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Stephen Burch's Birding & Dragonfly Website |
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Home | Trip Reports | Gallery | UK index | Oxon pics | UK pics | Dragonflies | Other Nature | Contact | Links |
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Stephen Burch's Birding & Dragonfly Website |
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Home | Trip Reports | Gallery | UK index | Oxon pics | UK pics | Dragonflies | Other Nature | Contact | Links |
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Kingfisher, Shrike Meadow, Farmoor, Oxon 9 August 2019 At last! Round about this time last year, I suggested to Dai that a post in front of the hide would be a good idea, with the aim of attracting a Kingfisher that had been frequenting the more distant tree. Dai then had a word with Thames Water and, to their credit, in time a post duly appeared! However it has taken many visits on my part since then to finally connect with this bird. Others have seen it from time to time, but despite many hours of waiting it never showed for me, until today. A good session today with some sunny intervals and the bird showing three times between about 09:00 and 13:00. The first two of these were extended to around 30-45mins, with plenty of dives, which gave me a chance to try for flight shots. Go to this galley to see more higher res photos from this session. |
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Kingfisher, Shrike Meadow, Farmoor, Oxon 9 August 2019 On the post with a very small fish. No wonder it needs so many dives! Click to enlarge. |
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Kingfisher, Shrike Meadow, Farmoor, Oxon 9 August 2019 Looking for food. Click to enlarge. |
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Kingfisher, Shrike Meadow, Farmoor, Oxon 9 August 2019 Close up. Click to enlarge. |
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Black-tailed Godwit, Standlake Pit 60 11 July 2019 There were two of these almost full summer plumage birds feeding along the shore close to, and in front of, the North Shore Hide. Pit 60 is doing comparatively well for waders so far this year! |
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Black-tailed Godwit, Standlake Pit 60 11 July 2019 As above. Click to enlarge. |
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Little Ringed Plover, Standlake Pit 60 14 June 2019 Still around but only one seen from the LL hide. This was taken in a very brief slightly brighter moment, before the rain came down again! Appears to be now losing some of its summer plumage. Click to enlarge |
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Dunlin, Farmoor Reservoir 11 May 2019 Eventually this bird cooperated and miraculously the sun came out at the same time! Note the almost complete absence of concrete in this photo - always my aim at Farmoor! Unusually, just before attempting this shot, an Avocet flew over the causeway calling loudly. Click to enlarge |
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Hobby, Standlake Pit 60 10 May 2019 A memorable few seconds after this superb bird had swooped in and landed on the nearby post after a considerable wait. It was soon off though, not to reappear this morning. Click to enlarge. |
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Hobby, Standlake Pit 60r 10 May 2019 This sideways on view. Click to enlarge. |
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Red-rumped Swallow, Grimsbury Reservoir 9 May 2019 A great bird to see in Oxon. This photo was taken through the chain link fence in poor light! |
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Red-rumped Swallow, Grimsbury Reservoir 9 May 2019 Taken about 2hrs after the shot above - perched on the fence on the western side of the reservoir. Click to enlarge. |
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Little Ringed Plover 3 May 2019 Showing quite well. Click to enlarge |
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Bar-tailed Godwit, Standlake Pit 60 29 April 2019 A rare evening visit to catch up with this splendid summer plumage bird, in glorious light. Somewhat closer than the Garganey below! Most unusual to get a summer plumage Barwit in Oxon, especially quite close to a hide! Click to enlarge |
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Bar-tailed Godwit, Standlake Pit 60 29 April 2019 Another photo of this magnificent bird. Click to enlarge |
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Curlew, Standlake Pit 60 29 April 2019 One of two that flew in for an evening bathe and provided a nice supporting cast to the stunning Barwit above Click to enlarge |
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Garganey with Wigeon and Common Sandpiper, Standlake Pit 60 27 April 2019 Having spotted a Common Sandpiper distantly on the northern shore, I panned round and found, to my surprise, a sleeping Garganey. This was soon joined by the Common Sand and a Wigeon. An unusual collection of birds, for Oxon at least, in one camera frame! |
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Wheatear, Lark Hill, Wantage 25 April 2019 After fairly fruitless visits to Farmoor and the Bicester Wetland Reserve, I headed to Lark Hill on the way back. It was nice to see a splendid fresh male Wheatear on the E slope of the underground reservoir. For this photo, I managed to get the camera above the chain link fence - one advantage of being tall! |
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Sedge Warbler, Farmooor 22 April 2019 This bird was showing well at times in the tops of the reeds on the small lagoon in Buckthorn Meadow, behind the Shrike Meadow hide. Probably the lack of wind helped with this behaviour. Click to enlarge |
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Cuckoo, Farmoor 22 April 2019 Vocal and active at times along the river this morning. |
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Ring Ouzel, Linkey Down 13 April 2019 After missing the Little Bunting at Farmoor by only a few minutes, I decided to try for the Rouzels at Linky Down. There were probably at least 2 males and a female initially on the slope at the head of the valley when I arrived. Not as far away as birds at this site usually tend to be. Even so, this heavily cropped from an image obtained with the 500f4 lens and the x2 converter. |
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Reed Bunting, Otmoor 12 April 2019 Tried a change of scene today, but a heard Grasshopper Warbler was really the only thing of note on a cool but initially sunny morning. This photo was taken from the hide - almost too close! Click to enlarge |
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Ringed Plover, Farmoor 11 April 2019 Just a little further on along the causeway beyond the Yellow Wags (see below). Unfortunately, although this bird seemed to be able to fly OK, there was something wrong one of its wings, giving it a hunchback appearance. Not so apparent from this side. Also it isn't in full summer plumage either which seems odd at this time of year. Click to enlarge |
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Yellow Wagtail, Farmoor 11 April 2019 One of two on the causeway early on in superb light. For once these two weren't too jumpy. While I was concentrating on one of them, the other suddenly appeared closer, for a few moments before both departed. Click to enlarge. |
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Yellow Wagtail, Farmoor 11 April 2019 The one I was concentrating on before the other appeared briefly (see above). Click to enlarge. |
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White Wagtail, Farmoor 5 April 2019 One of about six on the causeway. Pretty jumpy and difficult to approach closely, |
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Little Gull, Farmoor 5 April 2019 Out in the middle of Farmoor I - taken from the rarely visited causeway hide which provided some welcome shelter from the cold easterly wind. |
© All pictures copyright Stephen Burch |
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