May was the month after the holiday to Lesvos. After the thrills of birding on the Greek Island, we may have had some misgivings about returning to Blighty, and back to the humdrum birding. However, almost from the first off, there was plenty to see, so this round-up is a long account. The month was packed with special birds, a lifer, and one of my absolute favourites.
Friday 2nd May; Well Spotted!
I'd been back at work but had run out of steam by Thursday. So with a day off, the opportunity to see a Spotted Sandpiper at Grafham Water was too good to turn down. We'd seen a few Spotted Sandpipers before, in various places around the country, and most had shown well. By all accounts this one was too. They are also an attractive species, and a bird named after "what it says on the tin", since it's a Sandpiper and it's spotty!
This was an easy short twitch. We parked up, walked to the same spot from where we saw the Cape Gull in 2022, and added the Spotted Sandpiper to our year list. We were there less than half an hour, during which the bird showed almost continuously.
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| Spotted Sandpiper |
The Sandpiper only disappeared when it became collateral damage as it got too close to a pair of Moorhens which foolishly got angry with a nearby Coot, and ended up getting thrashed by the bigger bird.
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| Moorhen & Coot |
Saturday 3rd May; There's not Much that Beats a Dotterel!
Not in my book anyway. Four Dotterel had been gracing a Limestone Pavement on a moor near Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales for the past three days. I hatched a plan whereby we could drive to see one of our "top five" birds, and then travel north from there and make our annual visit to a Welsh woodland and pick up the special birds that breed there.
We found the cars parked on the remote single track road in the hills at Cwm Cadlan. Finding the spot where the Dotterel were would have been trickier if we hadn't spotted a chap walking back towards the road who told us where to go. The trek over the rough grassy moor wasn't too bad and we made it to the rocky top after ten minutes or so. There we could see a handful of other birders. Disconcertingly, they were all chatting away to each other, never a good sign. I'd rather see them looking through binoculars or taking photos. We joined them and asked the obvious question. Three of the four Dotterel had flown off just around the time we'd parked up but the other, a female, was still there. I asked where exactly and was told, 'there, right there!'. It took me longer than I would have liked to find the bird which was stood motionless amongst the curious limestone blocks. Dotterel are not small, are not well camouflaged, and yet this bird blended into the environment extremely well.
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| Dotterel |
Dotterel have been a big favourite of mine ever since I saw my first on the top of Cairngorm mountain, way back before the funicular railway changed things. A walk to the top of a mountain to see the charismatic and fascinating birds has always been a vital part of our holiday's to Scotland. In recent years however, we have found the birds harder to find, and our legs are not so willing. So if an opportunity like this one arises, then it makes a lot of sense to grasp it. Passage Dotterel are often a lot easier to get to than breeding ones. It was disappointing that we'd seemingly missed out on seeing the four birds on this trip but watching and photographing the one stood just metres away, was plenty good enough.
In Dotterel the role of the sexes is reversed. This brightly coloured bird was a female, the male's plumage is unusually much more subdued because it is he alone who does the incubating, brooding and raising of the chicks. The ladies meet the chaps, briefly get to know each other, lay the eggs, and continue onto another mountain top for more of the same. This beauty however, was just hanging around and not doing much at all. I took reams of photos, and the few shown here are just the tip of a fabulous Dotterel photographic iceberg.
The Dotterel spent quite a bit of time looking skywards and softly calling. I (hopefully) took that behaviour to mean that the other three birds were actually still in the area but several birders had wandered off further into the hills and none had found them. I have a theory, completely unfounded of course because I'm not an academic, although I could claim to be a failed one I suppose, that birds have extra senses that we humans don't. I said to Mrs Caley more than once that the female Dotterel knew that her travelling companions were still in the vicinity and had not departed. Where they were was anyone's guess though.
With other plans for the afternoon, we turned to leave about an hour after arriving. I wanted to visit the RSPB reserve at Gwenffrwd-Dinas before it got dark. There had been surprisingly few birders come to see the Dotterel, but as we walked back downhill I noticed three birders stood about hundred metres away. They didn't appear to have any urgency to reach the Dotterel and instead were watching something where they were. I assumed their interest was with one of the Wheatears that we'd seen on our way up.
