Play Hatch: 6th January

Play Hatch
Great White Egret: In flooded triangle field. 14:30.

Ralph Watts

Standlake

 White-fronted Goose - 1 with goose flock east of Church 

Christ Church Oxford 6th January

Black Redstart 1w male still present 09:55 (per Wayne Bull et al).

Wytham 6th January

Courtesy of Steve Goddard.

Cattle Egret 25 in field with cattle 10:00 viewable from sawmill carpark (per Ben Sheldon).

Standlake 5th January

White-fronted Goose 1+ still present with Greylag flock in field near church (per RBA)

Radley GP: Thrupp Lake: 5th January

Bearded Tit 2 m&f still present (per RBA)

Radley GP: Thrupp Lake
2 Goosander: drk. 15:00.

Radley GP
Barn Owl: Again hunting at dusk. 16:45.
Snipe: At least one heard at dusk. 16:45.

Ian Elkins

Cycle route 5 between Didcot and Long Wittenham: 5th January

5th January

Cycle route 5 between Didcot and Long Wittenham
Great White Egret: Landed in scrub field adjacent to new housing development. SU526921. 16:00.
2 Kestrel: SU526921. 16:00.
2 Bullfinch: SU532929. 15:40.
2 Grey Heron: SU526921. 16:00.

Oliver Hedley

December Review & 2024 Highlights

 Highlights

Firstly, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our readers – I hope you have managed a good break and maybe even caught up with a few of the county rarities that have been available this festive period. Although there have been some fantastic birds recorded in the county in 2024 – see Booted Eagle, Purple Sandpiper and Hooded Crow, for the most part this year has under-performed compared to previous years. Rarer Wildfowl and Waders have been particularly thin on the ground, with Green-winged Teal, Velvet Scoter and Purple Sandpiper the only major birds of note for the year compared with a plethora of rare birds for both groups recorded in 2023. We have been spoilt for county mega’s recent years with 2022 producing three county firsts and six properly rare birds recorded in 2023. Although Hooded Crow isan extremely rare bird for the county, this was a brief single observer record and would have been very popular had it stayed any longer. Booted Eagle is quite clearly the rarest of the birds recorded this year but only a handful managed to catch up with it before it seemingly disappeared into the expanse of the Chilterns – although I still feel like there is a good chance this may reappear in 2025! But of course this will be subject to acceptance by the rarities/records committees and is by no means a done deal.

Species	Location	Date	Status
Green-winged Teal	Dorchester-on-Thames	12th February 2024	Only four records in the last 20 years, with three of those coming since 2018.
Hooded Crow	Blenheim	10th April 2024	Ten records between 1965 and 1982 but none thereafter. 1982 record came from West Hendred.
Grey-headed Wagtail	Port Meadow	3rd May 2024	Only four records for the county, two of which have come in last 5 years. Previous records from 1992!
Booted Eagle	Warburg NR plus Henley-on-Thames and several sites in the Chilterns.	31st October – 2nd November	First county record. Currently no BBRC accepted records – likely to change with records from Cornwall earlier this year.
Velvet Scoter	Grimsbury Reservoir	2nd – 19th November	Two records in last three years (2024 and 2021-2022). With two previous records since 2000.
Snow Bunting	Farmoor Reservoir	26th November	Seven records since the turn of the century – most from Farmoor.
Bearded Tit	Radley GP’s	30th November – 31st December	Practically annual from 2000 – 2013 but much rarer in recent years with only two records in last decade.
Pink-footed Goose	Port Meadow	12th December	Eight records in last two decades – somewhat muddied by potential feral birds.
Purple Sandpiper	Farmoor	8th December and 29th December	Ten records since 2000, with four of these since 2021. Two in 2021 and two in 2024.

     

County rarities of 2024

2024 has also under-performed in a general sense with only 201 species recorded – the lowest since the turn of the century and you can see from the below graph the worrying downward trend. The general lack of rarities has contributed to this but we can’t get away from the fact that some species been potentially permanently expatriated from the county’s avifauna. Turtle Dove after hanging on in the county for the last few years, with even the odd new site recording singing birds, has now not been recorded in the county for the first time in its history. Given the status of the bird nationally, this looks set to be a permanent expatriation following the likes of Willow Tit and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker both of which didn’t occur in 2024. Although after a female Montagu’s Harrier returned to a historical breeding site this summer after a very long absence, a sliver of optimism remains that we may still get another year where a gentle ‘purring’ is heard in amongst the Oxon summer soundscape. One big positive out of 2024 though, was the unprecedented influx of Yellow-browed Warbler which provided so many patch and even garden birders with a lot of joy and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if someone doesn’t unearth a wintering bird early in 2025. My personal bet would be on Abingdon STW, the site of much fame due to wintering Pallas’s Warbler in 2022, which currently is playing host to 40+ Chiffchaff including at least one tristis. Whatever 2025 brings let’s hope it’s a bird filled one and I will hopefully see some of you at the next big one!

