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

September Local Sightings

I cleaned all the feeders out and gave them a good scrub-up in anticipation of an Autumn rush, boy was I wrong, over the last month they have been extremely quiet with the only sightings being a single male Greenfinch, single Female Chaffinch and the odd Great Tit. It remained quiet until the 26th when 5 Goldfinches came to the feeders and have been visiting daily since, a number of Jackdaws are using the peanut feeders. I know there can be a lull in activity when birds are going through moult and are often hidden away in the hedgerows, there is also a wide range of food amongst the hedgerows at the moment.

A number of Badgers were seen over the first week of September around the cottage, presumably visiting nearby gardens for worms etc late at night. 10pm On the 9th we almost ran one over as he ran out in front of the car and along the driveway, we followed slowly behind it as it trotted along the drive in front of us and then crossed over towards the nearby field. Since then not one has been seen.

The Little Owls are still present perched in a number of their favorite spots but with a lack of sun they are often only heard. A number of Tawny Owls have been calling near to our cottage and from the nearby woods, they seem to have had a good breeding year. On the 5th 2 Tawny Owls were perched on telephone poles at the top of Shogmoor lane, Frieth and on the 6th of September a single Tawny Owl was perched on the same post, this continued on and off for most of September at 7.45 - 8pm. Another was heard calling at mid-day on the 12th at Kingwood,Stoke Row.

A Chiffchaff was heard calling from the orchard at around 1pm on the 12th, no doubt a bird on return passage. October usually sees a number of Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler passing through the garden.

Red Kite numbers seem to be averaging 4 to 6 birds throughout the month along with 4 Common Buzzards. A male Sparrowhawk was circling over the cottage on the 21st, and a dead female sparrowhawk was found next to the cottage in the paddock, on closer inspection the head had been removed but the rest of the bird was intact.

4 Red-legged Partridge passed through the garden on the 23rd and plenty of Pheasants about, a single juvenile Green Woodpecker is still feeding on the lawns. A single Wood Pigeon is in most evenings to drink from the bird bath and have a quick wash and a Wren is roosting inside an air brick on the outside of the cottage. Rook, Crow and Jackdaw numbers all seem to be increasing slowly and can be found in most of the fields next to the cottage, maybe due to sheep grazing in them.The Jackdaws have again started hanging off the peanut feeders.

On my way home on the 25th a Stag had been hit by a lorry on the Skirmett to Hambleden road, they often cross the road with no warning from the fields near the Luxters farm turning from where they usually graze. A number of people were helping but it didn't look too good.

August Garden Sightings.

The Badgers have finally returned and have been seen late at night searching for food around the gardens, they haven't been seen for nearly a year and I was worried that something had happened to them. We had 6 visiting the garden on a regular basis during the winter of 2005 and I managed to film them through the living room window, it was truly an incredible experience to be able to watch them so close, sadly most sightings these days are of dead Badgers on the roadside.


Badger

A few deer have passed through with very young fawns, stopping to feed on the grass in the paddock outside our house, a common sighting throughout the year sometimes in numbers of 40+ but seldom seen with their young.

On the feeders have been Nuthatch, regular visits from 2 Marsh Tits, Long-tailed Tits have been passing through in family groups, no sign of the usual Goldcrest's that are often in the conifers. Both male and female Bullfinches have been seen regularly along the hedgerows nearby although not it the garden. Red-legged Partridge can often be seen and heard crossing the gardens and out in to the surrounding fields, no sign of any young or family parties.

Great-spotted Woodpeckers have raised 2 young and are occasionally on the feeders and bird bath during the day, the Green Woodpeckers on the other hand have raised 3 young and are regularly feeding on Ants on the lawns and paddocks around the cottage, they seem to favour the freshly cut lawns to feed on. A single juvenile Green Woodpecker is often found in our garden searching for food on our lawn which gave me the opportunity to film it while it fed.


Juvenile Green Woodpecker

One of the highlights of the month is certainly the regular sightings of both Little and Tawny Owls, the resident Little Owls have raised 2 young and can often been seen together in their favored perching places.They have often been sat out sunning themselves when the weathers been good, I watched all 4 or them sat in the orchard in the afternoon sun,the young were perched quietly whilst the adults searched for worms and beetles to feed them. They seem to be in and around the garden most nights often sat on the bird bath calling to each other.


Little Owl

Tawny Owls have been heard and seen over the last month on a regularly basis with calling birds being heard most nights in the area, one seems to favour the top of our cottage and is often "hooting" in the early hours. Mid-August brought a great view of a Tawny Owl hunting outside our cottage window late one evening, my girlfriend and I both watched as an adult Tawny perched quietly on the paddock fence searching for prey, it made 5 attempts to catch food from the long grass beneath it and was successful at least 3 times, the prey swallowed whole in one go leads me to believe they were probably voles rather than mice although both seem to be present in good numbers. It flew to each post in turn and remained transfixed searching the ground below, I continued watching it for at least 10 minutes with the aid of the outside light before it disappeared into the darkness. An hour later it could be heard calling from the trees nearby. Views like that are truly priceless and I was extremely lucky to film it from the front door without disturbing it.


Tawny Owl

A small Bat keeps doing flybys over the garden, At the beginning of August it was often flying while it was still light, I tried to film it but it's much too quick for me.

A Stoat was seen "dancing" around one of the gardens in mid-August but remains very elusive, I had a very brief view as one darted across the garden in October 2005 but didn't hold out much hope of seeing it again. That soon changed when I walked out to my car on Friday 24th and came face to face with a Stoat, it took both of us by surprise and we both froze checking each other out, it soon turned and headed off towards the orchard and I watched as he headed off into the long grass. My closest view previously being at Hambleden Lock when one ran out of the undergrowth next to the backwater and continued towards me, it stopped 10ft away sniffed the air then disappeared in to the undergrowth.