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| Wheatear |
As we got nearer to the captivated birders, I saw a bird scuttle along the top of a rock and instantly knew that it was a Dotterel. Nothing else moves much like a Plover. We settled down in the area where the bird, a male was feeding, and quickly found a female and another male. Now we had seen all four of the "trip" of Dotterel. I'm don't know why one bird was detached from the other three, but it was clear that the original female that we saw, had indeed been keeping contact with the others. Our departure into mid-Wales was now delayed for another half hour while I took another umpteen number of photos!
Our route to the woodlands led us past the famous Welsh Rarebit Centre, a cafe that specialises in celebrating the creation of proper cheese-on-toast! On this visit, we'd been before and would never drive past if it was open, I had the Guinness version. Absolutely delicious, and the coffee was excellent as well. We drove on through the Brecon Beacons, which on this sunny afternoon was manic with people and cars everywhere. A trail leading up to a National Trust viewpoint had so many people walking along it that it resembled a wood ant highway!
At Gwenffrwd-Dinas, we parked away from the main carpark, to ensure a shorter walk to the river gorge. The silver birch trees that line the steep slopes around the river attract Wood Warblers, the species that was our main quarry there. Flycatchers and Redstarts would be in that area as well. The end of April is the best time to hear and see Wood Warblers, the leaves are only just beginning to unfurl then. Even though it was only the third day of May, it was already more difficult to find the birds. We could hear a couple but they were singing from high up the wooded slopes. The land is very steep so those birds remained out of reach. Eventually we found one just a short distance away from the path and I scrambled up to locate the bird. Wood Warblers are very territorial, and fly around to regularly used song-posts from which they declare their ownership. It took me a good fifteen minutes to pin this bird down and to find a comfortable spot from which to photograph it.
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| Wood Warbler |
Pied Flycatchers were much easier to see, with a couple of pairs prospecting nest boxes in the trees below the path. One male in particular, posed often and dutifully on exposed perches. I should have taken some really nice photos, but the sky had darkened with the heavy cloud covering the sun that shone so well earlier, so I didn't quite do them justice this time.
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| Pied Flycatcher |
Tree Pipits, as usual, and Common Redstarts were more elusive and we only managed fleeting views. Sometimes those two species can show well but today the Pipits were hidden up in the tree canopy, while the Redstarts seemed very thin on the ground this year. At the end of our walk, a Garden Warbler was working its way through a bush, and the undergrowth, next to the car. It's always good to see one of our more furtive warbler species.
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| Garden Warbler |
Monday 5th May; Life's a Breeze
On the first Bank Holiday Monday of May we drove up the environs of Cambridge. A Great Reed Warbler had once again taken up residence in the burgeoning RSPB reserve of Ouse Fen. Presumably the returning bird from last year which we saw really well. This time however, despite the bird singing regularly and using a much closer patch of reeds than before, we were restricted to just a brief view. The strong breeze of the day put paid to the bird showing any better.
We spent time looking for a female Red-footed Falcon which had been seen previously. There were over a dozen Hobbies present as well and many of the calls made by others were of those birds. Eventually we did get a view of the Red-foot but again it was brief and also at some distance. At least I could photograph a couple of the Hobbies that ventured closer.
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| Hobby |
Swifts entertained as they always do, with lots bombing along the wind straight over our heads as we waited for a show from the Falcon. By being on Lesvos during the peak arrival week for Swifts, I had missed out on photographing them at Farmoor this year so it was good to see some here. No Alpines or Pallids though!
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| Common Swift |
Ouse Fen will be a very good reserve, it is already to be fair, and there were plenty of birds to see. I'll just remember in future to visit on a less windy day next time.
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| Common Whitethroat |
Friday 9th May; On a Whim
A report of a male Eider, discovered on the sailing lake at Calvert, just over the Buckinghamshire border was intriguing enough for me to collect Mrs Caley after I'd finished work and head over to see. I don't keep a Bucks list, and I didn't need Eider for the year, but Eiders are sea ducks, so one on an inland lake some seventy miles away from the nearest coast, and only ten miles from home, had to be interesting. The Eider must have thought it was on the sea though because it was long way from the shore of the sailing lake.
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| Eider |
More interesting however, to me at least, was a Whimbrel that had been present there for over a week. Normally there is no public access to the sailing lake but, because of the Eider, Tim, a local birder, had managed to obtain permission for other locals to get in to see that Bir and add it to their own county lists. I took advantage by sneaking down the steps to get a closer vantage point to the Whimbrel which was resting on a pontoon with a few Mallards. I find Whimbrel a difficult bird to see in our area, so this was the real bonus bird!
