Oxon Birding Weblog: November Per 30 days Overview

In fascinating ringing information a colour-ringed Cormorant noticed
at Farmoor at the morning of the ten^th November. Thankfully information of
its provenance used to be impending and it used to be ringed as a chick in northern Germany
alongside the Baltic Coast again in 2020 at Wallnau Waterbird Reserve,
Fehmarn. It’s been noticed two times since then, each occasions at Farmoor – the
first time at the 27^thAugust 2022 additionally at Farmoor.

Waders

With the exception of the joy over at
Cote with the mega Dunlin flock, there used to be various data of
waders this month with a excellent number of species and numbers provide – albeit
with lots of them coming from Cote-upon-Humber. A couple of Turnstone were given
the month going with each provide on Farmoor at the 1^st of
the month. Gray Plover gave the impression to vary between a pair websites with the
first report coming from Port Meadow at the 17^th, with probably
this particular person now not playing the widespread disturbance and human presence and
shooting up at Cote at the 23^rd. This used to be then joined via a 2^nd
at the 24^th with each ultimate right here till no less than the 28^th
within the corporate of a number of thousand Golden Plover and Lapwing. Additionally
setting up a temporary look overdue within the month at this web page used to be a Ruff provide
within the lots of waders feeding at the floodwaters. 

Gray Plover at Cote, courtesy of Mick Cunningham

 

Black-tailed Godwit have been
noticed at a number of websites in November even though best singles have been provide. Days
Lock hosted one at the 3^rd, while Cote had one from the
9^th till no less than the ten^th. Port Meadow additionally then
hosted a lone fowl for a few days from the 27^th. Cote endured
to be the wader magnet with Ringed Plover found in quite a lot of numbers all through
the month, kicking off with a flock of 6 at the 3^rd. Singles and doubles
have been provide once more later within the month the place then 6 once more have been provide at the 25^th.
Dunlin have been clearly found in large numbers as prior to now discussed in
the highlights with a discounted rely of 200+ nonetheless provide up till the top of
the assessment length. Different websites additionally hosted birds this month albeit in a lot more
standard numbers for the county. Farmoor hosted a unmarried fowl at the 1^st
and once more at the 3^rd and 17^th, while East Hanney hosted
12-13 birds from the 5^th and from time to time thru till the 26^th.
Port Meadow hosted birds later within the month, probably birds peeling
off from Cote. 11 have been right here at the 21^st and quantity ranged
from 3-12 till the top of the 12 months.

Inexperienced Sandpiper endured
to be recorded in a lot diminished numbers this month, probably with birds
setting up imaginable iciness territories. Curbridge had one fowl at the
11^th, while Bicester Wetlands had 3 birds additionally at the 11^th.
Ardley ERF additionally hosted a couple of birds with two provide right here at the 25^th.
Redshank, like a lot of the waders recorded throughout the month, have been virtually
ever provide at Cote this month. A most rely of seven right here at the 11^th
with a couple of birds provide lots of the month. Fyfield Wick noticed a unmarried
flyover fowl at the 11^th while Farmoor hosted 3 birds on
the 13^th and a unmarried at the 19^th. A unmarried fowl used to be additionally provide at the floods at Cholsey.

Redshank courtesy of Alan Dawson.

Woodcock made a good
go back to the county within the latter a part of November with the primary of
the month coming from Lye Valley at the 18^th. Port Meadow additionally
hosted a unmarried fowl at the 21^st while proceeding the city theme a
useless fowl used to be picked up on the Dragon Faculty in Oxford at the 24^th.
Remaining winters smartly used flight line over Piddington used to be watched for the
first time this iciness and produced 3 birds heading out of roost and heading
to feeding grounds within the wider panorama.

Wildfowl and so forth

Simply the standout rarity in
this workforce this month used to be a ‘short-stopping’ pair of Bewick Swan at Otmoor
at the 25^th. The primary report since 2018 with what used to be an annual
species for the county prior to now and one of the crucial miserable parts of an ever
warming local weather. With birds now taking a look to iciness in portions of Europe en
masse, while birds that do arrive right here arrive later and go away previous
that is increasingly more a standout county rarity and there may really well be a
time the place those wonderful swans now not go back to the UK. One of the vital
extra wonderful sides of Bewick Swan is the power to inform folks
aside via the development in their expenses, with each and every being distinct and distinctive to
folks. Thankfully, even supposing those birds remained far-off one used to be no less than
identifiable as ‘Bruton’ and he or she used to be noticed tomorrow at WWT Slimbridge. 

