Highlights

The most obvious highlight this month is the welcome return
of our summer migrants. I am sure like everyone else; one can’t help but smile
when you clap eyes on that first intrepid migratory bird – whether that be the golden
eye ring of a Little Ringed Plover on your local gravel pit or the flash
of white as a Wheatear flies across a random arable field in your
village. Although meteorological Spring starts on the 1^st March and
astronomical Spring started on the 20^th March, for many of us Spring
will be when we see our first proper sub-Saharan migrant. With the
influx of these migrants this month the county list stands at a respectable 149,
with 15 species added in March.

Little Ringed Plover, Biscester Wetland Reserve, courtesy of Nick Truby

It seems that a lot of our migratory birds turn up earlier
each year and that is somewhat borne out by the crude table below with birds
arriving earlier in the last decade than in the last near quarter of a century.
The perception though can be sometimes misleading, with our first Sand
Martin of the year coming on the 23^rd February, essentially
still winter, but then the next records not following for a further two weeks
and all coming on the median arrival date since the turn of the century – the
15^th March. But its certainly true that species like Oystercatcher
are shifting significantly with birds arriving nearly 2 weeks earlier than in
previous years. Where they were more likely to arrive just before meteorological
Spring, they are now returning to territories closer to mid-Winter. My
assumption is that for most species this can only mean bad news in the long
term for their populations but that is a somewhat bleak note to end on, so here
is something brighter. Within days of reading this we should hopefully have the
next tranche of spring migrants arriving in the county and putting more smiles
on the faces of those who clock eyes on them!

The first Wheatear of the year on patch is always welcome, courtesy of Alan Dawson

Migrant
arrival dates

Waders

The first of the scarcer waders passed through the county in
the early part of the month when a trio of Avocet landed on Port
Meadow on the 7^th. A classic rarity for the early part of March,
the birds typically didn’t remain long and were gone by the afternoon. A second
chance for local birders did arise though when a single turned up again on Port
Meadow on the 20^th, although once again this was only a brief
refuelling visit before it was gone. 

Courtesy of Russell O Allen.

On the last day of the month Otmoor got in on the action with a pair of Avocets spending the day on the Flood Field. The wintering Grey Plover remained
throughout March turning up at both Port Meadow and Otmoor frequently
showing the well-used and important commuting corridor between these two
premier birding sites of Oxfordshire. Often in the company of several
hundred Golden Plover it was last seen on Port Meadow on the 23^rd. 

One of the two Otmoor Avocet, courtesy of Pete Roby

2024’s first Little Ringed Plover came on the 9^th
with a bird back on territory at Peep-o-Day Lane and was a little ahead
of the median arrival date of the 14^th. The next birds arrived a bit
closer to this date with a bird on Rushy Common on the 15^th and
Otmoor on the 17^th. More birds piled in thereafter with
another six sites hosting birds in the latter part of the month, with the highest
count of five birds coming from Chinnor on the 29^th but with
most sites hosting pairs. The Port Meadow/Otmoor commuter
corridor also hosted a large flock of Black-tailed Godwit which
presumably were using the site as staging grounds before heading off to
breeding grounds. The first three birds arrived at Otmoor on the 2^nd
before a flock of 55 were on Port Meadow on the 7^th which
increased to a whopping 69 on the 8^th, with 51 seen at Otmoor the
same and presumably part of the same flock. These birds continued to be seen at
both sites throughout the month with the flock peaking at 80 birds on the 19^th.
Days Lock hosted up to 10 birds between the 9^th and 10^th
whilst Pit 60 and Rushy Common hosted 2-3 birds between the on
the 9^th and 24^th respectively. 

Black-tailed Godwits on Port Meadow courtesy of Ben Sheldon

Jack Snipe records came from three sites this month, with the single
lingering bird at Bicester Wetlands still present on the 16^th.
New records came from Peep-o-Day Lane on the 13^th and Iffley
Meadows on the 27^th. The Ruff continued also at Otmoor
this month with three still here on the 2^nd but only a single
bird remaining by the 18^th. The first Ringed Plover of the
spring season came from Otmoor on the 10^th with no other
records coming this month. Dunlin continued to be present in large
numbers with most birds keeping to Otmoor in March with the
occasional foray to Port Meadow. The highest count came on the 9^th
when 227 were present, although triple digit counts were made on two other
occasions on the 2^nd (120) and 13^th (c.100). Port
Meadow’s highest count was of 64 birds on the 2^nd, presumably a
splinter group from the main flock at Otmoor. Smaller flocks were
recorded at Port Meadow through the month, whilst Days Lock and Waterstock
hosted three and one birds respectively and both on the 9^th.

Green Sandpiper were at a similar number of locations in the previous month
with five sites hosting birds. Three of these sites hosted two birds – Peep
-o-Day Lane (9^th), Ardley (4^th) and Curbridge
(10^th). Whilst Bicester Wetlands and Chipping Norton hosted
single birds. The Common Sandpiper continued its winter holiday at Farmoor
and was recorded sporadically throughout the month between the 2^nd
and 23^rd. Redshank, aside from Otmoor, were at three
sites – Port Meadow (9^th), Rushy Common (10^th)
and Peep-o-Day Lane (13^th). 
Oystercatchers were on at least nine sites this month with many
sites hosting breeding pairs, the highest counts came from Pit 60 where
five were present on the 9^th whilst Peep-o-Day Lane hosted
four birds on the 13^th.