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| Whimbrel |
Thanks Tim!
Saturday 10th May; Purr-fect!
We used to have Turtle Doves on Otmoor, but sadly they are no longer breeding there. So for the last few years we've had to travel into Bedfordshire to see one of the most beautiful of our summer migrant birds. The perils the Doves face on their migration routes is well documented and a huge conservation effort is taking place to try and save them. Soon the people that shoot the birds for fun won't be able to because they'd have shot them all.
The Turtle Doves can show very well on the edge of a housing estate next to a man-made drainage channel. On this visit we struggled to see them but did have some luck once our friends Kev & Kyle had shown us the way to a favoured tree. Almost on cue, a male popped up in the tree and started purring. Turtle Doves deserve much better than being shot out of the sky.
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| Turtle Dove |
A fine pair of Greenfinch posed beautifully and there was plenty of activity along the ditch but no further openness from the Turtle Doves.
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| Greenfinch |
We drove a few miles away to see another Red-footed Falcon. The ten minute walk wasn't really worth it to see another female at half a mile away but it was a nice day and you've got to do something. WE then drove over to Eyebrook to year tick some distant Black Terns, and we also saw our first Osprey of the year. We had plans for a holiday in Scotland, although not finalised, so would see more Ospreys there. I didn't take any photos.
Monday 12th May; Patience is a Virtue
The Sunday had been a wash out with heavy rain all day, although a showy Black Tern found at Draycote did tempt me. I'm glad I didn't bother going for that because two Black Terns then showed up at Foxcote reservoir on the Monday morning. After seeing excellent photos taken by Paul, the local patch watcher there, I was enticed to persuade Mrs Caley to accompany me there after I'd finished work. When we reached the hide, the only other birder there pointed out one of the Black Tern stood on top of a buoy barely twenty metres out from the bank. Apart from the American individual of the species that spends its summers in Northumberland, this was the closest I'd ever been to a perched Black Tern.
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| Black Tern |
The usual view of adult Black Terns is of the birds flying up and down a lake or reservoir, some distance away. The two that were frequenting Foxcote had taken to chasing their food much closer to the hide so better than average shots could be gained. The other Tern had also been resting on a buoy but on the other side of the Tern raft so was only spotted when it followed the other out to feed.
The pair of Black Terns returned to the same buoys several times for a quick breather but were mainly more active, flying over the lake. This was probably the best show I've ever had of adult Black Terns and I took lots of photographs. Strangely, in the early autumn when the species migrate back again, we usually only see juveniles locally.
Wednesday 14th May; Barely Spotted Bluethroat
We were due in the western Cotswolds in the afternoon so took advantage of the early opening at Slimbridge. We made our way to the Shepherds Hut on the river wall overlooking the River Severn where for the past five years a White-spotted Bluethroat had spent the summers singing in the forlorn hope of attracting a female. Last year the Bluethroat showed extremely well. This year, despite the beautiful sunny day, it barely showed at all. In the hour or so we were there, the Bluethroat only emerged from the reeds and tall grasses to perch on the song posts erected by the WWT specially for it, twice, and then only very briefly. Maybe it was a tad too breezy for it.
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| White-throated Bluethroat |
The rest of the site was quiet, with surprisingly few birds. We did take advantage of a very easy year tick by visiting the Kingfisher hide to see, and at last, a Kingfisher. The hide might be a guaranteed place to see Kingfishers, but it's definitely not the best to photograph them, since the windows are nailed shut, necessary to reduce disturbance to the nesting birds in the soft bank opposite. It took a considerable amount of time before the male Kingfisher arrived carrying a fish too, duly delivered into the burrow shortly after.
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| Kingfisher |
A speedy zip around some of the hides revealed practically nothing. I'd never seen the Rushy Pen so empty of birds. It was only a few of the many common young hatchlings that offered any interest, especially the Cootlings.
