May highlights - a garden Osprey!

My most exciting local highlight from May had to be the very unexpected sight of an Osprey low over my house on 20/05 - a garden first!

Walking out into the garden, I noticed a large raptor cruising at low altitude to the east over town. My binoculars were fairly close to hand so I had a look, fully expecting it be going to be one of the local Red Kites; a common sight cruising low overhead Brackley everyday. However, to my surprise there was no forked tail and as it banked, it was pale in colour and clearly an Osprey! Luckily for me, it made it's way closer before going out of view behind the house. I legged it inside to grab my camera, shouting expletives as I went! On returning to the garden, the bird appeared from behind the house, circling overhead - WOW so lucky! Slowly but surely it gained height and drifted of to the west. All very exciting, with my wife finding it hilarious at how animated I got!   

The woods of south Northants are always worth a good look in spring and a very pleasant walk. They are pretty much the last main stronghold of Spotted Flycatche.rs in this part of the world and I'm pleased to report a number of birds on territory again this year

The woods often hold the odd surprise too and this May has been no exception. It's been great to discover a couple of Firecrest on territory again this year, for the first time for some years. Even more surprising, was a song-flighting Tree Pipit on one date (14/05)!

By late May, you expect tern passage to well and truly over. So the appearance of a Sandwich Tern at Grimsbury Res (found by Gareth B) on 27/05 was very unexpected, but equally welcome. A very good patch bird and inland find in general - my 3rd on patch. Despite plenty of sailing and fishing going on, it seemed quite content to hand around for a good chunk of the day. 

Further tern action was provided just two days later (29/05) with 5 Black Terns at Boddington Reservoir, as part of a significant movement through the country. Magical birds to watch, energetically hawking over the water in tandem. 

May also signifies an increase in butterfly interest, as some of the more scarcer species begin to emerge. For me, that means it's time to look locally for the characterful Grizzled Skippers that call a descrete scrubby / grassy area near Croughton home! This year has actually produced my highest number yet of at least 7 individuals which is an encouraging sign.

Small Heaths seem to go from strength to strength around here and seem to crop up at new sites with increasing frequency. It also appears to have been a decent spring for Brown Argus. Both these were from the nice grassland habitat along the track to Ardley ERF lagoon on 26/05

Some other pics from throughout the month, including displaying Great Crested Grebes from Boddington Res, a late male Wheatear from Hinton Airfield, Little Owl from near Brackley, Cuckoo from Bicester Wetland, Mute Swan cygnet (1 of 3) from Grimsbury Res, Nuthatch at the nest in Bucknell Wood and a Red Kite seeing off a Peregrine with Starling prey past the garden!

Down to Devon

We had a very pleasant few days in South Devon (11/04 - 15/04). The weather was a bit up and down, arriving in 50mph winds and driving rain! But, we did get a good bit of sun too!

To break the journey up, we popped into Slimbridge for a couple of hours - my second visit there in a month! Nothing too mad on show, however the usual good views of waders and wildfowl, plus a few Cranes before ethe wind and rain set in! 

Having settled in at our Air BnB in Topsham, I took a short late evening walk to the hide at Bowling Green Marsh. The wind was causing havoc for the large numbers of hirundines, with resorted to hunch up on the grass out on the marsh. A bizarre and interesting sight!

A couple of short evening twitches, firstly produced a dip on 13/04 on the Alpine Swift that had been roosting on a church in Teignmouth. It seems the storm may have sent it back south! However better luck seeing an adult Night Heron at Newton Abbott on 14/04. The views were average - the bird was asleep, deep in willow scrub for the most part - but still very cool to see and my first adult in the UK.

Another visit or two to Bowling Green and the estuary brought very little of note other than a Spoonbill, several Greenshank and common wildfowl / waders. It's rare to see it so quiet, but despite that, I do though always enjoy birding here.

It's raining Kittiwakes!

The most striking trend from the first part of April was the influx of Kittiwakes, with a good run of inland passage Kittiwakes. Luckily, we didn't miss out locally and had an impressive THREE separate adults in six days at Grimsbury Res, Banbury - two of which I managed to find!

The first on 01/04 was also accompanied by my earliest ever Common Tern. Luckily I managed to get up to see them both, with toddler in tow! Another Kittiwake dropped in the following day (02/04), wiffling out of the clouds in front of me. Finally, the third (06/04) was an adult which suddenly appeared floating over the Res in a very heavy rain shower.

I've actually done rather well for Kittiwakes at Grimsbury - I think that takes my total to 9 separate sightings since 2014.

Probably the biggest surprise of the spring to that point, was a Crane over Bicester Wetland on a sunny 30/04. Walking out the hide, I was greeted by that familiar bugling high overhead and was chuffed to see that classic shape above me! It began circling over the town and gradually gain height and out of sight. Seemingly unringed, who knows it's origin - maybe Otmoor but at this time of year could quite feasibly be a continental wanderer too.  

There was an impressive fall of passerines at Grimsbury Res on 23/04, almost coastal-esque! The headline act sadly JUST eluded me - a female Ring Ouzel that showed for a short while in the cattle field. However, I did see the male Pied Flycatcher, showing distantly in the hedge at the southern perimeter of the cattle field. The hedges and fencelines around the cattlefields also hosted up to 3 Redstarts, 3 Whinchat and 5 Wheatear, as well as first of the year Lesser Whitethroat and clear, increased numbers of Sedge Warbler, Willow Warbler and Whitethroat, plus Swift too. 

Other highlights during the period included a lovely summer-plumaged Bar-Tailed Godwit at Bicester Wetland (a reserve 1st), a drake Common Scoter for a day at Grimsbury, a vocal pair of Med Gulls at Foxcote Res, great views of Grasshopper Warbler at Bicester Wetland (perhaps last year's bird?) and a brief, early morning Greenshank at Grimsbury Res. 

Other pics from April - one of the garden Foxes, plus a selection from Grimbsury Res: