Merlin and Another 1st

After returning home from Thursday's Brandon work party, where we managed to complete the cutting back of Willow Island & Wigeon Bank vegetation, I took 'Quidditch' out and moored at bridge 100 of the Oxford Canal for the holiday weekend.

The spot where I prefer to moor near Flecknoe affords good views of the surrounding countryside where I often see good numbers of Yellowhammer, Goldfinch and Linnet.

However, over breakfast on the towpath yesterday morning Saturday 30th, I was treated to a rare site of a Merlin (library picture) hunting in the Field opposite! Watching what I first though to be a Kestrel I was suddenly scurrying inside for my scope having picked up a definite bluish flash of colour. Having been entertained by my find for a little over 20 minutes my breakfast ended with the site of 2 Raven heading South-East over the canal.

In the afternoon I took a walk with my wife Dee towards Braunston where we picked up excellent numbers of Speckled Wood and several Common Blue butterfly. Another item of note was a flock of some 40+ House Sparrows which were feeding on a recently cultivated Field.

This morning, Sunday 30th, having been able to position my car nearby to our mooring I took my usual drive out to Brandon for an early morning visit. A chilly start and by the time I arrived the sun was just creeping above the horizon. One of my favourite places at Brandon in the early hours, when the sun is just right, is New Hare Covert. As the sun shines through and lights the tree tops it's very easy to spot movement in the canopy, even at this time of year when the trees are in full bloom. I regularly pick up Treecreeper and Nuthatch and on this occasion another first for Brandon.

Shortly after passing Sheep field I was joined by JR and minutes after entering New Hare JR picked up a Spotted Flycatcher high up in the canopy, were not entirely certain but there may have been two! Anyway we had excellent views of the one for a good 20 minutes before continuing on towards the Wright Hide for coffee and another Brandon 1st for me!!

Brandon 1st

On a recent walk through the reserve a sudden sharp blast of wind sent a number of early leaves tumbling to the ground and I suddenly realised that autumn is approaching rapidly, and with it more possibilities of the odd migrant dropping in.
The number of Geese at Brandon are most certainly on the increase with large amounts of Greylag and Canada starting to appear, plus Snipe are once again a regular feature with a count of 10 on Saturday August 26th. Shoveler, at present in eclipse plumage, are also returning and becoming regular to the pools, numbering 15 during my most recent count.

A first for me at Brandon in the form of a single Dunlin (pictured), which appeared on East Marsh Pool during Saturday's visit, this brings my total bird species count at Brandon to 112 since joining the conservation team in December last year. Having said that I continue to miss out on other personal site firsts, which seem to appear on the reserve when I've literally just vacated a hide, or on the odd days I don't visit. This time a Marsh Harrier seen over Newlands reedbed on Friday and during yesterday mornings visit, Sunday 25th, a Spotted Flycatcher observed from Teal Pool Hide in one of the nearby dead trees. A couple of Lesser Whitethroat, which fortunately I do have a tick for on the reserve, were also seen by other members of the 'Sunday Club' at Carlton Hide.

Green Sandpiper and Greenshank were still on site yesterday plus we had brief cameo's from a LR Plover, which settled briefly on Willow Island and a Common Tern, plus I also still picked up the odd Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler calling, although a decent number are still around. Cetti's Warbler are also beginning to call once again throughout the reed beds.

While working on Shotton's Gully on Thursday August 20th I came across a Common Grass Snake who I unfortunately disturbed while moving one of the corrugated sheets. Also pictured above are Common Blue, currently in good numbers & Small Copper Butterfly which are also found in smaller numbers at various spots around the reserve.

Passing Through

Several of my usual visits to Brandon have yielded a little more in the way of Waders recently as the recent rain water continues to drain off the pools, revealing decent feeding areas once again, but more on this shortly!

Firstly, a mention regarding an adult pond dipping session which both my wife and I attended at the nature centre last Friday evening. Not my cup of tea but I'd been persuaded by my better half to attend and have to say that I had a really enjoyable couple of hours. Among other species seen on the evening were Great Crested Newt, Great Diving Beetle, Smooth Newt, Great Water Boatman and some unwelcome Mosquito Larvae!

