Dreary Day!

An incredibly quiet birding day both at Brandon Marsh and locally with stops at Napton Reservoir and Napton Hill on route home.

Battle-Scared Red Deer on Napton Hill

A misty dank drizzly morning greeted me at Brandon Marsh and the usual energetic dawn chorus was once again subdued, with most birds deciding to keep a low profile. However, I did manage a distant Cuckoo, a few singing Reed Warblers around the Farm and Top Reedbed, and even a Skylark helped out on an otherwise dreary walk back to the car for coffee.

Things brightened up a little weather-wise for my next walk, which took me past Sheep Field, on through New Hare Covert and into Wright Hide. The Covert produced a little more activity and with families to feed Great-spotted Woodpecker, Treecreeper and Nuthatch were all busy foraging away.

Napton - Great-crested Grebe

A first look at East Marsh Pool failed to throw up any surprises, except for the fact that the usual Hirundines and Swifts, usually down on the water during these conditions, were very few in numbers. Plovers were also thin on the ground with only (3) Little-ringed and (1) Ringed to be found.

A trip to the screen area with the usual Tuesday regulars did provide a little hope, when we lingered for a good while listening to a possible Marsh Warbler, only to come away entirely unconvinced. A second trip for me with the guys around the 'Tip' area and Farm Field, this time in the company of Jim, Martin, Bob and Adrian, plus our resident plant guru Mike Lee, came up with a dreaded Spanish Bluebell, yet another invasive species and one which requires monitoring.

The rest of the days notables included: ♂♀Cuckoo, Hobby, (7) Common Tern, (3) Redshank, (4) Oystercatcher, (2) Garden Warbler, Sparrowhawk and (3) Buzzard. Hirundine and Swift numbers did pick up around mid morning and a welcome flypast of Kingfisher.

Reed Bunting

Napton Reservoir was equally as quiet with water levels well up since my last visit, perhaps even threatening some of the nesting Warblers. Lesser Whitethroat, Little Grebe, GC Grebe, Yellowhammer and a few smart looking Reed Bunting were the best of of my visit, with not a Gull or Tern to be found.

Finally Napton Hill, which was unbelievably quiet and despite the sun finally breaking through on occasions and plenty of flying food in the churchyard, hardly a bird to be found. The sun did bring out several Green-veined and Large White Butterflies, and a walk to the windmill and down to the old brick works was pleasant enough, with the Highland Cattle to keep me company, plus the superb sight of a well battled Red Deer. However, still no sign of Spotted Flycatcher, which despite now arriving in coastal areas, have yet to disperse.

For a guy who's cup is always half full it's difficult to stay positive on my worst birding day for some time and don't get me started on the weather!

Potential Napton Threat!!

I was contacted earlier today by a fellow blogger Kevin Groocock regarding a potential threat to Napton Hill, which up until this point I'd been totally unaware!

Image by: www.warwickshireartists.co.uk

For those who don't know Napton, the hill on which the village is built is just over 500 feet above sea level and is renown for small falls of migrant birds during the spring and autumn. Over the years it has thrown up the occasional gem such as Firecrest, Ring Ouzel, Snow Bunting, Icterine Warbler and Yellow-browed Warbler. The church yard itself over many years has been a haven for Spotted Flycatchers and photographers and birders alike make an annual pilgrimage to see these summer visitors.

Here's what Kevin kindly forwarded on to me: 'An application to develop land adjacent to Church Lane has been made (Application Found Here)  that many of us feel will adversely affect the amenity value of the land on the hill. The application is for one two-bedroom bungalow, but the adjacent plots (owned exclusively by builders) are much bigger and if a precedent is set we could end up with several hundred new houses next to the church. The application was made rather stealthily (no mention in the parish magazine) and we were lucky to spot the site planning notice before it was removed. We had just enough time to raise a petition and make representation to the district council planner dealing with the matter. We have met a representative of the Council for the Protection of Rural England and believe that CPRE will object to the application'

Kevin also pointed out that while he was investigating the above application he discovered that there is also an application to develop the old brick works on Brickyard Lane. This is obviously something that needs to be monitored with great interest and like myself I would urge any fellow birding bloggers who visit or know this beautiful area to highlight these applications on their individual blogs.

