Short-eared Owl © Ewan Urquart

Despite the lack of water on the reserve we have had a really good run of birds and the moor is hosting a good variety of species despite it being a “quiet” time of year.
Short Eared Owls and Hen Harrier are being seen daily and the Great Grey Shrike was re-found on Friday evening.
The Bird race held on Sunday gave us a very clear indication of what could be found in a very intensive four hour scouring of the reserve. When the sheets were handed in we found that seventy species had been seen altogether, highlights being the Hen Harrier hunting across Greenaways, Ravens, Peregrine, Water Rail at both screens and a broad spread of small passerines. There were also many notable absences, that would almost certainly have been present had the ground been wetter and the scrapes and pools full.
Thanks to Badger, the Wickster and Ewan for making sure that the first time this event was held at Otmoor it was won by Otmoor regulars. College Lake next year will be quite a challenge.

Victors © Jason Coppock

Another stunning image from Ewan © Ewan Urquart

Some superb video footage of the short-eared owl filmed by Jason Coppock.

Owl in the gloaming © Peter Barker

Yesterday afternoon and early evening I watched two Short-eared Owls hunting over the western part of the reserve towards Noke. It was almost dark and they came very close but my camera could not do them justice in the gloom. In the afternoon I had seen a ring -tailed Hen Harrier patrolling the eastern and northern edges of Greenaways. As the evening drew on groups of Starlings could be seen heading towards the reed bed. A visitor told me that he had seen significant numbers over the Barn Field on the previous evening but I have not seen a roost to know whether that winter treat is starting yet.

Hen Harrier © Peter Barker

Harrier mobbed by crow over Greenaways © Peter Barker

Another Owl in the dark!

Short Eared Owl © Peter Barker

We have had a very exciting and raptor filled week on the moor and the weekend continued to to give us plenty to look for and look at.
Mondays Great Grey Shrike has sadly not been seen again, but we have not given up entirely. They can roam over large winter territories and there is an lot of appropriate habitat on the moor.
The Ring tailed Hen Harrier likewise has not been seen again, but apart from last year, when there were none, we would expect there to be one regularly hunting over the fields.
Merlin did put in an appearance on Saturday with a female chasing over over the hundred acre field and then giving great scope views as it perched on a bush. The same morning a male was seen hunting along the ditches by Noke.
The Short Eared Owls have been seen intermittently all week and regularly at the weekend. They appeared both on Ashgrave and over the Pill ground. There were certainly two on the Pill at the weekend and probably another on Ashgrave. A pair of Peregrines were seen together on Sunday morning calling loudly and seemingly engaged in courtship activity.
Buzzards, Red Kites and a Sparrowhawk were also seen, but it seemed that in every part of the sky that you looked there were one or two Kestrels. After last winters snow Kestrel was seldom seen at all and it was not until mid summer that they began to be seen with any regularity, now they are everywhere! It is perhaps further evidence that this has been a good summer and autumn for small mammals.
I have finally seen my first Stonechat of the autumn, a male out on some tall grass stems on Greenaways. Winter thrushes are now everywhere and on Sunday morning there were five hundred and fifty plus Fieldfare feeding on the ground on the hundred acre field. (thanks to Paul Greenaway for patiently counting them ) There were also a good number of Skylarks and Meadow Pipits associating with them. Ravens were seen on both days. There were more mixed finch flocks around made up principally of Chaffinches, Reed buntings and Yellowhammers. On Thursday a Crossbill was seen and heard flying over the reserve , the first one this year.
Next weekend we are taking part in the first Otmoor bird race and I estimate that if the weather stays reasonable forty five species should be possible in the four hours of the race, I will report fully next weekend. It is still not too late to enter a team.

Yellow Hammer in Long meadow © Peter Barker

Distant Short Eared Owl © Peter Barker

Record shot of the G.G.S.