One bonus of attending the dipping session was the opportunity for an afternoon visit to the reserve which actually paid dividends. A reported influx of 14 Greenshank (pictured) gave way to various sitings around the reserve and I was able to pick up 3 on the Friday evening, followed by 4 in total for Sunday 16th visit. Sunday's visit was also one of those frustrating ones when only five minutes after leaving the Teal Hide a Juvenile Cuckoo was seen and photographed! Nice one George!!

On the butterfly front I've been seeing a further decline in numbers, but many Peacock and various White's still remain on site, plus excellent numbers of Common Blue and several Small Copper.

Today's visit, Tuesday 18th, was noted for 12 Black Tailed Godwit which took flight off Willow Island (East Marsh Pool) at around 8.30am, plus 2 Hobby which flew across the pool feeding on Dragonfly. Also on my list for today were lone Greenshank and Green Sandpiper, plus a Common Sandpiper briefly seen in flight over West Marsh, 6 Snipe, 3 Kestrel, Water Rail, Little Grebe and Nuthatch also added to my list of 53 species.

Finally some exciting news regarding an Otter Sighting at the reserve, which was also pictured by one of the reserve's many photographers!

Harvest Moon

A different kind of post to end a perfect Saturday at our home Marina. The day started with an early breakfast and the usual scan out of the hatch over coffee.

The many Mallard which frequent the mooring and a lone Male Tufted duck which seems to have taken a shine to the locality were on view. The usual Yellowhammer was singing from a nearby Hawthorn and our small Tree Sparrow population were also present. Later in the morning two Common Buzzard were seem circling over the nearby copse.

In recent days a good influx of Swallow have been a delight to watch as they scoop low for a well earned drink. One of my fellow moorers has slightly over reacted in my opinion by putting his fishing keep net over his TV aerial in a bid to stop them from taking a breather, sighting a poor TV reception as the reason!!

This evening we barbecued during which time we watched the odd Common Tern making their way South, plus more Swallows in play and shortly after the sun set we encountered a rising harvest moon to the east, a large ball of light, copper in colour, suddenly appearing from some low cloud. A little while later we were treated to a low flying Bat, probably a Pipperstrelle, as it flew low over the flat calm pool.

The most amazing sight however was what appeared to be a slow moving meteor travelling east at the zenith which seemed to take an age to disappear but appeared to have a small tail as it burned up high in the atmosphere! It was just one of those evenings to remember and well worthy of a mention!!

Brandon - 06/07/09

A beautiful but muggy start this morning but by the time I'd completed my tasks with the Conservation Team the heavens had finally opened.

On my usual walk through New Hare Covert I was lucky enough to get good views of Coal Tit, Willow Tit and for the first time in ages on the reserve Goldcrest, all of which were feeding in one of the golf course Pine Trees. Fewer butterflies than of late but I still managed Small White, Gatekeeper, Peacock and Speckled Wood.

The Lapwing population (pictured) at the reserve continues to increase and the current numbers are probably up to circa 800, a great sight when the flock are put up, a Sparrowhawk the culprit once again at around 7.30am.

As the River Avon is currently running high the River Pool remains the same with water breaking over the bund and into Teal Pool but to be honest very little was on show. Despite this several large Carp were basking quite close to the hide, one of which resembled a Koi Carp, extremely red in colour against the others, which were probably Common.

East Marsh Pool is still suffering from lack of waders due to the recent rain eliminating the muddy areas, apart from a lone Oystercatcher, but offered the usual waterfowl which included Shoveler, Teal, Tufted, Mallard and increasing numbers of Canada and Greylag, 2 Common Tern (1 of which is a Juvenile) were also still present this afternoon.

A visit to the Carlton Hide yeilded the best results for Waders, which this morning included Green Sandpiper and Redshank. The Juvenile Little Grebe was also showing and appears to be fending for itself. Although Sand Martins and a few Swallow are still showing well no records today of Swift, which by now are already beginning their journey south, but who came blame them in the current climate?

Wet Brandon!

Well no surprise in the recent forecast update from the Met Office, to be honest the best way to tell the weather is to put your head out of the door the morning your off birding. I've even lost faith in the 5-day forecast, which changes daily!!

My normal visits to Brandon over the last fortnight have been, as you would imagine, wet ones although I managed another tick on my Brandon list. Recent sightings of a Black Tailed Godwit (pictured)had eluded me over the period but during a visit last Sunday (Aug 2) I managed to pick the little fellow out amongst the Lapwing flock, now numbering around 600, when a Sparrowhawk spooked them over Willow Island. Some excellent views of Water Rail, including 2 young, moving across the area in front of the Main-Hide have also been a regular feature.

