25th Jun 2023

It's been a very quiet few weeks with very little bird news of any note. One or two Little Ringed Plovers have been seen occasionally and two Common Terns were at the reservoir on the 18th and one was there again today. The only other notable bird has been a Yellow-legged Gull that dropped in to the Borrow Pit pool for a few minutes on the 18th.

Dragonflies and damselflies are my main interest at the moment, with Southern and Brown Hawkers new for the year today. There's been a lot of Marbled White butterflies up around the Borrow Pit and on the 18th Clive and I saw a Small Heath too, which neither of us remember seeing there before (Clive maybe has, but not for several years). There's also a good number of Common Spotted Orchids and several Pyramidal Orchids again this year, but I haven't seen any Bee Orchids yet.

4th Jun 2023: Sanderling

Just recently, it seems to be there's nothing around for days (John has been up most days this week checking for Black Terns) and then a few good birds all turn up at once for no apparent reason. 

This week there was nothing of particular note all week until John found a Sanderling late afternoon on Friday. Then in the evening Sandra and Adrian B also found a Dunlin and we had a Hobby fly through and later in the evening Mike P had a Little Egret fly over. This morning John also had 2 Lapwing at the reservoir, which is pretty unusual.  

Photos courtesy and copyright of JFT

28th May 2023: Sandwich Tern

Generally another quiet week, but it picked up again over the weekend. A Sandwich Tern was present yesterday morning witch seemed settled and remained present well into the afternoon and a Greenshank early this morning that unfortunately did not perform as well and had left by 06:30 in the morning! There was also a Little Ringed Plover and 2 Common Sandpipers.

Courtesy and copyright of JFT

Courtesy and copyright of Ed Barson

21st May 2023

Not much bird news this week, but there was another Grasshopper Warbler singing just into the U.C.V. yesterday, which I thought may be a male on territory but now appears to have been another bird passing through. Otherwise, a Yellow Wagtail on Friday afternoon and Common Sandpiper yesterday being the only birds of note. 

However, the first dragonflies and damselflies of the season were out and, in particular, a lot of demoiselles.

14th May 2023

It was a fairly quiet and settled week. The 2 Common Terns have been around most of the week and there was a late Common Gull on the 10th. There has been a Common Sandpiper and a male Little Ringed Plover around most days. I expect the plover is actually one of a nesting pair somewhere nearby. 

Lots of Swifts in now and most days all three hirundines are around. A few more Yellow Wagtails have been through and there are more warblers, with 6 Reed Warblers across the whole patch on Saturday morning which is a really good number for here. The Mute Swans have hatched 3 cygnets. There was a Otter along the river on the Friday morning. 

Photos courtesy and copyright of JFT

7th May 2023

Last week Edwin had a colour ringed Common Tern with the code C33, which seems most likely to be one ringed at Marsh Lane Nature Reserve, by the West Midlands Ringing Group, and has also been seen at Draycote Reservoir in 2020.

Tuesday was a fairly quiet visit for Ian today with only 1 Willow Warbler and 4 Sedge Warblers of note.

On Thursday Ian, John and Mike had 1 Common Tern, 2 Common Sandpipers, 20+ Swifts, 1 singing Reed Warbler, 1 singing Garden Warbler, 5 Sedge Warblers, 1 Willow Warbler, Yellow Wagtail, Hobby.

Mike had another Whinchat on Friday as well as Reed Warbler, Garden Warbler, Little Ringed Plover and Common Sandpiper. Sandra had a Lesser Whitethroat and in the afternoon I had 2 Garden Warblers.

Yesterday morning Adrian T had a Common Sandpiper and 2 Little Ringed Plovers. A little later I also had 2 Common Terns and a female Wheatear in the cattle field.

This morning there was 2 each of Common Tern, Common Sandpiper and Little Ringed Plover at the reservoir. Just north of the M40 into the U.C.V. there was a Reed Warbler singing in the reedy stretch along the River Cherwell and a Grasshopper Warbler in the scrub in the same area.

Courtesy and copyright of Mike Pollard

Courtesy and copyright of Mike Pollard

Courtesy and copyright of Ed Barson

Courtesy and copyright of Ed Barson

30th Apr 2023

Monday - Another adult Kittiwake (the 5th of the year!) early on. Also 1 Lesser Whitethroat and a pair of Gadwall.

Tuesday - Whinchat, female Redstart, 1 Common Sandpiper. 

Wednesday - 1 Reed Warbler, 3 Common Sandpipers, Yellow Wagtail, 4 Sedge Warblers, 3 Willow Warblers, 1 Garden Warbler.

Thursday - Garden Warbler, Common Sandpiper, 1 male and 2 female Yellow Wagtails.

Friday - 2 Garden Warblers, 4 Sedge Warblers, 1 Lesser Whitethroat singing, 1 Swift.

Saturday - Greenshank early on and flew north, 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Arctic Tern briefly, Common Tern, 5 Swifts, 1 Garden Warbler, 4 Sedge Warblers, Hobby.

Sunday - 6 Swift, Common Sandpiper. 

Various observers - thanks!

Photos courtesy and copyright of JFT

23rd Apr 2023: Pied Flycatcher and RING OUZEL!!

