Lye Valley LNR, Oxford – Page 3

Lye Valley: winter 2019

December 31, 2019December 31, 2019

This blog post covers the birds (and a few butterflies) recorded in the Lye Valley, Headington, Oxford since September 2019. It follows this post on the highlights of summer 2019.

September sees the departure of some of our summer migrants. Having been continually present since March, the last Chiffchaff was seen on 16th October and the last Blackcap on 30th October. We await the return of these species in early spring.

The huge influx of Painted Lady butterflies into the UK in 2019 will be long remembered. Painted Ladys were present into mid-September, with Red Admirals being recorded into early October.

Jay migration is one of the features of autumn. Jays are secretive birds, usually difficult to approach, but counts of over 10 birds were made in late September and early October.

Britain’s smallest bird, the Goldcrest, is a resident breeder in the Lye Valley, with small numbers present all year. Autumn sees large numbers of Goldcrest arrive in the UK from Scandinavia, boosting local numbers:

In terms of rarity, the highlight of the autumn came in the very brief form of a Woodcock, flushed from the footpath through the scrub between the Golf Course and Barracks Lane on 3rd November.

The male Kestrel that over-wintered on Warneford Meadow last winter appears to have returned this winter:

Red Kites occasionally roost in the taller trees in the Lye Valley :

Buzzards appear to have bred locally. Below, a noisy juvenile bird trails an adult bird. Note the pristine flight feathers and pale tail on the juvenile bird on the left, compared to the adult bird with its all-black trailing edge and signs of wing moult, on the right:

Sparrowhawk, being mobbed by a Carrion Crow.

The wettest early winter period for a number of years was good news for the damp-loving plants in the fens of the Lye Valley. Regular showers also produced a few rainbows:

Below, a Carrion Crow mobs a Red Kite in front of a rainbow:

Grey Wagtails favour the wet edges of the Lye Valley stream, even when it is partially frozen:

As winter sets in and leaf cover falls from the trees, it becomes easier to see some woodland bird species, such as Treecreeper. This species is recorded throughout the year, but only infrequently. On the picture below all the adaptations for a life foraging for insect larvae in bark can be seen: the long, stiff tail feathers that prop the bird against the trunk; the very long hind claws, the long curved bill and long tongue for extracting grubs from the tree.

Ravens appear to have moved into east Oxford this summer, with possible breeding reported in Headington. There were a number of records of Raven over the Lye Valley, including this bird, one of a pair, that flew over on 8th December. The diamond-shaped tail is distinctive, but most birds are picked up on call: they are a vocal species.

Even in late December, birds are beginning to prepare for next year’s breeding season. Up to 4 Song Thrush are now in song and Jackdaws are prospecting holes in the Poplar trees in Boundary Brook Valley. Spring is coming!

71 bird species were recorded in 2019, the illustrated list of all 71 can be seen here on eBird.

The wildlife of Lye Valley: summer 2019

September 9, 2019September 10, 2019

This is a summary of the birds, and some other wildlife, recorded in the Lye Valley, Warneford Meadow and Southfield Golf Course area of Oxford in June, July and August 2019.

Birds

Summer sees the breeding season come to a close, with many young birds present. By mid-August, the first migrant species are beginning to pass through and this period produced some exceptional records. Thanks to good observer coverage (chiefly by Dave Lowe, Isaac West and I) some 10 new species were added to the site list this summer: Garden Warbler, Marsh Tit, Little Egret, Raven, Sand Martin, Yellow Wagtail, Ring-necked Parakeet, Pied Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher and House Martin. Whilst some of these are common species that one would expect to add in the first year of our coverage, Pied Flycatcher is a county rarity with typically only a couple of records per year in Oxfordshire.

This takes the total number of bird species recorded this year to 68. The illustrated eBird checklist is here. Keen-eyed observers will note that this list shows 67 species at present, as the Pied Flycatcher record is still awaiting verification from eBird. We have no idea how long this process takes, but as the bird was photographed this should be a formality.

It is always a joy to see the first Swift of the summer. The first bird over the Lye Valley was recorded on May 18th this year. They were present all summer, with a late bird on 30th August seen by Isaac West.