I'm pleased to say that our Gadwall and 3 chicks are still in tact and are getting bigger by the day and it would seem that this might not be the only brood of Gadwall on the reserve this year!

Being in my first year at Brandon every experience is new and I have to give a mention to the fantastic butterfly population on the reserve, which has just been a delight, especially on a slow birding day. I have now personally logged 18 more species since joining the Conservation Team and have been able to improve on my recognition dramatically thanks to other members.

Yesterdays visit, Tuesday 4th, turned out to be an excellent birding day, despite the heavy showers. I was able to pick up a very respectable 59 species which unfortunately did not include Sunday's Godwit. The highlight was an amazing show of small birds which included Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Reed Warbler, Cetti's Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Garden Warbler, Blackcap and Willow Tit.

With the recent heavy rain we have temporarily lost the muddy areas on Teal Pool and the East Marsh Pool although sluices have been set to drain some of this however, the Carlton Pool remains the focus for Waders which included 2 Green Sandpiper, 2 Redshank and the return of a single Snipe, which are reappearing now after a summer break.

Gadwall Chicks

Two visits to Brandon this week came up trumps on Tuesday with the first recorded siting of a Gadwall with young since the late 70's! This was in addition to the 3 Teal chicks located last week, which was another rare site at Brandon over recent years.

On a thoroughly wet and miserable Tuesday, (21st July), when the whole morning was spent in the Main-Hide, the highlight of the day was the discovery of our 3 Gadwall chicks. It's days like this when we discover who the fair weather birders are and I'm delighted to say that the usual Tuesday crew all made the effort. Although some arrived slightly later than normal!!

Thursday (23rd July) was work party day and this week we took the opportunity to make another check of the artificial Sand Martin structure, which has now yielded nearly 50 chicks, a major result for the reserve. A respite in the heavy showers also enabled the team to complete the weather proofing of the River, Teal and Main Hides. During the course of today I was also lucky enough to come across a pair of Grass Snake which were sheltering under a section of tarpaulin.
The quiet period continues in relation to irregular visitors to the reserve with only a few sightings of Green and Common Sandpiper over the past week, the latter of which I observed from the Teal hide after work today.

Relative Calm!!

A rest from blogging recently to concentrate on other commitments but several visits to Brandon over the period, culminating in a six hour stint yesterday morning.

During the breeding season and with few migrants about Brandon has entered a period of relative calm, although the few oddities which have travelled through have naturally been missed by yours truly! This has included a visit by four Little Egret on East Marsh Pool and two Black Tailed Godwit on the same day.

Nevertheless while the birding front remains somewhat static there's always other species to keep you company. During a visit on Tuesday July 30th myself and JR joined one of the regular photographers at Brandon Jeff Rankin who had reported a number of Marbled White butterfly in one of the meadows and after eventually viewing several this was another first for me at Brandon.

On work party day, Thursday July 7th, 2 male Pochard dropped in for a short stay plus a lone female Shelduck on River Pool, a couple of Water Rail with 2 chicks and 3 broods of Tufted duck (5+3+6). This was also probably the last day I will encounter a Cuckoo for this year at the Marsh as they are about to begin their journey south.

Tuesday July 14th began as another quiet birding day but this was easily remedied by a visit to Horstail Glade Junction. This is where the path through to West Marsh Hide meets the entrance into Horstail and is an excellent area for Butterfly. Here we picked up an amazing 10 species in just a 10 minute period! These included Red Admiral, Holly Blue, Small Tortoiseshell, Meadow Brown, Green Vein, Peacock, Comma, Large Skipper, Gatekeeper and Small White. In the mid afternoon at East Marsh Pool, and unfortunately just after JR and TJ's departure, myself and PB were treated to a Peregrine (Library Picture) which, putting everything up and into a frenzy was carrying a large amount of prey, possibly a Pigeon!

So to yesterdays visit and a good 6-hour session, highlights being Common and Green Sandpiper, Hobby, Kingfisher, 6 Oystercatcher, Little and Ringed Plover, Redshank, Little Egret at Carlton Hide and a rarity for Brandon in the form of Teal with 3 young. We were also delighted to see a pair of Water Rail with 2 young passing quite often in front of the newly strimmed Main Hide. Not bad for a quiet period eh!!

