Aside from the excitement over at
Cote with the mega Dunlin flock, there was plenty of records of
waders this month with a good variety of species and numbers present – albeit
with many of them coming from Cote-upon-Humber. A pair of Turnstone got
the month going with both present on Farmoor on the 1^st of
the month. Grey Plover appeared to range between a couple sites with the
first record coming from Port Meadow on the 17^th, with presumably
this individual not enjoying 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 both remaining here until at least the 28^th
in the company of several thousand Golden Plover and Lapwing. Also
putting in a brief appearance late in the month at this site was a Ruff present
in the masses of waders feeding on the floodwaters. 

Grey Plover at Cote, courtesy of Mick Cunningham

Black-tailed Godwit were
seen at several sites in November although only singles were present. Days
Lock hosted one on the 3^rd, whilst Cote had one from the
9^th until at least the 10^th. Port Meadow also then
hosted a lone bird for a couple of days from the 27^th. Cote continued
to be the wader magnet with Ringed Plover present in various numbers throughout
the month, kicking off with a flock of 6 on the 3^rd. Singles and doubles
were present again later in the month where then 6 again were present on the 25^th.
Dunlin were obviously present in huge numbers as previously mentioned in
the highlights with a reduced count of 200+ still present up until the end of
the review period. Other sites also hosted birds this month albeit in much more
typical numbers for the county. Farmoor hosted a single bird on the 1^st
and again on the 3^rd and 17^th, whilst East Hanney hosted
12-13 birds from the 5^th and occasionally through until the 26^th.
Port Meadow hosted birds later in the month, presumably birds peeling
off from Cote. Eleven were here on the 21^st and number ranged
from 3-12 until the end of the year.

Green Sandpiper continued
to be recorded in much reduced numbers this month, presumably with birds
establishing possible winter territories. Curbridge had one bird on the
11^th, whilst Bicester Wetlands had three birds also on the 11^th.
Ardley ERF also hosted multiple birds with two present here on the 25^th.
Redshank, like much of the waders recorded through the month, were almost
ever present at Cote this month. A maximum count of 7 here on the 11^th
with multiple birds present most of the month. Fyfield Wick saw a single
flyover bird on the 11^th whilst Farmoor hosted three birds on
the 13^th and a single on the 19^th. A single bird was also present on the floods at Cholsey.

Redshank courtesy of Alan Dawson.

Woodcock made a decent
return to the county in the latter part of November with the first of
the month coming from Lye Valley on the 18^th. Port Meadow also
hosted a single bird on the 21^st whilst continuing the urban theme a
dead bird was picked up at the Dragon School in Oxford on the 24^th.
Last winters well 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 in the wider landscape.

Wildfowl etc

Easily the standout rarity in
this group this month was a ‘short-stopping’ pair of Bewick Swan at Otmoor
on the 25^th. The first record since 2018 with what was an annual
species for the county previously and one of the depressing elements of an ever
warming climate. With birds now looking to winter in parts of Europe en
masse, whilst birds that do arrive here arrive later and depart earlier
this is increasingly a standout county rarity and there could very well be a
time where these amazing swans no longer return to the UK. One of the
more amazing aspects of Bewick Swan is the ability to tell individuals
apart by the pattern of their bills, with each being distinct and unique to
individuals. Luckily, even though these birds remained distant one was at least
identifiable as ‘Bruton’ and she was seen the following day at WWT Slimbridge. 

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

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

Given the abundance of inland records surrounding the county during the latter
part of October it is no surprise that Oxfordshire finally got in
on the diver action in early November. The biggest surprise was the
location, with a Great Northern Diver present on Thrupp Lake at Radley
GP’s on the 1^st. Given the levels of disturbance and the size of
the site it is somewhat less surprising that the bird didn’t seemingly hang around
any more than an hour or so before departing somewhere much more suitable. 

The Radley Great Northern Diver, courtesy of Ben Carpenter

The years first Brent Goose was
also logged this month when a single bird dropped into Farmoor on the afternoon
of the 7^th. Unfortunately, like many of this months rarities it did
not linger long and was gone by sunset. Also at Farmoor the female Scaup
continued its prolonged stay having arrived the previous month, presumably
this individual will now spend much of the winter here with a potential foray
to Dix Pit as other birds have occasionally done in recent years. Shelduck
were fairly widespread across the county with several groups of multiple birds
present. Four were on Port Meadow on the 6^th with birds returning
here on the 25^th and 27^th. Cutteslowe Park hosted
a single on the 12^th, whilst Cote continued to be the epicentre
of birding activity with birds here on the 13^th and 23^rd rising
to 11 individuals by the 25^th.  Grimsbury then hosted a single bird on
the 28^th. 

