Otmoor

8 June - My first visit to the reserve since the winter, in view of lockdown, and I'd forgotten how good a reserve it really is. I had the place more or less to myself as currently only the bridleway is open, with the path and screens still being closed due to restrictions. In an hour or so I tallied the following - Turtle Dove feeding on scattered grain, Hobby flyover then perched, displaying Redshanks, drumming Snipe, calling Curlew, hunting male and female Marsh Harriers over both the reedbed and Greenaways, and best of all 3 flight views of Bittern including 2 birds calling and duelling in flight. Not to mention numerous breeding Lapwings, Red Kites and a plethora of Warblers including deafening Cetti's and showy Reed and Sedge, as well as Reed Buntings. Numerous Little Egrets and a Common Tern also seen. The Bitterns appear to be breeding away from the main reedbed, perhaps encouraged by the lack of visitor disturbance during the lockdown in April when they started nesting. A little bit of East Anglia or the Levels, on the outskirts of Oxford!