An Oxfordshire “Massive 12 months” by Bike: 2023

A couple of years in the past, I made a decision that I’d attempt to limit myself, wherever potential, to non-motorised birding in Oxfordshire. This wasn’t primarily motivated by ideas of lowering my carbon footprint, however extra by looking for one of the simplest ways to mix two issues that I get pleasure from doing most in my spare time: birding and biking. I’d discovered that, inevitably, time spent doing one meant much less time for the opposite, and it appeared that the 2 see-sawed by way of how a lot of every I used to be doing. Therefore, and partly impressed by the exploits of individuals like Peter Moore (see his nice weblog right here: http://petermooreblog.blogspot.com/), I assumed I’d attempt to mix them. Since then, I’ve just about caught to this, with very occasional exceptions (the Wantage Nighthawk a major instance!). Birding biking is a little bit of a compromise: biking lengthy distances with wellies on is to not be advisable, so typically you need to settle for moist ft, and there’s at all times the calculation about what, aside from binoculars you want. Right now’s birder is ill-equipped with out ‘scope and a strong digital camera, at minimal, however these plus some heat garments can simply add 7-8 kg and a great deal of drag – not nice for lengthy distances, or steep hills. Having discovered it rewarding and a enjoyable technique to see bits of the county differently than by means of the window of a automobile, as 2023 began I made a decision to decide to a “Massive 12 months” throughout the county solely by bike. On the outset, I knew that this was going to have to slot in round work, and numerous absences round household and work-related journey. Then again Oxford, the place I’m based mostly, may be very effectively positioned, being inside 10 km or so of two of the primary websites – Farmoor and Otmoor, and having the good Port Meadow proper throughout the metropolis. That is an account of that 12 months. 

January

A delicate begin to the 12 months, with nothing requiring long-distance journeys, so the primary few days had been spent visiting websites within the metropolis between 1-4 January and amassing 73 species. Of those, the spotlight was the wintering Yellow-browed Warbler at Donnington Bridge, which had first proven up on 29 December 2022, and which attracted a trickle of native birders over the primary two weeks of the 12 months. I noticed it early on New 12 months’s day and was additionally happy to see the wintering Firecrest, which had survived the chilly snap in mid December 2022, at my native patch of  Aston’s Eyot, on the identical day.

The primary correct longer journey of the 12 months was on 5 January with a 48 km spherical journey out to the Windrush Valley in search of some scarcer wildfowl proving profitable with 2 Ring-necked Duck and 15 Crimson-crested Pochard on the pits close to Standlake and 5 Goldeneye (an indication of the instances that this now wants a particular journey to search for slightly than being reliably current at Farmoor) in addition to 2 Nice White Egrets at Dix Pit, ending the day on 81 species for the 12 months. The remainder of January was slightly quiet, with few particular birds value travelling for, although a Shelduck on Port Meadow on twenty sixth was maybe the primary signal of spring, and I made a brief journey out to Farmoor to see the wintering Larger Scaup; the month completed on 92 species, with loads of gaps nonetheless.

February

February started with little time for birding, although I did choose up my solely Woodcock of the 12 months on seventh February on a work-related go to to Wytham Woods, and loved some spectacular views of the Siberian Chiffchaff wintering by Port Meadow. Because the month wore on, and the primary indicators of spring started to be felt, I began to forged my web additional afield. The eleventh February noticed a 69 km spherical journey out in direction of the sting of the county the place a gray and chilly daybreak arrival was actually rewarded with singing Woodlark at a conventional web site. The next day I headed out to Nice Tew up within the Cotswolds the place a bunch of Hawfinch had been discovered. This time it was a case of one other 69 km journey however for nothing greater than the primary Crimson-legged Partridges of the 12 months (my a hundredth species within the county in 2023), however no less than the satisfaction of a great journey in good countryside. The following day, February 13 was a Monday and a piece day, however the discovery of an Avocet (a a lot wished county first for me) was the reason for a fast mid-day go to to Port Meadow, adopted by a extra sedate put up work go to, which revealed that the Avocet had moved on, however offering the primary Oystercatcher and Med Gull of the 12 months as a replacement – extra indicators of the beginning of spring passage. Pissed off by the Hawfinch dip, I made a mid-week return to Nice Tew on the sixteenth, hoping that much less disturbance would supply a greater likelihood of seeing them; so it proved, although views had been hardly basic with ‘ticking’ birds audible on a regular basis however virtually invisible hiding in holly timber. The next weekend noticed the primary go to of the 12 months to Otmoor, which yielded just a few new species for the 12 months together with Crane, Marsh Harrier and Lesser Redpoll. A Caspian Gull the next day was an virtually anticipated early spring sight on Port Meadow.