Monday - Shelduck over flying North, 2 Common Sandpipers, 1 singing Whitethroat.

Tuesday - Wheatear, Yellow Wagtail.

Wednesday - 1 Whimbrel feeding in cattle field early on but soon flew off in NE direction. 4 singing Sedge Warblers and 2+ Whitethroats.

Thursday - 1 singing Sedge Warbler.

Friday - Plenty mixed hirundines. Swift, 1 male Yellow Wagtail, 2 singing Sedge Warblers, 3-4 singing Willow Warblers.

Saturday - 2 Common Sandpiper, Whitethroat, 2 Yellow Wagtail.

Sunday 23rd - a great fall (and a day I regrettably missed!). A Pied Flycatcher was found early on by Mike Pollard and early afternoon a RING OUZEL (which is a site first I believe) was found by Mark Ribbons. There was also 1 singing Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Whinchat, 8 Wheatear, 3 Redstart, Swift, 3 Whitethroat.

Various observers - thank you!

Courtesy and copyright of Mike Pollard

Courtesy and copyright of Kyle Smith

16th Apr 2023

Monday - Common Scoter, Grasshopper Warbler and 2 Wheatear. male Redstart and Yellow Wagtail. Little Ringed Plover.

Tuesday - 2 male Redstarts.

Wednesday - 1 male Redstart (possible female too), Oystercatcher over south, 3 Yellow Wagtails, 1 White Wagtail, 8+ Willow Warbler, 7 House Martin + others. 200+ Swallows & 6 Yellow Wagtails in the evening.

Thursday - 2 (2+?) Redstarts male and female, 2 Yellow Wagtails, White Wagtail, 15 House Martins, Lesser Redpoll.

Friday - Common Sandpiper, male Redstart, Wheatear, 2 Yellow Wagtail, White Wagtail, Sedge Warbler.

Saturday - male Redstart, 5 male Wheatear, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 2 White Wagtails, Little Ringed Plover, Snipe, 2 Lesser Redpoll.

Sunday - Common Sandpiper, Wheatear, male Redstart, Common Whitethroat, 2 Yellow Wagtail.

Various observers - thanks!

Courtesy and copyright of Mike Pollard

9th Apr 2023: Oystercatcher (and another Kittiwake!)

A much quieter week again this week, especially compared to last week.

Kev saw a late Redwing on Wednesday and Mike had a House Martin with c.150 Sand Martins and a few Swallows.

Thursday morning there was a brief visit from a Yellow Wagtail and another good group of hirudines including 2 House Martins. A bit later John found another Kittiwake, our fourth of the year!

This morning I had a Little Ringed Plover fly over west and possibly the same or another heard again later. An Oystercatcher flew in and landed at the reservoir, then moved to the cattle field and then flew off north after about 25 minutes.

Courtesy and copyright of JFT
(last Sunday's bird)

Courtesy and copyright of Mike Pollard

Courtesy and copyright of Mike Pollard

2nd Apr 2023: Kittiwakes and spring migrants

The headline bird/s for this week was not one but two different Kittiwakes, with an adult bird dropping in for most of the day yesterday and another one today. Initially I assumed today's bird would be the same as yesterday, but when John started reviewing photos it was clearly a different individual with no grey on the ear coverts. With one back in January, having three different birds now seems a bit greedy! Other than that there was a load of incoming spring migrants to enjoy.

In general news, the female Mute Swan starting egg laying and by the end of the week is sitting tight on at least two eggs. There's been plenty of Sand Martins passing through (including 60+ on a few days) and numbers of Swallows building up with several seen on Saturday and a group of c.15 today.

Monday afternoon Kev found our first Yellow Wagtail of the year, a really early record for us, and a Little Ringed Plover also present. The Yellow Wagtail was still there Tuesday morning (and I assume the same bird actually around all week) and Mike P had 40 Common Gulls.

Wednesday lunchtime Mike P had our first Dunlin and Wheatear of the year and later John had our first Willow Warbler and 150 Common Gulls.

Ian found our first Blackcap of the year on Thursday and confirmed the Dunlin was still around. Friday morning he had 2 Blackcaps and Sandra B saw our first House Martin of the year and a Wheatear in the Cattle Field. Clare Curnow also had a Wheatear near the Borrow Pit pool and a Peregrine over.

Saturday morning Adrian T had our first Sedge Warbler, and another House Martin. Later in the morning Ian had our first Common Tern and found that day's Kittiwake. At least one White Wagtail was seen whilst we were enjoying views of the Kittiwake.

This morning the Common Tern was still around. John picked up today's Kittiwake drop in at just gone 9:30 and both Yellow and White Wagtail were seen. This evening there was 2 Yellow and possibly 2 White Wagtails. 
There was also an Arctic Tern reported today but so far no one knows who saw it or reported it, if it was you or you know who saw it please let us know. 

A very enjoyable week! Cheers for all the new sightings and updates throughout.

Courtesy and copyright of JFT

Courtesy and copyright of JFT

Courtesy and copyright of Mike Pollard

Courtesy and copyright of JFT

Courtesy and copyright of JFT