31st Dec 2022: End of the year

The Red-crested Pochard lingered up to Boxing Day, but there was also 3 reported on Christmas Day morning. Two Egyptian Geese flew through SE on Christmas Eve and 4 Wigeon were recorded on Christmas Day.

On the 29th Edwin had pair of Gadwall that stayed up to the end of the year, on the 30th John had a Chiffchaff along the river and 8 Lapwing over and today I had a Yellowhammer over.

So we end the year on 127 bird species recorded. A very good total and the highest I've known, only just shy of 128 recorded in 2018. We also had some other really good species recorded with Hairy Dragonfly, Small Red-eyed Damselfly and Willow Emerald all new for the site and another Otter sighting.

Thanks to everyone for the bird and other species records and of course the numerous photo contributions, it would be a pretty dull blog without them!

18th Dec 2022: Water Rail

On Monday Adrian Tysoe had 18 Lapwing in the cattle field by the reservoir and 6 Pochard and a Teal on the reservoir. Tuesday Mike Pollard had 5 Pochard still and a big number of gulls including c.50 Common Gull and 10 Herring Gull. Wednesday Mike P also had 4 Pochard still and a pair Gadwall.

Friday afternoon I went up the valley but it was pretty quiet. There were 7 Little Grebes on the Borrow Pit pool in a small section that remained unfrozen and several Lapwing in the fields. A purely lucky sighting of an Otter as it swam upriver just at the moment I was looking at that section of river! 

Saturday morning I was out at the reservoir and a Great White Egret flew over south. On the reservoir there were c.75 Greylag Geese and a drake Shoveler. I managed to find a Water Rail on the small flowing water channel between the water treatment works and the canal and later in the day Mike P had 2 Yellow-legged Gulls on the reservoir.

This morning John was out and had a drake Red-crested Pochard, Teal and a Yellow-legged Gull at the reservoir.

Duck and Gull photos courtesy and copyright of JFT

11th Dec 2022

Over the last few weeks it has settled into winter and generally quietened down, but there has been a few highlights and good birds.

On the 25^th I had a Peregrine over the Upper Cherwell Valley. And on the 2^nd John had a Shoveler, a Yellowhammer, 2 Wigeon and a Snipe at the reservoir. On the same day I had 108 Greylag Geese up the valley (a very good count locally) and a Yellow-legged Gull.

Saturday 3^rd John and I had a good yomp around but most of the interesting birds were up the valley, with a Yellow-legged Gull, 3 Redpoll, 2 Jack Snipe, 15 Snipe and a Chiffchaff. Of note, John later had 3 Caspian Gulls just outside of the patch boundaries.

A Dunlin and redhead Goosander were at the reservoir on the 7th, with the Dunlin staying on to the next day. We've had the odd Chiffchaff around but on the 10^th Kirsty had 3 and Edwin also had a Stonechat up the valley.

Out agian with John today and there was surprisingly little around. There's been a flock of up to c.30 Lapwings seen several times flying over and we had them twice again today. A 1st winter Caspian Gull and 2+ Yellow-legged Gulls were up at the Borrow Pit. John also picked out a ringed Black-headed Gull at the reservoir (white AF400) which seemed familiar and checking previous records it had been seen at the reservoir before, in November 2015!

Photos courtesy and copyright of JFT