August Highlights

Badger

Stoat

Tawny Owl

Little Owl

Days Lock, Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxon. 27th August 2007.

Back over to Days lock today to get my first year sighting of Ruff on the wader scrape next to the River Thames.
Walking by the lock a Little Egret flew towards the river bank before turning and flying off over the fields and out of sight.A good number of waders were present today feeding around the scrape including 3 Ruff which were my first of the year, a Ringed Plover, 2 Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwit, a juvenile Spotted Redshank, 2 Juvenile Wood Sandpipers and a Common Sandpiper.Good numbers of Yellow Wagtail were also present.

Added To My Year List.

171. Ruff

Curlew Sandpiper - Borough Marsh, Berks. 24th August 2007.

I made a late afternoon trip over to Borough Marsh, Berks today after http://www.berksbirds.co.uk/ reported the sighting of 2 Curlew Sandpipers. Borough Marsh can be accessed by Shiplake Church and gives a good view out across the River Thames near the Shiplake College boat house.

I arrived at the wooden bridge overlooking the Thames and met up with Berks birder Brian Bennett who was searching for the Sandpipers, as always I was worried that I'd missed them and hurriedly put up my scope in the hope that they were still present. Brian pointed out that a large flock of Lapwing had just flushed from the main marsh in front of us and across to the adjacent field so I took his directions and scanned the field, as I looked along the farm machinery parked along the field a small wader passed through my line of vision and I remained glued to it with my binoculars before it dropped down next to a pool of water, the first thing I noticed was the clean white wings bars and a white rump before I lost sight of it. Brian and I then set about trying to locate them which wouldn't be easy at such a distance and with high vegetation surrounding the pools of water, we did mange to spot both adult and juvenile Curlew Sandpipers as they fed along the waters edge amongst a small flock of Lapwings but they were often lost to view as they continued along the pool.

A rare visitor to Berkshire with the last recorded sighting being at Burnthouse Lane, Theale, Berks on 17/09/05, the majority of sightings have been of single birds other than 5 that were seen on 08/09/01 at Slough sewage farm.The adult and Juvenile at Borough Marsh is an extremely good county sighting.


Added To My Year List.

170. Curlew Sandpiper

Wood Sandpiper - Days Lock, Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxon. 19th August 2007.

Eager to see my first Wood Sandpiper of the year i decided to head off to Days Lock near Dorchester on Thames.

After parking up i headed off towards the river, crossing over the river i made my way passed the lock and along the path until i met up with a birder watching the scrape, a Black-tailed Godwit was feeding along with 5 Ringed Plovers and a Dunlin, 3 Egyptian Geese were sat amongst the large numbers of Black-headed Gulls and the sky was filled with busy Swallows and House Martins feeding on the mass of insects over the fields.A Willow Warbler could be heard in brief song from the trees along the edge of the scrape.The juvenile Wood Sandpiper was alongside a Common Sandpiper which was feeding in the middle of the scrape, it remained in the centre of the scrape busily searching for food until i lost sight of it behind some of the overgrown vegetation.

Added To My Year List.

169. Wood Sandpiper

Little Stint - Moor Green Lakes, Berks. 14th August 2007.

On a rather wet and miserable day I decided to head over to Moor Green Lakes in Berkshire to find the juvenile Little Stint.

I headed off towards the gravel workings, it was still raining and the visibility wasn't very good but it wasn't long before I spotted a Common Sandpiper walking along the edge of one of the workings. After walking along the river path and crossing the works entrance I came to an ideal spot overlooking the pools of water that hosted a variety of birds, plenty of Pied Wagtails, Swallow, House & Sand Martins were in large numbers and busy feeding over the pits, a single Ringed Plover sat quietly on the spit and a single Greenshank was preening, nearby a Common Sandpiper was busy probing the mud along with a Green Sandpiper and a small flock of Black-headed Gulls.

The juvenile Little Stint was finally found on the end of the spit, with it's back to me it clearly showed the 2 whites lines down it's back that determines that it's a juvenile bird but it didn't stay still for long, it was soon lost to view as it continued feeding around the spit.It then appeared again at the front of the spit and stayed in view for sometime continuing to feed along the waters edge.The rain then started again and i made my way off.


Added To My Year List.

168. Little Stint

Purple Heron - Farmoor Reservoir. 12th August 2007

After failing to see my first Purple Heron in Little Chalfont back in November 2006 I was desperate to try and see the Juvenile that was first reported at Farmoor reservoir on the 11th August, It is thought that it may have been in the area at least 6 days earlier than this.

Arriving at Farmoor reservoir I was given the news that the bird was still about but very elusive often disappearing for hours at a time so we headed off over the causeway. My girlfriend and I then met up with a local birder who was heading towards the Pinkhill nature reserve where the bird had been seen from on a number of occasions. I had remembered my key to the Pinkhill hide so we unlocked the door and headed inside, a scan round the reserve didn't show anything exciting and sadly no Purple Heron so we left the hide and went our separate ways. I decided to walk along the river path that backs on to Shrike meadow and hoped that any hiding Heron could be viewed through the back of the reeds, a large flock of Canada and Greylag Geese were on the far bank of the Thames and a single Grey Heron was stalking the shallows. Further along the path 2 Kingfishers could be heard calling to each other from the back of the reserve but little else was visible, we stopped at each of the hides to scan Shrike meadow but very little was about so we headed off to the top of the reserve to look down on the meadow. I asked a birder in the top hide at Shrike meadow if he'd had any luck, he told me that it had just flown in to the reeds at the back of the meadow and disappeared from sight, a gentle stream of birders were joining us as we stood overlooking the meadow, we scanned the reeds for nearly an hour until somebody spotted it in front of the reeds, within seconds it was gone again. We had now been joined by 2 birdwatchers from Birmingham and were busy having a conversation with them when i heard a Heron call, i stopped to listen and waited with baited breath, was it a Grey or Purple Heron?, again it called and suddenly a Juvenile Purple Heron appeared in the sky in front of us, we watched it as it flew up towards the trees before it circled round over the tree tops and then headed off towards the Pinkhill reserve.

