Port Meadow Birding

                                                                www.PortMeadowBirding.com

A blog to record sightings on and around Port Meadow in Oxford. Feel free to make comments with additional sightings (click on the comments link at the top of each entry) or alternatively e-mail them to:
info"at"portmeadowbirding.com (replace the "at" with @). Also any Port Meadow bird photos are much appreciated and will be fully accredited.

Where appropriate in the blog, sighting sources are referenced (OOS = www.oos.org.uk, BG = www.birdguides.com, OXB = Oxon Birds yahoo news group WoM = word of mouth/private e-mail).



The Meadow floods on a rainy May afternoon. © Adam Hartley

Overview
For information on access instructions and species that one might expect go to Background Info section.

Photos
All photo's are copyrighted. Contact details for the photographer can be found by clicking on the photo album link on the right-hand side and then selecting the appropriate album where the contact details will appear at the top of the page.

2010 Sightings
Interesting sightings for 2010 so far include (presumed escapees in square brackets):

Waders: ruff, redshank, lapwing, golden plover, knot, dunlin, black-tailed godwit, ringed plover, little ringed plover, oystercatcher, green sandpiper, common sandpiper, SPOONBILL, turnstone, greenshank, wood sandpiper, little egret, TEMMINCK'S STINT, avocet
Water Fowl: wigeon, teal, shoveler, pintail, [bar-headed goose], shelduck, goosander, tufted duck,  water rail, little grebe, gadwall, ruddy shelduck, barnacle goose,  garganey, [black swan], egyptian goose
Gulls/Terns:  Mediterranean Gull, yellow-legged gull, common tern, + usual commoner gulls
Misc. Others: kingfisher, white wagtail, yellow wagtail, grey wagtail, raven, wheatear, marsh tit
Birds of Prey: sparrowhawk, kestrel, peregrine, buzzard, red kite, barn owl, osprey, hobby
Warblers: blackcap, chiffchaff, willow warbler, cetti's warbler, grasshopper warbler, whitethroat, sedge warbler, lesser whitethroat, reed warbler, garden warbler

2010 Year List Current Total 116 + 2 plastics:
Avocet is the latest addition to the Port Meadow 2010 year list .

YouTube & Twitter Channels
Some simple video clips of birds on Port Meadow can be seen at the Port Meadow Birding YouTube Channel. There is also a Twitter feed

Adam Hartley

An earlier morning run around the patch today before it got too hot. The usual stuff around: gulls, lapwings, starlings and 2 LITTLE EGRETS. Highlights were a flyover SNIPE, 14 GOLDEN PLOVER flying over the Hinterland, 14 TEAL on the floods and a couple of YELLOW WAGTAIL in amongst the cattle. I also flushed a skylark in the Hinterland. There was a nice mixed feeding flock in the Trap Grounds including several chiffchaffs. The now-regular kestrel and a couple of jays in Burgess Field were the highlights. Still very much waiting for something good to appear and hoping that we get more rain to top up the floods.

The calm and settled weather meant it was a lovely warm afternoon when I visited the Meadow but there was not much bird variety present apart from the "default" birds. There were quite a lot of black-headed gulls around, in fact I counted them and there were 600! Apart from that just the lapwings, starlings, pied wagtails and the odd YELLOW WAGTAIL. A STOCK DOVE flew over - in fact there have been several sightings of these birds recently which I keep forgetting to mention. Two LITTLE EGRETS still kicking about as well.

There was an early autumn feel about the start of today with a mist first thing which then gave way to bright sunshine and hardly a breath of wind. High pressure is forecast for the next few days and I do wonder about whether we'll manage to hang on to the new fledgling floods that we have. In terms of birds there was not very much around today with the floods hosting the usual lapwings, black-headed gulls and the odd lesser black-backed gull. Incidentally, what do lapwings do all day? Whenever I see them they are always asleep or loafing: do they only feed first thing in the morning or at night or something? There were a few winter ducks in the form of some WIGEON and TEAL though they didn't linger. I managed to pick out a couple of distant soaring raptors though I think they were just common buzzards. This did get me thinking once more about the "corridor effect" that the Meadow seems to have with migrating birds following the river south and the Meadow offering a corridor between Wytham Hill and the city. Just a thought but it's a pet theory of mine. I also watched with interest as a group of gulls seemed to gather in the air and start circling in a little thermal, joined by one or two corvids. This continued for a minute or two and then suddenly it all seemed to disappear. I wondered whether there had been a fledgling thermal which the birds somehow sensed but which didn't quite get properly started. Back on the ground there were a few YELLOW WAGTAILS in amongst the cattle and one LITTLE EGRET loafing on the grass. In the Trap Grounds there was a nice mixed feeding flock which had quite a few chiffchaffs in amongst the tits. Burgess Field looks good for an autumn shrike or even a wryneck but actually the most interesting thing that I found was the first MEADOW PIPIT of the autumn.

The latest in the series of distant bird blobs on the Meadow taken with my P&S camera though actually this yellow wagtail hasn't turned out too badly © Adam Hartley

An early morning visit to the floods found bright sunshine but still a rather stiff north-westerly breeze which made it rather chilly. Still the reasonable black-headed gull flock mid-way down the west shore with three or four adult lesser black-backed gulls and one nagging juvenile that went from adult to adult pestering them for food. There were more winter ducks about with one SHOVELER, four WIGEON and four TEAL though some of these left when some boisterous dogs ran amuck amongst the feral geese causing pandemonium. The lapwing flock was still about but not much else on the wader front and there was no sign of yesterday's greenshank.

A little egret in flight - taken on Tuesday 31st © Adam Hartley

A brief early morning visit to the Meadow (before the dog walkers emerge) found the floods looking good with a decent flock of black-headed gulls along the West shore with three lesser black-backed gulls for company. In amongst them was a juvenile YELLOW-LEGGED GULL though it was being harassed by a variety of other birds and it soon moved off. As I was sifting through the birds I heard the plaintive call of a GREENSHANK and sure enough one circled back and landed in amongst the gulls where it started preening. There were three LITTLE EGRETS on the grass to the west of the floods though they soon moved back to the river. At the north end was a flock of 24 teal though they were rather flighty and soon moved across to the opposite shore. Apart from that the usual lapwings, starlings, pied wagtails and at least one YELLOW WAGTAIL still about.

A videograb record shot of this morning's greenshank © Adam Hartley

A mid-morning run around the Meadow found it quieter than yesterday. I don't know whether it's because the weekend dog walkers come out and scare everything off or whether the fact that the floods are now a few days old and perhaps all the displaced flies and worms have either been eaten or have moved but there wasn't the same buzz about the place. For example the YELLOW WAGTAILS (I only saw three) were no longer around the flood area but were back to hanging out with the cattle and horses. There was a reasonable number of loafing black-headed gulls with three adults and one nagging juvenile lesser black-backed gull. The usual lapwings were still hanging out by the floods and the ubiquitous starlings and pied wagtails were picking over the grass. In Burgess Field a couple of bullfinches were seen disappearing into the hedgerow, a kestrel was staking out the burnt area and a jay was at the north end. On the Hinterland as well as flushing a skylark, I came across three of yesterday's GOLDEN PLOVER, perhaps the advance guard for this autumn's flock. By Perch Corner on the river the two LITTLE EGRETS and a RED KITE were both showing some interest in a dead bream that was washed up on the shore though a black-headed gull harassed the kite until it moved on. In the same corner I came across the first Meadow WHEATEAR of the autumn: it's funny how often they are seen in this area. The EGYPTIAN GOOSE was still there with its feral greylag chums. On the river by the poplar trees the usual pair of great crested grebes were present though unfortunately there was no sign of the greblet.

Early Afternoon Update:
Early afternoon I saw a bird with all the right characteristics of a juvenile HONEY BUZZARD drifting west over Kingston Road with three common buzzards. They would certainly have passed over Port Meadow airspace heading towards Wytham Hill and Farmoor, perhaps in order to catch some thermals.


No photos of the honey buzzard unfortunately but instead a couple of shots taken with my point & shoot camera for the "small bird blobs in a field of grass" album though actually given the distance, the camera and how much I've had to crop them they've not turned out too bad: at least you can tell what it's supposed to be! © Adam Hartley

With the floods back I had been intending to go on a late afternoon visit to the Meadow today but at around 13:45 a Bird Guides text came through reporting an AVOCET on Port Meadow. I hurried down there and managed to find both the bird (resting at the north end of the floods) and the original finder, Peter Stronach. Soon after I arrived a couple of walkers who found they could not get through to the south by the Burgess Field gate decided to walk along the north perimeter of the floods, flushing everything in sight. Fortunately after a few minutes the avocet returned to it's spot and after a vigorous preen and wash settled back down to sleep. It's great that we've managed to get a quality passage wader so soon after the return of the floods.

The Meadow is getting quite "birdy" again and in addition to our star wader there were loads of starlings, quite a few linnets and pied wagtails, at least 10 YELLOW  WAGTAILS, a good selection of black-headed gulls with a single juvenile COMMON GULL in amongst them, two TEAL (the first of the autumn), the usual good flock of lapwings and a couple of LITTLE EGRETS on the river. To crown it all a flock of 5 GOLDEN PLOVER, the first of the autumn flew low over the floods calling before heading north to the Hinterland.

