Egging it up.

A pleasant morning/midday spent contributing to the Jane Bowley Lower Windrush Valley project as part of a ten team initiative (most had help) with a view to see just what's about on Jane's patch and the result to be sent forward for inclusion in the TVERC recording scheme. With the help and good company of Ian Smith I walked the perimeter of the common and clocked over fifty species including my first Hobby and Cuckoo of the year, another interesting bird was a second winter Herring Gull. Also to tickle my fancy were the thirteen Common Terns attempting to raise young on one of the gravelly islands. Most of us were finished by about noon and retired to the hide at Rushey Common to nibble on sandwich and refresh ourselves. John Melling (local BTO rep.) totaled up the species count and with two teams still to finish we had in excess of eighty species. A late record from the hide by Clackers as he, with bins in one hand and sandwich in the other, munched but still noticed a Common Sandpiper that flew in to one of the islands, this captured Clackers enjoying two of his great pleasures in life simultaneously.
I found the discarded egg close to the lake edge and believe it to be a Coots, what surprised me was the large size, it must have taken the smile off the straining birds features as it passed this somewhat monster of an egg.
camboy.

Not such a Grey Day

                                            

A pair of Grey Wagtails have nested in the weir at Buscot preventing planned work from going ahead, they were spotted by Jon the lock keeper and it's good to see an instance of nature winning over commercial activity.
Recent rain means the river levels are up with the spawning Chub numbers down to just a couple this morning.
The Turtle Dove sat chortling away in an evergreen silhouetted against the bright sky making a decent photo unlikely or in my case impossible.
camboy.

I'll Give You A Tip

If you want to find an Orange Tip Butterfly try the kids play area at Buscot this delightful and well camouflaged individual was skipping around the grassy play area before settling on a clump of Daisy's. Also good view of a Linnet on a barn roof top and as I left the Turtle hurtled in from across the road but alas I had already stayed longer than intended so a photo will have to be taken at a later date.
camboy.

                                                                          female orange tip
                                                 

   

                                                 great spotted woodpecker - doing a wryneck impression

                                                              roof top linnet

Yep! It's Sunday and it's raining.

With Tree Sparrows recently hatched on some of our sites I have been desperately hoping for some fine and "Insecty" weather but no; once again and following last seasons breeding pattern the rain is dominating making life difficult and death quite likely for our early broods.
With family duties predominating it has been a struggle to get out into the countryside I love so much with a consequent dearth of the usual springtime species I would have expected to enjoy. Hobby, Wheatear, Redstart and Cuckoo have all been sorely missed although some compensation with the Ravens,Chub and several Fox in particular a fine dog Fox at bell corner at the end of the Eynsham straight. There is something that I find exciting about a truly wild Fox, i'm not sure what it is but I suspect its to do with the freedom of the vulpine lifestyle and the opportunism that this beautiful if somewhat strongly scented creature turns to his own advantage.
camboy.

 

Chubb Lock.

Or more properly Chub at the Buscot Weir spawning, I reckon there were about forty but Jon the lock keeper tells me it can run into hundreds  they have been using this shallow stretch of the upper Thames for some five years now and if you ask Jon politely there's a chance he will show you where it's all happening if he's not too busy. Tree Sparrows at Radcot and Bullfinch at Meadow Farm were among the birds I clocked. Oh yes! also a couple of Reed Warblers at Buscot but the Turtle Dove failed to show .

camboy.

Rave-Up

A call from a keeper friend yesterday telling me where a family of Ravens could be found proved to be spot on.I was thrilled to watch the two parents and three youngsters busy looking for food in the reported vicinity and flying between trees giving very good views.
camboy

Turtle Hurtles into Buscot.

The Turtle Dove that has purred away in Buscot for the last Five or six years has flown many -a- mile, managed to avoid blood crazy songbird murderer's and is purtling away again I will be saying "hello old friend" as soon as I can get there but it will be after the Oxford Ornithological Society Annual General Meeting Wednesday 8th May at 7.45pm held as usual at Stratfield Brake Kidlington.
We are to hear two first class talks from Ian Lewington : 'Arcticfest' when I have an inkling Gulls may be mentioned and Sir Clive Elliott : 'Birds of Mainland Ecuador' when birds i've probably never heard of before may be mentioned.
My thanks to one of Oxfordshire's leading birders Dr Bill Haynesfor telling me the hurtling turtling Dove is back.
camboy.