Wildfowl etc

The most popular rarity of the month came in the form of
summer plumaged Black-necked Grebe present at Thrupp Lake on the
14^th. A nice local find on one of our Patchwork Challenge patches,
the bird stuck around until at least the 15^th and was also reported
there on the 16^th. A Great Northern Diver reported from Farmoor
on the 26^th was bit of a surprise after the long staying bird
had departed last month, but with no confirmation of the record forthcoming the
bird was possibly a short stayer.

The Black-necked Grebe courtesy of Ewan Urquhart Courtesy of Bryan Manston.

…and some video courtesy of Badger

The first Garganey of the spring arrived on Otmoor on
the 16^th which is exactly the same date as last year. A pair were
also on Peep-o-Day Lane on the 26^th but unlike last year this
pair didn’t hang around long and were gone by the afternoon. The group of White-fronted
Goose were still on Otmoor through the month, being reported
sporadically. Whilst the long-staying pair of female Scaup were still on
Farmoor until at least the 15^th, whilst a possible female was then
present on Cassington GP’s on the 22^nd. Goosander were
present on four sites this month with most of the records coming from Port
Meadow, although the highest count came from Pit 60 where seven
birds were recorded on the 9^th. The other two sites only recorded
single birds – Radley GP’s and Days Lock on the 14^th
and 25^th respectively. Port Meadow also produced the most
records for Shelduck this month and also the highest count with 11 birds
here on the 17^th. A further eight sites reported birds with most
sites hosting multiple birds. 

Two Goosander on the Thames at Port Meadow courtesy of Russell O Allen

Goldeneye continued at least five sites, all in the west of the county.
The highest count typically came from Dix Pit where 11 birds were
present on the 16^th. Whilst Farmoor, Rushy Common, Pit 60 and
Cassington GP’s all hosted between 1-3 birds. A high count of 128 Pochard
from Otmoor om the 2^nd was a great count for the species,
whilst Pit 60 continued to host an extraordinary number of Pintail with
646 birds here on the 9^th with Otmoor hosting 250 birds also
on the 9^th. Red-crested Pochard were at several new sites
this month, presumably with the wintering flocks of Dix Pit on the move.
Radley (8^th), Rushy Common (10^th), Appleford
(10^th) and Otmoor (17^th) all hosted 1-2 birds.
The only Mandarin records came from Sonning Eye Common om the 19^th
where a pair were present. 

One of the two Farmoor Scaup courtesy of John Workman

Herons, egrets etc

Things remained much as they have been for several months
with both Cattle Egret and Great White Egret widespread. The major
difference been the recording of two White Stork flying over Henley-on-Thames
on the 27^th. Presumably these were the two Knepp Estate birds
(colour-ringed reintroduction project) that spent a couple of days in Buckinghamshire
and surrounding counties and were also seen over Reading two days
later. Presumably these birds are now heading back to Knepp in Sussex
to breed again.

Cattle Egret records remained fairly static with the same birds been
recorded repeatedly at sites that have hosted birds over the winter. Eight
sites hosted birds including Peep-o-Day Lane and Radley GP’s where
birds from the former appeared to be roosting at the latter and probably also
commuting between here and Day’s Lock. Bicester Wetlands, Aynho, Witney Lake
also hosted single birds this month. Wytham hosted the large flock
at the beginning of the month where 23 birds were present on the 2^nd
before presumably dispersing to sites mentioned above. Otmoor recorded
up to 10 birds this month, whilst a nice promising sign of things to come came
in the form 12 birds returning to the breeding site at Blenheim albeit
briefly. It seems that the Grey Heron and Little Egret have moved
quickly to breed on the island at Blenheim and the competition for space
might be strong at the site this year so fingers crossed for another successful
breeding year. 

BWR NT

Great White Egret continued to be recorded from many sites, although down from
the previous month with water levels receding, with at least 12 sites reported birds.
The highest count came from Pit 60 where five birds were recorded,
whilst a summer plumaged bird was just to the north at Blenheim and
presumably it’s only a matter of time before we have our first breeding record
in the county?

Gulls and Terns

With our first Common Tern due
any day now (median arrival 3^rd April) and Sandwich and Arctic
Tern due to follow in a couple weeks we have make do with the usual
suspects this month. Caspian Gull were recorded at only two sites this
month – Port Meadow and Appleford. Two 1^st winter
birds were seen frequently at the Port Meadow roost at both ends of the
month whilst 1+ were reported at Appleford on the 7^th.

Mediterranean Gull were recorded from three sites and
probably related to two birds. A single summer plumaged bird was on Radley
GP’s on the 1^st whilst possibly the same bird was frequently
recorded at Port Meadow from the 2^nd until the 27^th.
A lone 1^st winter bird was also recorded at Dix Pit on the 11^th. 

