Exe Estuary & Bowling Green Marsh

Enjoyed a nice little family break on the Exe Estuary 9th - 13th November.

Staying, as we usually do in Topsham, I was able to enjoy whatever birding interest Bowling Green Marsh and the Exe had to offer. Best included the long-staying Long-Billed Dowitcher, providing really good views at high tide, together with a couple of Spotted Redshank, a Ruff, several Greenshank, c200 Avocet and a large flock of Golden Plover, alongside larger numbers of Black-Tailed Godwit, Redshank, Pintail and Wigeon in particular. A couple of Egyptian Geese and a 1w Goosander were new ones for me here.

Grimsbury gold

The undoubted highlight of the autumn and possibly even, my entire local birding year occurred on the afternoon of Thursday 07/11, with the discovery of two 1st-winter Velvet Scoters at Grimsbury Res - simply an incredible patch bird!

It was all a bit stressful, but thankfully made it from my office in Bicester just in time to see them in the last bit of light and super close too! First thing the next day, I managed to get back there and was able to enjoy some fantastic views in marginally better light, with fellow patcher Gareth B!

They amazingly went on to stay for just shy of 2 weeks, often allowing some brilliant views - particularly on 14/11, where they fed at really close quarters in bright sunshine! A nice surprise to have further opportunities to enjoy them, following a few days in Devon.

Other than Mallard and Tufted Duck, no other duck species are ever guartenteed. But this period was pretty good for variety with, as well as the Scoter, up to 5 Shoveler and several Wigeon sightings, while others had Common Scoter & Goldeneye (both scarce), Teal, Gadwall and Pochard. I added the Snow Goose, to my Grimbo escapes and ferals list and finally encountered my first Lapwing and Redpoll on patch this year, bringing up 100 species for the 9th year in a row!

Autumn birding

October began with a surprise Hobby on 5th, zipping east over my Brackley garden - my latest ever I think! Following on from the September Merlin, another garden mega occurred on 02/11 with a Great White Egret seen to the south of town, heading west.

Winter visitors were pretty slow to arrive with Redwing gradually trickling in, but no Fieldfares at all for me in October and just one Brambling at Thenford on 23/10.

One of the most notable features of October was the significant influx of Hawfinches into the UK. Pleasingly, I got in on the act with 4 fairly high-flying birds over Grimsbury Res on 27/10, only picked up as I was watching a Sparrowhawk being mobbed! Having been a reliable site during the 2017 Hawfinch influx, I gave Thenford Church a try on 01/11 and was chuffed to encounter a further 3 birds - one hanging around with Redwings and Greenfinches, while the other two (below) flew in and fed in the one of several large yews.

The mid-Cherwell has consistently held floodwater for much of October / November, with plenty of rain around. It therefore has produced good numbers of wildfowl, with an exceptional local count of 53+ Pintail on 27/10, together with a couple of Great White Egret and 500+ Lapwing.

I managed get out and about for much of Saturday 19/10, spending some time at a few local sites. Despite, seemingly not a lot going on, I did ok with nice views of a pair of Stonechat up at the Grimsbury Borrow Pit, a trio of Cattle Egret with cows in the Upper Cherwell Valley north of Banbury, a showy Peregrine on the church at Kings Sutton and decent numbers of wildfowl in the mid-Cherwell, including 7 Pintail. I finished off at Boddington Res for the gull roost and was chuffed to see my first local Med Gull of the year; a 1st winter, plus silly views of the moulting drake Red-Crested Pochard, 5 Yellow-Legged Gull & a Tawny Owl.

I spent a rare bit of birding time away from my neck of the woods on 23/10, enjoying some time at Summer Leys, before heading on to see my parents in Northampton. I was pleased to catch up with the Glossy Ibis, a site tick for me. I've built up a half decent Earls Barton GP site list from my time growing up near Northampton, so always keen to add to it where I can! The last 2-3 years have been pretty good having caught up with Yellow-Browed Warbler, Nightingale, Purple Heron, Pec Sandpiper and Tawny Owl, in addition to the Ibis!

A few others from the month - Gadwall & Red Admiral from Stowe Landscape Gardens, Raven & Reed Bunting from Grimsbury Res and Stonechat from Hinton Airfield:

Last of the summer migrants

As we moved through September and into October, summer visitors slowly thinned out and autumn began to take grip. The sound of Redwings seeping overhead again nearly upon us! 

September produced a few more local yearticks with a couple of Great White Egrets (including one over Brackley!), a brief, surprise Merlin from the garden out to the south edge of Brackley and a scruffy Barnacle Goose at Foxcote Res amongst the local Canadas.

Most pleasing find was probably the lovely juvenile Arctic Tern that graced Grimsbury Res on the evening of 11/09. My first juvenile at the res, completing the set, having previously seen a number of adults, as well as a notable Portlandica 2cy bird back in June 2017.

One of the more bizarre records of the month were a pair of juvenile Whinchat in the middle of central Brackley. Seen on an evening walk with family on 06/09, just a few minutes walk from home. I dashed back with bins and camera and was able to get some good views in the fading light.

I had recorded Wheatear every single year at Grimsbury Res since 2015 (!), however that was now under threat in 2024, having not bumped into one by the start of September! Thankfully however, a very showy juvenile spent a short time along the western perimeter on the early morning of 15/09 and saved the record for another year! It was so showy in fact, that it tried to land on a fellow birder's head!

In terms of other migrants, Common Terns too have been surprisingly thin on the ground at Grimsbury this year, with only my second of 2024 appearing on 05/09. Swallows and House Martins were still passing through, throughout the local area into the first week of October. Surprisingly good numbers for this late in the season. 

A 3rd-winter Caspian Gull was a decent find in the Upper Cherwell Valley on Friday 04/10. A particularly reliable area for them in October / November amongst the good numbers of larger gulls.

Wildfowl numbers have slowly increased in usual places, including c200 Teal at Bicester Wetland. Geese numbers have swelled too, pulling in a dubious Snow Goose to the Upper Cherwell / Grimsbury area from the end of September onwards.

Others from September...