Birds
- Rushy Island Hopping Skulking Temminck's
Temminck's showed for about 30 out of 90 minutes on at least three islands to the WNW corner of Rushy Common up to around 3pm. Amongst veg, slow moving or static and noticeably smaller in body than a showy Pied Wag alongside, you have to have real...
- Rufous Turtle Dove 16th Feb
Rufous Turtle Dove 1w (form orientalis) again Chipping Norton at 41 The Leys early this morning (No general access). The dove then flew off. (per ITV Daybreak & R.B.A) From BirdForum, "Saxicola": "To clarify matters concerning this morning 16 Feb....
- 15th Feb: Oriental Turtle Dove Present Early Morning Only
Reported (Bird Guides) as still present early morning at 41 The Leys, Chipping Norton, this morning. Access via queuing system (£5 entry fee to charity) until 16:00 today with no access Wednesday or Thursday. Park only in centre of town and walk down...
- Oriental Turtle Dove
Many thanks to Steve and Sharon for kindly allowing birders in to their home and for the cups of tea & chocolate :-) All money raised is to be divided between Bird Life International and Bird Life Malta which are both worthy causes. Access tomorrow...
- Baikal Teal
Baikal Teal: 22nd – 24th December 2002 I visited Dix Pit near Stanton Harcourt at lunchtime on 22nd December 2002 to count the wildfowl having noted a significant influx of dabblers in recent days. There were again large numbers of duck present and...
Birds
Surf Scoter Farmoor 27th March 1998
“Every Friday afternoon since the early nineties, I have been making a routine walk around F1. On 27th. March 1998 I was walking towards the car park when a bird flew overhead. Gathering my scattered thoughts together, and with my eyes finally connecting to my brain, I realised that I had just seen a drake Surf Scoter! This was a species I believe had only been sighted inland in the UK on just a few occasions.
With mounting panic I hurried back to F1 hoping that the bird had landed and not just flown over, stopping now and then to scope for this rarity. I had retraced my footsteps back to half way along the causeway without a sighting at this point. Dejected and miserable that I had not found the bird, I sadly walked again in the direction of the car park. Pausing to look at some Goldeneye, and admiring a splendid male I was amazed to see the Surf Scoter amongst them!
A second panic attack, what if it flies off without anyone else seeing it, would I be believed? My journey to the car park seemed to take for ever. Looking around desperately for a warden to access his phone. (this was in my pre- mobile days.) and without finding one, I hurried home to use my land line to spread the news.
The first people I contacted were Peter Allen and Steve Heath. Steve phoned Ian Lewington who quickly spread the word. My last sighting of the celebrity was on the evening of fourth April when he allowed me to get within ten metres of him as though as a farewell gesture. Oh if only I had had a digital camera in those days!”
© Dai John, Oxford, 8/12/08.
With mounting panic I hurried back to F1 hoping that the bird had landed and not just flown over, stopping now and then to scope for this rarity. I had retraced my footsteps back to half way along the causeway without a sighting at this point. Dejected and miserable that I had not found the bird, I sadly walked again in the direction of the car park. Pausing to look at some Goldeneye, and admiring a splendid male I was amazed to see the Surf Scoter amongst them!
A second panic attack, what if it flies off without anyone else seeing it, would I be believed? My journey to the car park seemed to take for ever. Looking around desperately for a warden to access his phone. (this was in my pre- mobile days.) and without finding one, I hurried home to use my land line to spread the news.
The first people I contacted were Peter Allen and Steve Heath. Steve phoned Ian Lewington who quickly spread the word. My last sighting of the celebrity was on the evening of fourth April when he allowed me to get within ten metres of him as though as a farewell gesture. Oh if only I had had a digital camera in those days!”
© Dai John, Oxford, 8/12/08.
- Rushy Island Hopping Skulking Temminck's
Temminck's showed for about 30 out of 90 minutes on at least three islands to the WNW corner of Rushy Common up to around 3pm. Amongst veg, slow moving or static and noticeably smaller in body than a showy Pied Wag alongside, you have to have real...
- Rufous Turtle Dove 16th Feb
Rufous Turtle Dove 1w (form orientalis) again Chipping Norton at 41 The Leys early this morning (No general access). The dove then flew off. (per ITV Daybreak & R.B.A) From BirdForum, "Saxicola": "To clarify matters concerning this morning 16 Feb....
- 15th Feb: Oriental Turtle Dove Present Early Morning Only
Reported (Bird Guides) as still present early morning at 41 The Leys, Chipping Norton, this morning. Access via queuing system (£5 entry fee to charity) until 16:00 today with no access Wednesday or Thursday. Park only in centre of town and walk down...
- Oriental Turtle Dove
Many thanks to Steve and Sharon for kindly allowing birders in to their home and for the cups of tea & chocolate :-) All money raised is to be divided between Bird Life International and Bird Life Malta which are both worthy causes. Access tomorrow...
- Baikal Teal
Baikal Teal: 22nd – 24th December 2002 I visited Dix Pit near Stanton Harcourt at lunchtime on 22nd December 2002 to count the wildfowl having noted a significant influx of dabblers in recent days. There were again large numbers of duck present and...