Oxon Birding Weblog: November Month-to-month Evaluate

 Highlights

After a comparatively quiet October, November really
turned out to be a busy month with a scattering of rarities all through the
month to maintain county birders entertained throughout this normally very lean interval
for Oxon birding. Sadly for these unable to be reactive sufficient most of
the rarer birds solely remained current for the day and even for single afternoon.
Given the abundance of rarities unfold pretty evenly all through the month it’s
considerably shocking that the spotlight of the month is just not a rarity in any respect.
As a substitute, a reasonably widespread species noticed throughout each migration durations at
waterbodies and flooded fields unfold throughout the county was current in
unprecedented numbers in a considerably unassuming and sudden place.

With the quiet October and the deluge of moist climate
a flooded area in Cote close to Bampton change into the centre of the
Oxon birding universe with an ever current wader inhabitants ebbing and flowing
with the rising and falling waters of the floodplain. With 13 species of wader recorded
right here between the center of October and late November, the primary
signal one thing perhaps a foot got here on the three^rd of November when
an unseasonable flock of 16 Dunlin had been current. This flock would develop
and shrink relying on every day circumstances on website and showing to peak at 91 on
the 14^th, a depend that broke the earlier county file going all
the way in which again to 1986 at Port Meadow with 89 right here again then. A number of
days later although, a rare depend of 258 was recorded utterly
smashing the county file and a big inland file wherever within the UK. The
following day nonetheless, issues acquired much more bonkers when the subsequent observer
counted greater than double the earlier depend at a whopping 586! This simply goes
to point out the significance and worth of non permanent habitat resembling this and the how
simply information resembling these can go undetected on underwatched land. 

Simply among the wader motion at Cote, courtesy of Mick Cunningham

The county yr listing continues to tick away properly with an
additional 5 species added in November taken us to 210 for the yr, which is bang
on common for the final twenty years and with December but to come back there’s
a chance so as to add at the least one or two extra earlier than 2024.

In fascinating ringing information a colour-ringed Cormorant noticed
at Farmoor on the morning of the ten^th November. Fortunately information of
its provenance was forthcoming and it was ringed as a chick in northern Germany
alongside the Baltic Coast again in 2020 at Wallnau Waterbird Reserve,
Fehmarn. It has been noticed twice since then, each occasions at Farmoor – the
first time on the 27^thAugust 2022 additionally at Farmoor.

Courtesy of Dave Lowe.

Other than the joy over at
Cote with the mega Dunlin flock, there was loads of information of
waders this month with an excellent number of species and numbers current – albeit
with a lot of them coming from Cote-upon-Humber. A pair of Turnstone acquired
the month going with each current on Farmoor on the 1^st of
the month. Gray Plover appeared to vary between a pair websites with the
first file coming from Port Meadow on the 17^th, with presumably
this particular person not having fun with the frequent disturbance and human presence and
popping up at Cote on the 23^rd. This was then joined by a 2^nd
on the 24^th with each remaining right here till at the least the 28^th
within the firm of a number of thousand Golden Plover and Lapwing. Additionally
placing in a quick look late within the month at this website was a Ruff current
within the lots of waders feeding on the floodwaters. 

Gray Plover at Cote, courtesy of Mick Cunningham

Black-tailed Godwit had been
seen at a number of websites in November though solely singles had been current. Days
Lock hosted one on the three^rd, while Cote had one from the
9^th till at the least the ten^th. Port Meadow additionally then
hosted a lone hen for a few days from the 27^th. Cote continued
to be the wader magnet with Ringed Plover current in numerous numbers all through
the month, kicking off with a flock of 6 on the three^rd. Singles and doubles
had been current once more later within the month the place then 6 once more had been current on the 25^th.
Dunlin had been clearly current in large numbers as beforehand talked about in
the highlights with a lowered depend of 200+ nonetheless current up till the top of
the assessment interval. Different websites additionally hosted birds this month albeit in rather more
typical numbers for the county. Farmoor hosted a single hen on the 1^st
and once more on the three^rd and 17^th, while East Hanney hosted
12-13 birds from the 5^th and sometimes by way of till the 26^th.
Port Meadow hosted birds later within the month, presumably birds peeling
off from Cote. Eleven had been right here on the 21^st and quantity ranged
from 3-12 till the top of the yr.

Inexperienced Sandpiper continued
to be recorded in a lot lowered numbers this month, presumably with birds
establishing doable winter territories. Curbridge had one hen on the
11^th, while Bicester Wetlands had three birds additionally on the 11^th.
Ardley ERF additionally hosted a number of birds with two current right here on the 25^th.
Redshank, like a lot of the waders recorded by way of the month, had been virtually
ever current at Cote this month. A most depend of seven right here on the 11^th
with a number of birds current a lot of the month. Fyfield Wick noticed a single
flyover hen on the 11^th while Farmoor hosted three birds on
the 13^th and a single on the 19^th. A single hen was additionally current on the floods at Cholsey.

