Oxfordshire Weekend

Been a great summer weekend in Oxfordshire. Got some birding time in at Ickford Bridges HERE and a superb evening at Otmoor RSPB HERE. Highlights included Glossy Ibis, Common Crane, Marsh Harriers, Bitterns, Barn Owl, Garganey, Black-tailed Godwit, drumming Snipe and displaying waders at Otmoor and great to see the local Curlews too near the river. 

Been good for moth trapping too with a moth lifer- Alder Moth.  The Old Vicarage pan-species list is now 802 with the Alder moth and also a couple of new plants. Need to do another bio-blitz in the garden because presumably still a lot of summer species to find here. 

 

Barn Owl hunting over Otmoor 

Eclipse male and female Garganey- the transitional male was interesting and I briefly even considered Blue-winged Teal at one point but amongst many other features the white on the trailing edge of the speculum is too broad (below). 

Common Tern at Otmoor from second screen- I counted 17 here utilising the tern raft

Curlew in a nearby grazing meadow- wonderful to see! 

A good showing of Hawk-moths this weekend with Lime, Privet and Poplar (above) and also Elephant and Small Elephant 

Lime (above) and Privet Hawk-moth (below) 

Alder Moth- star of the weekend 

Grey-streaked Diamond-back Moth, Plutella porrectella- always good to see. Also quite a few standard migrant Diamond-back moths this weekend 

A few Pale Prominets. Also Iron, Pebble and Lesser Swallow Prominent

Scalloped Hazel is a garden rarity

I went for Spruce Carpet on this one 

I went for Cork Moth on this micro

I went for Daisy Bent-wing Bucculatrix nigricomella on this one . If the county recorder has this it will be a little lifer. 

Triple-spot Dwarf Elachista maculicerusella

A bit of variation in Coronets 

Had this sexton beetle (complete with mite) which I need to identify. Might be another pan-species tick here. Looks like could be Black Sexton Beetle Nicrophorus humator HERE. 

Also found this on the mites : Adults will often be found carrying phoretic mites ( Gamasidae, especially Gamasus crassipes L.) which are not parasitic but leave the beetle and enter host material where they kill off eggs and small larvae of diptera etc. which would otherwise compete with the beetle for food. HERE.

There was even a bit of herping on offer this weekend with two Common Toads (found when clearing out the old inflatable pool) and a Grass Snake at Otmoor

Even in the grazing marshes locally by the river there is Ragged Robin and Cuckoo-flowers.

Two new plants for the garden list (according to my plant id app) , Rough Hawksbeard (above) and Hedge Mustard (below) 

Got confronted by this gang of youths while exploring round Ickford Bridges

All good on the mini-farm - put the pumpkins in this weekend and tidied things up 

Quite a few dragonflies and damselflies about now- at least 200 Banded Demosielle along a small stretch of the river Thame 

Barn Owl 'Handbrake turn'

 

Barn Owl at Otmoor yesterday evening 

Stubcroft Farm

Just got back from a nature packed family holiday to Stubcroft Farm on the Selsey Peninsula, West Sussex.  This eco-camp site  is a perfect base to explore the surrounding coast and downs, our third stay there with the delightful staff and nice neighbours. As it was a family trip I just did a bit of birding before Holly and Jacob got ready in the morning and then kept my eyes open on our touristy things. First day I did Church Norton in the morning before spending the day at West Wittering Beach/East Head, on Sunday I did Medmerry early and then we visited Arundel Wetland Centre, yesterday I did Church Norton in morning and we did Arundel gardens and Swanbourne Lake and today was all day at West Wittering/ East Head again. Ebird lists HERE, HERE and HERE. 

Had the actinic moth trap out but the nights were cool so not much action- Chinese Character, Poplar Hawkmoth, Treble Lines, Brimstone and Muslin moth was the complete turn out. 

Here's a few pics. 

Mediterranean Gull- literally everywhere on the peninsula 

Avocet- nice to see them breeding at Medmerry with chicks running around 

Had a couple of Cattle Egrets (I think there's nearly a dozen in the area). The one above flew over the wetland centre and the one below was feeding with the cattle at the Ferry Pool

Interesting free-flying hybrid family at the Wetland Centre, what I presume is a hybrid Cackling Goose x Barnacle goose paired up with a pure looking Cackling (Ridgeway's Canada) Goose

The trust have got a couple of new attractions at Arundel Wetland Centre including Dalmation Pelicans and sea bird enclosure which included these collection Spectacled Eiders (male, above, female below).  

Lockdown might have caught this Oystercatcher out which was breeding on a small island in the public area and getting quite irate with the sudden deluge of tourists 

A flock of Little Tern at Church Norton- about 60 in the harbour 

The colony at Church Norton- mainly Black-headed and Med Gulls with Sandwich Terns and the odd Common Tern

Meadow Pipit (above) and Skylark (below) at East Head where they were breeding amongst the Sand Dunes 

Plenty of these Grey Gorse Piercers at Church Norton in the Gorse. 

East Head (National Trust) is a fascinating area, a sand bar and sand dune complex with some really interesting botany. The lowest part of the complex (below) are covered in South Marsh Orchids and Sea Rush and the sandy areas with dune grasses, sea spurge and sea bindweed.  

Southern Marsh Orchids (above and below) 

Sea Rush (above) 

Sea Spurge (above) and Sea Bindweed (below) 

More Southern Marsh Orchids (above and below) showing a bit of variation in colour 

Hare's Tail

The odd Common Spotted Orchid too 

Seemed like Lilies were the theme at Arundel Castle Grounds (three above). The app says Camash (top), St. Bernard's Lily (middle) and Turk's-cap (bottom). (Cultivated).

Plant Net app says these are Common Milkwort (above) and Smooth bedstraw (below), growing on the chalk slopes at Swanbourne Lake

Spiny Dogfish on the tide line 

Stubcroft Camp Site