It would be a great shame to lose such a local gem and I for one will be offering my support, thanks to Kevin for the heads up!

Evening Gems!

My Tuesday visit to Brandon Marsh started bright and sunny and almost my first notable of the day was a bubbling ♀Cuckoo as I passed Horsetail Glade. My usual morning walk around the Farm Pool area produced a ♂Cuckoo and the usual selection of Warblers, which included a Garden Warbler on the 'Tip' area and a Grasshopper Warbler reeling on the top reed bed.

Brandon Hobbies Performing Well!

Later in the morning a visit to River Pool Hide during a heavy shower produced around 50/60 House Martins low over the water and with the rain still falling when I reached Big Hide a drenched Yellow Wagtail took refuge on Willow Island, before making off when the rain subsided. Before the heavy persistent rain set in later in the afternoon Jim, Mike and I were royally entertained by (3) Hobbies hawking over the Newlands area. Also of note during Tuesdays visit: (5) Ringed Plover, (6) Little-ringed Plover, (3) Dunlin, (4) Redshank, (4) Oystercatcher and (7) Common Terns.

As birders were always excited when a period of heavy rain arrives right in the middle of any migration period and this was the case over Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, with these conditions comes downed migrants!

Common Scoter Record Shot - Last Reported In 2005

Unfortunately for me I spent the best part of Wednesday in Liverpool and wasn't able to get to Brandon for my usual early visit. However, as luck would have it Fred Stokes happened to pay an evening visit and having just arrived back aboard the boat (having passed Brandon 30 minutes earlier) I received a phone message from Fred.

Thirty minutes later I had two Brandon firsts in the bag, with 3 Common Scoter, last recorded in 2005, a lone Sanderling, last recorded in 2010 which I missed and the bonus of a single Whimbrel on Willow Island, plus (2) Dunlin.

Whimbrel Over East Marsh Pool

Today, I really didn't expect to be scraping the frost from the windscreen at first light and aware of clear skies overnight I didn't expect too much when I arrived at Brandon some 30 minutes later. As it happens I was completely right, with no sign of the previous nights goodies and in fact the worst Plover count for some time, with only (1) Ringed Plover and (2) Little-ringed Plover recorded on East Marsh.

Mind you a couple of Kingfisher sightings and the Hobbies performing over Newlands once more is always a delight and other highlights included  ♂♀Cuckoo and my first Water Rail for a while. Plenty of Butterflies on the wing today which included various numbers of: Peacock, Green-veined White, Orange Tip, Small White, Brimstone and Comma.

Weekend Notes!

Passerine migration seems to have come to a sudden halt after a really good early spring and with the change to strong westerlies more recently the best place is likely to be coastal areas. With colder mornings, only 3C today, the dawn chorus has been a little subdued, although the odd rain shower and low ceiling has produced good numbers of Swifts and Hirundines feeding low over the reedbeds. Sedge and Reed Warbler have also been venturing out and about in search of food, offering some decent photo opportunities, or not!

Reed Warbler - Just Wouldn't Pop Out!!

Brandon Marsh seems to have settled into a regular pattern and the only change to the wader count from Wednesday is the addition of (3) summer plumage Dunlin, which have been around since Thursday. Sadly the (3) Lapwing young I reported seeing on Wednesday appear to have succumbed, possibly to the unprecedented amount of Lesser Black-backed Gulls frequenting East Marsh Pool, not a welcome sight.

Sedge Warbler

On the positive side of things Common Tern numbers have increased, with (6) individuals on Saturday and (4) today and these are already taking an interest in the nesting platforms. Also on the positive I managed two separate sightings of Kingfisher this weekend after a baron period. Reports of Bittern seen from Carlton Hide yesterday and again today are of great interest, can we look forward to the first ever booming Bittern at Brandon? The next few days will tell!

This morning the usual ♂Cuckoo calling over the 'Tip' area and today accompanied by a ♀female, which has her very own distinctive bubbling call and a first of the year for me at Brandon. Also worth a mention from today's visit: Grasshopper Warbler calling from the Top Reedbed and a Mistle Thrush singing from the golf course, a bird that has sadly declined in numbers over recent years.

Common Tern - On passage Through The Marina!