There were the usual photographic problems with the avocet: I didn't want to get too close and flush a bird that other county birders would be interested in and of course black and white birds are very hard for the autofocus to fix on. In addition it spent most of its time asleep or moving about vigorously so this was the best digiscoped still shot I could managed © Adam Hartley


I took some video footage of it having a good wash and brush up in between napping © Adam Hartley

Late Afternoon Update:
Unfortunately, there was no sign of the avocet at 4:15pm (per Steve Bell), not at 6pm though there was a juvenile YELLOW-LEGGED GULL present then (per Lee Evans).

I'd reported last night that the Meadow was looking a little boggy, well overnight it's been transformed back into proper floods - hooray! There were plenty of birds around enjoying the restored flood area. There were ten or more YELLOW WAGTAILS zipping around all over the place in amongst the pieds, some were up by the cattle in the Hinterland but most were around the flood area. Lots of starlings working their way over the grass with plenty of juveniles in amongst them. There was a decent flock of 58 lapwings loafing around at the North end. The "usual" COMMON SANDPIPER was along the river shoreline and there was either one mobile or two static LITTLE EGRETS present along with several grey herons. The leucistic EGYPTIAN GOOSE was still about hanging out with the feral goose flock. Plenty of hirundines hawking low over the floods including a few sand martins. To round things off Ben Sandford-Smith found a MARSH TIT in amongst a feeding tit flock near the Walton Well road railway bridge. This is not a common bird for the patch and is the first new year tick that we've had in a long time.

One of the little egrets in flight on the river © Adam Hartley

I wasn't able to get out of the house until dusk today when I went for a brief walk around the Meadow. I'm pleased to say that all the recent rain has resulted in at least some very boggy areas on the Meadow and one or two small pools have now formed. In the half light of dusk I was able to make out the leucistic EGYPTIAN GOOSE back once more on the Meadow. There were also very large numbers of mallards around, a conservative estimate would be at least 200 birds. There was a gull roost of about 100 black-headed gulls over where the North Channel would be. I'll try to get out again tomorrow during daylight to see if the pools can attract a passing wader or two.


A point & shoot record shot of the "ghost" leucistic egyptian goose, taken the next day © Adam Hartley

I'm back from my hols. and so decided this morning to have a run around the patch. I first ventured into the Trap Grounds which were very quiet and apart from a calling chiffchaff the only point of interest was a slow worm motionless on the path though when I gave it a prod it slithered away into the undergrowth. In Burgess Field the rain had freshened it up a bit and it wasn't looking so brown but again there was little of note apart from a few calling chiffchaffs. On the Meadow itself there were at least eight YELLOW WAGTAILS in amongst the cattle though it's very hard to count them as they move around so much. There was a flock of 40 odd lapwings and lots of starlings about. Along the river shore there was a single COMMON SANDPIPER which might be the same one that was present a few weeks ago. I was pleased to see that the great crested grebe pair had successfully hatched a grebelet which seemed to be doing ok. There were quite a few linnets around and a lot (for the Meadow) of hirundines hawking low over the grass with at least a couple of sand martins in amongst them. There were about 50 loafing black-headed gulls on the grass.

The slow worm in the Trap Grounds © Adam Hartley

I will be on holiday for a while so I won't be checking the patch. As there are no floods I am not expecting there to be much about during my absence but as usual please feel free to report anything of interest either as a comment on this entry (click on the Comment link at the top of this post just under the heading) or by e-mailing me. I will update the blog on my return.

I went on a late afternoon run around the patch today which was as quiet as usual. However one of the two COMMON SANDPIPERS was still about today and seemed very at home on the river shoreline and with a bit of field craft I was able to get quite close to it. There were also quite a few lapwings still about and three common terns were seen over the river.

The very confiding common sandpiper.

There are more photos of this lovely bird on my personal birding blog: Gnome's Birding Diary

I went on a late afternoon run around the patch today which proved to be almost completely birdless apart from a couple of chiffchaff in Burgess Field. The saving grace was the river where I found a couple of returning COMMON SANDPIPERS feeding along the shoreline, a LITTLE EGRET stalking the fish fry in the shallows and a common tern hunting in the middle. On the Meadow itself there were at least 20 lapwings including our now fully fledged juvenile bird which was great to see. I also heard at least one YELLOW WAGTAIL but failed to see it today.

Another couple of dodgy P&S camera shots today: the little egret on the far side of the river...

...and a blurry flight shot of one of the two common sandpipers © Adam Hartley

With the patch pretty much in limbo at present one must be grateful for any small point of interest and on that front there were a few snippets around on my morning run around the patch to keep me going. At the Trap Grounds pond there was a Brown Hawker dragonfly and the resident moorhen family has hatched two new chicks. The last ones didn't seem to survive very long though one can but speculate as to what became of them. I also found a small copper butterfly in the clearing.

Burgess Field was looking very dry and (as I'd been fearing) there'd been a fire no doubt caused by the drunken revelries that seem to carry on in BF through the summer which always seem to have to be accompanied by lit fires. Thankfully the fire wasn't too extensive and it should all recover in due course. Most of the butterflies have now gone though the gatekeepers are now starting to appear. Apart from a family of whitethroats and a chiffchaff there was very little bird activity whilst I was there.


On the Meadow itself there were quite a few black-headed gulls around (about one hundred perhaps) including a number of juveniles. It approaching the time of year when juvenile Med. gulls start to move through and in fact the first few are starting to appear at Farmoor now so with any luck one or two might find their way to the Meadow as they did this time last year. The red kite was soaring quite low over the Hinterland today and flew right over me.


There were a couple of common terns hunting on the river and returning to the dragonfly theme, there was an Emperor hawker and a couple of black-tailed skimmers both on the river bank opposite the poplar trees.



The two great-crested grebe juveniles are looking big and healthy near the moored boats and the other pair is still sitting on its nest.


There were quite a few juvenile pied wagtails around and also a pair of juvenile YELLOW WAGTAILS. I don't know whether these are returning birds or whether they might have bred somewhere locally but it was nice to see them.

On an evening run around the Meadow today with a strong westerly breeze and overcast skies I wasn't expecting much and so was pleasantly surprised by what I found. There are still about 40 lapwings on the Meadow and I think that our juvenile has now fledged and is in amongst them. In addition the first return wader of the season was present in the form of a surprise REDSHANK who seemed happy to hang out with the lapwings despite the floods being bone dry. There were two common terns hunting on the river and the two great crested grebe juveniles are looking large and healthy. There was even an embryonic gull roost in the form of half a dozen lesser black backed gulls and a dozen black-headed gulls.

An evening run around the patch today. It was rather quiet in the Trap Grounds with just a small mixed tit feeding flock encountered. A reed warbler was singing away deep within the reedbed as was a chiffchaff near the railway line. On the Meadow itself there were about 30 lapwings in total, including I'm pleased to say "our" juvenile which is looking more grown-up than ever though I'm not sure whether it is flying yet. On the river a great crested grebe is sitting on eggs again and the other pair's two greblets are growing larger and more noisy by the day. There were at least 70 eclipsed mallards on the river in various locations along its length. A common tern flew along the river and there were lots of hirundines near the boat moorings including at least four sand martins and about a dozen house martins and a similar number of swallows. Much of the Meadow near the Walton Well car park is now looking rather dry and worn and the former floods are rather a lush green by comparison.

I didn't go into Burgess Field today but here's a recent shot of a ringlet butterfly from there © Adam Hartley

There was a very entertaining and confiding group of young reed warblers around the Trap Ground pond this lunch time. They were very inquisitive, poking their beaks into everything around them and coming quite close despite their parents efforts to get them back to the safety of the reeds. There are quite a few eclipsed mallards on the pond as well. In Burgess Field it's all looking very dry and tired now: we desperately need some rain. A SPARROWHAWK shot over at low altitude, hoping to surprising something with its surprise attack. The usual butterflies are still around in good numbers. On the Thames as well as plenty of eclipsed mallards there are two pairs of great crested grebes. One pair has a single chick of a reasonable age; the other has two quite young stripy-headed greblets in tow.

One of the juvenile reed warblers eyeing me inquisitively © Adam Hartley
 

A late evening walk around the Meadow found it nearly deserted though the parent lapwing was still present with one remaining chick which is now quite large and must be near to fledging. There were a few more lapwings to the north in the Hinterland and a COMMON TERN flew along the river.

The one remaining lapwing chick © Adam Hartley

Bill Wilson writes:
"I saw a RED KITE wheeling over the meadow yesterday morning early Sat 3rd July about 9am
above the track that leads to the Trap Ground allotments from Walton Well Road. It seemed to be prospecting for business and had a near encounter with a House Martin. It circled away towards North Oxford. The Sun was still in the North Eastern Sky and the Kite got up sun which made me wonder whether they use for a screen for making attacks like a fighteraircaft but then they have such a large shadow which must alarm certain creatures!"

Sunday:
33 lapwings and 1 adult and 2 juvenile COMMON TERNS (Mary Gregory OOS).

A common tern by the river (taken in May on my P&S camera) © Adam Hartley

Mary Gregory writes
"I got a good view of the two lapwing chicks on the Meadow last night. They were scampering around vigorously and beginning to look like miniature adults. Their plumage is now clearly black above and white below, with the black  crown and breastband showing. Like you I thought the adult group included at least one small size individual flying with the others."

A morning run around the patch found the usual birds about. In the Trap Grounds there was a large mixed tit flock with lots of fledglings around to make up the numbers and a TREECREEPER tagging along for company. Burgess Field held plenty of butterflies with a noticeable increase in skippers flying around. The Meadow itself held at least 40 lapwings. I wasn't able to spot our chicks though they could have been hidden. I did see a much older juvenile flying around which must have been successfully raised from somewhere nearby, perhaps Otmoor.