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| Cootling |
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| Greylag Gosling |
Friday 16th May; Grasshopper Jig
So far this spring I'd missed out on a really good showing from one of my favourite warbler species, the Grasshopper Warbler. True we'd seen one at Pinkhill, Farmoor in April but that encounter was less than fulfilling. I was enjoying a day off, idling at home, when our friend Colin announced that he'd found a Gropper (the colloquial name for the bird) reeling away at Graven Hill, on the edge of our town. Even better was that the bird was favouring an area of scrub right next to the service road on the estate. We took the two mile drive, parked up, and could hear the Gropper instantly. It was tricky to see at first however, since it had chosen a well foliaged bush on the edge of the mostly dried up pond, where a few years before we had seen both a Wood Sandpiper and a pair of Garganeys. The whole area is good for Groppers, our local Bicester Wetlands Reserve is just the other side of the railway line and we'd found a few Groppers there in the past.
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| Grasshopper Warbler |
Thankfully though, this was a Gropper that was determined to be a show off , and before long it found some more open perches from which to sing its curious reeling song. Several different song posts were chosen and the bird used them all in turn.
The nettles and brambles closest to the road were used by the bird for feeding. Often we could see it moving through the rank vegetation just metres away. The Gropper, as they often are, appeared oblivious to the fact that we were stood there. They are skulking birds however, so use their secretive manner to conceal them selves well. They are more akin to a mouse than a bird sometimes in their habit of creeping through the vegetation at ground level. Definitely a bird of contrasts, one moment you see it, the next you don't.
Later that afternoon, we headed over to the traditional hotspot in North Oxon, to see our first Spotted Flycatchers of the year. We managed to find a pair of the elegant birds but they were quite furtive and only showed occasionally throughout our hour long visit.
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| Spotted Flycatcher |
Saturday 17th May; It's a first!
Almost every bird seen on Lesvos seemed to be a lifer, but we hadn't had anything to add to our UK life list since the Booted Eagle in early February. True we'd seen a Kumlien's Gull, which was our first of those, but it's really only considered to be a subspecies of Iceland Gull so doesn't count. When a Hudsonian Godwit was discovered amongst a flock of Black-tailed Godwits at Titchfield Haven on the shores of the Solent, we organised and galvanised ourselves for a twitch at the earliest opportunity.
The Hudsonian Godwit proved to be a popular bird with many birders twitching it, so regular updates were forthcoming over the previous few days since it had been found. The last time we had visited the reserve was to twitch a Barred Warbler. Since then the reserve had fallen foul of some Council wrangling and sadly the buildings that used to house the visitor centre and a cafe have gone. We had to buy our tickets for entry from a temporary hut in the carpark.
The Hudsonian Godwit was reported to be showing well from the Meon Shore hide. As expected the hide was rammed but, as I always try to do, I found a space for Mrs Caley to sit. The target bird (our 439th for the UK) was easy to see but was a long way on the opposite bank from the hide. I had expected it to be tricky to differentiate from the Black-tailed Godwits but in reality it was straightforward. The Hudsonian version is essentially the North American equivalent of the Black-tailed. However, it had darker plumage, appeared to be a trifle bigger, with longer legs, and a very lengthy bill. Its crucial identification feature is black "armpits", seen when stretching its wings or when flying. Right on cue the Hudsonian Godwit unfurled its wings so that everybody could see that diagnostic feature for themselves.
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| Hudsonian Godwit (& Black-tailed Godwit) |
After a bit of innocent argy-bargy when trying to get my record photos, during which one fellow birder became a little bit agitated, we were all the same hide, I politely pointed out, I secured a spot next to my wife. Now we could relax a bit and attempt to enjoy the experience; never easy when in a packed viewing hide. Several of our mates from Oxfordshire were ensconced in there too. Quite a few folk left which eased the tensions a little. Most unexpectedly, the Hudwit (shortened version of the name) suddenly flew towards us and settled in the water of the lagoon no more than thirty metres away. I do like a bird that is helpful.
The Hudwit was loosely associating with a Blackwit, and generally waded in deeper water than most of the other Godwits. It was thus easy to track as it sauntered around the lagoon. Occasional short flights exhibited the underwing pattern extremely nicely, as well as the extensive barring to the underparts and spangled feathering to the back. All round it was a very nice looking bird but then all Godwits are to be fair.
The local Shelducks were less impressed with the incomer on the pond and would often show aggression towards it. That just helped this photographer though, by agitating the Hudwit into showing even better.