The Farmoor female Scaup courtesy of Gnome

Ruddy Shelduck were
recorded at a single site with Blenheim hosting a pair of birds on the 16^th
a nice bonus for the Patchwork Challenge patcher there. Goosander were
at four sites with all birds been reported in the latter part of the month. Chinnor
hosted a pair on the 17^th, whilst Port Meadow hosted the
most birds with 7 on the 21^st and again on the 27^th. Two
other sites hosted multiple birds towards the end of the month – Standlake on
the 24^th and Grimsbury on the 26^th. Goldeneye also
returned to the county in greater numbers this month with at least 5 sites hosting
birds – Blenheim, Pit 60, Dix Pit, Farmoor and Radley GPs. A few
notable Mandarin records for the county this month with a high count of
20+ at Blenheim present for much of the month, whilst a single bird at Farmoor
on the 21^st was notable for its rarity value for the site. 

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

Herons,
egrets etc

Cattle Egret continued to linger in the county through
November, albeit with some visible departures from the main post-breeding
flock peaks of the autumn. Otmoor hosted the most birds with up to 13 on
the 11^th with at least four remaining until the 20^th. Wytham,
Port Meadow and Days Lock also hosted birds this month with four at Wytham
on the 11^th, a single at Port Meadow on the same day and
a small flock of four at Days Lock on the 24^th.

Great White Egret were at 7 sites this month made up of
mostly single birds, although the highest count came from Blenheim with
four birds here on the 15^th. Records of other multiple birds came
from Farmoor on the 19^th and Standlake on the 24^th.
Lye Valley recorded only its 5^th ever record of the species
on the 20^th although this is the 4^th record this year. Other
records came from Radley GP’s, Cote, Chipping Norton, Port Meadow and Waterstock.
Surprisingly Crane were still recorded this month when two were at Otmoor
on the 6^th, although not again after having possibly made their way
down to the Somerset Levels to winter. 

Great White Egret at Radley, courtes of Ben Carpenter

Gulls
and Terns

With winter well and truly set in the main staple for this
group relies on Caspian Gull to keep records ticking over with the faint
hope of a white-winger in the latter stages of winter the ultimate prize. A few
records of Caspian Gull this month mostly relating to one or two 1^st
winter individuals roosting at the same couple of sites. 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 adult on the
17^th, whilst Port Meadow hosted a single 1^st
winter on most evenings from the 21^st of the month. Grimsbury on
the other hand hosted a probable hybrid bird or one of at least some mixture in
its genes having been observed as less than typical example 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 the talk and subsequent evidence of major influx of
Waxwing into the country we are certainly in the grips of a ‘Waxwing winter’,
with flocks of 1000+ in Scotland and many flocks of 100+ across the
north of the country. Given the abundance it was only a matter of time before
the first record this far south with birds in the midlands and to the east of Oxfordshire.
Unfortunately the record was a fleeting one with lone ‘trilling’ call
heard over classic habitat in an industrial estate in north Banbury. Given
the number of records in the country and still yet to move south in search of
berries hopefully Oxfordshire will get its fair share of twitchable
birds yet!

Also pretty fleeting was a record of Water Pipit on
the 27^th from Port Meadow, jotted down as a possible heard
calling over the floodwaters. A record of Rock Pipit on the 6^th
was also potentially recorded as either species and could feasibly relate to
the same unidentified individual that will hopefully give itself up at some point.
Hawfinch were recorded twice this month with both coming from calling
birds heard over Blenheim on the 17^th and 20^th
although neither record was able to be pinned down. Crossbill were
reported from two locations with a flock of 3+ reported from Aston Rowant on
the 11^th whilst Blenheim hosted a flock of 11 birds on the 19^th.
The first Siberian Chiffchaff of the winter was caught and ringed in Burgess
Field, Port Meadow on the 29^th, a fantastic ringing record for
the site and a nice bird to see up close for the ringers. 

Siberian Chiffchaff courtesy of Thomas Miller.

Firecrest were also reported from two sites – Warburg
on the 3^rd and West Hendred on the 24^th. Brambling
were spread nicely around the county with mostly singles and pairs in mixed
finch flocks. The highest count however was a fantastic c50 over a Blenheim in
a mixed flock of 300+ finches feeding in sunflower field. Records came from a
further eight sites with the next highest count coming from Fyfield Wick on
the 17^th with a small flock of 7 birds over.

Stonesfield Brambling, courtesy of Paul Wren

Raptors

A Hen Harrier was present infrequently towards the end of
the month, with the first record coming from a bird taking advantage of the Starling
roost on the 23^rd. It was then reported again on the 29^th
although details were not forthcoming as to where and what age/sex the bird was.
Short-eared Owl records mostly came from the same location on the downs with
up to four around the Ridgeway and Crowhole Bottom throughout the
month. Additional records came from Oxfordshire Golf Course with two
seen quartering the rough ground through the day. 

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

Merlin were reported from four sites this month with Cote
the most frequently used with a bird present on the 4^th and 10^th.
Water Eaton hosted a bird on the 11^th, whilst another was at Farmoor
on the 14^th. West Hagbourne also hosted a single bird on
the 26^th.

Patchwork challenge