I've been meaning to post a shot of these flowers in Burgess Field for some time now. A while ago the council dumped a load of earth on the grass in the "second field". This earth has now sprouted an amazing variety of wild flowers to which this photo doesn't really do justice. Most striking! © Adam Hartley

A morning run around the patch in brilliant sunshine once more. The floods have now completely dried up apart from a small puddle around which a few black-headed gulls were picking dejectedly. The lapwings and two juveniles were still about: I am starting to wonder whether there were actually originally three as one of the adult birds looks rather pale and small and I may have mistaken it at a distance for the third juvenile. A LITTLE EGRET, presumably Bill Wilson's bird, was loafing around on the grass near the river. I expect that there are currently rich pickings for egrets in the river. The RED KITE was back again, gliding quite low over the dried up floods and even landing at one point.

Burgess Field was alive with marbled whites and ringlets and also a skipper sp. that just wouldn't settle. In amongst the Trap Ground reeds I spotted three fledgling reed warblers, waiting patiently for their parents to return with food. There was also a juvenile green woodpecker about so the resident pair in Burgess Field must have successfully bred.

The last of the floods © Adam Hartley

A heavily-cropped record shot of the kite using my P&S camera © Adam Hartley

Bill Wilson writes:
"I saw an OYSTERCATCHER this morning between 7 and 8 am at the bend that is about half way from Medley to Wovercote. It was flying upstream over the river and appeared to be alone. This evening I saw a LITTLE EGRET just before sunset about 9pm over the Castle Mill Stream. The bird was flying awkwardly as it was going to perch on the branch of a willow tree over hanging the stream.  It stayed perched maybe for the night so I could see it easily from the opposite bank"

May Gregory writes:
"Saturday 9pm I could only see two lapwing chicks on the Meadow and an adult bird was hustling around near them calling continuously; occasionally it flew a few yards around, still calling. A few gulls, pigeons and crows were in the vicinity but paying no attention. I watched for some minutes but saw no action. A beautiful full moon rose in the south-east shortly before 10pm"

Black-headed gull at sunset © Adam Hartley

This morning on a run around the patch it was still of course the usual birds in the usual places. On the dried up northern section of the floods there were three young lapwings of reasonable size together with the two parents. Last year they successfully raised a couple of young. I had my suspicions that the lapwings might be breeding again this year when one of the adults started doing its distraction display one evening when I was wandering around in that area but it's great to have it confirmed. It seems (based on the last two years) that the lapwings don't start breeding until the floods are drying out: they've been hanging around the Meadow all spring without apparently doing anything. I think that the dried up floods offer rich pickings in terms of flies etc and also a certain amount of protection as people don't tend to walk on them as they are rather rutted. They still have to run the gauntlet of the dogs and crows to make it to adult hood though.

One of the three lapwing chicks © Adam Hartley

In the Trap Grounds there were young chiffchaffs flitting around near the reeds and I thought that I heard a water rail call once. The reed warblers are still singing away occasionally from deep within the reedbed. In Burgess Field there were more young birds around with fledged wrens, robin and reed buntings seen today. On the butterfly front ringlets have now appeared and there are also good numbers of marbled whites about as well as meadow brown and small heaths still.

It was rather hot and sunny when I went for a run around the patch today. The Meadow floods had got noticably smaller in the last couple of days and had the usual birds on them. I did notice quite a few dragonflies in the pool between the Aristotle Lane entrance and the Trap Ground allotments. There were several broad-bodied chasers and one large aggressive beast which I think was an Emperor Hawker. There were also loads of damselflies of various kinds.

On Burgess Field there were finally some butterflies about with several small heaths, a couple of large skippers and few meadow browns and marbled whites. There were a couple of young moorhen chicks on the Trap Ground pond as well as a singing chiffchaff and blackcap.

A pair of marbled whites mating © Adam Hartley

It was a gorgeous evening on the Meadow with golden sunlight and not a breath of wind. Unfortunately the balmy conditions weren't matched by anything of particular note on the birding front with just the usual black-headed gulls, wood pigeons, crows and the odd mallard picking their way over the mud surrounding the remaining water. There were quite a few lapwings about with at least 20 present. An adult and a juvenile grey heron were hunting in amongst the pools. There were plenty of swifts, swallows and house martins about as well. I forgot to mention a couple of sand martins were hawking over the floods on Friday.

I undertook a late afternoon visit to the patch today; the weather was overcast with the odd spot of rain though it was still warm. The floods are ever-decreasing though there is still a reasonably-sized central pool about which the black-headed gulls were congregating and the number of juveniles has now increased to about a dozen. In addition there were a couple of gadwall on this pool. Burgess Field was full of young birds with juveniles seen of: great, blue and long-tailed tits, chiffchaff, sedge warbler, whitethroat, magpie and robin. The highlight of the visit was good views of a HOBBY flying steadily reasonably close by around the entrance gate to Burgess Field.

I chanced upon this wood pigeon whilst out on my run on Wednesday. It was tucked away in a tree by the entrance to the Spinney © Adam Hartley

A late afternoon run around the floods found mainly just the black-headed gulls in residence with still half a dozen or so juveniles in amongst them. There were  also a few mallards and juvenile pied wagtails. In amongst the rooks over near the poplar trees some juveniles were also noted.

A late morning run around the patch found the flood waters had been topped up a bit by all the recent rain. Nevertheless, the "shoreline" is very churned up and muddy and (to my eyes at least) not very attractive to wading birds. The main point of interest was half a dozen juvenile black-headed gulls in amongst the adults, the first ones of the year. There were also large numbers of wood pigeons picking their way over the grass around the flood area. In Burgess Field there were plenty of young great and blue tit families around as well as the usual warblers and I also saw both green woodpeckers. No sign of any butterflies on the wing yet apart from a single small tortoiseshell and a male common blue though it was rather windy. The Trap Grounds held several singing reed warblers and a young robin.

one of the juvenile black-headed gulls © Adam Hartley

A late afternoon visit to the floods found them to be almost deserted with just a few black-headed gulls and mallards remaining. A couple of grey herons were about and a common tern was hunting along the river.

After a rather rainy day it was quite pleasant weather for an evening walk. The floods have been topped up a bit though not enough to change their character which is still a shadow of its springtime self. The ghost EGYPTIAN GOOSE was still about and a drake TUFTED DUCK was a rather unexpected bonus. A COMMON TERN was seen distantly flying along the river and there were up to a dozen lapwings around (Mary Gregory). All in all the floods were very quiet with even the majority of the black-headed gulls being absent. Quite a few juvenile pied wagtails around though. Over near the poplar trees there was a STOCK DOVE on the opposite side of the river to where I was.


The distant stock dove.

A lunch-time run around the patch was cut short as I found myself caught in a torrential downpour. Prior to that I noted that the floods had been topped up a little bit but not enough to stave off the inevitable drying up. The EGYPTIAN GOOSE was still around as well as the usual black-headed gulls and mallards. There were a few juveniles amongst the many starlings that were picking their way around the grass. In Burgess Field there were quite a few fledged great and blue tits around calling constantly to keep in touch with their parents. Apart from that it was rather quiet with not much warbler singing apart from the odd whitethroat and chiffchaff.

A singing sedge warbler, taken a few weeks ago © Adam Hartley

Mary Gregory writes:
"When I went into the Meadow yesterday afternoon there were two ghost geese, but when I came back there was only one. Number two must hang about somewhere in the area but not like the Meadow very much.

This morning 30+ house martins were hawking all over the east side of the 'flood'. I walked up the river towpath to Godstow. A little egret was paddling in the river opposite Medley, and a lone lapwing was winging above the field just beyond. I was surprised how many warblers seemed to be in the trees along the river, although one whitethroat was the only clear identification that I got. A great crested grebe had three chicks with her just past Medley, and yesterday there was one with two chicks at the fallen tree. I failed to spot any nests this year (there has been one near the fallen tree for years) but they obviously succeeded."

I wasn't able to visit the Meadow over the weekend until Sunday evening where I found that the remains of the floods had been drastically reduced even further. The southern end is now just a muddy puddle and the northern channel is now very narrow leaving just a main pool in the middle. The only bird of note was the EGYPTIAN GOOSE which is still around. Apart from that it was black-headed gulls, mallards and a few gadwall making up the bird numbers. There are plenty of swallows, house martins and swifts about as well as pied wagtails, wood pigeons and starlings picking their way over the ground. The first broods of mallard chicks are now getting quite large and there are quite a few young wagtails and starlings around as well. All in all it's very much a case of the floods being in their death throes now.

A lovely morning for a run around the patch. As one would expect at this time of year, nothing surprising on the bird front but 2 LITTLE EGRETS, the OYSTERCATCHER and the EGYPTIAN GOOSE were all still around. In Burgess Field there are lots of common heath moths around at the moment.

This shows the advantage of having a x10 optical zoom on my P&S camera: this common heath moth was at least a metre away and yet I was able to crop down to get a reasonable close-up. They have amazing antennae when viewed closely © Adam Hartley

A morning visit found the usual birds on the floods, namely the  LITTLE EGRET and the EGYPTIAN GOOSE. Burgess Field had quite a number of fledglings about the place as well as all the expected warblers.

It was a lovely evening tonight as I went for a run around the patch. On what remains of the floods apart from the usual gulls and ducks there was a LITTLE EGRET which was later joined by two friends, half a dozen grey herons, the ghost EGYPTIAN GOOSE still and just as I was leaving the OYSTERCATCHER flew in. I also heard a definite YELLOW WAGTAIL calling so it's either very late or there may be a pair breeding in the vicinity. Burgess Field was very quiet though the two green woodpeckers and a couple of reed buntings were calling.