2 Black Terns were also feeding over the F2 reservoir late afternoon with large numbers of Sand Martins also present.

Added To My Year List.

167. Purple Heron.

Added To My Life List.

269. Purple Heron.

Marsh Sandpiper & Purple Emperor - Farmoor Reservoir. 5th August 2007.

Juv Marsh Sandpiper.

Female Purple Emperor.

A Juvenile Marsh Sandpiper that was found near Abingdon sewage works on the 4th was found at Farmoor reservoir the following morning along the west bank on the F2 reservoir, it flew from Farmoor reservoir and was relocated on nearby flooded fields by the Pinkhill nature reserve where it remained for most of the day.

Having never seen a Marsh Sandpiper before I was eager to catch up with it and get a glimpse of this rare wader.On arrival to Farmoor I was given directions by a group of leaving birders and headed off towards the causeway which leads towards the Pinkhill reserve, Common Tern were busy feeding over both reservoirs and a good numbers of Swallows and Martins were flying overhead.

Walking along the footpath that follows the River Thames we finally caught up with the Juvenile Marsh Sandpiper which was on the flooded fields behind the Pinkhill reserve, it was hidden behind a flock of Canada Geese and tucked down behind the long grass and weeds.After waiting for at least an hour it slowly made its way out in to the open and began to feed, it made a couple of successful probes of the mud with it's thin needle-like bill and pulled out what looked to be large worms, a number of Black-headed Gulls soon showed an interest and followed it as it continued to search for food.Viewing it was difficult as it continued to return to the grassy area which made the bird barely visible at times.

On our way back across the causeway towards the sailing club my girlfriend and I spotted a large butterfly by the wooden huts, we waited for it to settle and walked over to find a superb female Purple Emperor sunning itself of the causeway kerb, a couple of birders that we were watching the Sandpiper with had turned up and were very excited by what we had found.It soon took to the air and headed off along the causeway towards the sailing club, I was amazed at how powerful and quick in flight it was as it left us standing in the middle of the causeway.We caught up with her again as she sheltered on the ground underneath the causeway and managed to get a few photos before she took flight again and headed off towards the water treatment works.I had never seen this rare Butterfly before this year and have now seen 2 in a month.

Added To My Year & Life List.

164. Marsh Sandpiper

Berkshire Downs. 11th August 2007.

Wheatear.

An early visit to the Berkshire Downs today with my close friend Jonnie Lyford, rather chilly first thing but as soon as the clouds disappeared it turned very hot.

As we started to walk from the car the unmistakable "wet my lips" call of a Quail could be heard close-by but due to the length of the crops in the field was impossible to see. It's the first Quail I've heard for many years so I was pleased to finally hear one after such a long time. Later in the day another bird could be heard calling from the crop fields on the Oxfordshire side of the county boundary.

Both Buzzard and Red Kite were circling the downs with at least 5 Kestrels dotted around the area, the Yellowhammers "a little bit of bread and no cheese" call could be heard all around the downs and near to the Oxfordshire border a Wheatear flew up from the ground and perched on a post in front of us. A few Whitethroat present as well.

Looking across the county boundary and in to Oxfordshire a covey of Partridges caught our attention and close inspection showed that there were at least 8 Grey Partridges with a couple of Red-legged Partridges nearby.

Added To My Year List.

165. Quail

SAVE THE ALBATROSS.

100,000 albatrosses die each year on fishing hooks. They are being killed in such vast numbers that they can't breed fast enough to keep up. This is putting them in real danger of extinction.

Black-browed Albatross.

Humans are now exploiting the oceans intensively. Industrial-scale longline fishing is a comparatively recent addition to open-ocean fishing techniques.

Thousands of baited hooks are attached to lines. Some lines can be an incredible 80 miles long and carry up to 10,000 hooks.

These are towed at depth behind fishing vessels so they can catch vast numbers of large fish like southern bluefin tuna and Patagonian toothfish.

The slaughter of seabirds takes place when the hooks are still visible near the sea's surface. The foraging birds spot them and try to grab the bait before it sinks. They are hooked, dragged under, and drowned.

Picture the scene. One minute you're an Albatross gliding across the ocean majestically. You spot a fishing boat, surrounded by other birds, and you know from experience that it offers an easy meal (might be discarded fish waste or bait). You swoop in to pick up a particularly tasty piece of squid. As you swallow the bait down, there is a sudden, terrible pain. The hook embedded in the bait catches and rips your throat. Helplessly, you find yourself dragged down into dark, cold waters. You choke and drown and are dragged deep down below the surface. You're unnoticed until your bedraggled corpse is hauled up and discarded.

This happens to an Albatross around once every five minutes !!!!!

One more to add to the 100,000 of your kind killed this way every year. Back on land, your partner and your chick are waiting for you to return with food - but you aren't coming back. So your chick will inevitably die of starvation, exposure or stress.

Shy Albatross.

The Albatross - roaming the oceans without a pause.

Albatrosses are among the largest flying birds, weighing up to 25 lbs. The largest species, the wandering albatross, has a wingspan of 11 feet, and can live for 50 years or more.

They feed on fish and squid, which they find in the open ocean and can fly thousands of miles without pause. Their only need to touch land is to nest and raise young.

Albatrosses are unusual in that they lay only one egg. This can take 70 days to incubate, and another 10 months for the young bird to fledge.

