23rd Jul 2015

Only just short of being there for two months, two of the new information signs have have been vandalised. It was fairly inevitable I suppose but it shows why anyone is unwilling to invest money in such things when people can't resist damaging them in this way. One of the signs has had a label 'corrected', but whilst some of the labels are wrong this one wasn't!

There is lots of activity along the river and in the wood at the moment as post breeding flocks gather together. I couldn't see anything too unusual today but we will hopefully get some interesting species in these flocks other the next two months or so.

At he reservoir the two Common Terns were present, still behaving like a pair on territory including being aggressive towards Black-headed Gulls when they stray too near. Another one of the Black-headed Gulls this morning was ringed, but only with a metal ring so unfortunately another one I can't trace. Two cormorants were here today so they must be moving around more now. There is definitely two Kingfishers along the river too as I saw them both together today. A Swallow flew through south and seemed to be a migrant on the move.

In the Upper Cherwell Valley a pair of Sedge Warblers are busy feeding chicks at a nest by the Borrow Pit pool. There is a good number of Reed Buntings in this area now too and I counted fourteen but I think there is more than that. A Reed Warbler was singing from the river which could be a late attempt at attracting a mate or a bird moving through. Two House Sparrows were an interesting species here, and although they are regular just down the canal closer to town they don't often venture this far up the valley. A bird calling with a drawn out hueet had me thinking there was a Redstart about, however it turned out to be a Willow Warbler. This could also be a bird moving south.