Radley Mediterranean Gull courtesy of Ian Elkins

Passerines

Somewhat overshadowed by the beginning of the spring
migration, the Waxwing invasion continued to simmer across the county
with three sites reporting birds in March. Sonning Common had 20
birds feeding in a private garden on the 4^th but were not seen
subsequently. Whilst the birds that frequented the gardens of north Abingdon
returned again on the 6^th and surprisingly again on the 22^nd
after long periods of absence, presumably feeding up across the town before
their long journey back to northern Europe. A single bird was also reported
from Long Hanborough on the 6^th but not seen subsequently. The
standout for the month came in the form of Ring Ouzel right at the death
with a stunning male seen at Aston Upthorpe on the 30^th, a
classic site for the species right on que. Unfortunately despite other people
present on site the bird went to ground and remained elusive, although a report
did filter through from the afternoon but whether this was from the morning or
later in the day wasn’t clear. 

Probably my most eagerly anticipated returning spring
migrant, the first Wheatear made landfall in the county on the 15^th
and was typically on the downs at Scary Hill. Subsequent sightings also
came from the downs at Lollingdon Hill and Sparsholt Firs both on
the 16^th. Thereafter though birds began to be reported at a wider
range of sites with a further seven sites reporting birds – Sutton
Courtenay, Days Lock, White Horse Hill, Ardley, Sarsgrove, Cholsey, Blewbury and
Shennington. The 24^th of the month saw a big fall of birds
with the highest count coming from White Horse Hill where 10 birds were
recorded, followed closely by Sarsgrove and Shennington which saw
eight birds each! The first Redstart also made an appearance at the very
end of the month, again in classic form on the downs. This bird was a little
early though with the classic arrival not been for another week or so. Whilst
another female bird was present on Otmoor on the 31^st

Wheatear Sparsholt Firs courtesy of Geoff Dymott

 After a very early record on the 23^rd the next
records of Sand Martin were much more in line with the typical arrival
time with two records on the 15^th at Balscote Quarry and Farmoor.
Seven sites then recorded small flocks of birds from the 19^th to
the 24^th peaking at 30 birds over Peep-o-Day Lane on the 23^rd.
The first Swallow was also bang on time with the first bird coming on
the 22^nd (median 23^rd) and came from Wytham, this
was followed by singles and pairs at five more sites between the 23^rd
and 26^th. The first House Martin, however, was a little early
coming almost a week before the typical arrival time with a single bird over South
Leigh on the 21^st. The next record came a few days later from Blenheim
on the 25^th, also a single bird and in the company of a small
flock of Sand Martin.

House Martin courtesy of Gareth Casburn.

Another species which seems to arrive earlier each year, the
first singing Willow Warbler was heard at Warneford Meadow and Farmoor
on the 20^th, with more birds at more sites following shortly
behind – Radley (22^nd), Otmoor (23^rd), Marston
Meadows (23^rd), Grimsbury (24^th), Port
Meadow (27^th) and Peep-o-Day Lane (29^th). Not
typically on the radar until early April the season’s first Sedge
Warbler came on the 26^th from Farmoor and presumably
was from Pinkhill Reserve or somewhere else along the Thames stretch.
Grimsbury Reservoir also got its fair share of the migrant action hosted
the year’s first Rock Pipit on the 13^th as well as the first White
Wagtail of the spring on the 26^th. A further 3 of these continental wagtails were seen at Rushy Common on the 31st. A female Black Redstart was
in an Eynsham garden on the 15^th, a record made even more
interesting since the same garden also hosted a male in the autumn of 2021,
whilst a 2^nd bird was in Bodicote briefly on the 30^th.
Another intriguing record came from Lye Valley on the 16^th
with the report of a Mealy Redpoll, although the information came from
the birding services and confirmation of the record was not forthcoming. 

Eynsham, Nick Tasker

The wintering pair of Siberian Chiffchaff continued to
be occasionally reported from Port Meadow through March with the
ringed individual most reported but both were seen on the 8^th. The
last record came on the 10^th, presumably the birds now having moved
on from the site. Brambling also continued to linger on in the county with
mostly singles and pairs observed across four sites, including some cracking
males coming into summer plumage. Whilst the lone record of Crossbill came
from Cowleaze Wood on the 3^rd with four birds here.

A Brambling at Balscote Quarry courtesy of Wally Warburton

Raptors

The
latter part of the month also saw the first Osprey records of 2024, with
birds typically been brief fly through records. The first came from Otmoor with
a bird circling there on the 22^nd whilst a 2^nd bird was
also observed circling Farmoor on the 24^th. The wintering Hen
Harrier continued at Otmoor through the whole month, although the ring
tailed bird was only reported sporadically. 

Hunting Otmoor Marsh Harrier courtesy of Malcolm Bowey

Short-eared
Owl also continued to be reported from
various sites with the most birds typically coming from the downs, with four
birds seen on the 17^th. Single birds were
reported at Otmoor from the 1^st – 24^th, Kidlington
and Middle Barton both on the 9^th and Banbury on
the 24^th. A lovely male Merlin was reported twice on Otmoor
this month with records coming on the 2^nd and again on 20^th.

Patchwork
challenge