For over a year each parent in turn makes frequent trips of up to five thousand miles, for days on end, to bring food back for the hungry chick. This breeding cycle is so energy demanding that a pair of wandering Albatrosses, for instance, can only produce, at best, one chick every two years.

Once fledged, young Albatrosses take many more years to mature to the point when it can mate and produce chicks of its own. These years are spent cruising the southern oceans.

Albatrosses have evolved this long-haul lifestyle, thriving on the wealth of the southern oceans, over millions of years.

But now there is a problem. With so many thousands of birds being killed so quickly by longline fishing, these species cannot reproduce fast enough to make up the numbers lost.
Parent birds are killed, and their orphaned chicks die of starvation. Young birds are killed before they can breed. Populations are crashing, and the spectre of extinction is gathering over these astonishing ocean wanderers.

Is this eleventh hour too late for human beings to stop the tragedy?

Black-browed Albatross.

Why are Albatrosses so vulnerable?

Albatrosses are exceptionally susceptible to longlining. They can't breed fast enough to cope with the rate at which they are being killed. Other species, with different life cycles, might be able to survive. Why is this so?

Naturally, Albatrosses are long-lived birds, some living up to 60 years.
They only breed once they are fully mature - this can take as long as 12 years.
They only produce one chick at a time, and several Albatross species only breed every second year.

What can be done?

There are ways to stop seabird deaths on longlines, which many fishermen, once they understand what's involved, are keen to adopt. After all, for a fisherman, bait lost to birds is a lost catch of fish. With our partners in BirdLife International, the RSPB is urging fisheries to take practical steps to protect endangered seabirds.
These preventative measures include:

using bird scaring devices to scare birds away from baited lines

weighting lines to make baited hooks sink more quickly

using thawed, not frozen bait (as it sinks more quickly)

dying bait blue, making it harder for birds to see in the water

setting lines only at night, because most albatrosses feed by day

using special tubes to release the fishing lines deep under water

Steps have already been taken. The RSPB and BirdLife partners have campaigned for more countries to sign the treaty, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels.

This agreement, legally binding on the signatories, requires them to take specific measures to reduce the number of albatrosses and petrels killed by longline fishing. It was finally signed by the UK in April 2004.

Albatross Task Force (formerly Operation Ocean Task Force)

The RSPB and BirdLife are creating an international team of people to work directly with fishermen on shore and at sea.
Fishermen are often unaware of the techniques that can - if used - rapidly reduce albatross deaths. We know that dramatic results can be achieved by people working with fishermen, showing them how to use simple cost-efficient ways of fishing without catching albatrosses and telling them about how albatross numbers are declining.

Although observers are already working on boats to record seabird deaths from fishing, there is a real shortage of qualified at-sea instructors to train fishermen and get something practical done.
There is no coordinated team of such practical people. Albatross Task Force will be that much needed team.

More Facts & Figures.

THE WANDERING ALBATROSS FLIES UP TO 10,000 KILOMETRES (6,250 MILES) TO FIND FOOD FOR ITS CHICK.

ALBATROSSES CHOOSE A MATE AND THEN THEY STICK TOGETHER FOR LIFE. IF THEIR PARTNER IS KILLED, THEY MAY TAKE YEARS TO FIND ANOTHER – INDEED THEY MAY NEVER FIND A REPLACEMENT.

HAVING FLEDGED AND FLOWN FOR THE FIRST TIME, ALBATROSS CHICKS WILL NOT RETURN TO LAND FOR MANY YEARS. IN THE CASE OF ROYAL ALBATROSSES, THIS MAY BE UP TO FIVE YEARS.

19 OUT OF THE 21 ALBATROSS SPECIES ARE THREATENED WITH EXTINCTION.

MOST AT RISK IS THE AMSTERDAM ALBATROSS(CRITICALLY ENDANGERED) WITH LESS THAN 100 BREEDING PAIRS LEFT IN THE WORLD.

Black-browed Albatross.©David Tipling.

WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP.

You can donate money online to support this urgent work to stop albatross deaths. You can also sign up for a regular e-newsletter with updates on the campaign.

Go to the Save the albatross website to give a donation and find out the latest news from the campaign.

www.savethealbatross.net

You can help raise even more by sending your used stamps from your post, which the RSPB can sell.
The RSPB can raise money from ALL types of stamps – whether they are used or un-used, UK, foreign or even first day covers. For example, we raise £1.50 per kg for UK stamps and £12.50 per kg for foreign stamps.

Post your stamps to RSPB Stamps, PO Box 6198, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire LU7 9XT. Please do not include any other correspondence to this address.

PLEASE ASK FRIENDS,FAMILY AND BUSINESS COLEAGUES TO DO THE SAME BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.
THE RACE TO SAVE THE ALBATROSS IS ON AND TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Local Sightings.

Little Owl.
Red Kite.
Mistle Thrush.

Both Blue and Great Tits seem to have had good broods of young this year with both species visiting the feeders in good numbers, one family of Great Tits were busy feeding at least 8 young from the feeders in the garden.

2 Juvenile Great-spotted Woodpeckers have been in and out of the garden with both Adults feeding them from the peanut feeders although one of the young has learnt to feed from the seed feeders as well.

Tawny Owls have been quiet over the last few months with few sightings and not many calling either, although one appeared outside in the conifer trees late one windy night which i managed to film for a few minutes before it disappeared in to the darkness.Little Owl sightings on the other hand have been numerous, 2 Adults near Frieth are usually perched sunning themselves most evenings and our resident Little Owls seemed to have been busy, often heard calling during the day and found sunning themselves early evening on nearby fence posts. One of the adults has been calling non stop from our garden late at night and it took me awhile to cotton on why,I'd seen it perched on the bird bath a number of times and presumed it was taking a quick drink and calling to it's mate, it continued for a number of nights and it wasn't until i turned the outside light on late one evening that i realised what was going on, A young Little Owl was sat staring in at me from the garden and one of it's parents were calling to it from the other side of the garden.Over the next few days i had a few brief views but tonight(20th) i tracked down the calls of 2 young Little Owls perched in an Oak tree with a parent close-by.

