Highlight was 14 Curlew and a Dunlin on Big Otmoor with 400+ Golden Plover still around and my first Oystercatchers there for the year. Since I last visited Redshank numbers have also increased and I didn't see any flocks of Lapwings so seems like things are clearing out as the summer breeders are moving in. There are now 5 Marsh Harrier and speaking to a local guy some of these have only arrived recently too. More Skylarks singing and even some of the Golden Plovers were tumbling through the air singing.
Back at the Old Vicarage, the moth trap was pretty quiet. Last nights storm Freya wasn't ideal conditions and Saturday night was quite wet. Only three species Small Quaker, Common Quaker and a nice Grey Shoulder Knot.
Had four Roe Deer on the way back and Brown Hare at Otmoor.
Curlews (above). Great to see this species seemingly doing well locally.
Golden Plovers- not a bad method looking for a rare plover amongst the flocks (which are often difficult to scan through on the deck and quite flighty)- take photos of the flocks in flight and check the underwings- despite my best efforts, the best I could dredge up was a Dunlin
Wigeon, Pintail, and Teal- still good numbers of waterfowl around which seems to be more stubborn to leave than the Golden Plovers and Lapwings
Canada Goose x Greylag hybrid above and Barnacle Goose x Greylag below for comparison . Seems surprising the strength of expression of different genes with both hybrid pairs showing less in the way of Greylag phenotype and more in the way of Canada and Barnacle Goose respectively.
Another odd job on 'Odmoor'- the regular leucistic Pochard
View over Otmoor looking over Ashgrave with Big Otmoor in distance and reed bed to right rear. It's looking particularly wet so hopefully will be a good wetland bird Spring.
Grey Shoulder Knot at the Old Vicarage . A first the Old Vic. Pan species list for Old Vic now at 594.
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