A Great Grey Shrike was found on the Pill ground on Monday afternoon. It was very mobile but was seen to be feeding from bushes in the hundred acre field. It was not relocated yesterday as the rifle range was in use and so far has not been seen today. It was very encouraging to hear that a Hen Harrier and three Short eared Owls have been seen today,one on Ashgrave and the other two at the Pill.Shrike at the Pill © Jason Coppock

Frost in the car park field © Peter Barker

The very best kind of Autumn weather with light that accentuates the colour appearing in the hedgerows.
Last weekends Redwings have been joined by many more and a number of Fieldfares were seen on both days. The four Wigeon that have been with us since the spring have been joined by at least fifty others and there were several Shoveller present, as well as the steadily increasing numbers of Mallard and Teal. The increase in overall duck numbers was particularly evident when they were all flushed on Sunday morning by a large hot-air balloon that came very low over the reedbed before disappearing off in the direction of Murcot and the M40. Bizarrely the balloon was advertising underwear and the juxtaposition of reedbed, lagoons, flying ducks and glamour models was almost surreal.
Bullfinches are very much in evidence along the path to the first and second screens and there were two separate groups of six or seven birds. A large flock of over forty Goldfinches were feeding by the entrance to the hide which now looks over two muddy depressions, another indication of how much we need rain.
On Saturday we saw four Swallows heading south and on Sunday there were two, probably the last we will see this year.
Best sighting this weekend was the Otter that was seen on Saturday morning fishing on the northern edge of the reed bed. The distance and the misty light meant the photo that I took is only a record shot but you can just see that it has a fish in its mouth.
It was yet another weekend when I failed to see a Stonechat, they are rapidly becoming a “mid week bird”.

Record shot of eating otter.

Bullfinch along track to second screen. © Peter Barker

Greenfinch munching rose hips. © Peter Barker

Very late emerging Southern Hawker ??? © Peter Barker

Real autumn weather this weekend after the last weekend of Indian summer.
The most notable new winter visitors were two small parties of Redwings, that were seen on Saturday morning, by two different groups of birders, flying over the reserve. There were also a group of thirteen Golden Plover seen the same morning. Duck numbers are beginning to rise with eighty nine Teal present on the northern lagoon on Saturday, many of the males are just beginning to emerge from their eclipse plumage. There were also small numbers of Gadwall and Tufted Ducks, the four Wigeon that have been here all summer and at least thirty Mallard. One Green Sand is still showing in front of the second screen.
A late Whinchat was along the path to the first screen on Saturday but not seen on Sunday.
There are at least six kestrels that have taken up residence on the reserve and are hunting low over the grasslands. It is quite possible that we have a larger than normal Vole population on the moor at present due to the very dry spring and summer. On Saturday morning three Foxes were seen hunting out on Greenaways and displaying the classic “listen and then pounce” technique. This increase in small mammals could prove an encouragement to Short-eared Owls as we move into winter. There are good numbers of Skylarks on the moor and some Meadow Pipits. There were no Lapwings to be seen at all, and this suggests that the summer resident birds have left and the winter flocks are yet to arrive.
The Otter was seen crossing the bridle way on Thursday, and on Saturday morning a large partly eaten pike was seen on the bank near to the new Big Otmoor scrapes, by Sunday morning all that remained were its gill covers!

Whinchat by second screen © Peter Barker

Hi All

Not really the weather that I expected after three weeks away, temperatures were not much different to the ones that I left behind in Africa.
During my absence Short Eared Owl, Merlin and Stonechat have been reported on he moor, sadly I failed to see any of them this weekend but at least the Autumn species are turning up even if the weather is still like Summer.
Water levels are now at the lowest level that I can remember on the reserve. On the positive side it has meant that contractors could complete the substantial ground works that have been going on for several months but conditions have not encouraged passage waders to stop. A substantial amount of rain is now needed to fill the new scrapes and recharge the water bodies across the moor.
I heard and saw my first Golden Plovers of the winter on Sunday morning and there was a single Green Sand feeding on the edge of the northern reed bed. There was a lone Whinchat at the back of the second screen on on Saturday morning and a single Swallow on Sunday. Several Snipe were seen in flight over Greenaways. Most unusual bird this weekend was a drake Mandarin in front of the first screen, the first one that I am aware of on the reserve this year. They are beautiful but must be the gaudiest and most artificial looking members of their family.
Many large dragonflies including Southern and Migrant Hawkers were on the wing as well as the more numerous Common and Ruddy Darters. They were still being hunted by a Hobby on Saturday morning. There would seem to have been a recent hatch of Small Copper butterflies and they could be seen along the bridle way and on the path out to the screen.

Mandarin © Peter Barker

Small Copper © Peter Barker

Fresh larger Dragonfly on 2nd October! © Peter Barker

Hard to resist another shot of the Whinchat