County year lists since the turn of the century

Waders

With the year drawing to a close you would be forgiven for thinking that we were done with county rarities for 2024. But as is typically the case, Farmoor managed to pull something out of the bag just as things were winding down with a Purple Sandpiper found on the 8^th. Having hosted two birds on separate occasions in 2021 it was a surprise for another to turn up so soon, particularly since the previous record to those was in 2011! For those who missed the 2021 birds this bird offered a chance of redemption and is often the case with this species it showed beautifully for those who braved the elements to go and see it. Unfortunately for those who didn’t go on the 8^th found the bird had departed overnight, but that was not quite the end of the story yet. Three weeks later on the 29^th it seemingly reappeared on the same section of F2 as it was found on previously, but upon close inspection appeared to be a completely different individual! Quite remarkable to have two paired records in recent years, given the county only had six records in the previous two decades. Like the bird on the 8^th this bird also departed overnight. 

Courtesy of Ian Stewart 

Purple Sandpiper courtesy of Mark Chivers

Somewhat overshadowed by the Purple Sandpiper records, the Red Knot continued on Port Meadow on the 1^st December and is only the 2^nd December record for the species since 2000. With this bird having likely visited several sites through November it seems now to have departed the county for more suitable pastures. Although like the Grey Plover which has now reappeared, albeit briefly, at Otmoor on the 24^th it could very well be hiding with the masses of waders and wildfowl somewhere. Black-tailed Godwit records came from three sites this month, the first coming from Waterstock on the 15^th followed by three at Otmoor on the 20^th. A single bird was at Port Meadow on the 22^nd and was then the unfortunate victim of a juvenile Peregrine which has been hunting over the common and then captured in a series of stunning photos. See below and here.

The Peregrine with the hapless Black-tailed Godwit courtesy of Thomas Miller

Dunlin were recorded from two sites in December and not unexpectedly these were Port Meadow and Otmoor. Five were on Port Meadow on the 11^th which was reduced down to three by the 23^rd, whilst Otmoor hosted up to seven birds on the 20^th with birds possibly commuting between sites as they often do at this time of year.

Jack Snipe were only present at two sites this month with up to four present at Waterstock between the 15^th and 30^th of the month, whilst Marston Meadows had a lone bird on the 27^th. With the cold weather yet to set in properly, more birds seem likely to reveal themselves into January. A single Woodcock sighting came from Radley on the 27^th with a lone bird over at dusk although presumably there are many more birds out there to be found. Green Sandpiper appeared to be only wintering at one site this month, with lone bird recorded at Bicester Wetlands through the month, whilst the single Common Sandpiper continued at Farmoor at least until the early part of the month with one reported on the 8^th.

Wildfowl etc

A Pink-footed Goose at Port Meadow on the 11^th would have proved a major pull for local birders had it decided to join the throngs of feral and wild geese that inhabit the site. Unfortunately, it was just a flyover bird although I would not be surprised if it turned up elsewhere in the county in early 2025. 

The fly-over Pink-footed Goose, courtesy of Thomas Miller

A Great Northern Diver just about squeaked into the reporting period with a single bird present at Sonning Eye GP’s on the New Year's Eve, the county’s 2^nd record of the year. No further reports came the following day, however, so it is assumed that it departed overnight and hopefully managed to avoid all the firework displays across the country. A female Ring-necked Duck was the first in the county this year and seems likely that it is the returning adult female that has spent the last few years wintering in the county. It was first picked up on Dix Pit on the 15^th before moving over to the Oxon Sailing Club lakes just down the road on the 22^nd, it seems likely it is not hiding somewhere in the throngs of wildfowl over in the west of the county.

A small flock of Brent Goose descended on Farmoor on the 9^th of the month, a nice consolation prize for those searching in vain for the departed Purple Sandpiper. A single was then here on the 14^th and seemed likely to be a straggler from this flock either left behind or trying to catch up. 

Farmoor Brent Geese courtesy of Ewan Urquhart

More winter geese were then found to the west of Farmoor on the 29^th, where a trio of White-fronted Goose were behind Standlake church with a larger group of more typical Oxon geese. The small group were still present come New Year’s Eve and looked set to hang around into the new year. Whooper Swan continued to grace the county with fleeting visits with a major highlight coming from Lye Valley where a flock of four flew over this very urban patch on the 11^th. Presumably on transit to Otmoor, where four were present on the 15^th with three still here on the 16^th of the month. A single bird was then present, albeit briefly, at Oxfordshire Golf Course on the 18^th. 