The male Sparrowhawk is still making sorties through the garden and a both Red Kite and Buzzards are busy searching the fields for prey.

The Jackdaws also seem to have had a good year with at least 12 juveniles being seen in and around the garden, a pair nested at the bottom of a trunk in an Apple tree and early morning counts have totalled 42 Jackdaws feeding in the garden.The adult birds have taken to using our nut feeders to feed their young and after moving on the Woodpeckers and Tits bash the feeders with their strong beaks until they get something out.I've had to remove the nut feeders due to them breaking through the metal.The flock seems to be increasing with somewhere in the region of 75 birds.

Mistle Thrush is another species that looks like it's doing well here with a family party of 7 birds feeding in the fields next to our cottage, their rattling calls can often be heard across the nearby countryside .

The first Fox sighting in the garden came 2 weeks ago as an adult passed along the fence line no doubt looking for one of the many Rabbits that feed through the fields.Deer have been passing through the garden and out across the fields including a Doe and her very young Fawn.

Warburg Nature Reserve, Bix, Oxon. 14th July 2007.

An afternoon visit to Warburg nature reserve today brought me my first ever sighting of the Purple Emperor Butterfly.After chatting with one of the wardens and checking the sightings board in the information office we made our way across the car park towards the rifle range path, we grabbed my scope and binoculars from the car and got ready to set off, as we did so the warden returned to the car park and pointed out a single Purple Emperor Butterfly flitting across the car park and right between us, it stopped briefly on a car roof before flying over our heads and off over the trees.

A Chiffchaff was calling from the trees next to the path along the rifle range and a Buzzard could be heard calling from the distance.Further around the reserve Goldcrests could be heard calling to each other and at least 2 Marsh Tits could be heard calling from 2 separate locations.

At the pond hide along the main track a patient wait rewards us with close views of Chiffchaff, Female Blackcap and a Female Bullfinch all coming down to drink or wash, Blue & Great Tit, Goldfinch, Chaffinch and Wood Pigeon were also around the pond.

At the hide adjacent to the information centre 2 Marsh Tits were using the Niger feeders only a foot or so away from the hide window, a small Lizard ran across the window sill of the hide and a Wood Mouse scurried through the undergrowth in front of the hide.A Great-spotted Woodpecker scattered the family party of Great Tits that were busy feeding on the nut feeder.

2 Red Kites were circling across the fields at the reserve entrance and another 2 further towards Bix.

RSPB Otmoor, Oxon. 10th June 2007.

A close friend of mine and I had been to see the Manic Street Preachers at the Hexagon, Reading on the Saturday night and decided that we would take a trip over to RSPB Otmoor the following day before he returned to London on Sunday evening. Sunday afternoon we headed off to Otmoor and on arrival we were greeted by the "purring" of a Turtle Dove coming from just behind the car park. Plenty of Common Whitethroat in and around the scrub from the car park to the main track of the reserve. Sedge and Reed Warbler were present in the reedbeds along the path towards the first screen and even a Cetti's Warbler burst in to song a couple of times, further down the path a Redshank flew across the main meadow calling as it passed by. At the first screen we were lucky enough to witness 5 or maybe even 6 Hobbies hawking above us in the afternoon sun. Reed Bunting, Little Grebe and a calling Cuckoo was the best of the rest.


We made our way to another location near the Hambleden Valley in the hope that we might catch a glimpse of a pair of Ravens that have turned up on previous years. A single Willow Warbler was singing at one end of the copse with a Chiffchaff singing at the other but their was little else about, arriving at the site it didn't take long to pick up on the usual Red Kites as they searched for food across the nearby fields but sadly there were no sign of any Ravens this year.

TABCG Nightjar Walk, Padworth, Berks. 6th June 2007.

The Annual TABCG Nightjar walk at Padworth is always a good chance to get some excellent views of both Nightjar and Woodcock, open to non-members of the group it seems to becoming increasingly popular each year.I had already heard Nightjar on this years Berks bird race but had yet to see one this year and had almost stepped on a Woodcock earlier on in the year near Padworth Common.

As the group walked towards the Nightjar site I picked up on a Willow Warbler calling from the distance, as we stopped to listen it obviously decided to stop singing and remained silent while we waited. A roding Woodcock then passed across the sky in front of us as we looked across the heathland followed shortly by another heading in a different direction. We decided to continue on and as we did the Willow Warbler called again giving most of us the chance to hear it. As we continued along the path the "churring" of at least 2 Nightjars could be heard faintly from the conifer plantations alongside us, we made our way quietly towards them and before long could hear the churring coming from next to us. It was still very light and we stood quietly on the path, all of a sudden two wing claps and a Male Nightjar appeared in the air right in front of us, he flew around our heads wing clapping as he went and then returned to the conifers next to the path, we were so busy discussing the views we got that we didn't notice that he had returned, during this time another Nightjar was still churring nearby. Finally the other churring Nightjar flew in to view and for a short time both birds were flying around us before again they disappeared in to the plantation. Another Woodcock approached overhead and could be heard long before it passed over, the "twissick" calls giving everybody the chance to see it as it continued it's roding display, by the end of the evening we had at least a dozen sightings. We made our way further along the path to another viewing spot and waited patiently, the light was now starting to fade but we still managed another few more Nightjar sightings with another individual flying extremely close. By now the night was well upon us and it was time to go, well worth the visit and undoubtedly my best views of Nightjar to date.

TABCG Berkshire Bird Race. 19th May 2007.

COMING SOON

Remenham, Berks. 17th May 2007.

