Description

This is no Farmoor, Otmoor or Port Meadow. This is Grimsbury. It's Grim up north!

There is a running total year list in the link above.

Please send in your bird sightings to the B.O.S. and/or to me directly for inclusion on the blog. If you have some photos you would like to contribute please let me know (contact via the comments box on the right if you do not have my email already). Thank you.

Sunday 30 April 2023

30th Apr 2023

Monday - Another adult Kittiwake (the 5th of the year!) early on. Also 1 Lesser Whitethroat and a pair of Gadwall.

Tuesday - Whinchat, female Redstart, 1 Common Sandpiper. 

Wednesday - 1 Reed Warbler, 3 Common Sandpipers, Yellow Wagtail, 4 Sedge Warblers, 3 Willow Warblers, 1 Garden Warbler.

Thursday - Garden Warbler, Common Sandpiper, 1 male and 2 female Yellow Wagtails.

Friday - 2 Garden Warblers, 4 Sedge Warblers, 1 Lesser Whitethroat singing, 1 Swift.

Saturday - Greenshank early on and flew north, 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Arctic Tern briefly, Common Tern, 5 Swifts, 1 Garden Warbler, 4 Sedge Warblers, Hobby.

Sunday - 6 Swift, Common Sandpiper. 

Various observers - thanks!

Photos courtesy and copyright of JFT





Sunday 23 April 2023

23rd Apr 2023: Pied Flycatcher and RING OUZEL!!

Monday - Shelduck over flying North, 2 Common Sandpipers, 1 singing Whitethroat.

Tuesday - Wheatear, Yellow Wagtail.

Wednesday - 1 Whimbrel feeding in cattle field early on but soon flew off in NE direction. 4 singing Sedge Warblers and 2+ Whitethroats.

Thursday - 1 singing Sedge Warbler.

Friday - Plenty mixed hirundines. Swift, 1 male Yellow Wagtail, 2 singing Sedge Warblers, 3-4 singing Willow Warblers.

Saturday - 2 Common Sandpiper, Whitethroat, 2 Yellow Wagtail.

Sunday 23rd - a great fall (and a day I regrettably missed!). A Pied Flycatcher was found early on by Mike Pollard and early afternoon a RING OUZEL (which is a site first I believe) was found by Mark Ribbons. There was also 1 singing Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Whinchat, 8 Wheatear, 3 Redstart, Swift, 3 Whitethroat.

Various observers - thank you!

Courtesy and copyright of Mike Pollard

Courtesy and copyright of Kyle Smith

Sunday 16 April 2023

16th Apr 2023

Monday - Common Scoter, Grasshopper Warbler and 2 Wheatear. male Redstart and Yellow Wagtail. Little Ringed Plover.

Tuesday - 2 male Redstarts.

Wednesday - 1 male Redstart (possible female too), Oystercatcher over south, 3 Yellow Wagtails, 1 White Wagtail, 8+ Willow Warbler, 7 House Martin + others. 200+ Swallows & 6 Yellow Wagtails in the evening.

Thursday - 2 (2+?) Redstarts male and female, 2 Yellow Wagtails, White Wagtail, 15 House Martins, Lesser Redpoll.

Friday - Common Sandpiper, male Redstart, Wheatear, 2 Yellow Wagtail, White Wagtail, Sedge Warbler.

Saturday - male Redstart, 5 male Wheatear, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 2 White Wagtails, Little Ringed Plover, Snipe, 2 Lesser Redpoll.

Sunday - Common Sandpiper, Wheatear, male Redstart, Common Whitethroat, 2 Yellow Wagtail.

Various observers - thanks!



Courtesy and copyright of Mike Pollard

Sunday 9 April 2023

9th Apr 2023: Oystercatcher (and another Kittiwake!)

A much quieter week again this week, especially compared to last week.

Kev saw a late Redwing on Wednesday and Mike had a House Martin with c.150 Sand Martins and a few Swallows.

Thursday morning there was a brief visit from a Yellow Wagtail and another good group of hirudines including 2 House Martins. A bit later John found another Kittiwake, our fourth of the year!

This morning I had a Little Ringed Plover fly over west and possibly the same or another heard again later. An Oystercatcher flew in and landed at the reservoir, then moved to the cattle field and then flew off north after about 25 minutes.

Courtesy and copyright of JFT
(last Sunday's bird)


Courtesy and copyright of Mike Pollard

Courtesy and copyright of Mike Pollard

Sunday 2 April 2023

2nd Apr 2023: Kittiwakes and spring migrants

The headline bird/s for this week was not one but two different Kittiwakes, with an adult bird dropping in for most of the day yesterday and another one today. Initially I assumed today's bird would be the same as yesterday, but when John started reviewing photos it was clearly a different individual with no grey on the ear coverts. With one back in January, having three different birds now seems a bit greedy! Other than that there was a load of incoming spring migrants to enjoy.

In general news, the female Mute Swan starting egg laying and by the end of the week is sitting tight on at least two eggs. There's been plenty of Sand Martins passing through (including 60+ on a few days) and numbers of Swallows building up with several seen on Saturday and a group of c.15 today.

Monday afternoon Kev found our first Yellow Wagtail of the year, a really early record for us, and a Little Ringed Plover also present. The Yellow Wagtail was still there Tuesday morning (and I assume the same bird actually around all week) and Mike P had 40 Common Gulls.

Wednesday lunchtime Mike P had our first Dunlin and Wheatear of the year and later John had our first Willow Warbler and 150 Common Gulls.

Ian found our first Blackcap of the year on Thursday and confirmed the Dunlin was still around. Friday morning he had 2 Blackcaps and Sandra B saw our first House Martin of the year and a Wheatear in the Cattle Field. Clare Curnow also had a Wheatear near the Borrow Pit pool and a Peregrine over.

Saturday morning Adrian T had our first Sedge Warbler, and another House Martin. Later in the morning Ian had our first Common Tern and found that day's Kittiwake. At least one White Wagtail was seen whilst we were enjoying views of the Kittiwake.

This morning the Common Tern was still around. John picked up today's Kittiwake drop in at just gone 9:30 and both Yellow and White Wagtail were seen. This evening there was 2 Yellow and possibly 2 White Wagtails. 
There was also an Arctic Tern reported today but so far no one knows who saw it or reported it, if it was you or you know who saw it please let us know. 

A very enjoyable week! Cheers for all the new sightings and updates throughout.

Courtesy and copyright of JFT

Courtesy and copyright of JFT

Courtesy and copyright of Mike Pollard

Courtesy and copyright of JFT

Courtesy and copyright of JFT