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Recent sightings

• 24 May 2012

  Redshank chick

  In terms of wading birds on Otmoor, it's not only the lapwing that are having a successful breeding season. Redshank are too. If you've been to the reserve recently you'll no doubt have seen and heard these red-legged birds, particularly around the new scrapes on Big Otmoor. It was in this area that I stumbled across the very well camouflaged redshank chick in the photo below.

  

   

  Other recent bird sightings have included ruddy shelduck, hobby, common tern, turtle dove, short-eared owl, drumming snipe, oystercatcher and garganey.

  Posted by Joe Harris (Assistant Warden)

• 9 May 2012

  'Cuckoo' and a 'purr'

  Yet more birds have arrived onto Otmoor. I heard, and was even lucky enough to see my first Cuckoo of the year on the 23^rd April. Just a couple of weeks on and they seem to be ‘cuckooing’ from every hedge. The fact you can hear and see Cuckoo’s on Otmoor is very special. They are one of the fastest declining migrants in the UK. Sadly, we have lost over ½ of our breeding pairs in the last 25 years.

  Another migrant from Africa that has suffered in recent years is the Turtle Dove. Smaller than a collard dove, the Turtle Dove is beautifully coloured and has an unmistakeable ‘purr’. The first sighting was on Friday last week (4^th May). More recent sightings of this lovely bird have been from the Bridleway. Keep us posted of where and when you see them :)

  Posted by Owain Hegarty - Assistant Warden

• 3 May 2012

  Water, waders and scorpions

  In terms of birds the reserve is proving to be really good at the moment, the spring migrants continue to flood in, with first sightings of the year during April including: Cuckoo (13th), two Garganey (14th), Yellow Wagtail (14th), Reed Warbler (20th), Grasshopper Warbler (19th), Lesser Whitethroat (20th), Hobby (24th), Whitethroat (24th), Garden Warbler (24th), Common Tern (26th) and Swift (28th). I saw my first Whinchat of the year yesterday (2nd May) from the first reedbed screen.

  Other recent records of note during April include seven Ruff (7th), two Little-Ringed Plover (14th), two Redstart (17th), two Shelduck (20th), Ring Ouzel (20th and 28th), Whimbrel (24th), Bar-Tailed Godwit (24th), three Ringed Plover (28th), Nightingale (30th) and two Marsh Harriers (29th). At least six Wheatear, up to 200 Golden Plover, a Merlin, a Peregrine, two Short-Eared Owls and a White-Fronted Goose were present throughout April and on into the beginning of May. The Big Otmoor field is giving possibly the best oppurtunites ever on the reserve for people to see lapwing chicks and a careful scan of the field should give you good views.

  After the drought when the moor almost turned into a barren desert our pleas for rain were rewarded with flooding, it came a little late but our water levels are now on target and in fact we are pumping water off the reserve and into the reedbed to control levels on the grassland areas. With so many chicks about it's important to have lots of bare, muddy, feeding-areas around the edges of the foot drains and scrapes. Drawing down the water levels will help expose these areas may of which were originally created by our rotavating last year.

  Talking of water I had a delightful time yesterday, totaly submerging myself in the ring ditch with a snorkel mask on trying to figure out why water is running the wrong way through one of our sluices. The sight of a water scorpion just before I ducked under was a bit unnerving. Hopefully the mystery has now been solved though and the problem can be rectified.

   

  

  Posted by Joe Harris (Assistant Warden)

• 20 April 2012

  Wonderful Warblers!

  The lovely songs of various warblers are now ringing out all round Otmoor with more and more turning up, almost daily! This morning I was required to be on the reserve for 6am to do the first breeding bird survey of the year, this meant my alarm going off at 4.30am, not something I am used to or enjoy! Once down on the reserve though we were rewarded with a gorgeous sunrise and a fair few birds. Curlew, Lapwing, Redshank and Gadwall to name a few! AND it didn't stop there, the song coming from the hedgerows and above was incredible and apparently its only going to get better! There were the year round species, Blackbird, Wren, Robin, Skylark and Bullfinch as well as the migrant species, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Sedge Warbler and then there was a rather special treat...the 1ST Lesser Whitethroat, and we didn't just hear it singing, it gave us great views, which is unusual!

  Later on in the morning, when I was back down on the reserve, by the entrance to Greenaways, I thought hang on that sounds like a bit of an odd Sedge Warbler and I was right to think this, there were 2 Reed Warblers singing, the 1st of the year! The warblers then decided to give me one more treat for the day, Grasshopper Warblers in the Car Park Field! Such a strange song but oh so recognisable, with one close to the feeders and another over the back, I returned to the office with a large smile on my face!

  So after all my complaining about the ludicrously early start, I am now happy to do it again as it was such a treat! (I may still complain though!!)

   

  Posted by Zoe Edwards (Estate Worker)

• 17 April 2012

  The first lapwing chicks!!