The 2 Bewick’s Swans at Otmoor, courtesy of Jackie Newcombe

The Farmoor Slavonian Grebe, courtesy of Ewan Urquhart

 

A cracking red-headed Smew used to be
reasonably overshadowed via the above, however who doesn’t love a Smew? Definitely the
absolute best of all our iciness wildfowl in any plumage! This fowl used to be much more particular
via the truth that it used to be the primary Smew recorded inside Oxford for
75 years, any other wonderful city report of such an enigmatic species. Sadly,
any other brief stayer with the fowl disappearing now not lengthy after the preliminary sighting. 

The red-head Smew on Port Meadow, courtesy of Steve Lavington

Given the abundance of inland data surrounding the county right through the latter
a part of October it isn’t surprising that Oxfordshire in the end were given in
at the diver motion in early November. The most important marvel used to be the
location, with a Nice Northern Diver provide on Thrupp Lake at Radley
GP’s at the 1^st. Given the degrees of disturbance and the scale of
the web page it’s reasonably much less unexpected that the fowl didn’t apparently hang out
to any extent further than an hour or so ahead of departing someplace a lot more appropriate. 

The Radley Nice Northern Diver, courtesy of Ben Wood worker

The years first Brent Goose used to be
additionally logged this month when a unmarried fowl dropped into Farmoor at the afternoon
of the 7^th. Sadly, like lots of this months rarities it did
now not linger lengthy and used to be long past via sundown. Additionally at Farmoor the feminine Scaup
endured its extended keep having arrived the former month, probably
this particular person will now spend a lot of the iciness right here with a possible foray
to Dix Pit as different birds have from time to time performed lately. Shelduck
have been somewhat fashionable around the county with a number of teams of a couple of birds
provide. 4 have been on Port Meadow at the 6^th with birds returning
right here at the 25^th and 27^th. Cutteslowe Park hosted
a unmarried at the 12^th, while Cote endured to be the epicentre
of birding job with birds right here at the 13^th and 23^rd emerging
to 11 folks via the 25^th.  Grimsbury then hosted a unmarried fowl on
the 28^th. 

The Farmoor feminine Scaup courtesy of Gnome

Ruddy Shelduck have been
recorded at a unmarried web page with Blenheim internet hosting a couple of birds at the 16^th
a pleasing bonus for the Patchwork Problem patcher there. Goosander have been
at 4 websites with all birds been reported within the latter a part of the month. Chinnor
hosted a couple at the 17^th, while Port Meadow hosted the
maximum birds with 7 at the 21^st and once more at the 27^th. Two
different websites hosted a couple of birds against the top of the month – Standlake on
the 24^th and Grimsbury at the 26^th. Goldeneye additionally
returned to the county in higher numbers this month with no less than 5 websites internet hosting
birds – Blenheim, Pit 60, Dix Pit, Farmoor and Radley GPs. A couple of
notable Mandarin data for the county this month with a prime rely of
20+ at Blenheim provide for far of the month, while a unmarried fowl at Farmoor
at the 21^st used to be notable for its rarity worth for the web page. 

A drake Mandarin at Pinkhill, Farmoor, courtesy of Dave Lowe

 

Herons,
egrets and so forth

Livestock Egret endured to linger within the county thru
November, albeit with some visual departures from the primary post-breeding
flock peaks of the fall. Otmoor hosted probably the most birds with as much as 13 on
the 11^th with no less than 4 ultimate till the 20^th. Wytham,
Port Meadow and Days Lock additionally hosted birds this month with 4 at Wytham
at the 11^th, a unmarried at Port Meadow at the similar day and
a small flock of 4 at Days Lock at the 24^th.

Nice White Egret have been at 7 websites this month made up of
most commonly unmarried birds, even though the very best rely got here from Blenheim with
4 birds right here at the 15^th. Information of different a couple of birds got here
from Farmoor at the 19^th and Standlake at the 24^th.
Lye Valley recorded best its 5^th ever report of the species
at the 20^th even though that is the 4^th report this 12 months. Different
data got here from Radley GP’s, Cote, Chipping Norton, Port Meadow and Waterstock.
Strangely Crane have been nonetheless recorded this month when two have been at Otmoor
at the 6^th, even though now not once more after having in all probability made their means
right down to the Somerset Ranges to iciness. 

