Skip to main content

Pit 60 R.I.P





Pit 60 has been very very quiet recently. In fact, I believe there has not been a single wader there for the past couple of weeks. The reasons for the sad demise of what was one of oxfordshires best birding sites is well know to us regular patch workers, namely poor water and vegetation management. Looking at records from only 3 or 4 years ago it is very obvious how badly the site has deteriorated.

So, to avoid another morning staring at coots and tufted ducks from the hide window, I went to farmoor this morning to see what must surely be the most photographed bird in Oxfordshire – the famous Kingfisher at the shrike meadow hide. I was very lucky in that the bird had just landed on its favored post just prior to my arrival. My birding friend Ewan arrived after a little while and we spent a pleasant 2 hours or so chatting and waiting for the star performer but he/she did not return during my stay.







Thanks to all who have asked about my dog Dillon who is recovering from his op and going stir crazy from his enforced bed rest until his stiches come out next week. He only has two modes of existence, asleep and going bonkers. I’m sure that there is an on off switch somewhere but I haven’t found it yet!

Comments

  1. Sad about Pit 60.... Nice kf tho & good to hear Dillon's recovering - tho it sounds like it's probably a bit of a trial for all concerned!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PS - just realised you posted 2 pics the same - suspect you meant to post the same 3 as you've put on Facebook? x

      Delete
  2. I think Wader passage is pretty poor across the county this year, Farmoor hasn’t exactly been inundated with them either and, apart from the usual Green Sandpipers, we’ve had little at BWR. Oxon hasn’t even managed to attract many of the thousands of Wood Sandpipers. Maybe the birds see what’s happening to this county of ours and think “sod that” and go elsewhere! We all need to move to a small corner of Lincolnshire!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Albert the Albatross

    High quality framed and unframed prints available at   https://www.etsy.com/shop/BirdlifeStudio If you don't see what you want please ask! What is more improbable -   a)     England’ football team    beating Germany in the knockout stages of a major competition   b)     Seeing an Albatross in England   Actually the answer is a) because it has not happened since 1966 rather than b) as Albert the Albatross, as he is affectionally known, has made a number of passing visits to the UK since 1967!   On Monday evening reports started to emerge of Albert associating with the Gannet colony at RSPB Bempton Cliffs in Yorkshire, almost one year after his    last brief visit to the same site. During the intervening period there have been a number of sightings of Albert across Europe, particularly from the Baltic Sea where he appears to have spent much of the last 12 months. In fact there were reports that he had been att...

Ok I'll admit it - I'm in love with Wrynecks and Autumn fun on the farm!

  High quality framed and unframed prints available at   https://www.etsy.com/shop/BirdlifeStudio If you don't see what you want please ask! There are precious few birds that I’ve both seen and photographed well that I will drive 2 hours to see but I will make an exception for my favourite UK bird, the enigmatic Wryneck. No autumn birding in the UK is complete for me unless I have seen at least one of these beauties. So Monday morning found me in the Volvo driving 2 hours to see an exceptionally showy individual located at Exminster Marshes RSPB in Devon.   As it had already been present for a couple of days, I waited for it to be reported before setting off  and so it was near midday when I arrived at the small RSPB car park adjacent to the railway line. It was then a 30 minute or so walk down a pleasant leafy footpath to the welcoming looking Turf hotel. The hotel is next to Turf lock from where stunning views can be had over the river Exe estuary towards Exto...

The Hawfinches of the Forest of Dean

   Hawfinch - Forest of Dean, winter 2017 High quality framed and unframed prints available at   https://www.etsy.com/shop/BirdlifeStudio If you don't see what you want please ask! A highlight of my winter birding is my annual trip to the Forest of Dean to see Hawfinches. I was unable to go last year due to the post-Christmas lockdown so this year’s visit was even more richly anticipated than normal.   Parkend in the Forest of Dean is my usual chosen location for watching Hawfinches. Here the proven technique of using your car as a hide normally works well. I must also say that,  after a number of quite strenuous twitches recently, I was also looking forward to a much more leisurely birding session!   The story of Hawfinches in the UK is, to my mind at least, a fascinating one. It is what is known as an eruptive species meaning that it occasionally erupts from its traditional breeding grounds to invade on mass countries much further away. This is thoug...