From a local perspective several Common Terns have passed through the marina over the previous few days, plus from Dee's description a possible Arctic Tern, which she heard and saw briefly before I managed to get to the hatch for a look. At least (2) Lesser Whitethroat are still singing and the welcome sighting of a Water Vole on the top reed area this evening. At least two families of Coot to report and the (7) Mute Swan cygnets are all doing well. A check of the top meadow for Butterflies over the weekend, weather affected, produced only four sightings, Green-veined White, Comma, Peacock and a single ♂Orange Tip.

**Good to see Richard out and about at Brandon this morning, (The Cymbeline Lister) allbeit staying put in the nature centre and I wish him a speedy recovery after his recent illness!

Wednesday Update!

The briefest of visits to Napton church yard on Tuesday morning in search of early Spotted Flycatchers produced little of note, but to be honest I didn't really do it justice with imminent chores to complete back aboard!

Lesser Whitethroat - Right Place, Right Time!

A not so early start at Brandon Marsh today after the early morning rain had moved through produced the usual selection of Warblers. These included a Grasshopper Warbler, well photographed recently and still reeling on Swallow Pool reeds opposite the Golf Course and Lesser Whitethroat, which is still singing away just further along the path near Olive Bench. In fact as I passed by he popped up and I managed a slightly better shot than my previous attempt. A good showing of Garden Warbler today too with (5) recorded around the reserve.

Hobby Record Shot - My 1st This Year!

With low cloud and a slight drizzle a good number of Hirundines were low over the pools, which included a dozen or so House Martins, but these were way outnumbered by a real increase in Swifts today, brought down by the low cloud ceiling. Around mid-morning the cloud dissipated to give way, despite the forecast, to a pretty decent morning and while down at the screened area on Newlands my first Hobby of the year swooped in before flying high towards the golf course.

I was hoping that the overnight rain may have brought in something new to the pools, sadly not and today's Wader numbers included (2) Ringed Plover, (6) Little-ringed Plover, (4) Redshank, (2) Oystercatcher, (2) Common Sandpiper, plus three Lapwing chicks on Wigeon Bank. Also of note: (2) Common Tern, (2) Cuckoo, (4) Buzzard, (2) Sparrowhawk and (1) Kestrel.

Small White

With decent conditions for most of the morning, a reasonable number of Butterflies were on the wing, which included: (17) Orange Tip, (1) Brimstone, (2) Small Tortoiseshell, (4) Green-veined White, (2) Comma, (2) Peacock and (1) Small White.

Bank Holiday Roundup!

Brandon Marsh now has the full set of regular summer visitors with all species now reported or recorded as being on site. However, there are a few disappointments, with Kingfisher sightings few and far between and Common Terns, which failed to produce any young in 2012, extremely thin on the ground.

Willow Tit at Brandon Marsh

Early morning visits over the weekend have failed to produce anything out of the ordinary but at least three Grasshopper Warblers have been a regular feature and some of the Brandon regulars are coming up with some superb images of these elusive birds. A record of (2) Redwing for me on Saturday morning is my latest sighting ever of these winter visitors. A day hunting Barn Owl also on Saturday morning is a good sign, with the possibility of young to feed! Also of note this morning were (3) Shelduck, (1) Yellow Wagtail and (2) Willow Tit.

New Arrivals - Cute Or What?

Here at the marina (5) Ravens flew south heading towards Napton Hill on Friday morning and the resident Mute Swans have produced young for the third consecutive year, with (7) Cygnets. At least (2) Lesser Whitethroat have been very vocal, with one still singing just before sunset tonight. At least (1) White Wagtail was in with the usual Pied Wagtail roost this evening and (2) Common Tern passed through late afternoon. The reed beds have come alive with both Reed and Sedge Warbler in song, but sadly I've had no sightings of Little Owl or Cuckoo, regulars here in early May over previous years.

♂Orange Tip - Oxford Canal

With the warm weather come the Butterflies and finally the first Orange Tips are beginning to appear in reasonable numbers both locally and at Brandon, also recorded today my first Common Blue of the year.

This afternoon Dee and I went in search of a Turtle Dove, which has been a regular visitor to an area of the Oxford Canal near Flecknoe for the past three years. Sadly on arrival we discovered that the local farmer has installed a bird scarer close by to protect his crops, in fact it went off during our visit and scared the s*** out of us, were not hopefully of a fourth consecutive year. However, good numbers of Yellowhammer and Linnet were seen during our walk along the towpath, plus Lesser Whitethroat and Skylark.

