Oxon Birding Weblog: Might overview

Feminine flava

1. Blue-grey head contrasting with mantle.

2. Darker lores than flavissima.

3. White throat, supericilium and ear-covert spot – usually
yellow in flavissima.

4. Buzzy name.

Feminine thunbergi

1. Very darkish gray head and lores, some overlap with flava.

2. Diminished supercilium – thinner than flava, no longer flaring at the back of
the attention.

3. Diminished ear covert spot.

4. Incessantly has whitish throat/supercilium, however some folks
extra yellow.

5. Incessantly has darkish marks/streaking in a “necklace”
form extending onto chest underneath throat – additionally found in male thunbergi.

6. Has buzzy name like flava – is also separable from flava
the use of sonogram

As in earlier years we can be taking a small destroy over the
summer time lull however can be again on the finish of July to spherical up any notable
sightings that can have took place over the summer time. The county 12 months listing now has
ticked as much as 177, regardless of me pronouncing it was once 183 within the final overview which
incorporated subspecies, ferals and possible data. With the ones incorporated it now
stands at 193 with a small flurry of cracking subspecies recorded this month
and a pair unconfirmed possible’s.

Waders

An expectedly busy month for wader data, with a number of
attention-grabbing species transferring during the county. The primary spotlight got here within the
early a part of the month when a couple of Avocet became up at Peep-o-Day
Lane at the 6^th. Somewhat a overdue report with maximum birds already on
nests across the nation, there was once some transient hope that those birds would set
up store within the county when the birds remained for a few days after.
Sadly, the birds departed through the ten^th, regardless of behaving
territorially within the time they have been right here. 

courtesy of Steve Sansom

 

Sanderling had a excellent appearing
this month, with data from the 4^th all they approach thru to the 26^th.
A vintage chicken of overdue spring, with birds heading as a long way north as Greenland,
the primary chicken arrived at the 4^th. This was once adopted through two on
the 11^th which apparently remained till the 17^th. A pleasant
flock of 5 have been provide at the 22^nd in inclement climate, with
between two and 4 nonetheless provide till the 26^th. 

courtesy of Debbie Cummins

Turnstone have been provide on Farmoor within the latter a part of the
month, arriving to begin with inclement climate along side the Greenland sure
Sanderling and arctica Dunlin. A couple of birds was once provide
at the 22^nd till the 25^th. A likely 2^nd
pair of birds was once then provide on Farmoor at the 30^th. Whimbrel
data best got here from the early a part of the month with two websites recording
birds at the 4^th of the month – 3 birds at the Farmoor and
a unmarried chicken on Pit 60, while Greenshank have been additionally provide at
two websites at Farmoor at the 4^th and Waterstock at the
11^th. Dunlin data calmed quite in Might, even supposing
4 websites nonetheless hosted birds. Farmoor, Port Meadow, Ardley and Venn
Mill with best singles on the latter two. Farmoor noticed probably the most birds
the place as much as 13 have been provide at the 27^th, however maximum apparently have been
two to a few sturdy applicants for the arctica subspecies. With just a
handful of fine applicants within the final twenty years – birds are usually paler,
smaller and shorter billed birds classically arriving in overdue Might and
are probably on course Greenland. A radical weblog publish on arctica in
North Spain will also be discovered right here – https://subalpinebirding.com/weblog/greenland-dunlin-ssp-arctica-a-first-approach-to-its-identification

Above and underneath, the candidate arctica courtesy of Ian Lewington

 

…the highest left chicken

Courtesy of Ben Sheldon

A Gray Plover was once reported however unconfirmed from Otmoor
at the 12^th, while a great thing about a Picket Sandpiper got here
from Widford at the 19^th even supposing sadly it didn’t
linger lengthy sufficient for others to glue past the one day.

 

courtesy of Mick Cunningham

 

 Black-tailed
Godwit data have been restricted to the early a part of the month and to just unmarried
birds at two websites – Port Meadow at the 4^th and Days Lock on
the 8^th. Ringed Plover data additionally tailed off with best 3
websites seeing birds recorded, with all internet hosting more than one birds. Port Meadow recorded
5 at the 9^th with a unmarried there at the 25^th. Balscote
Quarry performed host to a few birds at the 14^th, while Farmoor
had two at the 7^th. Not unusual Sandpiper persevered to transport thru
the county in small numbers, possibly a mixture of non-breeders and birds transferring
additional north, with 5 websites recording birds. Henley Highway, Grimsbury,
Farmoor and Oxford all recorded birds within the early a part of the month
while Farmoor, Grimsbury and Port Meadow recorded more than one birds
in combination within the latter levels of Might. 

 

Wildfowl & Recreation and many others

The 12 months’s first Quail was once proper on que with the coming
of a duo of making a song birds at Chipping Norton at the 12^th. This
was once all of a sudden adopted through a unmarried making a song chicken at Toot Baldon at the 16^th,
which was once nonetheless making a song on 19^th. Possibly June will carry
with it extra making a song birds alongside the quite a lot of cereal fields of the Downs,
no doubt value an early upward thrust should you get an opportunity to.

Garganey have been at 5 places this month with some encouraging indicators, because of
lateness of the data and duration of keep, that some native breeding might happen
once more. Data all got here from the north and west of the county with all data
been unmarried drakes or pairs. A quite overdue report of White-fronted Goose got here
from Otmoor at the 15^th with two birds right here, even supposing those
might relate to the feral birds that common the county all 12 months spherical as antagonistic
to the Russian birds that spent a lot of the iciness on web page.

The Port Meadow Garganey courtesy of Steve Sansom

Some nice information of breeding Shelduck got here from two websites
this 12 months. An extraordinary breeding chicken within the county, its unbelievable that two pairs
have bred at Days Lock and Venn Mill. On the former the pair have been
first noticed at the March 16^th with the male behaving very
territorially from the off ahead of the feminine disappeared a month later. Through Might
20^th the pair had returned to the brand new scrape at the Earth
Agree with land with 10 contemporary ducklings having apparently swam down river from
their nesting location.  An additional 3
websites hosted birds this month, with Port Meadow recording 11 birds on
the 28^th, with the superiority of such a lot of birds smartly into the breeding
season it kind of feels perhaps extra breeding data is also at the playing cards. 

Shelduck circle of relatives courtesy of Geoff Wyatt.

 

Herons, egrets and many others

In what may had been a contender for the highlght of the
month, if no longer for a
positive Gray-headed Wagtail on the identical web page previous within the month, a juvenile Spoonbill
was once provide on Port Meadow at the 22^nd. This report was once made
much more attention-grabbing through the truth that it was once color ringed from a ringing
scheme in Denmark! Ringed as a chick in Hoje Sande, Ringkobing Fjord
in June 2023 the chicken spent the iciness at the Hayle Estuary, Cornwall
with a small jaunt to Yorkshire in between. An excellent report and
superb so to hint this birds actions since leaving its local Denmark.
The chicken was once long gone through the next day and has expectantly made its approach north
again to its place of origin. 

courtesy of Thomas Miller