Lye Valley Whooper Swans courtesy of Tom Bedford

Shelduck records came from five sites this month, with all records coming the north and west of the county. The highest count came from Mid Cherwell Valley which hosted four birds on the 14^th, with Port Meadow not far behind with three birds on the 17^th. Northern Cross Valley, Cassington and Otmoor were the other sites that hosted birds this month. Goosander were much wider spread this month with at least seven sites hosting mostly singles and pairs. The highest count came from Standlake on the 21^st where a group of seven where present. Almost all sites had a maximum of 1s or 2s but Radley GPs had three birds present on the 27^th of the month. Farmoor, Dix Pit, Wolvercote, Pit 60 and Thame were the other sites hosting birds this month. Some exceptional counts of commoner wintering wildfowl were forthcoming this month and were worthy of note for the December review. Pit 60 saw a huge influx of Pintail on the 14^th of the month when a massive 800+ flock was present, in what must be a pretty unbelievable site to see. The site is no stranger to massive counts of the species, breaking the county record on several occasions – 600 in 2014, 633 December 2023 and an almost unfathomable 912 in January 2024. Dix Pit, having hosted 240+ Pochard in November, went on to also host a magnificent 542 Shoveler on the 15^th of the month. Also here this month the Goldeneye flock rose to a minimum of 13 on the 27^th of the month, whilst other records came from Otmoor on the 28th and Pit 60 on the 30^th where four birds were present.

Red-crested Pochard came classically from Dix Pit this month with a minimum of 14 here on the 29^th, whilst Blenheim was the only other site hosting birds this month. The long-staying feral Ross’s Goose was back on Port Meadow on the 17^th whilst 13 Mandarin were at Blenheim on the 23^rd, the highest count in the county for a little while.

Herons, egrets etc

A Glossy Ibis at Otmoor seemed likely to be the long-staying bird returning to its favoured haunt for its 8^th consecutive month. The same bird was then observed over Fencott and Charlton-on-Otmoor on the 31^st of the month. Cattle Egret were relatively quiet throughout the month with only three sites hosting birds in December. The usual site along the A34/Wytham Wood was still occupied by a small number of birds but nothing like the large flocks of previous months. Days Lock hosting up to five birds on the 16^th, whilst Peep-o-Day Lane saw the lone bird back again on the 27^th.

Great White Egret were much more in their usual state across the county, with at least 11 sites hosting birds across Oxfordshire. By far the highest count and likely a county record (?) came from the Lower Windrush Valley area with a minimum of 13 birds here on the 28^th. Most sites hosted single birds, with only Blenheim, Dix Pit and Pit 60 additionally hosting more than one bird in December, with three birds at the latter site on the 30^th and two birds at the other sites on the 15^th and 16^th respectively. Crane made a triumphant return to the county this month with a pair of birds at Otmoor on the 30^th and were still here on the 31^st, but they didn’t quite settle and seemed to be on the move again as quickly as they arrived with the same pair of Marston on the New Year’s Eve.

Also keeping up appearances this month was the returning Great Bustard which has taken to wintering at Childrey Field the last couple of years. Once again the bird has been observed associating with a herd of Roe Deer that frequents the area, often following the group round as they feed along the field margins.

Gulls and Terns

A typically quiet period for this group was broken for 2^nd consecutive month and from the same site when an adult Little Gull was turned up on Port Meadow on the 13^th. It turned out to be a very confiding bird providing folk with a fantastic opportunity for close views of this wonderful and enigmatic species. It remained on the site until at least the 16^th, whilst a 1^st winter bird then turned up at Balscote Quarry later in the month on Christmas Eve but didn’t stay long. 

The confiding Port Meadow Little Gull courtsey of Thomas Miller

More typical of the month Caspian Gull records came entirely from Port Meadow this month. A maximum of five birds were present during the gull roost on the 15^th, with a mixture of 1^st and 2^nd winters mostly making up the majority of the records at the site throughout the month. 

Port Meadow Caspian Gull courtesy of Thomas Miller

 

A possible Caspian x Herring Gull hybrid was also present at the site this month, recorded on the 11^th, 12^th and 17^th. Mediterranean Gull, however, was recorded from a minimum of three sites – Port Meadow and Waterstock on the 15^th and Farmoor on the 29^th. 