Redshank courtesy of Alan Dawson.

Woodcock made an honest
return to the county within the latter a part of November with the primary of
the month coming from Lye Valley on the 18^th. Port Meadow additionally
hosted a single hen on the 21^st while persevering with the city theme a
useless hen was picked up on the Dragon Faculty in Oxford on the 24^th.
Final winters properly used flight line over Piddington was watched for the
first time this winter and produced three birds heading out of roost and heading
to feeding grounds within the wider panorama.

Wildfowl and so forth

Simply the standout rarity in
this group this month was a ‘short-stopping’ pair of Bewick Swan at Otmoor
on the 25^th. The primary file since 2018 with what was an annual
species for the county beforehand and one of many miserable parts of an ever
warming local weather. With birds now seeking to winter in components of Europe en
masse, while birds that do arrive right here arrive later and depart earlier
that is more and more a standout county rarity and there may very properly be a
time the place these wonderful swans now not return to the UK. One of many
extra wonderful points of Bewick Swan is the flexibility to inform people
aside by the sample of their payments, with every being distinct and distinctive to
people. Fortunately, though these birds remained distant one was at the least
identifiable as ‘Bruton’ and she or he was seen the next day at WWT Slimbridge. 

The 2 Bewick’s Swans at Otmoor, courtesy of Jackie Newcombe

A cracking red-headed Smew was
considerably overshadowed by the above, however who doesn’t love a Smew? Absolutely the
better of all our winter wildfowl in any plumage! This hen was much more particular
by the truth that it was the primary Smew recorded inside Oxford for
75 years, one other wonderful city file of such an enigmatic species. Sadly,
one other quick stayer with the hen disappearing not lengthy after the preliminary sighting. 

The red-head Smew on Port Meadow, courtesy of Steve Lavington

Given the abundance of inland information surrounding the county throughout the latter
a part of October it’s no shock that Oxfordshire lastly acquired in
on the diver motion in early November. The most important shock was the
location, with a Nice Northern Diver current on Thrupp Lake at Radley
GP’s on the 1^st. Given the degrees of disturbance and the dimensions of
the location it’s considerably much less shocking that the hen didn’t seemingly grasp round
any greater than an hour or so earlier than departing someplace rather more appropriate. 

The Radley Nice Northern Diver, courtesy of Ben Carpenter

The years first Brent Goose was
additionally logged this month when a single hen dropped into Farmoor on the afternoon
of the 7^th. Sadly, like a lot of this months rarities it did
not linger lengthy and was passed by sundown. Additionally at Farmoor the feminine Scaup
continued its extended keep having arrived the earlier month, presumably
this particular person will now spend a lot of the winter right here with a possible foray
to Dix Pit as different birds have often finished lately. Shelduck
had been pretty widespread throughout the county with a number of teams of a number of birds
current. 4 had been on Port Meadow on the 6^th with birds returning
right here on the 25^th and 27^th. Cutteslowe Park hosted
a single on the 12^th, while Cote continued to be the epicentre
of birding exercise with birds right here on the 13^th and 23^rd rising
to 11 people by the 25^th.  Grimsbury then hosted a single hen on
the 28^th. 

The Farmoor feminine Scaup courtesy of Gnome

Ruddy Shelduck had been
recorded at a single website with Blenheim internet hosting a pair of birds on the 16^th
a pleasant bonus for the Patchwork Problem patcher there. Goosander had been
at 4 websites with all birds been reported within the latter a part of the month. Chinnor
hosted a pair on the 17^th, while Port Meadow hosted the
most birds with 7 on the 21^st and once more on the 27^th. Two
different websites hosted a number of birds in the direction of the top of the month – Standlake on
the 24^th and Grimsbury on the 26^th. Goldeneye additionally
returned to the county in larger numbers this month with at the least 5 websites internet hosting
birds – Blenheim, Pit 60, Dix Pit, Farmoor and Radley GPs. A number of
notable Mandarin information for the county this month with a excessive depend of
20+ at Blenheim current for a lot of the month, while a single hen at Farmoor
on the 21^st was notable for its rarity worth for the location. 

A drake Mandarin at Pinkhill, Farmoor, courtesy of Dave Lowe

Herons,
egrets and so forth

Cattle Egret continued to linger within the county by way of
November, albeit with some seen departures from the primary post-breeding
flock peaks of the autumn. Otmoor hosted probably the most birds with as much as 13 on
the 11^th with at the least 4 remaining till the 20^th. Wytham,
Port Meadow and Days Lock additionally hosted birds this month with 4 at Wytham
on the 11^th, a single at Port Meadow on the identical day and
a small flock of 4 at Days Lock on the 24^th.