Common Tern.

A pre Berks bird race visit to Aston and Remenham today to check on a couple of local species, the county boundary which separates Berks/Bucks runs mostly down the centre of the River Thames and before i had even got out of the car i could hear the squawking of Ring-necked Parakeet from the trees above and shortly after 2 flew from the car park at Ferry Lane across the river and into Buckinghamshire.

Along the Thames towpath towards Hambleden Lock 6 more Parakeets flew over heading towards their usual haunt just inside Buckinghamshire. No sign of any Warblers or Spotted Flycatchers at Aston yet so i continued towards Temple Island at Remenham, a single Reed Warbler was singing from the Bucks side of the River Thames near Henley Management College and soon after a male Reed Bunting perched in a tree along the towpath and began to sing, 2 Whitethroats could be heard singing from the scrub next to Hambleden Lock.

Nearing Temple Island i could hear the squabbling calls of Common Tern and was surprised to count at least 10 feeding between Remenham Church and Temple Island, a large number of insects were hatching from the waters surface and the Common Terns plucked them out of the air as they rose, there's often a pair near the Hambleden Lock but I've never seen this many here before. A Hobby flew low across the fields at Remenham before crossing the river and joining another feeding in Bucks airspace, after watching them hawking for insects over the river they disappeared into Bucks.

Back at Hambleden Lock i managed to catch up with another pair of Common Terns which sat quietly together on post next to the Lock, minutes later the male had "jumped aboard" and the sights of spring were there for all to see, it lasted much longer than i had expected and their long migration from Africa had obviously added to their stamina, after a couple of minutes the male finally dismounted and sat next to his mate, a quick preen of the feathers and off they went towards Temple Island.

Near Ferry Lane car park i suddenly picked up on a flash of blue as a Kingfisher darted across the fields and headed off towards Hambleden Marina, i could hear it calling as it crossed the river and disappeared behind one of the islands.

Added To My Year List.

156. Hobby

Spoonbill - Lea Farm GP's, Lavell's Lake LNR, Berks. 14th May 2007.

Spoonbill.
Little-ringed Plover.
Little-ringed Plover & Dunlin.

With the unexpected news that 2 Spoonbills had been found feeding at Lea Farm GP's, Lavell's Lakes LNR, Berks it gave me the perfect opportunity to catch up on a few species that I hadn't seen this year
On arrival the Spoonbill were feeding on the far side of the lake although they had flown off at one point only to return later, both birds fed along the waters edge then preened, I left them as they settled down to sleep. A good influx of these birds has been seen recently with sightings also at Dorney Wetlands, Berks and Linford NR, Bucks. 2 Little-ringed Plovers, a single Greenshank and a single Dunlin were also present. A Cuckoo could be heard calling from Lavell's.
At Black Swan lake, Dinton Pastures a single Black Tern was flying with the Common Terns, and a walk around the lakes produced 5 bullfinch in a group and another pair near White Swan lake, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and good numbers of Common Whitethroat all present along with a single Lesser Whitethroat. My first year sightings of Reed and Garden Warbler followed by Nightingale, a single Red Kite drifted over and 2 Green Woodpeckers were present.

On my way back to Lea Farm GP's to check the Spoonbills again I met another birder who told be they had flown off after a low flying helicopter had spooked them.

Added To My Year List

151. Spoonbill
152. Black Tern
153. Garden Warbler
154. Reed Warbler
155. Nightingale

Local Sightings.

Saturday 12th April afternoon saw good numbers of Swift, Swallow and House Martin over the valley, Bad weather had obviously pushed them down into the valley and at one point I counted at least 75+ House Martins as they bunched into tight groups, at least 20 Swifts and a good number of Swallows joined them. Saturday evening during the break in the weather a Barn Owl was perched roadside near Skirmett, presumably making the most of the dry spell in what had been a very wet day.

Sunday 13th April afternoon again saw a small group of Swifts and House Martins over the cottage during the bad weather but they didn't linger for long and headed North. Sunday evening found the Barn Owl again in the same place during what I could only describe as a downpour, it looked soaked as it perched on the roadside fence post and I put it down to the long spell of wet weather that may well have forced the Owl out to feed.

Monday 14th April evening and the Barn Owl is present again, my earlier thoughts on it being forced out to feed due to hunger has now changed, I watched it quarter the fields for 30 minutes and make 6 successful catches, it only failed on one attempt and there seems to be a good supply of Voles etc about. After each successful catch it disappeared from sight with it's prey only to return minutes later to continue hunting, I now believe it must have young and is busy feeding them, let's hope they have a better year than last. While watching the Barn Owl a Kestrel made a desperate attempt to steal it's prey by chasing it across the fields unsuccessfully, good numbers of Common Whitethroat were singing from the hedgerows along with the song of Yellowhammer and Skylark and for just a second I thought I heard a Cuckoo call, I waited quietly and then again in the distance "Cuckoo Cuckoo", a sound that is not so common in this area nowadays although i did hear one in Turville near the "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" windmill in 2004.

My new record for Red Kites over the house now stands at 15.

TABCG Wales Trip. 6th May 2007.

Tawny Owl - Elan Valley.

Buzzard - Gigrin Farm.

