Port Meadow Birding

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:
portmeadowbirding "at" googlemail.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).

All photo's are copyright Adam Hartley (use PortMeadowBirding e-mail address), Nic Hallam or Steve Bell as indicated in the blog text. Apologies for the poor quality of the Adam Hartley one's: they are mostly digiscoped record shots only.


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

Overview
The meadow usually floods in winter and attracts many over-wintering ducks, gulls and waders. Typical ducks include widgeon, teal, shoveler, gadwall, pintail. Typical waders include lapwing, golden plover, ruff, redshank, dunlin, snipe but lots of passage waders can turn up en route. As well as the usual gulls there are occasional iceland, glaucous and mediterranean gulls. In spring there is always the possibility of a garganey turning up.

There is a detailed write-up here  from the OOS web-site including site access instructions.

Autumn/Winter 2007
Autumn/Winter 2007 saw: little egrets, two pectoral sandpipers, a little stint, a curlew sandpiper, a grey phalarope, a long-staying juvenile spotted redshank, passing black and bar-tailed godwits, a first winter little gull. Also, supposedly, the buff-bellied pipit from Farmoor stopped in briefly and a lapland bunting was briefly seen to fly over. A flock of whooper swans spent a day at the Wolvercote end of the Meadow.

2008 Sightings
Interesting sightings for 2008 so far include:
Waders: ruff, dunlin, redshank, greenshank, sanderling, little stint, temminck's stint, oystercatcher, curlew, whimbrel, lapwing, golden plover, grey plover, ringed plover, little ringed plover, common sandpiper, wood sandpiper, black-tailed godwit
Ducks/geese: garganey, ruddy shelduck, barnacle goose
Gulls/Terns mediterranean, iceland, little gull, arctic tern, common tern
Misc others: yellow wagtail, blue-headed wagtail, white wagtail, common redstart, wheatear
Birds of prey: peregrine, barn owl, sparrowhawk, red kite
Burgess Field warblers: willow warbler, chiffchaff, blackcap, garden warbler, whitethroat, sedge warbler, grasshopper warbler.

Adam Hartley

This morning the weather was overcast, scattered showeres but calm calm so it had rather a nice fresh feel.

This morning at the north end of the floods the TEMMINCK'S STINT was still present still hanging out with 10 RINGED PLOVER and 2 summer plumage DUNLIN. There was no sign of the wood sandpiper nor the drake garganey from yesterday.

There were quite a few gadwall around, a few grey herons and the usual large number of mute swans.

At around lunch-time 2 SANDERLING turned up, one in winter plumage and one in summer.

Overcast and rainy but little wind.

At the north end of the floods closest to the river this morning a TEMMINCK'S STINT, consorting with 3 RINGED PLOVER and 1 DUNLIN.  Further towards the middle the WOOD SANDPIPER still present for the third day.



The Temminck's Stint © Nic Hallam

At around lunch time: the stint, plovers and sandpiper were still present and a drake GARGANEY had also turned up (OXB & BG). There was also a "commic" tern which looked a bit more arctic from a distance.

This evening: the stint and the garganey still present, 11 ringed plover and 2 GOOSANDER on the river though the wood sandpiper appeared to have moved on.(WoM).

On Burgess Field the barn owl had been seen at around 9pm recently (WoM).

It's a real purple patch on the Meadow at the moment with lots of passage waders being seen, Ringed and Little Ringed Plovers moving through on a daily basis and some really good passage birds turning up as well.

This morning on the Meadow, starting off cloudy and windy though the cloud gradually being burnt off.

The WOOD SANDPIPER is still at the northern end of the floods closest to the river. Also this morning there were 3 RINGED PLOVER. There were at least 10 gadwall and several grey herons and the large contingent of mute swans.


3 Ringed Plover © Adam Hartley


Wood Sandpiper © Adam Hartley


Wood Sandpiper © Adam Hartley

Still good weather but much windier today.

Late afternoon on the Meadow: the recent run of passage waders continues with a very nice WOOD SANDPIPER at the north end nearest the river and 3 LITTLE RINGED PLOVER along the north bank. There was also 1 COMMON TERN briefly over the floods.

The sandpiper was still there early evening and was joined by a RINGED PLOVER (WoM).

Another fabulous day: warm, dry and sunny.

This morning on the Meadow very little of note: 13 mute swans, 1 grey heron, a number of black-headed gulls and a few miscellaneous ducks.

On Burgess Field: the warblers were rather quiet but did see a few whitethroat, a sedge warbler and a pair of blackcap. There were also several linnets and green finches and a calling reed bunting.

At around lunch-time on the Meadow: 1 GREENSHANK, 1 COMMON TERN. It does appear that lunch-time is a good time for greenshank at present with 3 separate sightings in the last four days at around this time.

The glorious weather continues: warm, sunny and cloudless.

At around 1pm on the Meadow: 2 GREENSHANK feeding on the flooded grass by the floods, 2 COMMON TERNS still around hunting. They seem to be picking insects up off the surface as well as diving for fish and one was seen to catch quite a decent sized fish. 22 mute swans and about 40 black-headed gulls.

Raining first thing this morning, though quickly brightening up.

Meadow this morning: 3 COMMON TERNS hunting over the water, 4 grey herons, 14 mute swans and a smattering of miscellaneous ducks.

Burgess Field this morning: the usual warblers

Meadow at around lunch time: 3 GREENSHANKS (OOS).