Late February noticed the primary actually accessible county rarity of the 12 months seem with an American Wigeon discovered on the flood area on the NE facet of Otmoor – virtually actually the identical chook that had been seen late in a single night on Port Meadow in January. A lunch-time go to on 22 February was unsuccessful – certainly the chook went lacking for a number of days after its first look – however a second try on a stunning late winter’s afternoon on 26 February ultimately produced affordable, if distant, views of the chook. February completed on 112 species: an incredible month with three private county firsts and a few good scarcities.

Left: Siberian Chiffchaff, Port Meadow, Oxford Feb 2023; Proper: American Wigeon (with feminine Eurasian Wigeon), Otmoor, Feb 2023.

March

March started with a visit to search for Goshawk on a transparent early spring morning. Having seen a male hovering at distance effectively, I headed residence, stopping briefly on the best way again to scan Farmoor, one thing I tremendously regretted when a male Lesser Scaup was discovered late within the afternoon on 2nd March on the west finish of the Causeway. The ethical of the story is: at all times examine the complete size of the causeway at Farmoor! The next morning I joined an early-morning contingent of county birders hoping that this chook would have remained – the final Oxon file had been in 2007, so many had been eager to see this chook. I picked it up in flight with a small group of Tufted Geese flying over the bigger of the Reservoirs, and after a short time when it went lacking, it confirmed effectively within the NE nook of F2, ultimately staying effectively into April.

The month continued with a visit to see wintering Inexperienced Sandpiper at Peep-o-Day Lane (this species is bizarrely scarce in Oxford metropolis itself, so not one I might simply rely on ‘bumping into’ at Port Meadow), after which a fortunate Sunday afternoon ‘on spec’ journey to Otmoor which coincided with a pair of Spoonbills that had dropped onto Massive Otmoor. Clearly a mated pair, the bigger, presumably male, chook might even be heard softly hooting sometimes (seen on this good video from Rob Cadd: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFZv9FRU8nY) one thing I’ve by no means heard earlier than. The remainder of March was principally interrupted by journey, however regularly accrued just a few early migrants together with some spring waders on Port Meadow (Ringed & Little Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Greenshank and a splendid flock of 29 Black-tailed Godwits), ending on 125 species. The much less mentioned in regards to the failed 67 km journey to the downs and again to not see Brief-eared Owl, throughout which I obtained soaked *twice* by the identical stationary band of rain the higher…

Left: Lesser Scaup, Farmoor, March 2023; Proper: Spoonbills, Otmoor, March 2023.

April

All the time one of the vital thrilling months of the 12 months, April started with an inland inflow of Kittiwakes – typically a tough chook to meet up with within the county, particularly as Grimsbury Reservoir appeared to have a magnetic attraction for them in 2023 (and is a web site that may be a 94 km spherical journey from residence). Happily, two birds spent a lot of two April on the massive floods on Port Meadow the place the Black-tailed Godwit flock had grown to 38 and included an extraordinary-looking small, richly colored male with a recurved invoice. A couple of days later, a second 62 km journey to the Downs was extra profitable with Stone-Curlew and the bonus of two drake Garganey on the return route through Peep-o-Day Lane.

Left: Black-tailed Godwits (and 1 Golden Plover), Port Meadow 2023, together with the exceptional small, richly colored male that was on this flock. Proper: Garganey, Peep-o-Day Lane, April 2023.

Household Easter holidays then took me in a foreign country for 10 days – a nervous interval given the time of 12 months. Because it occurred, I didn’t miss an excessive amount of – the one Black-necked Grebe of the 12 months which roamed the Windrush Valley in mid April being the most expensive missed species. The final ten days of April introduced some glorious birding with a flurry of passage species together with Arctic Tern and Widespread Scoter at Farmoor, quite a few Garganey and Little Gulls (together with 16 on Port Meadow), Pied Flycatcher and Redstart at Witney Lake, singing male Wooden Warblers at each Burgess Discipline and Wytham Woods and the sumptuous Noticed Crake at Otmoor from the night of the twenty sixth onwards. On the finish of the month, Thomas Miller and I joined forces and tried a bike-powered “Massive Day” in Oxfordshire, logging 149 km on the bike between 4.30 AM and 9 PM. This was an incredible day’s birding with 112 species seen or heard by me personally, though just one was a 12 months tick: Cattle Egret! A short Purple Heron at Pit 60 on at the present time, seen by Thomas however not by me, was a expensive miss, and one in every of my largest dips of the 12 months. The day’s exploits are recounted in full element right here: https://docs.google.com/doc/d/1cIDfM4lsk8prvgvipOJQYDc8oxjVsxTP9hb9Ps4eHB8/edit?usp=sharing

April ended on 155 species.