A brief paragraph on the home front with 2 Red Kite over the Marina on the 15th, a number of juvenile Sedge and Reed Warbler, Reed Bunting and Moorhen also being seen. Marbled White butterfly are also on the top field and Buzzard & Kestrel are also nesting within site of the moorings.

Real Tern Up!

Three visits to Brandon Marsh in the past week threw up all the usual species and included a couple of sightings of Muntjac Deer, both female.

On the Tuesday 23rd visit I was also delighted to have stumbled across a Water Rail family, consisting of one adult and four chicks. I can't recall ever seeing Rail chicks before and was amazed at how black they are at this age.
Thursday as usual was the BMVCT work party day and today this also involved my participation in a guided walk of the reserve for the local rotary club. I'm now becoming more involved in these guided walks and as my knowledge of the reserves history expands with every tour I'm becoming quite an expert on Brandon!

My Saturday 27th morning visit began at a very foggy & muggy Brandon but I was rewarded with some excellent birding and on this occasion, after the sun arrived, a good selection of Butterfly, Damselfly & Dragonfly. Today's bird count consisted of Cuckoo, still calling, plus Hobby, Sparrowhawk, three Green Sandpiper and an overfly of East Marsh Pool by a lone Curlew, who decided to pass us by! A walk through Horsetail Glade had Coal & Willow Tit, plus Nuthatch, who I know have successfully nested here. I also came across a Narrow Leaved Hellborine which is a very rare Orchid for the reserve and one which will have to be carefully monitored.

Some good Odanata (Dragon/Damselflies) views of Banded Demoiselle, Black-Tailed Skimmer, Emperor & Four Spotted Chaser and on the butterfly front I picked up on Ringlet, Small White and Comma.

To end this post I must mention the extraordinary 'Tern' of events which resulted in a pleasant surprise, and made our official recorder at Brandon a very happy man! On one day last week I had an excellent opportunity to take a good photograph of a Common Tern, which has decided, along with two others, to use my home at Wigram's Turn Marina as a fishing area. The bird in question is shown above perched on my mooring post! When I sent the photograph out to a few birding colleagues I was amazed to here that JR, our recorder & ringer, had identified the bird by the rings showing on the feet as one which was ringed, (as a chick), at Brandon Marsh in 2007!! An incredible coincidence.

Brandon - 21/06/09

Mid-Summer's day and an early visit to Brandon I arrived at around 6.45am and immediately met up with AW in the carpark. Its amazing to think that this is the longest day and from here on the nights start to draw in, it doesn't seem that long ago I was observing the Siskin and Redpoll in the bare tree canopies!

Back to today and the first notable was a Lesser Whitethroat heard singing in the hawthorn close to the Sheepfield gate, a brief glimpse as it emerged from deep within. A good tour of all the hides ended up with the usual species and the various young, now getting close to adulthood. On the path away from the Wright-Hide we got excellent views of a female Muntjac, which looked as startled as we did when we came across her, AW getting some good photo's.

I could here a Cuckoo calling from over on the West Marsh for most of the morning which I savoured in the knowledge that he will be departing south imminently. Thus far there have been no signs of Cuckoo young on the reserve and indeed no records of the bubbling chuckle of the female.

At Carlton hide I got a good view of Little Grebe young (2) and then later over on the West Marsh more evidence of another brood, difficult to know the numbers as they were well tucked into the vegetation. Another plus during the visit were a couple of Kingfisher, which in an earlier post I had mentioned lack of numbers, good to see more reports and also several reports of young being seen around the reserve.

After the other troops departed myself and Derek, another team member, took the opportunity to have a good look at River Meadow and the Farmfield. On River Meadow we had excellent numbers of Meadow Brown butterfly plus Ringlet, Speckled Wood, Small Tortoiseshell and male and female Banded demoiselle damselfly.

With the lowish cloud dozens of Swift had come down onto the meadow, feeding on the varous bugs and several times we were buzzed by these amazing birds, silent as they wizzed past your ear! At one stage we accidentally spooked a Grey Partridge, my first on the reserve and the first record this year according to JR the official site recorder! Farmfield produced no additions to the species list, with the exception of 6 Goldfinch feeding on the nettles and a Latte in the Nature Centre with Derek ended a really enjoyable visit.

Pictured : Male Banded Demoiselle