17 Apr - A brief visit this evening as I had to go to Oxford - the Bar-tailed Godwit (1) still present along with a flock of 22 Black-tailed Godwits (3), some in summer plumage....also 2 Avocets (2), 2 Common Sandpipers, 2 Redshank and 4 Dunlin. Very windy, and 3 species of hirundines feeding low over the field. Photos, copyright Oxonbirds blog.
16 Apr - A Reed Warbler and 2 Sedge Warblers at pit 68 Reedbed this evening, also a Cetti's and 2 Willow Warblers, and a Water Rail calling. Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs also singing at pit 74 Twitcher's Gate. A lovely sunset followed.
13 Apr - A morning visit to Blenheim Palace gardens (1), cloudy but milder and little wind - after some searching, I had reasonable views of 6 Hawfinches, with their distinctive Parrot-like profile, in the treetops in the Secret Garden area. Also seen - several Nuthatches, several newly arrived Swallows, and singing Chiffchaffs.
5 Yellow Wagtails (3-6) were on the grassy banks at Farmoor, and Swallows and Sand Martins were feeding in blustery conditions. A Common Tern was in the flock of Gulls over F2 but I could not find any Little Gulls.
Swallows and Willow Warblers seem much in evidence since the milder winds arrived.
I took the Hawfinch photo (2) last year in the Forest of Dean.
12 Apr - A morning visit to Liddington, in promising conditions after overnight rain, gave me my best ever view of Ring Ouzels here......a thrush in the last hawthorn bush in the hedge looked like a female Blackbird initially, but the tail looked too long.....then it turned round and the white crescent on the breast revealed a first- winter male Ring Ouzel! I kept still and it dropped to the ground and began to feed, where amazingly it was joined by a second male (4-6), a full adult with a larger white crescent on the chest. I watched them feeding for about 20 minutes, then they flew up into the hawthorns, called and flew over my head and round the hill.....magical. I got the above record shots from about 70-80 yards distance. Also present, good numbers of singing Yellowhammers (3) and Corn Buntings. 2 Swallows flew over the A346 at Chiseldon.
A quick look at pit 74 CWP produced 2 White Wagtails, a Swallow and 4 Sand Martins, singing Willow Warbler, fem Goldeneye, 10 Shoveler, 50 Teal and a pair of Pintail. 2 LRPs on pit 200.
10 Apr - Still very cold for mid-April, and easterly wind still blowing, but quite a few hirundines on a quick stop at Farmoor, including 2+ Swallows and 3+ House Martins - very nice to see, and my first of the year - feeding among 50+ Sand Martins. A male White Wagtail was with the Pied Wagtails ( 2 Yellow Wagtails had been seen earlier) and an adult Little Gull (photo, copyright Oxonbirding) and a Common Tern were feeding over F2.