A song thrush in Burgess Field © Adam Hartley

An evening visit to the Meadow found conditions to be overcast, cool and misty. The "floods" are definitely on their last legs now and whilst it may take a while for them to dry up completely they are looking rather tired and less attractive. In addition now that June is upon us it's officially the start of the summer doldrums so one has to be thankful for whatever bird interest one can get. To that end a rather late LITTLE RINGED PLOVER present at the southern end of the floods this evening was gratefully noted. In addition the LITTLE EGRET and the EGYPTIAN GOOSE were both still around as were the usual ducks and gulls.

In the dark and gloomy conditions even at ISO 800 the shutter speed was only 1/60. Fortunately the bird was standing very still so it came out ok © Adam Hartley

A rather grey and overcast start to the day though thankfully the wind had eased. The much-needed rain on Saturday had freshened things up a bit so the floods were not looking quite so stale though they are still fast receding. The main birds around at present are the black-headed gulls of which there must be several hundred all feeding off insects in and around the floods. Still plenty of mallards and quite a few gadwall about. The now resident ghost EGYPTIAN GOOSE is still around and this morning there was a LITTLE EGRET and just a single grey heron. In certain places on the Meadow it's getting quite hard to pick out the birds, especially around the Burgess Channel area where there is some rather tall grass growing up through the floods. By way of example, this morning I carefully scanned the entire area before visiting Burgess Field but on my return another scan picked up the five DUNLIN which were still around: I'd completely missed them first time round. Burgess Field is still looking very pretty, especially now that the grass has grown a bit. A KITE was hunting over the fields and the usual suspects were around. Plenty of swallows, house martins and swifts around and the martins were once again collecting mud from the shore line.

Four of the five dunlin on the floods yesterday evening, taken in the dusk light. They were still lurking in amongst the grass today © Adam Hartley

I wasn't able to get down to the Meadow at the weekend until Sunday evening when there was rather a chilly north westerly wind which made me regret not taking a coat. The highlights were five DUNLIN in the Burgess Channel area and a single SNIPE settling down to roost quite close to the east shore.

A videograb of the roosting snipe, unfortunately it's facing away from the camera so it's a back view © Adam Hartley

This morning herons were the bird du jour with 6 adult and 5 juvenile grey herons all standing around on the floods and two LITTLE EGRETS which were rather busy working their way through the floods and frequently flying from one spot to another. The ghost EGYPTIAN GOOSE was still present as was the OYSTERCATCHER. A few new ducks starting to appear with a drake teal this morning, the drake TUFTED DUCK once again and a drake shoveler about. Still quite a few gadwall and plenty of mallards.

I recently managed a decent photo of the remaining leucistic egyptian goose which seems to have made itself at home on the floods © Adam Hartley

I didn't get a chance to visit the Meadow until I went on a run at lunch-time. Prior to this the WOOD SANDPIPER was once more reported on Bird Guides but neither myself nor Geoff Wyatt, whom I met whilst there, was able to see it. It's possible that it's spending time working its way along the flooded ditch that borders Burgess Field in which case it would be hidden unless one deliberately chose to walk along there. The OYSTERCATCHER was still about in its favoured haunt at the north end of the floods and Geoff found a DUNLIN half way down the floods. I did also pop in to the Trap Grounds where there was a reed warbler singing away in the reeded ditch next to the pond. I wonder whether the prime reed warbler real estate is located deep within the main reed bed but late comers have to be content with living in the suburbs of the surrounding ditches where it's harder work to convince a female to settle down there - I remember last year there was a male singing away comparatively late in the same location. A few blackcaps and chiffies also singing but it was the wrong time of day for decent warbling. No butterflies about yet in Burgess Field though I've had a few holly blues and a red admiral in my garden.

The promised photo from yesterday of the house martins collecting mud for their nests © Adam Hartley

Quite a chilly start to the day though brightening up later. There was once more no sign of the sandpiper this morning on the Meadow though given that I missed it yesterday morning it could still be around. The OYSTERCATCHER was hanging around at the North end of the floods and a RED KITE was flying low over the floods. The lone leucistic EGYPTIAN GOOSE was still around and there were a few grey herons in amongst the numerous black-headed gulls. Lots of house martins were collecting mud along the shore and I managed a few photos which I'll post in due course.

Mid-morning Update:
The WOOD SANDPIPER is once again reported on Bird Guides. This is getting rather embarrassing as twice now I've managed not to find it in a morning visit for it only to be seen later the same day. Oh well, at least it's still around.

Evening update:
I still couldn't find the sandpiper - make of that what you will. A TUFTED DUCK on the now rather sad looking remains of the floods was an unsual sight this evening.


I managed a couple of actual photos (as opposed to videograbs) of the wood sandpiper yesterday evening though with the light so low and the bird moving so fast I had to go up to ISO 800 © Adam Hartley

A bit of an easterly breeze this morning took the edge off the temperature and it almost was verging on the chilly. The WOOD SANDPIPER was reported at 6:30 am as being at the north end of the floods (Justin Taylor) but I couldn't find it despite some extensive searching though there are quite a few hiding places in amongst the long grass if it had gone to sleep there and I could well have missed it. One of the two ghost EGYPTIAN GEESE was on show as was a LITTLE EGRET but apart from that it was mainly black-headed gulls picking their way over the mud and floods looking for insects. A few gadwall still around but many of the mute swans and mallards have now moved on. It's starting to get a rather tired end of season feel to it and as I mentioned yesterday, it really needs a top up of rain to perk it up.

Evening Update:
An evening visit found the WOOD SANDPIPER still around down at the southern end of the floods so clearly I'd missed it this morning. In addition the OYSTERCATCHER was back at the north end of the floods once more.

This photo of three of yesterday's four little egrets was bumped by the discovery of the wood sandpiper so I thought I'd post it today. © Adam Hartley
Record shot of wood sandpiper this morning © Justin Taylor

Yet another hot sunny day. Unfortunately there was no sign of the stints this morning on the floods and even our garganey had moved on. There is a chance that the stints may return this evening as there was no sign of them yesterday morning either though with the weather this good they may well have moved on. There were now a total of four LITTLE EGRETS about, a couple of RINGED PLOVERS, the two ghost EGYPTIAN GEESE still and six grey herons but apart from that it was mainly black-headed gulls that seem to be everywhere on the floods at present.

Evening Update:
An evening return to the Meadow found still no sign of the stints but in addition to this morning's birds which were still present there was another WOOD SANDPIPER on the floods as well as a bonus OYSTERCATCHER along the North shore. Coming on the back of the three Temminck's yesterday, the Meadow is certainly producing some good birds just at present. The only shadow over all this is that the floods are fast receding and without some rain fairly soon they will be gone though one can but be thankful that they lasted long enough for the key May passage.

After finding the sandpiper skulking in amongst the flooded grass I was lucky that it moved to a clear bit of shoreline where I was able to get quite close so that even a digiscoped videograb in the dusk light came out quite well © Adam Hartley

Yet another hot and sunny day. This morning in a very brief visit there was no sign of the stints from yesterday evening (though with hindsight I may have missed them - see later). The drake GARGANEY was still around as were the two "ghost" EGYPTIAN GEESE which presumably are finding the Meadow rather to their liking. Plenty of regular birds to make up the numbers with lots of black-headed gulls, gadwall and mallards still around. There were also at least 10 house martins around this morning.

Evening update:
I got a call from James Grundy who'd found three small waders down on the Meadow. I came down and checked them out and they turned out to be three splendid TEMMINCK'S STINTS (as James had suspected) down near the south west corner of the floods. I was most pleased finally to get a Meadow Temminck's and three is a great count for this species. In addition there was a LITTLE EGRET, a RINGED PLOVER, a late YELLOW WAGTAIL and the drake GARGANEY all within 50 yards of the the stints. It's been a very good spring passage for Temminck's in the county this year with a singleton at Farmoor, two at Otmoor and now these three birds on the Meadow.

Addendum:
A belated grey wagtail report that was seen up by the Trout Inn on 13th May (James Grundy). This is surprisingly the first one of the year on the patch.

Two of the three Temminck's stints this evening...

...here showing its diagnostic green legs
...a blurred flight shot but showing the diagnostic white outer tail feathers

Due to the poor light all shots are digiscoped videograbs. © Adam Hartley

I was only able to make a flying visit to the Meadow this morning where the two leucistic EGYPTIAN GEESE were still present as was a COMMON SANDPIPER which was skulking along the west shore of Burgess Channel. Once again we've had a near miss on the Temminck's stint front, this time with two birds which appeared at Otmoor.

Late Afternoon Update:
I had a report (WoM - private e-mail) of three stints this evening as well as one RINGED PLOVER, an OYSTERCATCHER, LITTLE EGRET and the two pale EGYPTIAN GEESE.



The common sandpiper this morning © Adam Hartley

Another glorious day weather-wise. We had a near miss on the Temminck's stint front yesterday with a bird spending the evening over at Farmoor just on the other side of the hill. By way of compensation there were several of the birds that have provided recent interest in May all around on the floods this morning: the two leucistic EGYPTIAN GEESE were back along the floods; a LITTLE EGRET was hunting in the floods once more and the drake GARGANEY still present though no sign of the female. Given that I couldn't find either of them yesterday it is possible that this is a new bird in this morning. On the other hand they may have had a bust-up and she's gone on to find a more reliable bird who doesn't stay out all night getting drunk and eyeing up the other garganey... who knows!