Med Gull courtesy of Ian Stewart

 

 

Passerines

The pair of Bearded Tit which were first found at the very end of the month in November on Radley GP’s then went to ground for a few days before reappearing on the 3^rd of December. Despite plenty of folk on site after the first and 2^nd appearances the pair continued to remain very elusive with no one managing to connect until the birds were refound almost three weeks later on the 20^th. Sightings came then every few days but the pair would go long periods without being seen, with plenty of habitat present for the birds to disappear within on the Radley GP’s complex. A great county bird meant the site had a long procession of visitors and their elusiveness required most to make multiple visitors to get only a few minutes of viewing time, but when they did show it was well worth the effort! 

The female Bearded Tit courtesy of Logan Walker

 

Hawfinch continued to be reported in the county, although more sporadically than the previous couple of months. Great Tew, a popular site for previous wintering birds, was once again a well-used site where a maximum of eight were present through until at least the 6^th. A single bird was also over Standlake on the 1^st of the month. Cotswold Wildlife Park saw a group of seven over on the 23^rd with plenty of habitat available in the surrounding woodland here, whilst Christmas Day saw at least five feeding in the trees above East Lockinge church. 

Hawfinch courtesy of Nick Truby

The wintering Black Redstart on Christchurch Meadow continued to please allcomers throughout December, with the 1^st winter male showing fantastically with a bit of patience and a beautiful setting to boot. On the 11^th the 1^st winter male was joined by a female type but only the male remained by the following day. Chinnor cement works also again hosted a single bird this month, but reporting was more sporadic with records coming from the 3^rd and the 24^th. 

Above the female type courtesy of Thomas Miller and below the male courtesy of David South

Siberian Chiffchaff were reported from two usual sites this month with one at Port Meadow and another at Abingdon STW. Remarkably the bird ringed last year by the ringing group on Port Meadow returned for its 2^nd year showing incredible site fidelity for this individual and the importance of the specific sites for wintering birds. A 2^nd bird was then also present on the 16^th, although the site was again reduced to only one bird by the 22^nd – 23^rd. Abingdon STW hosted at least one bird on the 22^nd in amongst at least 40 Common Chiffchaff, an extremely important site for wintering birds where 50+ birds have been counted in some winters, and you would not be surprised to find a rarer eastern sprite some time early in 2025 – see wintering Pallas’s Warbler 2022. A Mealy Redpoll reported from Otmoor on the 4^th was the first report of the winter and just scraped it on to the year list, although with the recent lumping of Redpolls this set to be removed from future year lists (and county lists too!).

Above the returning Port Meadow Siberian Chiffchaff and below the Abingdon SW one, both courtesy of Thomas Miller

 

Raptors

A Hen Harrier was briefly in the north of county at Upper Heyford on the 19^th, although presumably more birds are present down in the far south of the county in the more underwatched areas. Along with the minimum of three Short-eared Owl which have been frequenting the Oxon Downs this winter, although news and location is often delayed from here for good reason. Merlin records came from two locations this month – Cote on the 1^st and Port Meadow on the 23^rd.

Patchwork challenge & Green Birding

I think it is safe to say that the patchwork challenge has continued to be a success over the last 12 months, with plenty of rarities both at the county level and from a patchwork perspective found by all participants. Highlights include Velvet Scoter, Bearded Tit, Glossy Ibis, Whooper Swan, Black Redstart, and Yellow-browed Warbler just to name a few nuggets of patch gold! With the slow death of the patchwork challenge community on twitter, it has been great to keep in touch with many of you still dedicated to flogging your local patches, even if for the most part I have been extremely gripped by some of the finds. It seems that some of the patchwork community has now migrated over to the BlueSky, although it remains to be seen how successful this will be in comparison to its peak over on Twitter. Either way, hopefully most of you are still keen to continue even if it just remains within a local context, so if so please drop me a message either through WhatsApp or email and I’ll add you in for 2025. And if anyone else would like to join in the PWC please also do get in touch, it would be great to have greater coverage of the county!

Patch	Birder	Points	Species	Highlight
Aston eyot	Ben Sheldon	83	81
Ardley ERF	Gareth Casburn	112	100
Dix pit	Simon Bradfield	91	84
Grimsbury reservoir	Gareth Blockley	134	115
Lye valley	Tom Bedford	91	83	Whooper Swan
River Thames	Geoff Wyatt	163	135
Sutton Courtenay	Conor MacKenzie	145	126	Woodcock
Radley GP’s	Ian Elkins	116	104
Freeland	Glen Pascoe	87	74
South Hinksey	Alex Figueiredo	68	65
Cholsey	Alan Dawson	112	106

The Oxon Birding 2024 Annual Review

It's time once again for the usual Gnome Studios county birding review to remind us of the year's birding in the county