Nice White Egret at Radley, courtes of Ben Wood worker

 

Gulls
and Terns

With iciness smartly and in reality set in the primary staple for this
workforce depends upon Caspian Gull to stay data ticking over with the faint
hope of a white-winger within the latter phases of iciness without equal prize. A couple of
data of Caspian Gull this month most commonly on the subject of one or two 1^st
iciness folks roosting on the similar couple of web sites. Farmoor hosted
a unmarried 1^st iciness at the 1^st of the month joined via a 2^nd
at the 15^th. Appleford village hosted a unmarried grownup at the
17^th, while Port Meadow hosted a unmarried 1^st
iciness on maximum evenings from the 21^st of the month. Grimsbury on
the opposite hand hosted a likely hybrid fowl or one among no less than some aggregate in
its genes having been noticed as lower than standard instance of the species. 

1w Yellow-legged Gull and Caspian Gull on Port Meadow, courtesy of Thomas Miller

 

3w Caspian Gull at Appleford, courtesy of Ian Lewington

Passerines

With all of the communicate and next proof of main inflow of
Waxwing into the rustic we’re surely within the grips of a ‘Waxwing iciness’,
with flocks of 1000+ in Scotland and plenty of flocks of 100+ around the
north of the rustic. Given the abundance it used to be just a topic of time ahead of
the primary report this a ways south with birds within the midlands and to the east of Oxfordshire.
Sadly the report used to be a fleeting one with lone ‘trilling’ name
heard over vintage habitat in an business property in north Banbury. Given
the selection of data within the nation and nonetheless but to transport south looking for
berries expectantly Oxfordshire gets its fair proportion of twitchable
birds but!

Additionally lovely fleeting used to be a report of Water Pipit on
the 27^th from Port Meadow, jotted down as a imaginable heard
calling over the floodwaters. A report of Rock Pipit at the 6^th
used to be additionally doubtlessly recorded as both species and may feasibly relate to
the similar unidentified particular person that may expectantly give itself up sooner or later.
Hawfinch have been recorded two times this month with each coming from calling
birds heard over Blenheim at the 17^th and 20^th
even though neither report used to be in a position to be pinned down. Crossbill have been
reported from two places with a flock of three+ reported from Aston Rowant on
the 11^th while Blenheim hosted a flock of eleven birds at the 19^th.
The primary Siberian Chiffchaff of the iciness used to be stuck and ringed in Burgess
Box, Port Meadow at the 29^th, an unbelievable ringing report for
the web page and a pleasing fowl to look up shut for the ringers. 

Siberian Chiffchaff courtesy of Thomas Miller.

Firecrest have been additionally reported from two websites – Warburg
at the 3^rd and West Hendred at the 24^th. Brambling
have been unfold properly across the county with most commonly singles and pairs in blended
finch flocks. The very best rely on the other hand used to be an unbelievable c50 over a Blenheim in
a blended flock of 300+ finches feeding in sunflower box. Information got here from a
additional 8 websites with the following very best rely coming from Fyfield Wick on
the 17^th with a small flock of seven birds over.

Stonesfield Brambling, courtesy of Paul Wren

Raptors

A Chicken Harrier used to be provide sometimes against the top of
the month, with the primary report coming from a fowl benefiting from the Starling
roost at the 23^rd. It used to be then reported once more at the 29^th
even though main points weren’t impending as to the place and what age/intercourse the fowl used to be.
Brief-eared Owl data most commonly got here from the similar location at the downs with
as much as 4 across the Ridgeway and Crowhole Backside all through the
month. Further data got here from Oxfordshire Golfing Route with two
noticed quartering the tough floor throughout the day. 

A Marsh Harrier harrying the Starling roost at Otmoor, courtesy of Malcom Bowey

Merlin have been reported from 4 websites this month with Cote
probably the most incessantly used with a fowl provide at the 4^th and 10^th.
Water Eaton hosted a fowl at the 11^th, while any other used to be at Farmoor
at the 14^th. West Hagbourne additionally hosted a unmarried fowl on
the 26^th.

Patchwork problem

Patch	Birder	Issues	Species	Spotlight	Goal	Share of goal
Aston eyot	Ben Sheldon	58	56		90	64.44
Blenheim	Gareth Casburn	131	115		100	131.00
Dix pit	Simon Bradfield	114	91		75	152.00
Grimsbury reservoir	Gareth Blockley	126	111		130	96.92
Lye valley	Tom Bedford	98	87		80	122.50
River Thames	Geoff Wyatt	159	135		122	130.33
Sutton courtenay	Conor MacKenzie	156	130		140	111.43
East challow	Mark Merritt	84	80		83	101.20
Freeland	Glen Pascoe	90	80		80	112.50