Scarce Visitor!

Its always nice wherever you are in the world when your the finder of something scarce, but it's even more exciting when you find it on your home territory, and in particular somewhere you regard as your second home.

♀Woodchat Shrike - Scarce Visitor

I arrived at Brandon Marsh just as the sun was creeping over the horizon and took my now usual route across the 'Tip' area and around Farm Field. The first highlight of my day was actually seeing my first Garden Warbler of the year, strangely something that had eluded me over the previous week.

♀Woodchat Shrike With Breakfast!

A Cuckoo was calling but I never quite made eye contact and I stopped for while as I always think it's nice sometimes to let the birds come to you. Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blackcap and Common Whitethroat all made an appearance and after moving off once again a check of Old Hare Covert and down towards the River Avon revealed a Starling with nesting materials, Green Woodpecker and the usual hoard of cackling Jackdaws.

The farm area was pretty quiet save for (2) Linnet and a few early morning Swallows, quite a rarity to Brandon a Collard Dove was sitting on the phone wires across on Brandon Lane. On the reed bed Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler and a Grasshopper Warbler reeling away over towards the Willow Wood.

Lesser Whitethroat - FINALLY!

What followed next was strange enough as I could have easily missed this bird! Pausing on the top bund which crosses the reedbeds to listen to the Gropper, I had a final scan of the Farm Pool Reedbed and immediately spotted something I know very well from my trips to France and Spain, Woodchat Shrike. Unmistakable in the bright morning sun and nowhere to be seen when I passed the exact area minutes before. A really exciting find and only the second in Brandon's history, I actually missed the last one in 2009. Also worth a mention and with attention firmly on the Shrike, a Muntjac Deer went almost completely un-noticed, watching us watching the Shrike!

Marsh Marigold

With business in the late morning I managed another couple of hours heading off around the rest of the reserve, finally managing a few shots of the Lesser Whitethroat, which has been singing its heart out for well over a fortnight near the 'Olive bench'. Great to see the Marsh Marigold in full flower, along with the 'Cuckoo Flower' Ladies Smock and the Bluebells are also out in New Hare Covert.

A few Butterflies on the wing mid morning and these included: (5) Comma, (4) Peacock, (1) Brimstone and (1) Small White. My first actual view of a Gropper this year with a brief glimpse of a reeling bird in the Swallow Pool reeds opposite the golf course. No time to do the pools any justice today but several Buzzards, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel were all enjoying the thermals however, I still await my first Hobby of 2013!

RSPB Frampton Marsh

Once again I managed to secure the Trust's minibus and so for another 'away-day' I took twelve of the Brandon volunteers to RSPB Frampton Marsh, one of my favorite reserves and located on the Lincolnshire side of the Wash Estuary.

Ruff - In Almost Summer Plumage

We arrived shortly after nine o'clock to a bright but very blustery day and began our tour heading east towards the sea bank. What was immediately apparent was the huge numbers of Black-headed Gulls on site, probably well over a few thousand of these noisy characters. Several Skylarks were in song along with good numbers of Brent Geese feeding on the wet grassland.

Little-ringed Plover

Almost our first wader of the day was a reported Curlew Sandpiper and It wasn't long before a few more waders were recorded. These included Little-ringed Plover, Dunlin, Oystercatcher, Ruff looking quite stunning in their almost summer plumage, a single Snipe and several Black-tailed Godwits, looking equally as stunning in summer colours. I don't think I can recall seeing as many Avocets as there were on the pools today, obviously a great success for the reserve. By the time we reached the sea bank (2) Yellow Wagtail were also listed along with Sedge Warbler and good numbers of Swifts, Swallows and House Martin.

We took a very turbulent walk along the sea-bank, sliding down the bank occasionally to escape the constant strong breeze, then hunkering down and scanning across the salt marsh. Here we had Meadow Pipit, Linnet, Little Egret, Redshank, Dunlin, Great Black-backed Gull and a single Whimbrel. Out towards the wash huge flocks of Waders, too distant for ID but likely Knot, where constantly on the move. More Yellow Wagtails, Ringed Plover, Teal and a single White Wagtail before stopping for lunch in the East Hide.