Late afternoon update:
The garganey was still about. There were also two COMMON TERNS and the KITE was drifting around once more. Also a rather late YELLOW WAGTAIL flew over calling.

A marginally better shot of the two leucistic egyptian geese this morning. It was so bright and sunny and I had to turn the exposure right down to avoid saturating the pale colours of the birds.
I couldn't resist yet another photo of the drake garganey © Adam Hartley

A rather overcast start to the day though with little wind. On the Meadow this morning the pair of GARGANEY were still about, happily dabbling away in amongst the submerged grass. There was also a LITTLE EGRET once more on the floods and the usual gathering of black-headed gulls, mute swans and mallards with some gadwall and a few shoveler also around.

Later afternoon update:
I couldn't see the garganey on my return visit though it's possible that I missed them. By way of new interest there were a couple of RINGED PLOVER resting quietly on the west shore of Burgess Channel.

Some video footage of the drake garganey this morning...
...and a videgrab from the video © Adam Hartley

Another glorious start to the day with bright sunshine and little wind. Despite these conditions there was a fair bit of interest this morning with a REDSHANK mid-way along the west shore-line and a pair of GARGANEY opposite the Burgess Field Gate. There was also a lone plover species in Stint Corner that looked interesting enough for me to trudge all the way around the floods though it turned out to be just a first summer EUROPEAN GOLDEN PLOVER in the end. It was remarkably approachable and I got down to about 10 yards of it.

The male garganey... © Adam Hartley

...and the female © Adam Hartley
The first summer golden plover © Adam Hartley

Another glorious start to the day in terms of the weather. There were two LITTLE EGRETS present on the floods this morning. It was interesting to watch one of them hunting at close quarters: it would stand still and shake one of its legs rapidly, presumably in order to stir up the mud and force its prey out of hiding. Apart from this just the usual default birds. Burgess Field as already mentioned, is looking very pretty at present and still has plenty of singing warblers.

A hunting little egret this morning © Adam Hartley

Just one visit to the Meadow today this morning. Apart from the usual default birds there were a couple of leucistic EGYPTIAN GEESE on the floods. These two birds were at Farmoor the previous day.

Not a very good photo of the the two "ghostly" Egyptian Geese today: they were far away, there was lots of heat haze and the autofocus always struggles on very pale birds © Adam Hartley

A couple of DUNLIN were present this morning adding some migrant wader interest.

I may have given the impression that there aren't many birds about on the floods at present. This isn't actually true and currently there are good numbers of mute swans, mallards and black-headed gulls, not to mention all the feral greylags. There are still plenty of gadwall about as well as a few wigeon and the odd grey heron pops in from time to time. All in all it's a rather nice pastoral scene at this time of year and to cap it all, the buttercups are starting to come out. Once fully out they make an amazing carpet of yellow across all of the Meadow. With the May Flower also coming out it's a very pretty time of year.

A rather fuzzy shot of the two dunlin this morning © Adam Hartley

Still rather quiet on the Meadow with just a LITTLE EGRET around all day and a REDSHANK (the first for a while on the floods) in the evening.

Two visits to the Meadow today found things rather quiet with just the default birds around. The two common terns did their usual circuit but apart from that it was just black-headed gulls, gadwall, a couple of wigeon, with plenty of mallards and mute swans. A single grey heron was preening near the South Shore. There are lots of goslings around near the river, often multiple families amalgamated together in communal creches.

Addendum:
LITTLE EGRET and RED KITE reported (Richard Foster) at lunch-time.

Here's the ringed plover photo from yesterday. Not too bad for my point & shoot camera! © Adam Hartley

Another glorious start to the day with bright sunshine and just a gentle breeze. The floods were looking splendid though the good weather conditions meant that our star sandpiper had moved on. By way of compensation three rather smart OYSTERCATCHERS were about, initially on the North Reach before moving to Burgess Channel and then flying off to the south noisily though I wouldn't rule out their returning. Apart from that it was the usual swans, mallards and straggler ducks.

Late Afternoon Update:
On a jog around the floods late afternoon I found that the three oystercatchers had returned as predicted. In addition a LITTLE EGRET had arrived on the floods (the first of the year for the Meadow). Down in Stint Corner a very obliging RINGED PLOVER allowed me to approach within about 15 metres so I was able to get some P&S shots off (I'll upload them later on). A RED KITE was soaring quite low over the floods for a while before drifting off.

The three oystercatchers on the floods...
...and a close-up of one of them © Adam Hartley

A glorious start to the day with bright sunshine and just a gentle, albeit rather chilly breeze. The floods were looking especially good this morning with swallows, house martins and swifts all zooming around at very low altitude. Our batch of waders were all still present except for the dunlin which had moved on: WOOD SANDPIPER, GREENSHANK and BLACK-TAILED GODWIT to be specific. Burgess Field too was looking gorgeous with the May Flower just starting to come out and all the usual warbler suspects warbling way in their usual places.

Late Afternoon Update:
The godwit and greenshank had moved on but the wood sandpiper was still present and a RINGED PLOVER had arrived along the North Shore. The LESSER WHITETHROAT was heard singing near the poplar trees to the North of the Perch. There were getting on for 100 swifts hawking low over the Meadow and river as I departed.

The bright light meant that it was worth having a go with some still photos even at a reasonable distance. The greenshank feeding along the shore-line...

...and the wood sandpiper still. I find this species one of the hardest waders to photograph so I'm pleased that this came out as well as it did. © Adam Hartley

A more pleasant start to the day with sunny intervals and much less wind. Initially I thought that the floods were deserted apart from a single BLACK-TAILED GODWIT that had dropped in but close scrutiny of the shore line which now has high grass along much of its edge found first of all a couple of sleeping SNIPE, then a single DUNLIN and finally a much prized WOOD SANDPIPER (as requested a couple of days ago!) so in the end it turned into a bit of a mini fall. The latter was quite hard to see due to the distance and the tall grass and it was only its incessant movement which allowed it to be picked out. Let's hope it stays a while (they often do on the Meadow) so that I can get some better shots. All we need now to round things off would be a Temminck's Stint! Also of note, a COMMON TERN flew over calling loudly.

Late Afternoon Update:
The wood sandpiper, dunlin and godwit were all still present though the two snipe had moved on. However the mini fall theme was continued with the presence of a GREENSHANK.


I managed to get some better photos so the rubbish record shots of the morning have thankfully been removed. A still photo of the wood sandpiper this afternoon ...

...and a videograb with the dunlin behind it © Adam Hartley

Again very quiet on the floods, no doubt a taste of the forthcoming June doldrums. We've lost our last godwit now though a single OYSTERCATCHER was around this morning to add some wader interest. Apart from that the usual swans, mallards and straggler ducks.

Still rather quiet on the Meadow. The single BLACK-TAILED GODWIT is still around, feeding away happily and the numbers of gadwall seems to have increased. In the morning a flock of four RINGED PLOVER flew over though didn't drop down. In the evening a single RINGED PLOVER was near Stint Corner though the grass is now so long that it was nearly missed: just its head could be seen poking out. Wood sandpipers are now passing through the country and have been seen elsewhere in the county so I am hoping that we'll get one soon.

Addendum:
A HOBBY and a LESSER WHITETHROAT (the latter by the Perch) were reported on OOS today (JPro). Also a COMMON TERN (James Grundy).

A rather back-lit willow  warbler in Burgess Field © Adam Hartley

A brief morning visit found just a single BLACK-TAILED GODWIT of note. A late evening return visit found the godwit still there and a COMMON SANDPIPER along the river opposite the sailing club. A pair of shoveler had come in to join the straggler ducks which now comprise mostly gadwall with a few wigeon still. There are plenty of mute swans and mallards on the floods.

This morning it was rather overcast with a chilly north-easterly wind. However the visit was brightened up by the presence of four GREENSHANK along the North Reach. This was one of the species predicted to turn up on the Meadow this month so it's good to have that confirmed. There only seemed to be one BLACK-TAILED GODWIT left on the Meadow, whether it's one of the four or they've all gone off to be replaced by a new one is unknown. The two COMMON TERNS still about and looking very much at home - I wonder whether they might be considering breeding though I wouldn't have thought that there was a suitable location for them on the Meadow.

Afternoon Update:
The greenshank and godwits were still there and a DUNLIN flew in to join them whilst I was there. A single YELLOW WAGTAIL near the poplar trees as well.

A distant shot of three of the four greenshanks...
...and a videograb closeup of two of them © Adam Hartley

Still very quiet with now just four remaining BLACK-TAILED GODWITS. I assume that the outsider godwit that was being chased off has moved on leaving the original group of four still present. The two COMMON TERNS flew over onto the floods from the canal area. In the past turns have often done a circuit around the river up to Godstow, across to Wolvercote, back down the canal and over to the floods. The usual warbles still in Burgess Field though I've not heard the lesser whitethroat for a few days now.

When working a patch whilst there are long periods when nothing interesting turns up it's the little details in the everyday birds which keep it interesting. I'd heard that swifts mate on the wing but today I actually got to see this first hand: whilst flying over the floods the two birds entwine, so that the combination looks like a giant dragonfly with four wings. They can't fly whilst in the act so they freefall together for a couple of seconds until it's over when they break apart and fly off.

Afternoon Update
Just a single YELLOW WAGTAIL along the river shore line opposite the sailing club today.