We didn't stay too long, seeking some fresh air away from the stuffiness of the busy hide. As we walked contentedly back to our car, our friend Jason, who had helped us so much in Lesvos a few weeks before, was entering the reserve. Even he mobilises for a UK tick. Strangely enough, the last time I saw him on a UK twitch it was also here at Titchfield Haven for the aforementioned Barred Warbler. At the car we watched a couple of smart Eider drakes sail casually past on the sea. I'd forgotten that there were a few pairs of Eiders breeding this far south. Somewhat better views than we had in Buckinghamshire earlier in the week too.
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| Eider |
Despite seeing hundreds of Wood Sandpipers on Lesvos, a bird conveniently placed, more or less, on our route home provided an excuse for a diversion. Unlike on Lesvos where Wood Sandpipers were often encountered just metres away, the one we saw near Burghfield too a great deal of finding. It was stood against the bare mud of large seasonal pool and thus became incredibly hard to pick out. I was on my third scan of the muddy margins before I finally spotted it. It wasn't worth taking a photo.
Monday 19th May; Oxon Slog
A Red-footed Falcon had been reported for the past couple of days frequenting the southern boundary of the Standlake Pits complex in South-west Oxfordshire. It had proven to be difficult to see, with views being distant and tricky along the Thames. Then, while I was working, an intrepid local, decided to look for the bird by walking the Thames path on the southern side of the river. He found the bird, a female, resting up in a riverside tree. Birders quick off the mark then obtained some great photos of the falcon.
We'd seen a female Red-foot on Lesvos, and then seen two here the weekend before and had also seen two in the county, but those excellent photos were captivating, and spurred me on to have a go. I collected Mrs Caley after finishing for the day, and in (almost, and relatively) blistering heat walked to the section of river where the bird was reported to have still been hunting. The walk was far longer than I'd realised, it took us almost three-quarters of an hour, before we joined a handful of other county birders at the scene. We were pretty much done in, and to make matters worse, the bird had gone awol. At least we could sit and recuperate a bit.
Half an hour later there was still no sign of the Red-footed Falcon, although a few Hobbies were flying high up which gave us some hope. It was already clear however, that I wasn't going to emulate the photos taken earlier in the day. We were already dreading the walk back, and to do it without having seen the bird was even more foreboding. Then our good friend Moth said that he'd spotted a falcon in the top of a tall bare tree further upriver. He felt that it looked good for the Red-foot but at the distance it was hard for us to decide. He gallantly offered to get closer, and would wave if it was indeed the target bird. Mrs Caley didn't want to go any further anyway, and I couldn't blame her.
Moth was almost out of sight when I spotted that he was indeed waving. Another half a mile walk for me then on top of what I'd done already. Thankfully the female Red-footed Falcon was still perched in the dead tree by the time I made it there. This was the third of the species that I'd seen in Oxfordshire, and all had been females. This was our fourth female of the spring so far as well. How I long for a male bird. Still was able to take some record shots of this bird.
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| Red-footed Falcon |
When the falcon flew it did just the thing that neither Moth or I wanted, in that it took off with the sun right behind it. So we were thwarted in our efforts to get memorable shots. If the sun had been behind us the we'd have gotten some really good images since the falcon flew directly at us and then overhead. Unfortunately the sun remained against us at all times. The Red-foot flew high and stayed high above before drifting off westwards. Mrs Caley had seen the bird as well, which was good. None of that made the walk back any easier though, it was still a bloody long way!
Friday 23rd May; More Peg-tastic Action!
I work on demand and when that eases a bit then I try to take Fridays off. That free time is usually spent, firstly getting the routine weekly shopping in, but afterwards fitting some local birding in. A nice cooked breakfast at one of the few decent cafes in our local area is a treat as well. Our birding day started close to Banbury where until this year, Little Owls have been easy to see in an old oak tree (without a yellow ribbon). This year sadly, they've been absent and we've had to find them elsewhere. There seems to be a dearth of Little Owls at the moment. Hopefully they'll bounce back.
The walk was pleasant enough in the morning sunshine and there were still some highlights, most notably a fine male Yellowhammer singing from its telegraph pole song-post , and a flock of Linnets busily displaying on a rough set aside field.
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| Yellowhammer |
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| Linnet |
A few miles away are one of our most local breeding pair of Peregrine Falcons. The powerful pair nest on a church and can be seen comfortably from the road. It's hit and miss whether they'll be in attendance, the nest is hidden from view so the female if there is generally invisible unless she leaves. The male tends to perch on the church tower but is often absent, out hunting. Today the male was there, and was stood lower down, on the church roof parapet, closer than he'd normally be.
