Grimsbury Reservoir: little ringed plover, swifts and more

A quick post to show a few recent photos from Banbury's reservoir taken in the early morning.  When you think this is a concrete lined lake, well used by fishermen and dog walkers, it actually attracts quite a few birds.  The advantage is that many of the birds have got quite used to people and I can sneak up on them with my camera without causing alarm.  Many birds pass though, only staying for a few minutes, hours or perhaps a couple of days at most.  There is always at least one grey heron.

this juvenile lesser black-backed gull just couldn't balance on the buoy

adult lesser black-backed gull showing how to do it!

fly-though hobby

my swift photos are gradually getting better

a small gathering of sand martins (nearest bird) and swallows on the barbed wire fence that surrounds the reservoir

sand martin close up with swallow to the right

beautiful back-lit juvenile little ringed plover

two blackcaps having a break from eating elderberries

Other birds around the past couple of days include garden warbler, chiffchaff, willow warbler and sparrowhawk. 

If you continue past the reservoir to the canal and follow the tow path under the M40 you will reach the new flood defences, including a small lake that also attract waterbirds  - on Tuesday there were four little grebes and a common sandpiper.

Grimsbury Reservoir: autumn in the air

I made two fairly quick visits to the reservoir this weekend, early Saturday morning and after lunch on Sunday (after the bad weather had cleared).  The weather is much fresher and the landscape around Banbury is starting to look more autumnal, with elderberries and blackberries ripening and attracting feeding songbirds.

Saturday was the quieter of the two visits, three grey herons and a single juvenile common gull were only birds of note.

juvenile common gull

Sunday was bright and breezy after heavy rain had cleared. A common tern had dropped in, initially perched on the pontoon, then in flight around the reservoir.

common tern and mallard

common tern

 Many fishermen were lined up on the east shore, but at the north end a single juvenile little-ringed plover was sat on the concrete shoreline - allowing a close approach. 

juvenile little ringed plover

More that twenty swifts were swooping down from the sky and around the trees, great to see them in their element.  A couple of sand martins skimmed over the water joined by a few swallows and house martins.

Grimsbury Reservoir: Mediterranean feel (not just the weather)

An early morning walk around Grimsbury Reservoir was more exciting than usual, highlight being a juvenile Mediterranean gull sat amongst the black-headed gulls.  I only noticed it when I stopped to photograph the gulls.  Shows the value of using the camera as part of birding - it helps you focus on birds you might not have given a second glance otherwise.  It is the larger gull in this photo - the middle in the group of five, with two black-headed gulls either side.

Mediterranean gull, juvenile centre/right bird.

Also of note were two each of: common sandpiper, grey heron, great crested grebe and cormorant. Also four swifts and a single yellow wagtail.  A very confiding flock of at least a dozen long-tailed tits in the big willows near the entrance, with a couple of willow warblers mixed in.  Two linnets and a couple of chiffchaffs just about completes the list.

Cothill Fen and Dry Sandford Nature Reserves: a home for rare Oxfordshire dragonflies and damselflies

This morning I had an opportunity to visit the Cothill Fen cluster of nature reserves to the south west of Oxford, all managed by BBOWT.  Though relatively small is size, these sites are remarkably rich in plants and invertebrates and I think are the only place in Oxfordshire to see three species of Odonata (the dragonflies and damselflies) otherwise largely confined to the New Forest and other southern heathlands.  My planning was considerably aided by Stephen Burch's excellent website which contains loads of useful information on these and other sites, the species and up to date sightings info.

The weather pretty much played ball but it was a slow start at Dry Sandford Pit, and I was wondering if there were any dragonflies around at all. Then a common darter appeared and perched beautifully for me.

male common darter

Soon afterwards I spotted the first of my "Big Three", a male keeled skimmer.  The male was sat perched  on marshy vegetation, then took off and patrolled across his small territory of a few square metres, then returned to the exact same spot.  About three metres away another male was doing the same thing.  I took some pics with my 400mm lens.  Noticeable how the wings are held forward when resting.

male keeled skimmer

male keeled skimmer, wings held in forward position

Next up was a blue damselfly that had me chasing around and realising I need to wear my glasses to see the close-up detail these days.  Fortunately the long lens helped confirm identification of southern damselfly - now it was two down, just one to go. 

male southern damselfly

I enjoyed a walk around the rest the Dry Sandford Pit; there is much more besides the dragonflies - patches of dark mullein caught my attention.  Lots to learn about geology too.

dark mullein

A short walk away is another BBOWT reserve, Parsonage Moor.  This is a much more extensive area of fenland, unaffected by quarrying.  The guidebook describes this site as "atmospheric", which it really is. A world away from the villages, towns, traffic and intensive agriculture nearby.  Springs feed lime-rich water into small streams, in turn irrigating a wetland that varies from alkaline to acidic and supports a great variety of wildlife.  I focused attention on one of the small streams next to the stretch of boardwalk.  I soon realised about six keeled skimmers have territories here.  A few more southern damselflies are also flying discreetly through the rushes, including a pair egg-laying.  The much larger brown hawker gives a fly-past too.  A pair of common darters are also getting together.

common darter pair

 I was so absorbed that I forgot about the last of the big three, then it appeared. I took a photo; it disappeared. That was all I saw.  But that was all I needed to confirm a small red damselfly.

small red damselfly - all too brief, but conclusive!

Parsonage Moor - the tiny stream home to the Big Three

These two sites are well worth repeated visits though the season - I also saw grass of Parnassus in bud and the seed heads of marsh helleborine, two extremely rare plants in Oxfordshire.

grass of Parnassus about to flower

I also had time for a quick walk around Lashford Lane Fen, the third wildlife trust reserve in this cluster.  A couple of southern hawkers were new for the day, but not enough time to look for scarcer species - the fen is less accessible here too.  It is exciting to see ponies grazing here, helping to manage the fen and keep marshy areas more open.  There are also a couple of colourful meadows full of greater knapweed and field scabious.