Addendum
Further to my comments on Common Sandpipers preferring the river to the floods, Ivor Rhymes (who was my predecessor in working the Meadow as a patch) wrote the following:

"Your suspicions about Common Sandpipers are quite correct. They do much prefer the river bank and not only  along the Meadow. There are often one or two between Godstow bridge and Kings Lock - they also seem to quite like the wide part of Castle Mill Stream (where the Environment Agency have recently destroyed the Grebe`s usual nesting site). CS around the flood itself are quite unusual but four together in such a short stretch of river bank is probably even more so."

I've managed to coax my zoom back into working so, in keeping with the local interest theme, there were four fledgling mistle thrushes around this afternoon near the boats. Here's one of them (foreground bird) pestering a parent (background bird) constantly for food © Adam Hartley

Another quiet day: 5 BLACK-TAILED GODWITS & 2 COMMON TERNS on the floods all day. 2 YELLOW WAGTAILS and a female WHEATEAR near the river in the afternoon. There were more swifts and hirundines about today and the house martins were landing on the path collecting mud for their nests.

My P&S camera shots are usually better than this but unfortunately the x10 zoom has jammed (I think I've got sand it or something) so this is an unzoomed and immensely cropped record shot. I've sharpened up the wheatear blob as much as I could but it's still rather pitiful!.

A mid-afternoon visit today found things still rather quiet. The five BLACK-TAILED GODWITS still present, a couple of COMMON TERNS in amongst some loafing black-headed gulls and a second summer herring gull. Just a couple of YELLOW WAGTAILS today. Quite a few house martins flying low over the Meadow and also collecting mud for their nests.

Late Record:
Ivor Rhymes had 4 COMMON SANDPIPERS on Saturday on the river bank opposite the tall poplar trees. This adds weight to my theory that the sandpipers tend to prefer the river shore to the floods.

Yellow wagtails are such lovely birds. I managed to get close enough to this one to take a shot with my P&S camera whilst out on a run one afternoon © Adam Hartley

A very windy morning visit to the Meadow found it all very quiet. The five BLACK-TAILED GODWITS still present but there was no sign of the oystercatchers. This just left the mute swans, mallards and straggler ducks on the Meadow. I was unfortunately enough to witness a rampaging dog catch and kill a mallard duckling before the dog owner was able to catch up with it. A YELLOW WAGTAIL was at least heard this morning but this species seems to be more of a late afternoon bird when in recent days at least half a dozen have been found. There were (Ian Lewington) at least four pairs of mistle thrush this morning along by the river. In the wind the Burgess Field warblers were keeping their heads down but the usual birds were in the usual places including the lesser whitethroat still.

These islandicas have been in no hurry to head north as it will still be frozen where they're heading © Adam Hartley

A windy and rainy start to the day. First thing this morning in the company of Pete Roby there was predictably no sign of the spoonbill though we found the poor weather had grounded a few good Meadow birds: in Stint Corner were a TURNSTONE, three LITTLE RINGED PLOVER and a very bedraggled WHEATEAR (the first of the year for the Meadow). There was also a summer plumaged DUNLIN that was flying around before heading off to the North East. Apart from these, the five BLACK-TAILED GODWITS and the two OYSTERCATCHERS were still keeping faith with the Meadow floods.

Viewing conditions were so poor that even I didn't attempt to photograph the turnstone this morning. Instead, here are some of yesterday's large collection of swallows sheltering from the rain in a convenient tree © Adam Hartley

A morning visit to the Meadow found the usual suspects: the 5 BLACK-TAILED GODWITS, the 2 OYSTERCATCHERS and the EGYPTIAN GOOSE with nothing unusual in Burgess Field. However the highlight of the day was the discovery at around 16:30 of a SPOONBILL on the floods by Tony Edwards. It stayed for about an hour before being flushed by some of the many dog walkers that are always about at the weekend. This is of course one of the downsides to Meadow birding: whilst it can be a very attractive location things can be flushed rather quickly. Regular readers may remember the brief sighting of a spoonbill this time last year on the Meadow so let's hope that it becomes an annual event. Spoonbill is a pretty good county bird and indeed before last year not many had it on their county lists but as well as the Meadow bird last year there was also a twitchable juvenile on Otmoor. They are probably going to continue to be much more regularly seen in the county in the same way that great white egrets are. Definitely the bird of the year on the Meadow so far though with the floods looking as good as they are at present there's every possibility of some more goodies to follow. 6 YELLOW WAGTAILS to add for the record and about 50 swallows perched in a tree by the river during a rain shower.

The spoonbill on the floods © Justin Taylor

A very chilly northerly wind this morning made conditions distinctly cold. Still the five BLACK-TAILED GODWITS on the floods along with just one OYSTERCATCHER though the other one could have been by the river. There seems to be some argy bargy going on with the godwits with one bird taking exception to the presence of another one and periodically chasing it away. I don't know whether it's a male chasing a younger male about, I'll have to check next time I see it happen. One of the godwits was reasonably close and I managed to take some better photos of it this morning though I thought that I'd save them for another report lest readers get godwit photo fatigue! Not much else to report, there was no sign of the Egyptian goose though it could have been hanging out with the greylags still which were in the Hinterland this morning. I got too cold photographing the godwits to hang around to look in Burgess Field. WIth any luck the changing weather might bring some more interesting migrants down to the Meadow.

Late afternoon update:
On my now usual late afternoon visit to the patch the second oystercatcher was back with its companion and the godwits were still present. The EGYPTIAN GOOSE was back, spending some time on the east side of the floods before moving back to the west side again. There were 6 YELLOW WAGTAILS about today. I don't know whether the daily wagtail sightings consist of passing birds or whether they linger on the Meadow for a while. Plenty of swallows, swifts, house and sand martins hunting low over the river today.

The Egyptian Goose, adding a bit of exotic colour in amongst the greylags © Adam Hartley

Another warm start to the day though rather overcast and cloudy with showers by mid morning. The 5 BLACK-TAILED GODWITS and 2 OYSTERCATCHERS were still present and were joined this morning by 3 RINGED PLOVER and 2 DUNLIN. The grass around the shore-line is getting quite long in places and these birds were rather well hidden so I didn't notice them at first. We normally get a passage of ringed plover and dunlin in May, often travelling together so it looks like that's kicking off now. Looking back through my records for 2008 if the flood waters hold up we may also get some more garganey and possibly a wood sandpiper or two as well as some greenshank. We were also lucky enough to get the Temminck's stint in May that year as well. Meanwhile there are still 18 mute swans, a few straggler ducks still and the mallard ducklings are still all present and correct. Burgess Field held the usual warblers and at least one LESSER WHITETHROAT is still singing away.

Late Afternoon Update:
On a late afternoon jog around the floods an EGYPTIAN GOOSE was found amongst the greylag flock between the river. There were also a dozen YELLOW WAGTAILS in the same general area and a COMMON SANDPIPER on the river shore opposite the Perch Inn. These sandpipers aren't actually that common on the Meadow though I suspect many are missed that hang out by the river rather than the flood area. Two jays reported (Mary Gregory) in Burgess Field.

At last a better photo of one of the five godwits though the lack of sun means it's not as good as it could have been © Adam Hartley

A more cloudy start to the day found our current "waders in residence" had increased in number with five BLACK-TAILED GODWITS and now four OYSTERCATCHERS on the floods, the latter as noisy as ever. The mute swan count has now increased to 18 birds and there are now three mallard families on the floods. Just popped briefly into Burgess Field but nothing in particular to report though plenty of warblers about.

Afternoon Update:
A later afternoon run around the patch found the godwits and just two oystercatchers still present but there was the addition of a new LITTLE RINGED PLOVER in Stint Corner and five YELLOW WAGTAILS in the grass between the river and the floods. A COMMON TERN was seen flying towards the floods over Burgess Field.


The majority of the straggler ducks are now gadwall - here's a videograb that I took a few days ago © Adam Hartley

A glorious start to the day which looked like it was going to be quite a hot day though later on it clouded over. Our long-staying four BLACK-TAILED GODWITS and two OYSTERCATCHERS were both still about this morning together with the straggler ducks (which are decreasing in number) and the mallards and swans and all five mallard ducklings are still alive and well. This morning a pair of COMMON TERNS were about, diving (unsuccessfully) and then resting on the grass. There now seem to be two singing LESSER WHITETHROATS in Burgess Field along with plenty of the more usual warblers which is excellent news. The floods are looking pretty good at present and I have high hopes of something good turning up soon.

Evening Update:
Two flocks of 20 and 30 golden plover whizzed over the floods on an evening stroll around the floods. Also a surprising adult YELLOW-LEGGED GULL was on the floods before flying off towards Farmoor. A group of 10 YELLOW WAGTAILS reported on the grass between the floods and the river (Richard Foster).

The two common terns this morning with one of the godwits © Adam Hartley

A morning visit found little changed from last night: the four BLACK-TAILED GODWITS and the two OYSTERCATCHERS and the LITTLE RINGED PLOVER were all still about on the floods. In Burgess Field lots of warbler action with the LESSER WHITETHROAT still about and calling occasionally. A kestrel was hunting in the long grass and a distant buzzard was reported (Richard Foster).

