Autumn goings-on

Being a bit behind on the old blog, it seems logical to go through a quick round-up of autumn locally.

The 12-mile list, as it was last autumn, has been surprisingly difficult to add to. Waders in particularly have been very hard to come by, with water levels generally too high. New additions in the last few weeks have included Black-Necked Grebe at Foxcote Res, Merlin and Brambling from Hinton Airfield, multiple Caspian Gull, Barnacle Goose, Great White Egret at Grimsbury Res and the nearby Upper Cherwell Valley and Cattle Egret from Ardley ERF lagoon and another near Chacombe.

With not too long to go now, before the year comes to a close, the list stands at 144, just two species off last years total of 146. It'll be a tall order, but 150 isn't completely out of the question with notable omissions thus far including Great Black-backed Gull, Mandarin, Red Crested Pochard and Crossbill. It's not over until it's over!

Other than the few days on Holy Island, I've done very little birding away from home. The only other notable birding 'trip' was a visit to Summer Leys to twitch the Pectoral Sandpiper, (a reserve tick for me) back on 17/09. A bit too distant for photos, however some nice views of fishing Great White and Little Egrets. It was cool to be back on my old stomping ground!