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| Peregrine Falcon |
Judging by the amount of feathers floating around on the breeze in the vicinity of the church, it was clear that the male had recently delivered a kill to the female, who must have been in the process of plucking the unfortunate bird that was now providing breakfast, hopefully for chicks in the nest. The feathers were being collected out of the air by Swifts, presumably for use as their own nesting material. I'm a sucker for Swifts, so having the opportunity to photograph them while waiting for some airborne Peregrine action was another treat.
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| Common Swift |
I took my eye off the ball, to look at photos I'd taken, when Mrs Caley said it's flying. A Peregrine was up, I couldn't be sure which it was since the male had moved onto the roof a few minutes before. Luckily the Falcon chose to do a couple of circuits of the church tower which meant I had ample chance to grab some much cherished flight shots. It looked a bigger bird so I assumed it was the female, and that the male had taken over nest duties for a while.
When the bird returned it sneaked in, and went straight back onto the roof. The male then flew back onto its favoured perch on to the parapet. It became very vocal, almost screaming, for a few minutes before flying up and taking up a temporary perch in a tall tree. We'd seen it use that tree before, it doesn't sit there for long. It continued calling loudly and then banked away and headed east.
There was more changeover of the Peregrines, and I no longer had any idea which bird was which. I wished that they'd pose side by side so that I could compare them easily. I am far from being expert on differentiating between the sexes of these birds. What I did know was that I was getting better photos than I'd ever achieved of the species before.
We saw the other Peregrine return, soaring high overhead. As it dropped height, we could see that it was carrying prey, and it got closer and closer, the long legs and feet of a wading bird became evident, probably a Lapwing chick, or maybe a Moorhen or Coot. The tiercel (male), I think, went to its normal gargoyle perch and stood there calling loudly before dropping onto the roof to deliver the food.
It had been a fantastic morning watching the Peregrines and we made it a double treat on the day by going Nightjarring in the evening. The Nightjars performed wonderfully, with up to six birds singing, wing-clapping and displaying. There were a few Woodcocks too, and a Tawny Owl called from close by. It had been a really good day.
Saturday 24th May; Don't Forget the Honey!
Last year we only made it to the "new" Honey Buzzard hotspot in August. This year we were determined to get there in the spring and hopefully witness more action from one of rarer summer visitors. We chose the same day to make our way to deepest Sussex as our friends Kev & Kyle had, and they were already stood gazing across the forest from the lofty viewpoint when we arrived. Surprisingly there were only a couple of other birders present, but it was an overcast, breezy and quite chilly morning.
Unlike most other raptors, Honey Buzzard often show early, before the thermals develop that the other birds of prey prefer. Today though, there was no action until mid-morning when eagle-eyed Kev spotted a Honey Buzzard soaring about half a mile away. A Sparrowhawk flying towards us briefly raised expectations. For the first hour though there was no further sightings of the target birds.
A Buzzard flew close by, notable by having missing primary feathers on its right wing. The same bird appeared a few more times. Then a Buzzard with missing primary feathers appeared again but arrived from a different direction. The call from others came to say it was the "ragged Buzzard" again. But there was something different about the bird's flight though, it was flying below us, and moving quickly over the trees. I scoped it and realised that it was a Honey Buzzard, the protruding "cuckoo-like" greyish head showing really well. The bird dropped lower into the trees before I could take a photograph.
The same bird then flew up out of the trees and luckily for us, continued on a path that took it right overhead. I was able to take a whole volley of shots. It was clear at the closer range that the Honey Buzzard was a male bird, the grey head and "see-through" panels of the wings confirming it. It wasn't a neat looking bird, those missing primaries made it look very untidy. Perhaps it had been in a quarrel with a mob of angry wasps. I was very happy to see it, and even more happy to add some reasonable photos to my meagre Honey Buzzard portfolio.
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| Honey Buzzard |
Monday 26th May; Quick & Flighty
With the Sunday being a washout, I was happy to get another chance to get out on the Bank Holiday. The traffic on such days is always a bit of a mare so invariably we stay close to home. This time we chose a walk onto Otmoor where spring would be in full swing. On a typical chilly, breezy and dreary day for a Bank Holiday though there was little moving in the reeds and bushes and only a handful of warblers regaled us as we walked along the paths.
