11th Mar 2015: A Five Raptor Day

The reservoir was reasonably quiet today and no sign of the anticipated early Sand Martin... it won't be long! The remaining lone Goosander (duck) was busy fishing and a few Common Gulls were the main interest on the water itself. Watching the sky for anything passing by paid off and I saw an immature Peregrine go over south west and later on a Red Kite go over west. These two species, along with Kestrel, Buzzard and Sparrowhawk, made it five species of raptors seen today. Not something you get very often at Grimsbury.

In the wood it was interesting watching the pairs of birds go around establishing or reinforcing their territories. The Long-tailed Tits especially seem more like individual pairs now and the troop disbanded for another season. Whilst watching I was treated to a snippet of Chiffchaff song. I always have trouble assigning the first singing bird I hear each year to a category of either; local wintering bird, relocating wintering bird or a fresh migrant. As there has been Chiffchaff wintering locally this year and it's a bit early for migrants, I can only assume it is a wintering bird that has just started singing.

Courtesy and copyright of Dave Fuller

There was a lot of Stock Dove activity today with four at the reservoir, one in the wood and about eleven in the Upper Cherwell Valley. Several of them were at potential nesting places in mature trees or on the ledges underneath bridges.

Also in the Upper Cherwell Valley two Little Grebes were on the Borrow Pit pool, along with two Tufted Ducks and four Coots, and are the latest addition to the year list. A gathering of Black-headed Gulls here were picking off freshly emerging insects - probably flies of some sort.

Mike Pollard also had a Common snipe fly over this morning - possibly from the cattle field.