses on the edge of the settlement, and less than two hundred metres from my job site. It's not unusual for me to see Barn Owls while travelling to work, this was the third already this year but this was clearly a bird that must be a local breeder and would likely hunt over the same patch on subsequent days. It was also out relatively late in the morning, it was half past seven, and the day was plenty light enough for photography. Of course, my own camera wasn't with me on that day.
The following morning I went armed with my camera, and I left home a little earlier. On arrival there was no sign of the Barn Owl but there are a multitude of small fields, all of which looked suitable to a hunting owl. I parked up as before and got out to explore. As I passed a gate to one of the fields, I sensed movement to one side and looked up just in time to see a Barn Owl cross over the roadside hedge that I'd just walked past. I ran across the road, checking carefully because rural roads are busy in this part of the world, to check the larger field. To my surprise, there were two Barn Owls flying there!
The Owls disappeared over the furthest hedge but I could see them flying around still. I moved the van down a few hundred metres and parked in another gateway. I assumed that the Barn Owls would appear in the next field next to where I parked. They didn't.
I thought I may as well go back to the original field and check before I headed off to work. It was now a similar time of day to when I saw one the previous morning. Creature of habits, I hoped. To my absolute surprise, shock even, my punt paid off. One of the Barn Owls was hunting over the field. How it got there without me seeing it cross back over the road was beyond me; I sometimes think birds are capable of teleportation. I was viewing directly into the sun but when the Owl flew just thirty feet away and then dropped into the rough grass, it was still a terrific photo opportunity.
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| Barn Owl |
I went to work five minutes later with an extra spring in my step. Glee.
Saturday 12th April; Church Pegs
Rain thwarted a full day out but the burgeoning sun after lunch meant we could revisit the church tower Peregrines. We pulled up and glanced up at the gargoyle perch but there was no sign of the falcon there. Damn, I thought, we'd have to repeat the failure-coffee-success pattern of the week before. But all I needed to do was cast my gaze lower, onto the main roof of the church. There on the parapet stood a Peregrine, the male, or tiercel, I think but I'm no expert in differentiating Peregrines.
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| Peregrine Falcon |
For the next couple of minutes the Peregrine stared back at me as intently as I did at it, it seems all falcons like a good stare. I was getting sensational views and soon got around to actually hoping that it would fly so I could get some flight shots.
Then suddenly it took off. It didn't go far, alighting again on the gargoyle perch. It didn't linger though and was soon off again. Luckily it made a sweep around the tower before disappearing this time, and I grabbed a few of the flight shots that I wanted.
Ten minutes later the Peregrine returned to the same rooftop ledge. While I took a few more photos, I wondered where its mate was. Maybe it wasn't paired up yet?
Sunday 13th April; Hey, Grasshopper!
The middle of April is one of my favourite times because it's usually when I get to listen to and see my first Grasshopper Warbler (aka Gropper) of the year, as well as other migrant birds that arrive for the summer breeding season. One of the best places to witness that incoming locally is Pinkhill reserve on the western edge of Farmoor Reservoir where the abundant scrub and rough grassland attracts many different Warbler species.
Before we even reached the banks of the Thames, where an overgrown grassy field is a magnet for Groppers, we had year ticked Common Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler. The small thorny network of bushes were also bursting with other birds such as Song Thrushes and Reed Buntings. It was sunny too which made for some nice photography although also breezy which didn't.
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| Sedge Warbler |
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| Song Thrush |
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| Reed Bunting |
Mrs Caley won the "heard the Gropper first" prize; she almost always does since her ears are keener than my tinnitus damaged ones. I was struggling to hear it at all in the wind but she insisted it was very close to the river path. A pair of much younger folk also heard it, and placed the bird straight away. Apparently it was only twenty feet away but I still couldn't hear or see it. Advancing age is definitely not a good thing on the birding front. I gave my head a wobble (quite literally) and finally could hear the Grasshopper Warbler reeling like a good 'un. It was close, very close. I'm usually really good at locating these birds but had to rely on my wife to point me in the right direction. When I did see it, I couldn't believe how I hadn't spotted it myself. True, it wasn't perched up openly but gee, I could almost touch it. They are superbly camouflaged birds and this one was keeping low in the grasses. The Gropper was fittingly our two hundredth bird for the year.
