Thirty four of us met the bus and travelled to Poole to join the boat for the trip to Brownsea Island.  The weather was very slightly warmer than it had been for the previous three weeks but it was still just above zero!  Brownsea Island gave us excellent views of many birds amongst which Eurasian Spoonbill together with very many Coal Tits at a feeding station that had been left by the BBC form the Autumn Watch programmes, were probably the highlight.  After just under two hours we left to go round the island and go as far as the Arne RSPB Reserve.  We had excellent views of Red-breasted Mergansers and Goldeneye.  Sadly we did not get a sighting of any of the divers nor Long-Tailed Duck.  We still managed fifty-nine species

Birds seen on the trip

This was another joint trip with the Vale of White Horse RSPB Group and 35 of us travelled by coach on a sunny and relatively mild spring-like day.

On arrival, with prior advice from the reserve Warden in mind about the unsuitability of the site access lane for coaches, we disembarked at the side of the public road and walked the ¾ of a mile to the reserve.  Two circular walks are available – a short one of about 3 miles and another much longer one of about 7 miles along the sea wall – and most of us opted for the short one, some heading for the pool with the ferruginous ducks on it.

The enormous flocks of Brent geese were awe-inspiring, particularly when they flew in to settle on close-by pools.  Flocks of Curlew, Black-tailed Godwits, Lapwing, Wigeon and Ruff were on the grazing marshes and smaller flocks of Oystercatcher, Dunlin and Knot were in the creeks.  Several Marsh Harriers were airborne at the same time and Hen Harrier, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk and Merlin were seen by most of us. Some were lucky enough to see a Peregrine.  The combined total of bird species seen for both Groups was 73.  All in all, a memorable visit to a truly wild place on a perfect day.

Birds seen on the trip

18 of us travelled to Thatcham on a fine sunny morning.  In the car park Chiffchaffs, Goldfinches and Chaffinches were singing in the hedgerow and Lesser Redpolls and Siskins were visiting the visitor centre’s feeders.  We made our way along the path at the side of the main lake and through the reedbeds to the Kennet and Avon canal noting the wildfowl, a pair of Bullfinches, a Great-spotted Woodpecker and other passerine species on the way. Chiffchaffs were singing every hundred metres or so along the route, and a pair of Grey Wagtails, perched on a fallen willow branch in the canal, obligingly stayed-put, allowing us to linger while one of our party photographed them.  We crossed the canal and visited two former gravel pits, one now a fishing lake and the other a bird-watching reserve complete with hide, before returning to the cars.  In the afternoon we had a very pleasant walk through Bowdown Woods, where we spotted a Nuthatch and a few other woodland species, and then on to Greenham Common where we watched Dartford Warblers flitting to and fro in the extensive area of gorse, a fitting end to an enjoyable day’s birding.  We’d seen 50 species and heard 2 more.

Birds seen on the trip

Thirty eight of us (probably the highest number ever to support a trip operated solely by the Oxford Local Group) joined the coach at Headington on a chilly but bright morning.  By the time that we got to Arne it had warmed up considerably and we enjoyed a beautiful sunny and seasonably warm day.  Spring migrants hadn't arrived in numbers but we managed to see Barn Swallows, Common House Martin, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and  Whimbrel.  Dartford Warblers  were seen by some on several occasions though unfortunately by not all.  We enjoyed rare sightings of Eurasian Spoonbill and Great Egret.  Some sixty one species were seen, which considering that the spring arrivals had not materialised was a good number for the day especially when the quality was considered.

Birds seen on the trip

31 May 2009 

Thirty nine of us left Headington on a clear and warm day.  It promised well. The weather held up for the whole day and we had a wonderful walk through the forest, but the birding was relatively disappointing. Certainly the trees were in full cover which left sighting birds difficult, but many anticipated birds were missing as we could not hear their songs.  Probably the highlights of the day were two excellent views of Wood Warbler and for a few, a good view of a Merlin.  Still we cannot be always as lucky as we have been.  We saw or heard some forty two species.

Birds seen on the trip

15 of us travelled and met up at the Common on a warm, still and initially overcast evening, later clear and bright.

Birds were few and far between, but several Tree Pipits and Song Thrushes  sang  from time to time from tree-tops and overhead wires, the thrushes until long after sunset.  At the end of the evening we’d logged 22 species, including a Nightjar and three Woodcock roding simultaneously, a single bird and a pair, one of which flew directly over us to meet up with and fly a circuit with the other of the pair in the darkening sky. The Nightjar, the only one churring, was difficult to locate but was eventually seen to fly into the top of a birch tree and spotted perched in typical fashion along a bare horizontal  branch, silhouetted by the remaining brightness in the north-west sky – a ‘lifer’ for several of our group and a perfect end to our quest to hear and see this scarce British breeding bird.

Birds seen on the trip

Nine of us left Headington Hill Hall to meet up with a member who had gone direct to Draycote Water.  The weather was dry, relatively warm with just a light wind.  Ideal bird watching conditions we would have thought!  Sadly the winter migrants had not really arrived yet so we managed only a relatively small count for the two sites.  We had forty six species at Draycote Water and nineteen at Brandon Marsh.  Of the two locations, Draycote Water was an interesting walk round the perimeter on tarmac whilst Brandon Marsh is a lovely, small reserve which has yielded much more in the past.  Maybe it is something we will have to live with during this period of climate change.

Birds seen at Draycote Water

Birds seen at Brandon Marsh

This was a joint trip with the Vale of the Whitehorse RSPB Group and 40 of us travelled by coach to the reserves.  We followed the dark clouds and rain eastwards to Rainham, which is situated east of London on the north side of the Thames estuary.  When we arrived the rain stopped but the wind was very strong and we were grateful for the protection provided by the high sea-wall.  A couple of heavy showers occurred later.

Most of the bird species present were few in number, except for Lapwing, which numbered several hundred, feeding or roosting on excavated soil from an ongoing earthwork project.  The only waders seen were Dunlin, a single Common Sandpiper and a couple of Common Snipe.  The small flocks of Greylag and Canada geese and Wigeon grazing the marsh were easily viewed from the circular route through the reserve.  This is a nicely laid-out reserve and the facilities, including paths and hides, are superb.  No doubt on a fine day there’d be a lot more to see than during the poor weather on our visit.

At Fishers Green once again numbers of species were low – Just several of the more common wildfowl ones and a few passerines.  A large flock of Long-tailed Tits brightened the afternoon’s walk.   We recorded a total of 49 species through the day which, on reflection, isn’t a bad number considering the terrible weather encountered.

Birds seen at Rainham Marshes

Birds seen at Fishers Green