  Spring on Otmoor is always an exciting time of year, not least because it’s the time when lapwing chicks can be seen running around the fields. The first of this season's nests hatched at the end of last week and lots more will follow over the coming weeks. Lapwing chicks are nidifugous meaning that they leave the nest soon after hatching and are able to wander round finding their own food. If you’re lucky you may see these balls of fluff feeding out in the fields, favouring the muddy ditch and pool edges. Four of this years chicks are shown below, the photo was taken soon after they’d hatched and just before they left the nest.

  

  Posted by Joe Harris (Assistant Warden)

• 16 April 2012

  Loads of Lapwings

  Otmoor is proving to a great place for wildlife at the moment and Friday (13th April) was no exception. After a morning in the office up-dating risk assessments and preparing maps for the annual report, I managed to escape down to the moor to continue with our lapwing monitoring work. The lapwing are concentrated inside the predator fence on Big Otmoor at the moment and good numbers are sitting on nests, more water was pumped into this field from Ashgrave last week so hopefully despite the drought we can keep conditions as desirable as possible for them. Lots of redshank are also on the moor and can be seen feeding around the edges of the new Big Otmoor scrapes and flying overhead as you walk along the bridleway. Sometimes called 'Wardens of the Marsh' their evocative alarm calls can readily be heard as they alert other birds to danger.

  The frogs are stil croaking away in the ditches, spring migrants continue to arrive and butterflies are flitting around all over the place. I added house martin, swallow and sedge warbler to my Otmoor year list on Friday as well as a pair of ravens kronking to each other as they flew overhead. Driving back across Greenaways I saw a couple of snipe and as a perfect ending to the day had a short-eared owl on the merlin perch (distant photo included below.) More migrants seem to be ariving on a daily basis and with cuckoo, redstart, yellow wagtail and garganey being recently seen on the moor, who knows what tomorrow might bring...

   

  Posted by Joe Harris (Assistant Warden)

• 11 April 2012

  Spring is upon us!

  On my walk round the predator fence this morning I came across a beautiful male Redstart. It was moving along the hedgeline occasionally hopping down to the ground to feed, I managed to follow it for quite a way. There was another bird in the hedge with it, but I couldn't tell what it was, possibly a female? Around the same area there were a few Wheatear present. There seems to be quite a few around at the moment across the majority of the reserve, in front of the hide being a good place to spot them in the grass. There are also 4 Little Ringed Plover, numerous Redshank and Lapwing, a Heron and about 10 Teal in front of the hide. The warblers are slowly returning, with Willow Warbler singing in the Car Park field, Chiffchaff all over the reserve, Blackcaps in the Car Park field and along the Roman Road and Sedge Warblers were heard at the weekend. What will be next??

  In terms of the non-avians, the hares are still boxing like mad, I think there were about 10 all chasing each other on Big Otmoor! There is a lot of Frog Spawn about so mind your step in the next few months for all the little froglets moving between ditches! There is now a lovely array of butterflies around on those sunnier days, including Orange Tip, Small White, Peacock and Brimstone.

  Posted by Zoe Edwards (Estate Worker)

• 3 April 2012

  Butterfly Bonanza!

  With the arrival of the warm sunny weather, butterflies are now being seen flitting around the reserve. Otmoor's a great place for seeing a range of species and already this year, comma, peacock, red admiral, orange tip, brimstone and small white have been recorded. Grass snakes are being regularly seen basking in the sunshine and the frogs are still croaking away in the ditches. Breeding lapwing and redshank numbers are building and the spring migrants continue to arrive on the reserve; little-ringed plover, willow warbler and swallow being the newest arrivals. If you're walking past Big Otmoor see if you can pick out the escaped snow goose or the unusual looking greylag/Canada goose hybrid.

  Posted by Joe Harris (Assistant Warden)

• 28 March 2012

  The passing of the Cranes!

  Excitement on Otmoor this week as three Common Cranes dropped onto the main reserve Sunday evening before moving over to the Malt Pit field and stayed for Monday morning. The Cranes are now seeming to stop and feed for a few days on their journey North East most years, but where are they going to is the question? We are trying to encourage them to breed here by building them piles of cut reed each year as a nest, they just don't seem to impressed! Note to staff...try harder!!

  Other birds of interest is the returning of Chiffchaff's with them being heard all around the reserve. The first Blackcaps are back and signing from the Car Park field, what will be next? The waders are all starting to hold territories and the first Lapwing nest was found on the 25th March with a further five found the next day, positive signs as all of these are inside the predator fence and are now being monitored.

  Non-Avian news is that the amphibians are all rather busy with frog spawn in almost every ditch! The hares are living up to their 'Mad March Hare' reputation with boxing galore, everywhere you look there is a hare! Butterflies are starting to appear now with all of this warm weather, the lovely colours are all extremely bright contrasting brilliantly with the blackthorn blossom. Summer here we come!

  Posted by Zoe Edwards (Estate Worker)