This morning, during the monthly bird count, a Red Kite paid a visit to the site. It flew low, over the Slurry Lagoon, before gaining height and drifting away over Carlton. Some Common Terns were moving north along the Trent Valley and a Hobby was seen alarming the Swallows beside the river. There were still plenty of warblers to see, several in family parties. PS.
Tag Archives: Hobby
Red-crested Pochard – 24th June
There are still eight Red-crested Pochard on the Slurry Lagoon. A Water Rail was calling from the Slurry Lagoon reed bed to the south of the bench on the Causeway. By the railway bridge, on the up-river side, a Willow Tit without a tail was seen and heard calling. At first I thought it was a juvenile but it more likely had a close encounter with a Sparrowhawk. A Hobby did a magnificent stoop, half the length of the Lower Path, and rose with what looked like a warbler, perhaps a Chiffchaff, in its talons. It flew off with it in the direction of Holme Pierrepont. PS
Marsh Harrier – 22nd April
This morning a pair of Lesser Whitethroat were found on the corner of the Slurry Lagoon by the steps. On the river near the bend a female Goosander was resting on the bank and a Curlew, followed by a Whimbrel flew through. A female Marsh Harrier appeared over the Slurry Lagoon, alarming all of the ducks, before quartering the reed beds. After a while it landed in the reed bed but was seen leaving the site a few minutes later. A Yellow Wagtail was also seen and the Cuckoo returned to the Deep Pit fence posts. PS. RW.
In the early afternoon a Hobby drifted through to the east. RW.
Birds and Butterflies
Otmoor and Bernwood 2010
After picking up Brian, Norman and Steve we set off on the first of our two Wildlife Seeker trips. As there was nothing exceptional around, I set off down the motorway to Oxfordshire and to the first of two new sites for the NWG trips.
The first site was RSPB Otmoor. We arrived with the sun shinning and within minutes Steve heard a Turtle Dove. As we walked up the track towards the feeding station we noticed that the path verges were full of butterflies – Common Blue, Small and Green-veined Whites, Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper. The bird list was growing slowly with the commoner birds.
There were dragonflies all round but unfortunately we were unable to identify them except for Ruddy Darter. We continue along the nature trail calling into the new hide then up to the viewing screens. Along the way two Kestrel were seen sitting on the fence posts. After about five minutes at the viewing screen we added Green and Wood Sandpiper to the growing bird list. Two eclipsed Garganey were also seen.
Between the two viewing screens we were amazed at the numbers of Common Blue butterflies on the Thistles. There were in excess of 1500 – every flower head had a butterfly on it. I had never seen anything like it. It was a photographer’s dream – if they would sit still.
On the way back towards the car park Brian commented that I had promised him Hobby. At the screen one and possibly two were seen but very distantly. A little later Turtle Dove was heard again and we all had good views thanks to Steve who found it sitting in a dead tree. We also had one on the path in front of us on the way back to the car. Red Kite was numerous with eight seen on the site but the best but most unexpected bird of the day was yet to come. As we approached the feeding station a small flock of birds rose into the air calling. Steve and Norman identified them immediately as Common Crossbill – 27 of them. There had been an irruption of them nationally in the past week with sightings from Northern Scotland to Kent but nobody had expected to see them in Oxfordshire.
As we had lunch in the car park we had a Hobby fly over the cars to every ones delight.
With the daily bird tally standing at 53 and the butterflies at 9, we set off to the second site of the day – Bernwood Forest and Meadow – another new site for us.
Having told the others that this was a good butterfly site, I was a little apprehensive as the sun had gone in although it was still quite warm. It was then that Marsh Tit was heard, being the only bird at this site that was added to the daily list.
As the sun broke through and the others were watching a Silver-washed Fritillary I saw a Weasel run across the path. We turning out of the wood and into the meadow and were greeted to three of four Marbled White butterflies. A little further on we saw a small group of Small Skippers but try as we did we couldn’t turn them into Essex Skippers!
We left the meadow returning to the wood. The sun was shinning through onto a path of bramble were we did manage to see one Essex Skipper – the black tips of the antennae showing very clearly. We meet a couple who told us were we could see Purple Emperor and White Admiral so we set of in search of them. Stopping at a crossroads, Brian spotted two Fallow Deer on the path in front of us about 200 yards away. Crossing the path was an army of Wood Ants making their way from their huge mound of a nest to their feeding areas. Brian pointed out how lucky we were as, if this had been Africa or South America we would have to have waited for them to pass as you would not have dared to have tried to pass them. As we continued we were seeing Silver-washed Fritillary, Specked Wood and the common butterflies but not the ones we wanted. We were almost at the point of giving up when a Red Admiral was spotted, the only one of the day. Soon after a White Admiral was seen but there was no sign of Purple Emperor. Ringlets were seen taking the daily butterfly tally to 17 of which 13 were new to the yearly list.
As we sat in the car park having a cuppa, a Silver-washed Fritillary gave Brian a good opportunity to get a photo.
The daily bird tally was 54.
The yearly trip totals are (with 2009 in brackets): Birds – 166 (141): Butterflies – 22 (14):
Mammals – 11 (5): Dragonflies – 6 (1): Others – 7 (0).
Marsh Harrier – 3rd September
This afternoon a juvenile or female Marsh Harrier flew across the site, scattering gulls and ducks. There were still several warblers about and some Reed Warblers were still feeding young. A Willow Tit was heard from the Lower Path and a Hobby was seen hawking dragonflies. RW. PS.
Ruff – 2nd September
This evening a juvenile Ruff flew onto the Slurry Lagoon, there was also a Green Sandpiper and two Water Rail. Two Common Terns flew through and a Hobby was catching dragonflies before joining in some aerial capers with a Sparrowhawk and two Kestrels.
Ruff – 29th August
There was plenty of movement today with about 120 House Martins through in the morning along with two Common Terns and three Swifts and two more Wigeon arrived with several Gadwall. PS.
A juvenile Ruff was seen on the Slurry Lagoon today and later a Hobby and a Peregrine were seen. RW.
Hobby – 27th August
Today on the Slurry Lagoon there were two Green Sandpipers and a Hobby was seen catching insects. Four terns, which proved to be three adults and one juvenile Common Tern, flew in to bathe before continuing on migration and later two more juveniles did the same thing. One or two Yellow Wagtails also flew over. PS.
Spotted Flycatcher – 22nd August
This morning as we walked along the Lower Path four Jays sneaked into the canopy of the ash trees while a a Buzzard called overhead. There were several immature Reed Warblers, Sedge Warblers, Blackcaps and Whitethroats and a Lesser Whitethroat and Willow Tit in the bushes between the path and the railway line. Near to the signal box a Spotted Flycatcher was perched on the wires and then in the hawthorn bushes, and a Stoat ran across the path. By the river the Swallows’ alarm calls alerted us to a Hobby. PS.
A Little Egret was seen briefly on the Slurry Lagoon and several Roesel’s Bush-crickets were found on the Causeway. By the Small Gravel Pit an Emperor, Migrant Hawker, Brown Hawker and Common Darter were seen. PS.
Caspian Gull – 14th August
This afternoon an adult Caspian Gull, juvenile Mediterranean Gull, Greenshank, Black-tailed Godwit, two Curlews and a Hobby were seen on the Slurry Lagoon. RW.