This weekend was the B.O.S. Long Day Count and I took part again this year again covering SP44. I was joined for the day by Clive Payne and for part of the day by Alan Jones (for the fresh air, but as per the rules not officially on the team).
Our par score for the square was 65, which is slightly higher than last year. It was blooming hot and as a result 12 hours of birding was hard work. I have to admit we were flagging by lunch time but battled through. We ended up on 69 species. Less than we managed last year and frustrating as we missed birds we know were definitely in the area. Some of which were seen later in the day by Alan who revisited sites we had already been to!
Highlight for the Grimsbury are was Whinchat in the Upper Cherwell Valley (by the Borrow Pit pool) and a Common Sandpiper at the reservoir. There were good numbers of Swift back in the area and scanning over town from a vantage point I counted just under thirty birds in one sweep.
Other highlights for the square were a male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (at a site they have been reported recently but we really didn't expect to see still there), Spotted Flycatchers at Farnborough Park and a Wheatear at the disused airfield near Chipping Warden.
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