25th Feb 2017

A fairly dull day in many ways, however there were a few birds of note. There was two Wigeon at the reservoir and a Yellowhammer flew over. The wood was disappointingly quiet with very very little activity. Up in the valley a few Herring Gulls flew over and there are now six Coots at the Borrow Pit pool.

24th Feb 2017

It is fair to say that the rest of this week has been fairly quiet so far. There has been little of note at all despite Steve's efforts.

Today John and Colin were out and we even had a visit from Steve Goddard. There was three Goosanders (two drakes) on the reservoir and a Siskin with the Goldfinch flock. In the wood the Willow Tit was singing.

20th Feb 2017

I made the most of a day off and had a good look around this morning. There was nothing of particular note seen but it was sunny and the birds were singing and displaying, which made it feel very spring like. A couple of Herring Gulls dropped in to the the reservoir late morning. In the wood there was the Marsh Tit and Willow Tit, both calling at regular intervals. The Goldcrests were particularly vocal and actively chasing each other around. In addition to the birds there was a Brimstone butterfly around the brambles on the edge of the wood.

18th Feb 2017

Colin was out this morning and there was not a great deal of interest around but he noted a pair of Grey Wagtails are very active just past the reservoir entrance around the nest site from last year. There was a drake Tufted Duck on the reservoir and a Jay was in the wood with the Willow Tit and March Tit also seen.

16th Feb 2017

Tuesday morning John had four Goosander at the reservoir and Wednesday there were three.

Today Steve saw a pair of Goosanders at the reservoir. Also in the Upper Cherwell Valley two Greylag Geese, four Coot on the Borrow Pit pool and a couple of hundred gulls including five Herring Gulls.

11th Feb 2017

John and I were out for a good walk around this morning and there a good variety of birds. A drake Goosander was at the reservoir and we had the Willow Tit and Marsh Tit by the river just before the wood. Bird of the morning was a Jack Snipe in a wet area that holds Snipe and where I have seen Jack Snipe in previous years. There was also a Common Snipe and the Stonechat still there.

8th Feb 2017

Steve and John were out today. There was a pair of Gadwall at the reservoir with a drake Tufted Duck. In the Upper Cherwell Valley Steve saw five Lapwings and there was a 4CY Yellow-legged Gull at the Borrow Pit pool.

Courtesy and copyright of JFT

05th Feb 2017

Steve and Colin were out this morning and had a Lapwing at the reservoir and a flock of nineteen flying over. They also had five Siskin fly over. At the Borrow Pit there were three Wigeon, a Coot and a Snipe.

I headed out late afternoon. There were hundreds of large gulls in the valley and I think there was a 4CY Yellow-legged Gull and an adult Caspian Gull, but they were too far away to get good enough views to confirm. There was a flock of thirty-six Lapwing and I heard some Teal from further up the river but didn't see them. In the gloom I could hear Snipe calling, and assuming each call was a new bird there were at least nine. My two target birds, Pintail and Barn Owl, eluded me again.

04th Feb 2017

Colin and I were out this morning. My main aim was trying to see the Pintail as they would be a patch tick, but they remain unseen by me. However, it was a good morning with some nice birds seen and there is a lot of bird song now as we approach spring.

There were three Goosanders (two drakes) at the reservoir and two Tufted Ducks (a pair). In the wood the the Marsh Tit and two Willow Tits were present, all being fairly vocal. Colin spotted three Sparrowhawk displaying over the wood and I later saw one very well perched in the large Willow in the middle of the wood.

Up the valley there were two Wigeon and thirteen Teal on the flood water pools and a Green Sandpiper flew from the river over to the pools too. Colin picked up a Jay flying over too.

03rd Feb 2017

John and Steve had a good day again today with with the two Pintail still in the valley with three Wigeon and at least thirty Teal. John also had a 4CY Yellow-legged Gull in with the flock gathered there.

There were three Goosanders at the reservoir and a Red Kite over.

01st Feb 2017: Pintail

Steve had a really good visit today with a lot of variety. The highlight and a patch rarity, was two drake Pintail in the flooded field in the Upper Cherwell Valley. They were with a pair of Wigeon and twelve Teal. A Green Sandpiper flying along the river was also a good new bird for the year. Other birds of note were 56 Lapwing that circled over the Borrow Pit pool and four Goosanders (three drakes) at the reservoir.

It's rare to see such variety here these days!