10 mins birding.....

9 Apr - a quick drive by the CWP before dark produced 4 Snipe, with 5 Teal, on Waterhay pools and 9 Goldeneye on pit 74......

Liddington and Kent End.....

6 Apr - A cold but less windy morning, no Ring Ouzels at Liddington (1) but good numbers of Corn Buntings (2) and Yellowhammers (3), and Fieldfares (4) still around. At Kent End, CWP, the female Common Scoter (5) still on pit 69 this evening, and a Curlew and 3 LRPs on pit 200, also a Barn Owl hunting here in daylight, presumably hungry. At pit 74, c30 Shoveler (6), c60 Teal, c20 Wigeon and 10 Goldeneye, including 3 drakes.

Cold easterlies persist....

5 Apr - The usual winter suspects still present in persisting wintry easterlies in CWP - a pair of Smew on pit 44, and 7 Goldeneyes including 3 drakes on pit 74. Still no warblers or hirundines in freezing conditions. Migrants will flood in as soon as the wind swings to the south.

More Redwings.....

1 Apr - Redwings are normally such shy birds, and hard to photograph, so these photos taken from the window of the house, with a feeding flock close to the garden, were an exceptional opportunity - their migration to Scandinavia has been held up by the persistent easterly winds.....

Local walk (freezing....)

1 Apr - A change in the month,. but no change in the weather, still a very cold east wind and cloud with a significant chill factor. At Liddington, there were at least 200 Fieldfares (1) with a few Redwings and Blackbirds, but no Ring Ouzels.....there were also good numbers of Corn Buntings, Yellowhammers and Linnets, and a Skylark singing. At Shorncote, I saw my first 3 LRPs of the season, very smart as always - also at least 4 Snipe (5) flying over the floods and a calling Redshank. A Water Rail was seen and 2 more heard, and a Cetti's arbler was singing and 2 Chiffchaffs seen feeding. 2 Little Egrets (2,3) were hunched up against the wind. At least 2 pairs of Great Crested Grebes (4) on territory. Photos JM.

Redwings etc.....

31 Mar - Close up views of Redwings the last few mornings, from the lounge window, feeding on the frosty lawn in the sun..... At CWP pit 74, a quick check revealed 41 Shoveler, 30+ Teal, 30+ Wigeon and a pair of Goosander, also a Little Egret in flight. Green Sandpiper was on Waterhay pools. The drake Teal was at Waterhay pools when I took the photo on 30th.

Some Easter birding

29-30 Mar - Still unseasonably cold and frosty, but dry and bright with an easterly wind. Slimbridge on the Friday morning was productive, with at least 3 Little Ringed Plovers (1), my first of the year, on a scrape near the Holden Tower - also here 3 Avocets on the ice in front of the Zeiss hide, and at least 6 Ringed Plovers with the Dunlin flock on the Dumbles. The Bean Goose still present with just 12 Whitefronts, and a lone Bewick's Swan flew over. A large female Peregrine hunted the foreshore. Oxfordshire holds a few unusual species at the moment - on Saturday morning, after a short wait, I had excellent views of the male Ferruginous Duck (3) at Otmoor (2).- also here displaying Curlew and Redshank, a calling Water Rail, and 5 Red Kites (5). 3 Golden Plovers moulting into summer plumage were with the Lapwings. Nearby Farmoor reservoir gave good views of at least 2 adult winter Little Gulls, distinctive with small size, pinkish underparts, dark underwing and lack of black primaries. The female Black Redstart (9) was feeding around the causeway, as were 2 male Wheatears (6) and 2 Rock Pipits (7,8). The 2 pairs of Scaup are still present, and a lone Sand Martin was feeding over the water - photos JM - (4) Robin at Otmoor.