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| Grasshopper Warbler |
We walked along the river path and before long could hear another of the much anticipated spring arrivals; a Cuckoo, which was calling loudly from the other side of the river. It took a bit of effort but we found the bird high in a tall tree. We would see lots of Cuckoos over the next few months but it's always good to see the first.
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| Cuckoo |
We added our fifth year tick of our walk with a furtive Reed Warbler opposite the pumping station. Reed Warblers are never as brash as Sedge Warblers, they tend to remain "in" the reeds rather than perched up at the top of them. Later in the summer when they have young, then they will become easier to see. The Cuckoo will be on the lookout for their nests so that they can deposit an egg in them. Then the unsuspecting Reed Warblers will become unlucky foster parents of a chick that weighs twenty times more than they do.
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| Reed Warbler |
A fine Chiffchaff singing away brought the curtain down on a nice pleasant walk. In a week's time, It would be Lesvos-a-go-go!
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| Chiffchaff |
Thursday 17th April; Talk a Lot of Wind
A Fall reference this time. Look it up. Better still listen to the track. It's worth it. But anyway; Wind-Chat. Get it?
I had another brief session with the Barn Owls near to my work site. Only one bird this time and it didn't show as well as before, and I only had one brief flypast from the bird.
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| Barn Owl |
I finished work early so after a coffee we headed down to the outskirts of Wantage where another sought after summer migrant had been seen. We parked right next to the compound that contains a small underground reservoir. The bird that we'd come to see, a Whinchat, was of course nowhere to be seen. A Corn Bunting, singing heartily from the compound fence provided a decent photo opportunity.
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| Corn Bunting |
There were four Wheatears bouncing around in the short grass of the compound, two each of males and females. As well as pouncing on insects in the grass, they were also happy to pose on the fenceposts, and used an Owl box for a lookout as well.
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| Wheatear |
We don't see many Grey Partridges locally these days so it was a nice surprise to see a pair feeding alongside the Wheatears. Their own foraging was interrupted by another pair which flew in from the surrounding field. The male of that pair fiercely chased the other two out of the compound. "Get 'orf my land!"
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| Grey Partridge (& Wheatear) |
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| Whinchat |
One of the male Wheatears used another small fence, much closer to our vantage point to perch on, and from which to pursue flies and insects. Wheatears are often good value.
Friday 18th April; The Day Before, the Day Before
Just two more sleeps, as the trendies say, before jetting off to Lesvos. But do we rest on our laurels? Do we heck! There were still some birds on the itinerary before our holiday, some of which I knew that I'd see while away and some that I knew that we wouldn't.
No spring can go past without us travelling to the edge of Reading to see and listen to Nightingales singing. This day was a bit earlier in the month than we'd normally choose but St Georges Day (we usually go "galing" on or around the 23rd) would be spent away so it had to be now. The gravel pits where we wander hold upwards of twenty singing male Nightingales. On a mixed weather day, we probably heard about five ourselves, and had decent views of a couple, although none were "easy". It took quite a lot of effort before I could get on one that was posing and singing in the open, and that chose a perch high in a blackthorn bush.
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| Nightingale |
This particular Nightingale had a territory next to the corner of one of the smaller pits. We've likely watched this bird before in exactly the same small patch of scrub and trees. Nightingales keep quite tight territories and can be very reliable at certain spots around the lakes.
Blackcaps were everywhere, I reckon we saw or heard almost fifty during our walk. We found a couple of male Red-crested Pochards, not a year tick this time because we'd seen loads earlier in the year, and we were lucky to see a Swift fly over one of the pits, constituting quite an early record for us.
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| Blackcap |
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| Red-crested Pochard |
From there we drove to the Oxon Downs and took a long walk to an area where Stone Curlews breed. On this occasion the strange big-eyed wading birds weren't actually our quarry, and just as well because we failed to see any. Rather we were hoping to see a couple of Ring Ouzels that had been reported for a few days during the preceding week. We were in luck, when I spotted first one, and then another, grubbing away at the bottom of a grassy slope. Both birds were females.
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| Ring Ouzel |
Add in some Wheatears and a couple of Swallows, and this was a profitable return on our last birding day out before Lesvos.
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| Swallow |
Now then; did I mention I was going to Lesvos?!
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