Another beautiful day: warm, sunny and calm.

Very little on the floods this morning: 9 mute swans and 1 grey heron and a few miscellaneous ducks. We're just waiting for the next passage wader to drop in.

In Burgess Field: the usual warblers present: whitethroat, garden warbler, sedge warbler, blackcap, willow warbler were either seen or heard this morning.  Also lots of green finches and linnets around. It's interesting how even at 7:30am the warbler song has quietened down. I imagine that all the singing is going on at dawn now.



Grey Heron © Steve Bell

This morning: bright, sunny and warm. Two COMMON TERNS hawking over the floods, 3 shelduck, quite a few mute swans, a couple of grey herons, about 6 shoveler, a few gadwall. Also a female RUFF on the floods briefly.

The barn owl reported to have been seen again recently in Burgess Field at around 8pm (WoM).

This morning - bright and sunny.

On the floods: 2 GREENSHANK, 1 COMMON TERN briefly, several grey herons.

Also 1 OYSTERCATCHER briefly (WoM).

In Burgess Field NR: lots of warblers, including several garden warblers, also a female sparrowhawk.

In the morning: sunny intervals and moderate temperature. A WHIMBREL just north of the floods this morning though it didn't stay around for long. There was also a single redshank.

In Burgess Field: loads of whitethroats.

In the morning: 4 grey herons but still no waders on the floods. With even the ruff having left it looks like things are winding down now. Passage-wise, at Farmoor there are still whimbrel moving through, together with sanderling, little gulls, artic and black terns. There's always the chance that something could stop in on the floods of course though it is starting to look and feel rather quiet.

In Burgess Field NR: the usual whitethroats, willow warblers, chiffchaffs, blackcaps, garden warblers, grasshopper warblers and  sedge warblers.

In the evening: a WHIMBREL just north of the floods (OOS). After my earlier comments on things getting quiet we get a passage wader!

In the morning: no waders on the floods at all.

In Burgess Field, 4,+ whitethroat, 2 sedge warblers, 1+ grasshopper warbler.


Pied Wagtail © Steve Bell

In the morning: 2 ruff & 1 redshank. At the Trap Ground reed beds at least 2 reed warblers singing.

In the evening: 1 COMMON SANDPIPER, 2 dunlin still, 2 ruff, 5 gadwall, 14 mute swans, 1 YELLOW WAGTAIL,1 WHITE WAGTAIL, plenty of swifts, swallows and house martins

OXB: 3,+ grasshopper warblers in Burgess Field NR.

The weather surprisingly pleasant this morning though getting cooler and clouder towards the evening. There are a lot of passage migrants around at the moment, especially at Farmoor which is seeing Black Terns, Arctic Terns,  Sandwich Terns, Little Gulls, Whimbrel and Sanderling passing through. Let's hope some of them stop in at Port Meadow.

3 ARCTIC TERNS late afternoon/early evening. Also 3 dunlin, 2 ruff and at least 20 SWIFTS.

From OXB: "One male Wheatear just N of the floods, also 1 Yellow Wagtail, 2 LITTLE RINGED PLOVER. At least 4 Grasshopper Warblers in Burgess Field".

Dunlin © Steve Bell

OOS: One LITTLE GULLl.

Also possibly 3 GREENSHANKS (WoM).

Rather chilly NW wind tonight

From OXB:  "Quieter evening than of late: 3 ARCTIC TERNS, 4 summer plumage Dunlin, 4 Ruff, 1 YELLOW WAGTAIL, 10 Mute Swans, Large mixed flock of hirundines with good number of House Martins".

warm, sunny spells, light breeze. Lots of migrant interest at present, it's a real purple patch.

On the floods: 2 ARCTIC TERNS still present, 2 LITTLE RINGED PLOVER early evening, 2 dunlin in summer plumage, 6 ruff with some males now starting to grow their ruffs, 1 grey heron, a few teal and the odd widgeon and shoveler.

OXB: 1 COMMON TERN chased off by the two arctics.

In corridor between river and floods: 1 WHITE WAGTAIL, no sign of the blue-headed wagtail from yesterday evening, 1 PEREGRINE over briefly at lunch-time, 3 YELLOW WAGTAILS

In Burgess Field: 2 COMMON WHITETHROAT (OXB), 2 GRASSHOPPER WARBLERS reeling late evening.

Dry, calm and increasingly sunny.

In the morning a walk through the Trap Grounds produced: several chiffchaff, willow warbler and blackcap, a greater spotted woodpecker. Pretty quiet in the morning on the Meadow itself: 2 ruff, 1 redshank, quite a few teal and mallard and some distant gulls.

In Burgess Field NR in the morning near the entrance gate: a grasshopper warbler and a whitethroat.

In the evening there were a pair of ARCTIC TERNS hunting on the floods and preening for a while.

From OXB: "One singing Grasshopper Warbler at the N end of Burgess Field this evening (~6.30). Between the floods and the Thames: 4 WHITE WAGTAILS, 1 LITTLE RINGED PLOVER, 5 Linnets, 3 Meadow Pipits and 11 YELLOW WAGTAILS, one group of three at the N end of the floods and a party of 8 about 100m N of the end of the boardwalk. This latter group contained a male 'flava' form 'Blue headed Wagtail'. The head was very dark, really a slate blue making the supercilium extremely obvious."