White Wagtail

East Hide for lunch was our first chance to take shelter and have a good look at the pools and almost immediately a ♂Garganey was spotted, offering some excellent views before flying off west. Quite a surprise was the amount of Wigeon still around and as you would imagine Shelduck were in good numbers. The first of only two Sand Martin for the day was also seen along with more Yellow Wagtail.

Our next stop was Reed Bed Hide and here among the many Black-backed Gulls were two very pristine looking Mediterranean Gulls. Unlike Brandon Marsh, which already has good numbers in situ, the Sand Martin structure viewed from this hide was completely barren, with not one to be found. A thirty minute stop also had ♂Pochard, Gadwall, Little Grebe and Great-crested Grebe.

Yellowhammer

From the Reed Bed Hide we tracked back and took the Reed Bed Trail, which takes you on a 1.2km walk west and back around to the Nature Centre. (2) Curlew in the adjacent fields and along the Hawthorn leading back to the centre a good selection with of note: Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Linnet, Reed Bunting, Yellowhammer and Tree Sparrow.

Finally, a visit to the 360 Hide, which as the name suggests offers some excellent views of the surrounding wetland. Here the first (3) Common Terns of the day, more Yellow Wagtail and at least (3) White Wagtail. Plus excellent views of the many Avocet, which as mentioned earlier are a real accolade for the reserve.

Brandon Surprise!

I knew that this weekends weather would slow things down a little on the migration front and so it was, with this mornings dawn chorus at Brandon Marsh a little more subdued than of late. In fact it was an hour into my visit before I even heard a Willow Warbler and no sign any of (3) Grasshopper Warblers, which have been quite vocal in various parts of the reserve recently.

Wood Warbler (A Real Surprise This Morning)

It therefore came as a real surprise as I was passing through New Hare Covert when a phone call from JR sent me jogging (well in a fashion) around to the 'Saga Sign', where steely eyed 'Bittern Man' Geoff Hood had located a Wood Warbler. A cracking find and I was really fortunate to be able to grab several decent images as the bird obligingly showed well for several minutes. As a footnote the bird had moved somewhat by the time I left a few hours later and was last seen in Horsetail Glade.

Common Sandpiper ( 1 of 3 at Brandon Today)

No sign this morning of yesterday's (2) Dunlin or drake Mandarin Duck, last seen around the Baldwin Hide area and the rest of today's visit threw up a few additions to the now established Brandon regulars and these included of note: (1) Swift,  (3) Common Sandpiper, (2) Ringed Plover (not many sightings this year thus far), (2) Yellow Wagtail, (1) White Wagtail and it appears that at least (3) Common Tern (hopefully breeding birds), have returned and have already starting forcing the now regular Lesser Blacked-backed Gulls off the rafts!

Also Worth a mention (3) late staying Lesser Redpoll, single Snipe and a Lesser Whitethroat, still very vocal and showing occasionally from the Olive Bench area.

More Firsts!

Not the best picture of a ♀Wheatear you'l ever see (it's in there somewhere) but amazingly it's my first at Brandon Marsh this year. In fact there were three in total today with two on the Farm Field early doors and one on East Marsh Pool, first seen on top of the Sand Martin Structure.

Record Shot of a Brandon ♀Wheatear

Also on Farm Field was a wily Fox stalking along the bund and probably the same Grasshopper Warbler I'd heard on Tuesday morning reeling away at the top end. A Cuckoo was also perched for a short while calling before moving off towards the nature centre. My second Brandon 2013 first of the day were (2) Swift over East Marsh Pool and in addition to the now established selection of Waders and Warblers: (1) Common Tern, (1) White Wagtail, (2) Yellow Wagtails, which paid a brief visit to Tern Island before I headed off with the work party.

A Wily Fox On The Prowl

My third Brandon 2013 first (missed the one earlier in the month) was while starting work near the golf course area, when (2) Whimbrel were over the reserve calling. Not sure if they actually dropped in but the last time I viewed them was over the golf course. Also of interest was a day flying Noctule Bat over New Hare Covert and the golf course, possible the same one Bob Lee and I saw last week over Newlands Reedbed!