Little Egret is an occasional visitor the Lye Valley north fen. This bird flew over down the valley on 13th August:

Red Kite and Buzzard were common visitors over the summer and Kestrel bred nearby. Sparrowhawk is the least common of the regularly seen raptors. This bird was in the Barracks Lane scrub:

Unfortunately a dead juvenile Sparrowhawk was found on the golf course in August, though it showed no outward signs of foul play:

Jay numbers have begun to build up as late summer turns into autumn. Carrion Crow and Magpie are the most abundant corvids, with over 20 Magpie recorded on some days:

The first, and only, Marsh Tit was recorded on 15th June. Of the hirundines, Swallow is recorded infrequently and House Martin is almost rare! This year we added Sand Martin to the Lye Valley bird list before House Martin, despite the fact that Sand Martin is an uncommon migrant away from water.

The post-breeding dispersal of phylloscopus warblers resulted in many Chiffchaffs and the odd Willow Warbler being recorded. Chiffchaff certainly bred locally, unlike Willow Warbler which appears to be a passage migrant here.

Dave Lowe found the first Garden Warbler of the year on 6th June, up to 3 were recorded, usually in the golf course area.

Both Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat were recorded as autumn passage migrants in late August:

Woodland species, such as Nuthatch and Song Thrush, are very vocal in spring, but become less so once breeding season is over. Both species are still present, just less easy to record:

Bank Holiday Monday was a day not to be forgotten. Dave Lowe and I had already found the first Yellow Wagtails and Ring-necked Parakeets for the area, when we were amazed to discover a Pied Flycatcher in trees on the golf course. The full story is here. Later the same day Isaac West, whilst seeking out the Pied Flycatcher, found at least 5 freshly arrived Spotted Flycatchers. Dave Lowe found another Spotted Flycatcher three days later. Such a purple patch of good birds will not occur often, but demonstrates that the site can attract migrant birds.

Other wildlife: Butterflies and moths

First, the usual caveats about non-avian identification apply here: whilst I am competent at bird identification, I am less so with other forms of wildlife. If you spot an erroneous butterfly, moth, mammal or reptile identification below, please do let me know!

Below is a photographic record of some of the other wildlife recorded this summer in the Lye Valley Area:

Cinnabar Moth caterpillars were abundant in late July. They could be found on nearly every ragwort plant.

Painted Lady. 2019 saw a huge influx of these butterflies from the continent and a number were recorded in the Lye Valley area.

Damselflies, Darters, Hawkers and Chasers

Mammals

Along with the usual Red Foxes and Badgers, Roe Deer were seen occasionally in the valley:

Muntjac are abundant and with up to 8 being seen daily.

The scars on the face and throat of the Muntjac below give some insight into their lives:

Reptiles

Common Lizard was the smallest reptile seen during this period. Adults are only infrequently seen out sunbathing, but young lizards could be found occasionally. They appear as tiny dark shapes and move away very quickly. If seen well, the long lines of gold spots of their bodies can be made out:

Slow-worms are the commonest of the three regularly recorded reptile species. Slow-worms are lizards without legs. Like lizards, they can shed their tails and can blink with eyelids. Snakes do none of the above. Adult females are pure bronze with darker flanks:

Males are paler below and lack the dark flank stripes:

The largest reptiles recorded were adult Grass Snakes. I came across this adult when out looking for reptiles with my daughters. I don’t think they will ever forget the excitement of seeing this large snake move away through the meadow.

The Lye Valley area has produced some amazing wildlife moments over the summer of 2019. Now we wait to see what autumn will bring.

Monday 26th August: the day the patch delivered

August 29, 2019August 29, 2019

An immediate consequence of suffering a femoral neck stress fracture back in February was that I had to stop exercising. Within a month I was able to walk again, albeit with a heavy limp. With spring migration imminent but with running not an option, I began limping around the nearby Lye Valley, birding. From there I discovered the adjacent Warneford Meadow and Southfield Golf Course. Put together, this area had some interesting habitat, despite being surrounded by the housing of Headington and the Churchill Hospital. More importantly, this area was situated on top of an escarpment which runs from Headington hill southwest to Hill Top Road and Barracks Lane. A combination of the location and the habitat made me think there was no reason why the area should not attract some migrant bird species. The first few months of regular visits, to what quickly became my local patch, were recorded here.

