27th Oct 2024: Hawfinches!

It's been a fairly quiet couple of weeks, but last Saturday 2 Stonechats were at the Borrow Pit and 3 Cattle Egrets were just off patch in the Upper Cherwell Valley.

Yesterday afternoon there was at least two Chiffchaffs still with the roaming tit flocks.

This morning was a bit more lively with a lot of birds moving around overhead, including Chaffinches, Wood Pigeons, Redwings (just a few), Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and the odd Siskin noted. With clear blue skies and bright sunshine I'm sure there was more but went over unseen. Notable highlights were 2 Great White Egrets that went south then doubled back north, 3 Lapwing south, 4 Hawfinches north that JFT picked out whilst we were watching a Crow mob a Sparrowhawk up high, and a Mistle Thrush. The Snow Goose was also present again early.

The Hawfinches are a really good patch/local sighting and clearly part of an influx this Autumn, although so far it's not as big as the influx in 2017.

13th Oct 2024

The Snow Goose was still around this week, seen Monday and Wednesday at least. Thursday there was also 3 Shoveler at the reservoir, as well as 2+ Siskin and a colour ringed Conmorant. The Cormorant was ringed this June as a nestling, on Puffin Island in Wales. On Friday there was a Stonechat at the Borrow Pit.

6th Oct 2024: Mandarin Duck

A new edition to the year list today was a fem/imm Mandarin Duck that left before I could get a better look at it. This was as well as 2 Egyptian Geese and a Snow Goose seen yesterday. All wild of course...

There were some autumn migrants with a Redwing on Thursday and 6 Siskin today. A Yellow Wagtail over on Wednesday, a Snipe and 6 Gadwall over on Thursday and a Yellowhammer in the cattle field Friday added a little interest. Otherwise there's still a good number of hirundines passing through, sometimes lingering, several Chiffchaffs and the odd Blackcap.