Left: Little Gulls, Port Meadow, April 2023; Proper: Pied Flycatcher, Witney Lake, April 2023.

Might

Whereas the tempo of recent additions to the 12 months might be anticipated to drop off in Might, any birder hopes that the standard will increase, with the potential of arctic-bound waders and overshooting southern rarities jostling for consideration. Once more, I used to be away from the county or fairly tied-up with work for a great chunk of this month and nervous about what I would miss. Getting a textual content about Black-winged Stilt on Otmoor as I drove a bunch of scholars over the county boundary on the M40, heading to Northern Eire for a week-long area course, was a very low blow. Because it turned out, once more luck was with me, and I used to be in Oxfordshire on the proper time for probably the most thrilling interval of the spring. A Bar-tailed Godwit on Port Meadow on third Might was a welcome get-back after lacking a great county-wide passage in April, as was an Osprey present in torrential rain on the similar web site on 6 Might, which really stayed lengthy sufficient for an area twitch. Noticed Flycatcher in Wytham Woods whereas instructing on 15 Might was then adopted later that day by the very welcome reappearance of the Black-winged Stilt at Otmoor and my first Gray Plover of the 12 months at Port Meadow that night. The latter turned out to be a mistake, as with restricted mild I gambled that Gray Plover could be more durable to see once more than Turnstone, of which there have been 3 on the causeway at Farmoor the identical night. The Port Meadow Gray Plover stayed for every week, and Turnstone ended up being maybe probably the most stunning lacking species of the entire 12 months. 

Sanderling, Tree Pipit and Turtle Dove later in Might preceded an thrilling two days when first, a Temminck’s Stint was discovered at Farmoor by Andy Final, mid night on the twenty third. Happily free when the information got here by means of, and realizing that these are typically short-stayers, I cycled flat out from residence in East Oxford to Farmoor in 22.5 minutes (I can’t get there a lot sooner by automobile), and was watching the chook inside 35 minutes of the primary textual content alert. A lot of the dialogue among the many small crowd of birders there that night was really round a report of a ring-tail harrier from Otmoor which got here in whereas we had been watching the stint; reported as a potential Montagu’s, the date made it a really intriguing chook. The next day, a relaxed morning working at residence was interrupted by information that the harrier – nonetheless not recognized for positive – had reappeared over Greenaways. I dropped every thing and now set a brand new private pace file by means of Oxford and out to Otmoor (26 minutes), and was extremely lucky that the chook got here in over Greenaways once more just about as I arrived on web site. A couple of ‘file pictures’ shared through WhatsApp confirmed the id as a primary summer season male Montagu’s Harrier – certainly a species many people hadn’t anticipated to see once more within the county because the small breeding inhabitants disappeared a decade or extra in the past. The joy was raised one other notch later that day by Mick Cunningham’s exceptional ‘name of nature’ discover of a singing Golden Oriole at New Yatt, however having already burnt a number of playing cards within the previous 24 hours, this was a chook I needed to hope may keep until the next day; sadly that wasn’t to be, and Might ended on 165 species. 

Left: Temminck’s Stint, Farmoor, Might 2023; Proper: Montagu’s Harrier, Otmoor, Might 2023.

June & July

As anticipated, the tempo slackened significantly in June, with a single Crossbill ‘chipping’ excessive of Wytham Woods on 4 June, and a Quail singing at Otmoor on 22 June the one new birds that month. July started with a night watching a household get together of Little Owls throughout the Oxford ring-road: three vigorous children being fed inside yards of a busy pub backyard, and appeared prone to proceed in a equally quiet vogue until Tom Wickens’ explosive discovery of a roosting Evening Heron at Peep-o-Day lane on a sleepy Sunday 9 July. Once more, a fast journey adopted – 32 minutes to cycle the 14.5 km from residence (carrying full birding gear) – with glorious views loved by all on arrival. The final new species of the month was Mandarin – a chook that had led me on one thing of a wild duck chase at a number of websites earlier within the 12 months earlier than ultimately seeing one at Sutton Courtenay. July completed on 170 species, and with loads of ‘autumn specials’ nonetheless to come back, I used to be effectively forward of the place I anticipated to be.

Left: Evening Heron, Peep-o-Day Lane, July 2023; Proper: Mandarin Duck, Sutton Courtenay, July 2023.