The first season was really about getting to know the area and to begin to discover which areas were best for birds. Spring 2019 did not produce any scarce migrant species, such as Redstart, Wheatear or Ring Ouzel. A random Lesser Whitethroat in a tiny urban garden and a couple of spring Willow warblers were the only migrant fare. But Southfield Golf Course always felt as if it had the potential to turn something up.

Autumn 2019 has been dominated by reports of Tree Pipits moving through England in good numbers. Tree Pipit is a rare bird in Oxon, usually with less than a handful of records per year. So last week, in a moment of blind optimism, Dave Lowe and I began a series of early morning sessions, standing on the highest point of the golf course, watching and listening for migrants. Its is a nice idea in theory, providing you can hear anything above the sound of the lawnmowers cutting the greens. On our first visit a flock of 5 Sand Martin flew south, seconds after we had arrived. I just about managed a record shot of the final bird:

One of five distant **Sand Martin** (honest).

But despite this early success (Sand Martin away from water is not an easy bird to record), the next few sessions failed to produce any overhead migrant passerines. However, driven on by reports of Tree Pipit from Mark Merritt on the Oxon downs over the Bank Holiday weekend, Dave and I persisted. Bank Holiday Monday saw us resume our vigil at 6am. Within 15 minutes we had been rewarded with 2 Yellow Wagtails, which flew over silently, again southwest. An expected patch tick. We were then visited by a groundsman on a lawnmower who decided to cut the nearest greens to our spot, making hearing any calling overhead pipit impossible.

We cut our losses and began checking some of the wooded areas for migrants. A brief Lesser Whitethroat was the first of the autumn. The last few days had seen a decent sized flock of Long-tailed, Blue, Coal and Great Tits, Goldcrests, Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers feeding in this area. We found the flock and began checking the birds as they moved through the silver birches, now bathed in warm sunshine.

As I scanned through the leaves, a stationary bird caught my eye. I only saw the head and back for a second before it flicked away, but surely that was a Pied Flycatcher? It was enough for me to call “Flycatcher!” to Dave. He responded that he too had just had a glimpse of what he thought was Pied Flycatcher’s head. We were both keen to see the bird again, but it took nearly twenty minutes before it was relocated, Dave finding it back close to where we both first glimpsed the bird. After a few moments of celebration, we moved back away from the trees and the first Pied Flycatcher for the Lye Valley area began to settle down to feed:

A self-found county tick, on my local patch with a good mate. Does it get better? Well yes! A pair of Ring-necked Parakeets shot across the golf course and provided a moment of distraction from the flycatcher, another patch tick. We also added a few late Swifts and a Whitethroat to the patch day list, which was by then a record-breaking 37 species, recorded here.

But the day did not end there. Local birder Isaac West visited the golf course on news of the Pied Flycatcher. Whilst he was unsuccessful in relocating the Pied Flycatcher, he turned up a group of at least 5 Spotted Flycatchers, another new species for the area. These birds were exactly where we saw our Lesser Whitethroat earlier, so may have come in during the morning. I managed to drop in late afternoon and saw at least 3 Spotted Flycatchers flycatching busily in the heat of the afternoon:

One of at least **5 Spotted Flycatchers** present on Monday

So we went from adding the first decent migrant passerine (Yellow Wagtail) to finding an even more decent county scarcity. Pied Flycatcher records are just about annual in Oxfordshire, with usually just a couple of spring or autumn records. This weekend had seen a decent movement of Pied Flycatchers over south-east England. There were three Oxon records on Monday, including our bird, which were just about the most northwesterly inland records: we were just on the edge of the wave.

Pied Flycatcher records over the Bank Holiday weekend 2019 in England, data ©Birdguides

More importantly, this weekend demonstrated that our patch can attract migrant birds, even though we suspect that Monday’s fall of 6 flycatchers of 2 different species was an exceptional event. We still await Tree Pipit, but suddenly nearly anything seems possible. Which is a good feeling.