Nice White Egret had been at 7 websites this month made up of
largely single birds, though the very best depend got here from Blenheim with
4 birds right here on the 15^th. Information of different a number of birds got here
from Farmoor on the 19^th and Standlake on the 24^th.
Lye Valley recorded solely its 5^th ever file of the species
on the 20^th though that is the 4^th file this yr. Different
information got here from Radley GP’s, Cote, Chipping Norton, Port Meadow and Waterstock.
Surprisingly Crane had been nonetheless recorded this month when two had been at Otmoor
on the 6^th, though not once more after having probably made their manner
right down to the Somerset Ranges to winter. 

Nice White Egret at Radley, courtes of Ben Carpenter

Gulls
and Terns

With winter properly and actually set in the primary staple for this
group depends on Caspian Gull to maintain information ticking over with the faint
hope of a white-winger within the latter levels of winter the last word prize. A number of
information of Caspian Gull this month largely relating to 1 or two 1^st
winter people roosting on the similar couple of websites. Farmoor hosted
a single 1^st winter on the 1^st of the month joined by a 2^nd
on the 15^th. Appleford village hosted a single grownup on the
17^th, while Port Meadow hosted a single 1^st
winter on most evenings from the 21^st of the month. Grimsbury on
the opposite hand hosted a possible hybrid hen or one in all at the least some combination in
its genes having been noticed as lower than typical instance of the species. 

1w Yellow-legged Gull and Caspian Gull on Port Meadow, courtesy of Thomas Miller

3w Caspian Gull at Appleford, courtesy of Ian Lewington

Passerines

With all of the speak and subsequent proof of main inflow of
Waxwing into the nation we’re actually within the grips of a ‘Waxwing winter’,
with flocks of 1000+ in Scotland and plenty of flocks of 100+ throughout the
north of the nation. Given the abundance it was solely a matter of time earlier than
the primary file this far south with birds within the midlands and to the east of Oxfordshire.
Sadly the file was a fleeting one with lone ‘trilling’ name
heard over traditional habitat in an industrial property in north Banbury. Given
the variety of information within the nation and nonetheless but to maneuver south seeking
berries hopefully Oxfordshire will get its fair proportion of twitchable
birds but!

Additionally fairly fleeting was a file of Water Pipit on
the 27^th from Port Meadow, jotted down as a doable heard
calling over the floodwaters. A file of Rock Pipit on the 6^th
was additionally doubtlessly recorded as both species and will feasibly relate to
the identical unidentified particular person that can hopefully give itself up in some unspecified time in the future.
Hawfinch had been recorded twice this month with each coming from calling
birds heard over Blenheim on the 17^th and 20^th
though neither file was in a position to be pinned down. Crossbill had been
reported from two areas with a flock of three+ reported from Aston Rowant on
the 11^th while Blenheim hosted a flock of 11 birds on the 19^th.
The primary Siberian Chiffchaff of the winter was caught and ringed in Burgess
Discipline, Port Meadow on the 29^th, a incredible ringing file for
the location and a pleasant hen to see up shut for the ringers. 

Siberian Chiffchaff courtesy of Thomas Miller.

Firecrest had been additionally reported from two websites – Warburg
on the three^rd and West Hendred on the 24^th. Brambling
had been unfold properly across the county with largely singles and pairs in combined
finch flocks. The very best depend nonetheless was a incredible c50 over a Blenheim in
a combined flock of 300+ finches feeding in sunflower area. Information got here from a
additional eight websites with the subsequent highest depend coming from Fyfield Wick on
the 17^th with a small flock of seven birds over.

Stonesfield Brambling, courtesy of Paul Wren

Raptors

A Hen Harrier was current sometimes in the direction of the top of
the month, with the primary file coming from a hen benefiting from the Starling
roost on the 23^rd. It was then reported once more on the 29^th
though particulars weren’t forthcoming as to the place and what age/intercourse the hen was.
Quick-eared Owl information largely got here from the identical location on the downs with
as much as 4 across the Ridgeway and Crowhole Backside all through the
month. Further information got here from Oxfordshire Golf Course with two
seen quartering the tough floor by way of the day. 

A Marsh Harrier harrying the Starling roost at Otmoor, courtesy of Malcom Bowey

Merlin had been reported from 4 websites this month with Cote
probably the most incessantly used with a hen current on the 4^th and 10^th.
Water Eaton hosted a hen on the 11^th, while one other was at Farmoor
on the 14^th. West Hagbourne additionally hosted a single hen on
the 26^th.

Patchwork problem