Turtles & Hobbys

Having spent a lot of time out and about the previous day, I intended for Sunday 07/05 to be a little more relaxed. That said, the weather was set fair and so I was still keen to get outside as much as possible.

I took a nice chilled walk around Bucknell Wood during the morning. 2 Common Terns flying over calling was rather out of the ordinary. Other things noted included 2 Cuckoo & 8 Willow Warbler territories.

Afterwards, I chilled at home for a little while, before my mate Dan Watson came over. We decided to have a leisurely stroll around Otmoor with a small diversion to nearby Bernwood Meadows for the Green-Winged Orchids. Before leaving, we sat out in the garden for a bit with some food and coffee. While chatting away, a relatively low flying Hobby slowly cruised over, only my second garden record!

Bernwood was impressive with 100s of Green-Winged Orchids in flower and in glorious sunshine too!

I was pleased too, after a bit of effort, to find a white variant, something I'd failed to find the previous year.

On then to Otmoor in continued T-shirt weather. Before even leaving the car park, we could hear the wonderful sound of a purring Turtle Dove! A walk around prodced an impressive number of Hobby, at least 18 largely over Greenaways, though probably more. Also 2 Turtle Doves, 2 Marsh Harrier, reeling Gropper, mega distant, heat hazy, wobbly Garganey, several Cuckoos, a 3rd-summer Yellow-Legged Gull & LRP. Such a lovely reserve to visit in spring, just alive with life and warblers singing everywhere.