Birds of the Lye Valley: spring 2019

May 26, 2019May 26, 2019

In late March I began regularly visiting Warneford Meadow and Lye Valley to record the birds that I found there. The habitat is described here, but in essence, two small streams pass either side of the Churchill Hospital and form a “Y”-shaped green corridor that adjoins to Southfield Golf Course.

Between late March and late May, a total of 59 species of birds were recorded. This is a decent total for a city site that is not a large waterbody. Of course, not every bird present during this spring will have been recorded. My visits were generally early morning, which tends to reduce the chance of seeing some species, for example soaring raptors who depend on thermals. No scarce migrant passerines were recorded (for example, Wheatear, Redstart, Ring Ouzel) but all are possible.

**Red-legged Partridge**, Southfield Golf Course

The first surprise came on one of my very first visits when I found a pair of Red-legged Partridge on the golf course very early one morning. There cannot have been many partridge records from Oxford city itself. I heard one calling a few days later, but have not recorded this species since.

In terms of waterbirds, there was only the occasional fly-over Canada Goose flock to add to the local Mallards and Moorhens, both of which bred:

**Mallard** duckling, one of five on the Boundary Brook balancing pond.

Grey Heron was recorded a couple of times in April, including one bird in the small pools in the Lye Valley:

Raptors recorded included Kestrel, which is a local breeder:

There was the occasional Sparrowhawk record, mainly from the golf course area:

Red Kites are an abundant species in Oxford and frequently soar over the area. Some birds may roost in the taller trees in the site:

On one occasion I disturbed a roosting Buzzard:

**Common Buzzard**, Boundary Brook valley.

However, raptor of the spring was a fabulous Hobby which flashed over the Golf Course on 18th May, apparently hunting Swifts. Corvid records included Jay, Magpie and Jackdaw, all of whom breed. The exceptional corvid record was a Rook, passing over on 12th April. Hirundines were only represented by two Swallow records: one on 22nd April and one on 2nd May (per Dave Lowe). The first Swift was seen on 18th May, House Martin has yet to be recorded this year!

Great Spotted and Green Woodpeckers are both local breeders:

The four common Tit species all breed locally.

Adult **Long-tailed Tit**, Boundary Brook Valley

Juvenile **Long-tailed Tit**, Warneford Meadow

Coal Tit is the least frequently encountered of the Tit species, but did breed in Boundary Brook valley:

Five warbler species were recorded this spring (to date). Blackcap was the most abundant, with up to 15 singing males in late April:

Chiffchaff was also recorded on every visit, with at least three singing males and one confirmed breeding pair:

There were only two Willow Warbler records in April, both singing birds that moved through:

**Willow Warbler**, Boundary Brook valley

I was pleasantly surprised to find a number of Whitethroat territories so deep in the city. The first bird was recorded on 20th April. Up to three singing males set up territories, but have recently stopped singing, so time will tell if they managed to attract a mate and breed:

The best trans-Saharan migrant recorded in the area was Lesser Whitethroat. A singing male was in a tiny garden in the housing estate behind the Lye Valley on 29th April. Another male was heard on the Golf Course in early May.

This housing estate has a decent population of House Sparrows and Starlings, by modern standards. They no doubt benefit from the supply of insects and invertebrates in the nature reserve, which has SSSI status.

The final Siskins were seen on 3rd April…

… whilst the first Reed Bunting returned on 7th May:

Bird of the spring goes to a bird that I did not see, a Little Egret, photographed by Judy Webb on 9th May in the Lye Valley. I look forward to catching up with this species here, hopefully soon!

**Little Egret**, Lye Valley © Judy Webb

I used eBird to record my bird records, an illustrated summary of which can be seen here. Anyone (with a free eBird account) can contribute further sightings at the site, now that it is an eBird hotspot. 57 of the species were recorded by myself. Dave Lowe added one further species during his BTO Breeding Bird Survey at the site and Judy Webb contributed the final species, Little Egret.

