Man oh Mann !!

 Andrew Mann and I have enjoyed talking to local twitchers along with many previously non or casual Birders when we 'Manned' the exhibition table last weekend to dispense all things relating to the natural history of Bampton concentrating mainly on our feathered friends . We had a very busy time as we collected names from all those wishing to hear a talk and join us for a local walk at later dates (please let me know if you would like to be with us for these events) , this was partly to promote my book 'Birding in the Bush' and I'm delighted to say that not only is it selling well but the feed back has been most up-lifting. All these celebrations are by way of the opening of the upstairs of the library that due to safety issues had been closed for many years. The huge cost of some £400,000 was met with a good deal of help from the television series "Downton Abbey" Bampton was a major location for much of the series.

It's that time of year when I get interested in wild flowering plants, Dragonflies and Moths until the birds start their seasonal movements.

The ground is terribly dry as all living things cry out for water although at the present time there is no sign of any life giving rain on the horizon.

Birding in the Bush.

 Recently published by the Bampton Library and Archives Society Hub.

My book Birding in the Bush is in the series of A4 sized publications celebrating the Oxfordshire Village of Bampton. You are warmly invited to visit the Library and upstairs to learn and appreciate the birdlife of Bampton and its surrounding farmland. 

A better understanding of the local birdlife can be enjoyed through the book Birding in the Bush a light hearted ramble through the Bampton gardens and environs at the small cost of £10.

Whin Win Situation.

 Up to my eyes in it !  and also birds thank goodness at my favourite dung heap yesterday (Friday) near to Sutton where good views of Wheatear, Linnet, Whinchat , Skylark and Yellow Wagtail were a joy to behold in this seriously dry Spring, that is giving the Farmers a real reason to have a moan about as the desperate lack of rain that all plant life is now in great need of shows no likelihood of happening in the near future.

I managed to conneck.

 On top of the World this evening after climbing Lark Hill and arriving high above Wantage to look for the rather exciting Wryneck that has been reported recently. No need to look for it as a birder returning from where it was under observation told me to "look for the four or five birders along the track" Sure enough it was not long before I could see a group intently looking for the little gem. Pleasantly surprised to meet up again with Steve Akers (you know of Chipping Norton Oriental Turtle Dove fame) I haven't seen Steve for some years and he is now sporting a beard so I guess he hasn't had a shave for several years. The tall birder Stephen B also arrived with a fair bit of equipment and I guess about four others, so far so good and it was to get better as our bird necked it across the track, but then the local dog walkers started arriving (Oh!Goody Goody) One particularly unhelpful pooch disturbed our feathered friend and although this meant that we were able to get good views of it there is of course the danger that the wryneck could have just taken off and kept going. It gave really good views and at one point ran towards us making photography relatively easy Having got a photo and a decent tick I then set of for home feeling rather pleased with the world in general and Lark Hill in particular.

Cuckoo Clocked.

 LockDown has meant me not getting out into Oxfordshires marvellous countryside, as it has seemed the right thing to do in order to protect myself and more importantly those that would have been within an infectious distance of me.

I had not heard the Cuckoo before today so imagine my delight when walking and enjoying the farmland south of Bampton to find myself between two calling Cuckoos, roughly about half a mile on either side of me. The first called for the best part of an hour whilst the second I only clocked for about twenty minutes.

Although the temperature is now climbing the wind is still blowing too strongly for it to be within the comfort zone of most of our insects and as a consequence apart from Gnats and Crane Flies little was showing.

The only other Birds I have noted and photographed this Spring, and this from the protection of my car have been Whinchat, Wheatear, Skylark, Yellow Wagtail Linnet and assorted lesser lights not really worth mentioning.

Feeling Chatty.

 Parking near the Gainfield Crossroads I walked towards Buckland Warren and after some several hundred yards noticed a pair of small Robin-like birds on the barbed wire that runs from the entrance to the forested area. They were in fact Stonechats a cock and hen and were quite approachable, these beautiful birds are always a joy for me to behold and this is the first time I have found them  in the vicinity .Yesterday I found many Pheasants roaming a farm I have access to, and there were at least six white ones among them, looking really quite striking, it's a sad fact that they are a small part of a problem that when combined, the Pheasant and  Red Legged Partridge now total some fifty million of non native game birds released yearly in our countryside, small wonder they upset whatever natural balance there may have been before and it's not in any way surprising they consume the natural food that would have previously helped our native wild bird population to survive .

I seem to be seeing Little Egrets everywhere I go on my bird rambles these days and by the side of the Bampton to Clanfield road yesterday I noted three foraging in an arable field that had been recently cultivated , presumably feasting on the worms etc that had been forced to the surface by the recent heavy rains, making easy pickings.

As I walked back from the Warren the Stonechats were again much in evidence and just to top things off a Golden Eagle flew overhead - oh! no it was just a Kestrel.

Fools Gold

 Fancied a stroll yesterday and the downs above the ridgeway seemed a good area to check out and see if there was anything of interest. After driving past a couple of sites that seemed more busy than my preferred mode of birding requires which is the pleasure of occasional solitude, arrived just over the border in Berkshire at the nature reserve at Seven Barrows.

Entered by the gate and was met by a flock of Sheep that scrutinised me before carrying on with munching the rather coarse grass that covers the whole reserve area. Walking West I noticed a bird of prey that flew with a somewhat buoyant flight keeping quite low and never rising above the tree line as it circled around the adjoining field, the bright sunlight made identification difficult but because of its size and flight and the downland area, Hen Harrier rang a bell. I quickly retraced my steps and got lucky as the bird went to ground hidden from view by some hedging and the possibility of striking birding gold had the adrenaline pumping.

As I reached the edge of the field and by moving along the perimeter I could just make out a far distant brown blur telling me my piece of gold had probably killed and was now feasting on the unfortunate victim. Lined up my camera and took multiples photos of which as I later downloaded them on my computer found only three of any use to identify it. Drove back home and without checking the photos emailed them to a friend who is so much better than I at bird identification and as I emailed them awful doubts crept in , for a start a moustachial stripe was apparent and a gradual drop in adrenaline was replaced as my mate confirmed my worst fears that I had been watching a Kestrel.

Whether the bright sunlight made the bird look so much bigger than one would expect of a Kestrel and quite why it flew with much slower wingbeats than we usually see with Kestrel I really don't know.

The accompanying photos are the best I could get taking into account both the sunlight and the extreme distance.