Grey Phalarope & Arctic Skua - Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon. 29th September 2007.

Grey Phalarope.

With a record number of Sabine Gulls being found around the UK this month it was only a matter of time before one turned up at Farmoor reservoir. Early this morning a juvenile was found in the south-east corner of F2 feeding with a first winter Little Gull, both birds continued to feed together until they both departed at 11.30am. A Juvenile Arctic Skua also joined the melee early morning and was in the south-west corner of F2 reservoir at around 2pm.The Sabines Gull is the forth record for Oxfordshire and Farmoor.

By the time I made it to Farmoor the Sabines Gull was long gone along with the Little Gull it was associating with. As I made my way along the causeway I soon caught up with a group of birdwatchers that were looking down to the waters edge of the F1 reservoir, I soon realised that they were watching 2 birds metres from the causeway and I looked to see a juvenile Grey Phalarope and juvenile Knot feeding along the edge of the reservoir. They were both very confiding and remained metres away from us for the time that I was there.

While watching the Grey Phalarope the juvenile Arctic Skua suddenly re-appeared and flew across the causeway and over towards F1 reservoir, it flew across to the west side of the reservoir and then settled on the water in the North-west corner. It stayed on the waters surface for around 10 minutes and then took off, it circled higher and higher before drifting off westward.

Added To My Year & Life Lists.

172. Grey Phalarope

173. Arctic Skua