Other wildlife recorded this spring:

Muntjac Deer were seen on virtually every visit, as were Rabbit and Grey Squirrel. There are signs of Badger too, though I have yet to see any animals. Occasionally I see Red Fox. This adult appeared as I was lining up a picture of the Muntjac behind it:

Male Muntjac and Red Fox, Boundary Brook Valley

I have no expertise of insects or butterflies, plus the early morning nature of my visits means that there is little if any, butterfly activity at dawn. However, some species stand out:

Coming soon: my experience of using eBird and some analysis of the data using bird records from the Lye Valley.

The Lye Valley: a new patch

May 23, 2019May 24, 2019

I have missed not having a local patch. Having spent eight years tramping around the fields of Cuddesdon, I really wanted a good nearby waterbody that would attract a wider selection of species, compared to farmland. I experimented with visiting some well known local sites, for example Farmoor and Otmoor, but found them either too well covered, or too large to cover in my limited avilable time. I also explored smaller water bodies further afield, but quickly realised that I needed a patch that was within walking distance of my house.

So, over the last three months I have regularly visited a “Y”-shaped piece of land around the nearby Churchill Hospital in Headington, Oxford:

The habitat is varied, but is crammed into East Oxford, between the hospital and housing estates. It does have the advantage of being on top of a hill and has an adjoining golf course, whose open areas I still dream may attract passing migrants. The star of the show is the Lye Valley Nature Reserve. This remarkable piece of wet fenland is centuries old and is home to an incredible range of plants. These survive mainly thanks to the work done by the Friends of Lye Valley and their working parties, led by Dr Judy Webb.

My usual route begins just off Old Road, Headington. I follow the Boundary Brook stream through the narrow strip of mature trees that survive between the new housing estate of Little Oxford and the University’s Old Road campus. The larger lime trees (I think) have many old woodpecker holes and are home to breeding Jackdaw, Stock Dove and Nuthatch:

As the stream passes the Churchill Hospital, there is a small balancing pond. This holds water draining from the hospital site, before it enters the Boundary Brook. The fantasy here: Water Rail. The reality: Moorhen.

I then do a circuit of Warneford Meadow, [1] on the map above. This open area, right on top of the hill, has scattered trees and nice shrubby hedgerows:

The fantasy here: Redstart. The reality: Meadow Pipit.

I rejoin the Boundary Brook stream and work my way between the hospital and the golf course [2]. The small valley here is filled with alders:The fantasy here: Mealy Redpoll. The reality: Siskin.

Following this small valley south-east, one emerges on the hospital road to find what looks like the world’s largest mist net [3]. This is in fact a screen to protect the hospital from golf balls being aimed at the 18th green, in the foreground:

The Boundary Brook valley then runs alongside a small meadow at the south end of the hospital [4]: There are reeds on the edge of the meadow, which contains some strange man-made mounds. I have met hospital workers who remember that there were Nissen Huts here, left over from when this was an American base in the Second World War. Frighteningly, some were still used by the hospital for appointments, at least until the 1990s. The fantasy here: Black Redstart. The reality: Robin.

I then head south, through the woods at the bottom of the Lye Valley and cross Southfield Golf Course [5]. I like the idea of birding the golf course, which is right on top of the ridge, with open grassy areas and scrubby patches. But there are a number of issues. Firstly, there is the possibility of being hit by golf balls:

Secondly, you may be suddenly doused by the watering system on the greens. Without warning sprinklers are turned on, which does not always make for relaxed birding: The fantasy here: Hoopoe. The reality: Pheasant.

The furthest south I get is the scrub on the slope of the hill between the golf course and the Barracks Lane cycle track: The fantasy here: Nightingale. The reality: Blackcap. I do a circuit here, then retrace my steps back over the golf course to return to the Lye Valley proper [6]: Emerging from the woods, one finds small pools by the boardwalk at the bottom of the fen. From the top of the reserve [7] the stirling work done by volunteers to keep the fen free from encroachment by trees and shrubs can be seen:

This spring I have really enjoyed my early morning birding in these narrow green corridors, between the hospital, the golf course and the houses. Coming soon: a summary of the birds seen here this spring: March, April and May 2019.