I don't usually mention mistle thrush which is a year round resident on the Meadow and often to be seen. This was taken last week  © Adam Hartley

I wasn't able to get out to the Meadow until after 8pm when I enjoyed a walk in the "gloaming". It was interesting to see what happens on the Meadow this late in the day: it appeared that mallards were coming in to roost to enjoy the ones that seem to have taken up residence there. I have been wondering about this population of mallards and swans which are currently on the Meadow: perhaps they are first summer birds which won't be breeding and so can lounge around feeding and enjoying the spring weather without having to worry about raising a family. Talking of which I have been meaning to mention that the first brood of ducklings has been on the Meadow all week and today I saw several families of goslings as well. The two OYSTERCATCHERS were still around the north end of the floods and a third bird seemed to have dropped in at the southern end. The four BLACK-TAILED GODWITS are still present and a LITTLE RINGED PLOVER was found down near Stint Corner. There was an impressive swarm of flies over the river making a tight column into which the swallows and martins were tucking with gusto. A couple of SWIFTS sped over as well. As I was walking back a grey heron flapped slowly in to land on the water, a very pleasant end to an evening's visit.

Videograb of the little ringed plover taken in near darkness © Adam Hartley

Yet another glorious day though the downside of all this sunshine is that the floods are shrinking fast and we really need a good dose of rain soon to top them up again. This good weather probably also means that interesting vagrants are less likely to turn up. First thing on the floods there was just the two OYSTERCATCHERS, two SHELDUCK and the straggler ducks. A BLACK-TAILED GODWIT flew off as I arrived though later on three godwits were back on the floods again so perhaps they're roosting elsewhere as they arrived about the same time a couple of days ago. A few swallows, house and sand martins around and the first SWIFTS reported (James Grundy). James also found a LITTLE RINGED PLOVER hiding down in Stint Corner and also had the first COMMON TERNS of the year.. Burgess Field was heaving with warblers including a pair of GARDEN WARBLERS that were singing away: "a blackcap on acid" is the best description of the song that I've come across. These are the first of the year and complete the set of ten warblers.

Addendum
4 YELLOW WAGTAILS reported this evening (Mary Gregory).

One of the two garden warblers in Burgess Field this morning © Adam Hartley

Yet another glorious start to the day with hardly a breath of wind and the floods were looking very picturesque. The four BLACK-TAILED GODWITS were still present as were the two OYSTERCATCHERS and there was a single SHELDUCK still about. There was a small gathering of black-headed gulls once again as well as the straggler ducks. Just popped my head into Burgess Field briefly but I found a new grasshopper warbler so I reckon that there are now four present (unless one has moved location). More whitethroats and sedge warblers have arrived and I stopped of at the Trap Grounds briefly on the way home to find at least two REED WARBLERS singing away so now we just need garden warbler to complete the set. Late afternoon found the same birds plus a few swallows and house martins.



I'm still struggling to take a real good shot of the godwits but it's not really possible to get close enough © Adam Hartley

Another morning visit to the Meadow in glorious sunshine. It was a touch misty just first thing but soon brightened up. Our star garganey had moved on this morning, which was a shame, though at least two of the OYSTERCATCHERS were still around and the others may be down by the river still. There were up to six SHELDUCK on the floods this morning and a lone heron hunting for trapped fish in the flood water. Still a few gadwall, teal, wigeon and shoveler around.

Burgess Field was alive with warbling warblers this morning with at least two whitethroats now, one sedge warbler and at least two grasshopper warblers reeling. The earlier warblers were all singing away merrily as well. Linnets and reed buntings were also rather active. The highlight of the visit was a LESSER WHITETHROAT which was singing and skulking around in a bush in the north west corner. Let's hope he stays around though last year the bird we had only seemed to stay for a few days. With just garden and reed warbler to get (the latter should be a dead cert in the Trap Grounds) it looks like we'll achieve our full complement of ten warblers again this year.

Back by the floods as I was leaving four BLACK-TAILED GODWITS had in the mean time dropped in. Port Meadow was recently described by Ian Lewington (the county recorder) as the county's premier spot for this species, so it was good to see it living up to its reputation.

Three of the four godwits that dropped in this morning © Adam Hartley

A bright morning but with a bit of a chilly breeze making me wish I'd brought my gloves on my morning run. The floods are still rather empty looking though the drake GARGANEY is continuing to grace us with its presence as do four of the original five noisy OYSTERCATCHERS which are still about. We've had some more warbler arrivals with the first singing male WHITETHROAT and first male SEDGE WARBLER both in Burgess Field. In addition the grasshopper warblers are still reeling and blackcaps, chiffchaffs and willow warblers are singing away though I've not heard the cetti's for a while so it may have moved on. I haven't heard a cuckoo yet on the patch: usually I do at least manage to hear a distant one.

Reeling grasshopper warbler. There are at least three singing males already in Burgess Field © Andy Johnson

A morning visit to the Meadow found bright sunshine but a bit of a chilly westerly breeze. The drake GARGANEY was still present for a third day this morning so evidently is finding conditions to his liking. The five OYSTERCATCHERS from yesterday evening were still around and occasionally getting flustered and calling loudly as they sped off to another part of the floods. Apart from that the usual tardy winter ducks, a few black-headed gulls and the mallards and swans. Very little in Burgess Field this morning in terms of warbler activity with just a blackcap singing along the railway side.

The highlight of the morning was when all the ducks suddenly went up and circled around for a bit though I couldn't initially work out what had put them up. I then heard the sound of large gulls calling though couldn't at first see them anywhere. Finally I looked high up overhead where I saw three or four large gulls in a thermal together with an OSPREY which I presume they were mobbing. I managed to get my scope on it and watched it for a few minutes as it drifted off to the north. A very nice start to the day!

A distant record shot of one of the five oystercatchers this morning © Adam Hartley

A morning visit to the Meadow (with scope this time) found the same emptiness on the the floods though the male GARGANEY was still present, happily dabbling away in amongst the wet grass. A SHELDUCK was along the North Shore though it was disturbed by an early morning jogger and flew off north. Apart from this star duck there were a few gadwall, shoveler, teal and wigeon still about as well as plenty of mallards, eight mute swans and three coots. I actually counted all the ducks and there were about 110 which sounds like quite a lot but when spread over what is still quite a large area it feels comparatively deserted. There was a small flock of black-headed gulls along the North Shore and a couple of grey herons in the flooded ditch along Burgess Field.

Evening Update:
5 OYSTERCATCHERS and 2 REDSHANK adding some wader interest this evening with the GARGANEY still present asleep on the floods. The BARN OWL was reported (Anwyn Grogan) as still around yesterday in Burgess Field.


A couple of better shots than yesterday of our star garganey though they are both merely videograbs given the distance and the somewhat hazy conditions © Adam Hartley

An early morning run around the patch in glorious spring sunshine found the floods almost completely deserted with just a handful of ducks and a herd of seven or so mute swans. However what was lacking in quantity was made up for in quality with a wonderful drake GARGANEY being the star of the show. It was feeding away quite happily in the middle of the floods. Added to this was a pair of BLACK SWANS, looking very exotic along the west shore near the house boat. A couple of house martins and swallows were buzzing about and a meadow pipit zipped over as did a pair of STOCK DOVES. There are a few lapwings still around on the floods making the only current wader interest. We should start to get whimbrel coming through now and indeed a couple were seen at Farmoor today.

A male blackcap was singing near the Aristotle Lane bridge and there are now three male GRASSHOPPER WARBLERS in Burgess Field. At least one was showing very well and singing from the top of its chosen bush as it competed with a nearby neighbour. If anyone is keen to see this often rather skulking warbler then now is a good time to do so as they vie with each other to establish their territories and before the vegetation gets too dense.

Addendum:
2 OYSTERCATCHERS and about 85 golden plover reported on OOS (MBG)


A couple of record shots of the drake garganey. Unfortunately as I was on a run I only had my P&S camera with me and the bird was on the far side of the floods. Given these factors I'm rather pleased with how it's actually come out - at least you can tell what it is! © Adam Hartley

After arriving back from holiday in the afternoon I couldn't resist an evening visit to the patch. Predictably with the hot weather the floods have reduced greatly and there is much more of a sense of things moving on with less birds around apart from an increase in mallards and swans. Mary's oystercatcher (see below) had moved on by the time I was there but there was a single LITTLE RINGED PLOVER by way of compensation as well as one REDSHANK. No sign of the barn owl tonight but there were two reeling male GRASSHOPPER WARBLERS this evening.

Mary Gregory writes: Still the 'no fly' embargo so the dog and I had another visit to the Meadow. Today was gadwall day with 16 on the flood. Shovellers were down to four, after yesterday's large number. There is obviously a lot of movement across local sites. Two SHELDUCK appeared briefly, and waddled north towards the hinterland. The next time I checked they were gone. The single OYSTERCATCHER was still present.

A videograb of a grasshopper warbler reeling away in Burgess Field. Videoed at dusk through a thick hedge, it's just possible to make out the bird which was singing away continually © Adam Hartley

Mary Gregory writes: I was due to fly to New York today so my visit to the Meadow was unexpected. The best sight today was a group of c65 golden plover on the north shore, looking magnificent in summer plumage. A further group of c50 flew in and swooped around but did not settle. Otherwise much as before: a single OYSTERCATCHER, one LITTLE RINGED PLOVER, 3-4 lapwings, two REDSHANK. A number of shovellers had reappeared.

Mary Gregory writes: new arrivals in the Meadow today were an OYSTERCATCHER and two LITTLE RINGED PLOVER. The drop in the flood level has brought the four REDSHANK in close to the BF bridge. The breeze kept the insects down, and hirundine numbers with it; I saw only one sand martin, 3-4 house martins and a single swallow. In BF the main action was an excellent view of a willow warbler.