The TABCG annual pilgrimage to Wales is always an excellent days birding, the chance to visit a few typical welsh habitats and see a number of specialist species.
The first stop was Goldcliff which is part of the Newport Wetlands and by now the weather was cloudy, windy and there was the odd drizzle of rain. A Chiffchaff was calling from the car park in almost the same spot one was calling on the previous years trip. Looking out across the wetlands a flock of 50+ Dunlins were busy feeding along with Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank and Oystercatcher. A Ringed Plover was feeding along the edge of one of the islands with Lapwing, Shelduck, Canada Goose, Curlew and Whimbrel nearby. A single Avocet was found feeding on the other side of the water and a Little Egret soon appeared at the waters edge. 2 Ravens flew over and a male Cuckoo flew past the front of the viewing screen. Very few Warblers heard or seen which was probably down to the wind.
Next stop was the usual Dipper site on the River Usk, a Common Sandpiper was the first sighting as it fed along the side of the river and shortly after we spotted a Dipper as it perched up on a group of stones along the waters edge. It perched up and in true Dipper fashion continually bobbed up and down. Grey Wagtail were also present.
After negotiating the country lanes and passing church go'ers we finally made it to Llangorse Lake, no sign of either Little Gull or Garganey but good numbers of Swift, Swallow, House & Sand Martins feeding over the lake. A Blackcap flitted through the bushes next to us as we watched the lake and a Little-ringed Plover was feeding along the waters edge. Another 2 Ravens were flying across the hills as we left and as we passed a farm a single Raven flew low across the road in front of us.
Elan Valley was the next stop and a chance to get some good views of Warblers, After crossing over the river towards the woods the first species sighted was a beautiful male Pied Flycatcher sat in the trees next to the path, he sat perched above looking down on the group before flying off in to the wood. Walking along the path which leads up the hill to the top of the valley we soon came across a Willow Warbler singing from the trees above, and soon after another joined it on the other side of the path. It didn't take long to hear the first Wood Warbler singing from above and scanning the tree canopy found an individual perched on a tree branch, Chiffchaff were calling and further along the path a pair of Pied Flycatchers passed through the tree tops and another Wood Warbler called before disappearing amongst the trees, close by a pair of Nuthatches were chasing each other around the trees. Towards the top of the path a male Common Redstart showed incredibly well as it perched on a fence post before flying out of sight. Suddenly we were alerted by a younger member of the trip to the find of a Tawny Owl perched on a branch further back down the path, it has to be said that you can wait a whole lifetime to find a daytime Tawny Owl perched out for all to see and to have a camera with you was an extreme bonus. We watched the Owl for near to an hour and everybody got some fantastic views. For me it was certainly the best moment of the trip and with Wood Warbler and Pied Flycatcher also present the Elan Valley is always a fantastic place to visit.
Gigrin Farm was the next stop and a great chance to see Red Kite, Buzzard and Raven up close. Viewing from the hides overlooking the feeding area gave some great views of the melee at feeding time, Buzzards perched on the ground feeding on the meat whilst trying to evade the swooping Red Kites, Ravens adding to the frenzy by scavenging what they could and an extremely brave Grey Heron managed to grab the largest chunks of meat while coming under attack from everything else, it struggled to swallow the meat easily which formed a huge bulge in it's throat but still came back for more.
Clawdd-ddu-bach near Craig Goch reservoir is always the last stop before heading back home, by now it had started raining and visibility was getting poor but still a chance to get the final days species. Another pair of Ravens passed by, a couple of male Wheaters appeared on a rock next to the road along with a small flock of Meadow Pipit and finally a Male Stonechat.
A fantastic days birding even if the weather was a bit grim at times, best bird for me was certainly the Tawny Owl.
The Theale Area Bird Conservation Group (TABCG) Website can be found here - http://www.freewebs.com/tabcg/index.htm

Added To My Year List

142. Avocet

143. Black-tailed Godwit

144. Cuckoo

145. Common Sandpiper

146. Dipper

147. Pied Flycatcher

148. Wood Warbler

149. Common Redstart

150. Wheatear

Bonaparte's Gull, Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon.

With the Bonaparte's Gull still present at Farmoor reservoir, Oxon, I made my way over to see it. On arrival I made my way to the reservoir gate office to show my Thames Water Pass and was told the Gull was still present in the SW corner of F2. As I walked around the F2 basin towards the South-West corner a good numbers of Swift, Swallow, House & Sand Martins were busy feeding over the water along with Common Terns.

The Bonaparte's Gull was in a small group of Black-headed Gulls near the SW corner and showed well while sat on the water, it spent much of the time feeding on insects on the waters surface, facing into the wind whilst flying and then dropping down and picking them off the water. This 1st Summer bird was first reported on the 1st May and this is my first ever sighting of this rare North American Gull. It is the American equivalent of the Black-headed Gull but smaller and a more delicate looking bird, it has a smaller and finer all-black bill and in summer the hood turns black rather than the chocolate brown of the Black-headed Gull.

Looking through the Terns I spotted at least 1 Arctic Tern feeding over the F2 basin with the Common Terns.

Driving back through Hambleden a singing Common Whitethroat appeared at the top of a hedge and allowed me to watch it from the car before it flew across the road and into undergrowth.

Added To My Year List

139. Bonaparte's Gull

140. Arctic Tern

141. Common Whitethroat

Glossy Ibis, Saul Warth, Frampton-on-Severn, Gloucestershire. 29th April 2007.

Glossy Ibis.

Marbled Duck.

Blue Tit.

Off to Frampton-on-Severn, Glos, today to see the flock of Glossy Ibis that have turned up at Saul Warth SO744081. Walking along the canal towpath from Fretherne Bridge a Lesser Whitethroat was singing from a bramble thicket on the opposite side of the canal, it didn't show so i decided to stop on the way back. After entering the fields overlooking the water it didn't take long to spot at least 5 of the Glossy Ibis feeding together in the mud, Another group of 3 could be seen feeding along the far side of the wetlands and another 2 single individuals were feeding separately on either side. They continued to probe the mud in frenetic fashion with only brief pauses to preen and scan the area.

A lone Spotted Redshank was feeding along with 2 Redshank, Skylark were in full song accompanied by the drumming of a Great-spotted Woodpecker and a Blackcap sung from the bushes that run along the towpath. Good numbers of Shelduck could be seen out on the Noose with at least 30+ feeding.