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| Sedge Warbler |
We huddled into the Wetlands Watch, staying out of the wind for a while. The hide has a double aspect, east looks over The Closes while westwards lies Ashgrave which will soon be getting a big makeover with new scrapes and pools added to encourage more birds that can be enjoyed from the sanctitude of the hide. There was a lone Cattle Egret feeding in the shallows on the Ashgrave side, and it was providing excellent close views.
After a while the Cattle Egret was disturbed by a more feisty Little Egret which was determined to encroach on the other bird's space. After a few minutes of argy-bargy the Cattle Egret had had enough and flew off towards the lagoons where it would probably seek the better company of others of its type.
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| Little Egret & Cattle Egret |
Surprisingly the first screen overlooking the southern lagoon was empty of other folk, in fact we had yet to see anyone else on the reserve that morning, and I was wondering if we were missing something. Maybe we were alone in the world. There is an active Heron's nest in the reeds opposite the screen. On our last visit the eggs had just hatched, now there were two fully fledged youngsters stood there. Something in the reeds to the left interested the pair and they flew directly to whatever it was, giving fine views of the inquisitive and confused looking youngsters.
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| Grey Heron |
We had a quick distant view of a Bittern as it skimmed the reeds, and a few Swifts were whipping around over the water. I can never resist a Swift but on a grey day such as this good photos were hard to get of the speedy whizz-birds. A Great Egret completed a nap hand of Heron species for the morning.
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| Bittern |
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It was a good for flying birds. We had closer than usual views of a couple of Marsh Harriers. Not so long ago, Marsh Harriers were as rare as hen's teeth in the UK. These days you'll always see a few while walking on Otmoor. They don't normally venture any closer than the reeds at the far edge of the lagoon but on this visit we enjoyed good close(r) views as a female in particular took to investigating the reedbed to the left of the screen.
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| Marsh Harrier |
There was more activity from the Grey Heron twins and a Canada Goose looked stupefied as a Swallow buzzed past it. We didn't take the extra walk onto the second screen. Little did we know that just a few days later we'd be spending a fair bit of time there.
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| Canada Goose & Swallow |
As we returned along the bridleway on our way back to the carpark, a good sized squadron of Swifts were feeding. Some were swooping low to snare insects, and with Mrs Caley taking timeout on the "Bittern Bench", I spent a bit of time photographing them. I put the camera through a different test as well, trying to capture the Swifts against the background of the grass of Greenaways. I think the camera performed quite well too. I had learned a new trick.
Friday 30th & Saturday 31st May; Not so Savvy Savi!
We were back on Otmoor again because a Savi's Warbler had been found. I had longed for a photo opportunity with the species ever since owning a camera but the chance had never arose. We saw our first Savi's almost thirty years ago, at Eastbridge on the edge of the RSPB Minsmere reserve. That bird had been reeling in a reedbed and we had point blank views of it. Since then, and since owning a camera, I'd never seen another anywhere near as well, although had had brief distant views of a few.
Savi's Warbler would be a county tick so we made the effort to take the long trek to the second screen where the bird had been found the day before. It had been located singing in the reedbed there, but was typically elusive. I had work first so didn't get to Otmoor until almost midday, joining several other county birders. Apparently the bird had shown on a couple of occasions, although distantly. We stayed for over four hours and only heard it a few times. Not a visual sign of the actual bird at all. Typically after we left, the Savi's showed really well for a few minutes later on in the evening. Never leave a twitch.
The following day, with the Savi's Warbler still being reported, we decided to try again, but chose to wait until the evening, when we hoped the bird would perform a bit better. It didn't, and if anything was even more elusive, with only a couple of very short bursts of reeling song. Then, as the light was beginning to drain from the sky, the bird sang consistently for several minutes and eventually I got the briefest of views of it as the reeds were parted by the breeze. The plain brown bird, akin to a washed out and plain looking Grasshopper Warbler, with a distinctive and large paddle shaped tail was clinging onto a reed stem while reeling its "sewing machine" song. I had the tick (#247 for Oxon) but not the pic. If only I'd been more savvy the evening before.
Thanks to all of you who have read, flicked through or looked at the photos on this blog. You have great staying power if getting to the end of it. I leave you with this extra lovely Dotterel who needed a sit-down after getting to the end!
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