Mary Gregory writes: A female bullfinch in a tree beside the railway bridge. The first big show of house martins around the Meadow - at least 12 of them, plus two swallows, one taking time out perched on a branch beside the allotments gate. A buzzard was soaring over the Godstow picnic area. The swan count on the flood is now eight.

Mary Gregory writes: I was out in the early afternoon. At least two skylarks were singing in BF, and a sparrowhawk was flap-gliding along a hedge. Otherwise the usual mid-afternoon quiet. In the Meadow shoveller numbers seem to dropped by at least half but swan numbers are creeping up - five today. A lone lapwing beside the flood, and another in the Hinterland was all the wader life I spotted.

Mary Gregory writes: A delayed dog walk meant I was too late to see much on the Meadow but the barn owl obliged with a good showing, quartering the south west section of BF; it was 8.20pm.

Mary Gregory writes:
It was another beautiful day here which brought out the butterflies; I saw a number of peacocks and small tortoiseshells in Burgess Field. Also a male reed bunting singing on top of a hawthorn hedge; they have been scarce this spring - decamped to people's gardens (not mine)? Quiet in the meadow but the receding flood brought the first (to me) fishing heron of the season. A couple of house martins were active over the river. In BF a pile of feathers showed where a mallard had been demolished. Following last week's goose remains (feathers and rib cage) also in BF it looks as if there is a fox actively hunting in the vicinity, possibly one with cubs.

My comment:
There have been fox families in the Trap Ground woods and certainly roosting gulls seem occasionally to be picked off in the night.

I'll be away on holiday for a week so there won't be any updates until my return. Feel free to add sightings to this entry as comments (click on the "Comment" link above) or e-mail them to me. Alternatively I'll pick up sightings from OxonBirds and the OOS web-site on my return. People may wish to pop down to the Meadow to check up on what's about while I'm away though please don't find anything too good!

Adam

A late afternoon visit found conditions cloudy and breezy but relatively warm. Two immature SHELDUCK were on the floods this evening, making for a welcome addition to the usual ducks. When I was there there were just two BLACK-TAILED GODWITS which were clearly different from yesterday's flock as they had less advanced summer plumaged though apparently the flock of eight were also seen today (Mary Gregory, OOS). There were a total of seven REDSHANK on the floods, supporting my theory that they are often down by the river and hence not all seen when I scan the floods. A few swallows were hawking over the floods themselves for the first time today. A few linnets were about on the grass between the river and the floods, a sign that that area is drying out.

Addendum
Forgot to say that I heard the Burgess Field CETTI's WARBLER whilst I was out by the floods yesterday, so loud is its call. Also Steve Goddard (OOS) reported the BARN OWL and the first GRASSHOPPER WARBLER of the year.

One of the two immature shelduck © Adam Hartley

A late afternoon visit to the Meadow today with the weather warm and sunny but breezy. There was the same feeling of relative emptiness to the floods which are still reasonably substantial now that so many of the duck have departed. There are still reasonable numbers of wigeon, teal, shoveler and gadwall about along with the ubiquitous mallards. The eight BLACK-TAILED GODWITS were still present though apparently (Mary Gregory) they did fly off yesterday afternoon so they must have returned. Four REDSHANK were also about though due to their inclination to feed along the river shore it's often difficult to tell just how many are present. A few swallows and a single HOUSE MARTIN were feeding over by the river. The first YELLOW WAGTAIL of the year gave itself away by calling as it flew overhead. In Burgess Field a pair of WILLOW WARBLERS were in the south east corner together with a chiffchaff. I forgot to mention a female SPARROWHAWK flying low over the Meadow yesterday.

A marginally better photo of the black-tailed godwits, this time with my digiscoping equipment though they were a long way away this time © Adam Hartley

The recent quiet period in the Meadow continues with not much on the floods at all though a flock of 8 BLACK-TAILED GODWITS did drop in whilst I was on my run around the patch this morning. Burgess Field has at least four singing chiffchaffs at present: one along each of the four boundaries of the nature reserve though there may well be more. Apart from that, very little to report.

Five of the eight black-tailed godwits that were present this morning. Apologies for the poor quality but it was taken on my P&S camera whilst out on my run. © Adam Hartley

Very quiet over the last couple of days with nothing of particular note apart from the usual ducks which still includes some gadwall. There was a single REDSHANK on the floods yesterday evening and I expect the barn owl is still about. Yellow and white wagtails are now starting to come through at Farmoor so we can expect some of these in due course. In Burgess Field the only warblers to be heard are still a just a few chiffchaffs.

Roly Pitts writes:
I had a wander around Port Meadow and Burgess Field this afternoon and between the flood and Thames bank I spotted a Black-Headed Gull sitting quietly with just a couple of Mallard for company. As I walked in their direction the Mallard walked away but the gull didn't budge, it was obviously unwell. Parking my scope I walked right up to where it was hunkered down in shallow, water-filled depression about the size of a large footprint. It let me pick it up and was very quiet and didn't seem at all nervous as I carried it home and up the stairs to my flat. I put it in a small box with some shredded paper to gently prevent it from struggling around (see photo), cut a small hole in the lid so it could stick its head out, and closed the lid. My cunning plan, having read about them on your blog when you have found injured gulls, was to take it to Tiggywinkles. Google quickly located them and I was pleased to see that they are not miles and miles away, and I was soon on my way. I had not tried to check it for injuries, preferring to leave that to the experts rather than cause it any distress. It seemed comfortable and was calm and quiet from the time I spotted it until it was taken away by the young man who met me at Tiggywinkles. He stretched its wings and checked it for injuries but could find nothing obviously wrong other than it was quite cold.  Hopefully it will recover, it certainly has a better chance where it is rather than at the mercy of foxes or other predators.

Roly's injured black-headed gull © Roly Pitts

An early morning visit to the patch before a day of visiting relatives for Easter found weather conditions to be overcast with a bit of a breeze though not as strong as yesterday. The floods were still rather quiet though this is to be expected as the winter ducks gradually leave and it does make it easier to find the interesting passage birds when they turn up. As the floods quieten down so Burgess Field typically starts to liven up and there was lots of bird activity in the hedgerows and bushes this morning with at least a dozen meadow pipits and lots of dunnocks and reed buntings all to be seen. Still no singing willow warblers and even the chiffchaffs were rather muted this morning. The highlight was the CETTI'S WARBLER which sang once from the hedge along the west side in the same location where one was located last year.

One of the many meadow pipits in Burgess Field this morning © Adam Hartley

A morning visit to the Meadow in the face of a stiff westerly breeze found not many birds around though this often happens when it's very windy and they usual return once it's calmer. There was a single REDSHANK on the floods keeping company with the usual ducks. Over by the river there was the first HOUSE MARTIN of the year together with a few swallows. On the river bank a GREEN SANDPIPER dropped in briefly before some rowers scared it off. These sandpipers are not that common on the Meadow, perhaps because there is very little cover around, so it was good to see one albeit briefly.

We've managed to get another Meadow year tick by virtue of some modern technology. It's every birder's dream (or maybe just mine) to be able to track where birds are at any given moment and we were fortunate that Roger Wyatt spotted and photographed a transmitter-tagged OSPREY flying over Churn. If you follow the link below you can see that this bird, a female named Beatrice, flew directly over Port Meadow this morning just before 11am: http://www.roydennis.org/osprey/index.asp?id=183&sid=86 . Not as satisfactory a tick as actually seeing it yourself but we can prove it was there! I do have this theory that the birds follow the river as they pass over Oxford as a couple Ospreys have been seen along this route last year and Beatrice seems to have been following this track as well though if you look at her course she's actually been flying a pretty straight line all morning so it may well just be coincidence.

This is obviously not the same osprey but instead one that I photographed last year in the Lake District. It may well be worth keeping an eye on the osprey tracking site to see whether the other birds might be flying over Oxon. © Adam Hartley

It's all gone a bit quiet at present. Nothing unusual on the floods this morning, just a few singing chiffchaffs and three SNIPE of note in Burgess Field and a good number (16+) swallows and half a dozen sand martins hawking over the river.

News from yesterday first of all: as well as seeing the BARN OWL, Pete Roby reported hearing a CETTI'S WARBLER in Burgess Field NR yesterday evening. It's great to have a Cetti's again: there was a male for a few weeks last year though it moved on after a while - perhaps it failed to attract a female.

Today a rain-soaked flying visit at dusk found the usual suspects around. Of note were six REDSHANK and a single red-head GOOSANDER roosting on the floods as well as a flock of a couple of hundred golden plover. Apart from that it was the usual ducks. I haven't yet mentioned the noticeable increase in mallard numbers with quite a number now present on the floods, all paired up. I don't know what they're doing there, whether they're waiting to head off somewhere to nest or whether they've not managed to find somewhere suitable. Still quite a few gadwall still about.

A mid-afternoon visit to the Meadow today found the floods had receded though they definitely look healthier after their top-up. With the forecast rain (and snow!) over the next few days the river may very well re-flood once more. At last, after my "request" a few days ago, three somewhat overdue OYSTERCATCHERS were resting quietly on the spit. There was also a single red-head GOOSANDER on the floods for a while. The seven REDSHANKS were still about and feeding actively on the floods. The usual ducks still around as well as a few gulls starting to come in though I was too early for the full roost gathering. At least 3 swallows and about a dozen sand martins about near the river. Plenty of pied wagtails to search through nothing unusual was found. A chiffchaff was singing in the Spinney on my way back home.

Three sleeping oystercatchers © Adam Hartley
..and a heavily cropped view of one of them awake © Adam Hartley