The Marbled Duck was finally found hiding amongst the vegetation on the adjacent pool with a single Greenshank close by.

Walking back along the towpath the Lesser Whitethroat was still in song and after a wait of 5 minutes it briefly showed at the top of the bramble thicket before disappearing again, 2 young Blackbirds were being fed by their parents underneath the hedge on the towpath.

Added To My Year List.

135. Glossy Ibis

136. Spotted Redshank

137. Marbled Duck

138. Greenshank

Henley on Thames, Oxon & Little Marlow GP's. 27th April 2007.

My first year sightings of both Swift and House Martin mid afternoon over Crisp Road, Henley. I heard the screaming calls long before 5 Swifts flew over, a small group of 8 House Martins were later circling closely high above before drifting out of view. 2 more groups of Swift flew over and by late afternoon i had counted 11 Swifts.

A early evening visit to Little Marlow GP's helped me add 3 more species to my year list. My first Common Terns of the year which were calling and squabbling nosily amongst each other on the spit and in the air. On the spit a few Pied Wagtails looked for insects in the vegetation, 2 Little-ringed Plovers fed along the waters edge along with a single Oystercatcher. The usual collection of escapee's include 2 Snow Geese, 1 Barnacle Goose and a single Egyptian Goose. Swift, Swallow, Sand & House Martins all present and a single Buzzard drifted over in the distance. A Kingfisher could be heard calling and a Great-spotted Woodpecker made a fly over.



Added To My Year List
130. Swift
131. House Martin
132. Oystercatcher
133. Little Ringed Plover
134. Common Tern

Theale, Berks. 18th April 2007.

Willow Warbler.

Young Robin.

Little Owl.

An afternoon visit to Theale, Berks today started off with a stop off at Burnthouse Lane, as i parked up i soon could hear the song of Lesser Whitethroat and after waiting 15 minutes finally got a quick view before it disappeared into the brambles again. Not much on the pits, a few Pied Wagtails and a small number of common ducks.

At Theale main pit a pair of Blackcaps were moving through the bushes by the gate and it didn't take long before i heard a Chiffchaff calling from the scrub near the pylon. As i approached i soon heard a number of Blackcaps calling followed by the Chiffchaff and finally a Willow Warbler perked up and joined the melee of Warbler song filling the air. As i waited for something to show itself the alarm calls of Lesser Whitethroat could be heard coming from the bramble thickets, the Willow Warbler continued to sing for at least half an hour above me and was perched in a tree by the pylon, i decided to take advantage by taking a few photos. Warblers are very rarely still and difficult to digiscope at the best of times.

Across the road at Hosehill LNR at least 2 Sedge Warblers were singing from the reeds, my first of the year. Another pair of Blackaps were moving through the bushes by the horse paddock, a single Mistle Thrush and 2 Pied Wagtails were feeding in the Paddock. A few Black-headed Gulls were squabbling amongst themselves on the raft with a small number of Cormorants looking on.

Driving home through Skirmett 2 Swallows were sat on the lines near to where they have nested before, and later 2 were feeding across the fields next to our cottage. A quick walk round the garden early evening, 3 Red Kites sat in one of the adjacent fields, presumably eating worms on the newly ploughed field, 2 Buzzards circling above, a single Red-legged Partridge wandered through the garden and off into the fields. A pair of Jackdaws have nested in the bottom of an Apple tree in the orchard and seem to be adding material to their nest. While watching the Jackdaws i could hear the calls of a number of young birds from the hedge and after a couple of minutes 2 Robin fledglings showed themselves, it wasn't long before the parents turned up with a beak full of food and led them along the hedge and out of sight. Seems a bit early to me but there seems to be plenty of food about. I could hear a Great Tit sending out a alarm call and made my way towards it, it was sat near the entrance to a nest box that it is currently occupying and was obviously very agitated, as i moved closer i soon found the source of the problem, the resident Little Owl was sat in the tree next to the nest box and obviously the Great Tit wasn't happy. The Owl finally got the message and moved along to a fence post and continued to watch the fields, it's been sat outside our cottage on the fence posts for the last week and seems to be taking food from the ploughed fields,Perhaps Worms, Beetles and other insects. A single Goldcrest has been feeding in the evergreen trees by the garden for the last few days and Wednesday morning brought an unusual flyover, 8:45am 2 Ring-necked Parakeets flew over heading towards Hambleden, their noisy calls could be heard well before they actually passed over. I have seen them recently as close as Bovingdon Green, Bucks, but have never seen or heard them this far out in the country, especially without large areas of water.

Added To My Year List.

127. Swallow

128. Lesser Whitethroat

129. Sedge Warbler

Ring Ouzel, Twyford GP, Berks. 11th April 2007.

With the news on http://www.berksbirds.co.uk/ that Adam Bassett had located a male Ring Ouzel at Twyford GP's, Berks, I decided to make a afternoon visit. As i arrived I was given the good news that the Ouzel was still present and after walking along the track from Park Lane the male Ring Ouzel was located in the Pony fields at SU785749. These are certainly the best views I've ever had of a Ring Ouzel, much closer than my previous experience's at Aston Rowant, and although the Ouzel often hid in a nearby thicket it seemed less nervous than others I have seen. It hopped across the fields 100 yards or so away, 2 Song Thrushes and a single Blackbird added to the Thrush clan as they busily searched for Worms.The Ouzels crescent white breast-band and silvery/grey wing fringes were very clean and clear, as too were the scaly markings underneath it's body, a really good specimen. A Willow Warbler was singing from one of the fishing lakes and a Chiffchaff was in full song above us as we watched the Ouzel, Green Woodpecker also made an appearance.

A Red-legged Partridge was found hiding behind our shed early morning, and Nuthatch and Marsh Tit on the feeders.