August was dominated by annual household holidays in Sweden: being away it was straightforward sufficient to modify off for a month and recharge batteries, prepared for a extra lively September. Then catastrophe struck. On coming back from a month in Sweden on the finish of August, I started to really feel feverish and actually fairly unwell. Finally, I ended up in hospital for every week and was recognized with tick-borne encephalitis, a viral illness which is transmitted by ticks, and really uncommon within the UK. Whereas I recovered from the an infection, the after-effects had been fairly extreme and it wasn’t till late October that I used to be effectively sufficient to journey a motorbike any distance. This was a pity, as September particularly was a cracking month, with some top notch county birds, a few of which (Pallid Harrier, Curlew Sandpiper, Gray Phalarope & Whooper Swan) I used to be in a position to see by driving to see them whereas I used to be recovering, however for which biking wasn’t remotely potential, though they’d have been eminently gettable underneath regular circumstances. October was quieter, however there was no getting again a bunch of species that, in 2023, had been actually solely potential for me to see in these two months. 

November

Having regained my health by early November, I used to be prepared for extra bike-powered birding however considerably awaiting species to go and see. The primary sudden alternative was offered by Steve Lavington’s shock discovery of a redhead Smew on Port Meadow (the primary file within the metropolis of Oxford for 75 years) at 3.44 PM on 16 Nov. At work, with an unmissable assembly at 4.00 PM, I rode as quick as I’ve ever achieved to Port Meadow, had a really fast (30 second) look down Steve’s scope and high-tailed it again, arriving breathless and a little bit dishevelled solely two minutes late for the assembly. Whereas I hate ‘tick-and-run’ birding, typically there may be actually no different. The next weekend was glorious, with first a Slavonian Grebe being discovered mid-morning at Farmoor (a a lot wanted county first for me), after which two Bewick’s Swans displaying up on Ashgrave at Otmoor within the afternoon. Each had been welcome species I’d probably not anticipated to see this 12 months. The final new species for the 12 months in November was the considerably overdue Brambling with wonderful views of a small group at Blenheim, taking me to 174 species. 

Left: Slavonian Grebe, Farmoor, Nov 2023; Proper: Brambling, Blenheim Palace, Nov 2023.

December

December was a quieter month, with the primary new species for the 12 months being the Nice Northern Diver which arrived at Farmoor late afternoon on 11 December. Having missed a really transient chook at Radley in November, I used to be taking no possibilities with this one and raced out by means of the nightfall rush hour visitors, arriving at Farmoor some time after sundown when thankfully the chook was fairly simply seen within the mirrored mild of the setting solar. In fact, as is usually the case, it then hung round into 2024! Throughout the remainder of December Oxfordshire birders had been teased by transient sightings of Waxwings popping up right here and there throughout the county, whereas neighbouring counties appeared to get pleasure from stationary flocks. Fairly just a few spins round possible trying websites in Oxford, and a 51 km tour across the again streets and supermarkets of Abingdon and Kidlington didn’t ship any of those for me personally. The ultimate two new species for the 12 months took a number of failed makes an attempt, with, after 3 close to misses throughout the autumn, a ringtail Hen Harrier coming in to roost at Otmoor on 29 December lastly finishing the set of 4 harrier species at that web site for me, and a Jack Snipe at Iffley Meadows (after various looking) being the final addition to go away the 12 months whole on 177 species.

So, what did I study this 12 months? First, that Oxfordshire has some nice birding, accessible 12 months spherical, with no automobile. I cycled round 1800 km particularly to search for birds throughout the 12 months, however partly as a result of Oxford is centrally positioned and most of the greatest websites are inside 10km of town, I didn’t must make many spherical journeys longer than 30km. In fact, this is likely to be totally different in a 12 months when all of the county rarities flip up on the Downs, round Banbury or down at Sonning Eye! Whereas a fast 10k journey out to Farmoor or Otmoor is simple and hardly wants a lot planning, the far corners of the county are tougher rides (my longest single journey within the county to date has been 104 km to see Dartford Warbler up at Balscote Quarry in 2022), particularly after they go outdoors the flat Thames valley plain. I additionally realized that there are some nice birders right here, completely satisfied to share suggestions and knowledge: because of all of you that did in 2023 and proceed to take action. As with every 12 months there are ideas of what might need been: if all of September and October hadn’t been written off, I feel one other 10-15 species would have been potential this 12 months, so maybe I might need obtained someplace close to 190. Different species that I noticed whereas out of motion (from biking) within the autumn had been Black Tern, Pallid Harrier, Curlew Sand, Gray Phalarope, Whooper Swan, Rock Pipit, Brief-eared Owl, Merlin and Tree Sparrow; I completely missed Knot, Turnstone, Wooden Sandpiper and Little Stint throughout this era. Might the legendary 200 species be seen in a single 12 months within the county with out utilizing a automobile? Maybe, with a substantial amount of luck and planning. Now there’s a problem…