The winter of 2020-21 will forever be associated with the covid pandemic. But as we emerge from the grimmest winter this country has faced since the Second World War, we should also remember that this winter has been the coldest in the UK since 2010. The early part of the year saw snow in the Lye Valley and Warneford Meadow:
Cold weather can also force some bird species to move in large numbers to find easier feeding grounds. There was a significant movement of Lapwings across Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire on 13th February, including the first Lapwings recorded over the Lye Valley. Isaac West counted 165 on that day, all moving south-west, to escape the cold weather:
The resident birds were forced to try to survive the freezing temperatures, including this roosting Tawny Owl and the Jay, below:
But despite the temperatures, increasing daylight also stimulated birds to begin breeding behaviour. There was a singing Blackcap in Boundary Brook on January 23rd in temperatures well below zero, the earliest recorded singing warbler in the Lye Valley area. This was almost certainly a lingering wintering bird from central Europe that was inspired to sing, rather than one of our breeding birds, which in late January should still be in Spain. We await the return of these birds in late March and early April, when the valley will be filled with their song:
Other unusual winter-singers, included two Redwing in song on Southfield Golf Course on 6th March:
This winter has been very good for small finches, with small numbers of Lesser Redpolls present and up to 50 Siskin in the Lye Valley, including this male.
By early March many bird species were in song or demonstrating territorial breeding behaviour. The display flight of Stock Doves could often be seen, flashing their iridescent neck feathering:
This Long-tailed Tit was gathering lichen from tree branches to begin nest-building:
Up to three male Great Spotted Woodpeckers could be heard drumming:
These two male Pheasants spent a morning displaying to each other on the golf course:
Early Spring is also characterised the overhead migration of waterbirds. The usual Canada and Greylag Geese have both been recorded in March, but far less expected was this flock of 7 Goosander, seen flying over Warneford Meadow on 8th March:
With spring in the air and birds on the move, the next six weeks could be one the most productive periods of bird migration in the whole year. After the long cold winter and the covid pandemic, we need some spring days, warm temperatures and hopefully, some superb spring migration over the Lye Valley and Warneford Meadow.
This morning dawned cold, with frost crunching underfoot and a light mist clinging to the coldest areas. The early winter gold and browns of Warneford Meadow, above, turned white at least until the sun burnt through. On the golf course, ice crystals coated the grass blades and froze fungi into tiny cut glass mushrooms:
Some of the larger fungi, protected from above by tree branches, remained frost free:
The Fly Agaric mushrooms, which could be found beneath the Silver Birches of the golf course until late October, have long gone:
A pale shape, high up in a hole in a poplar tree, revealed a sleeping Tawny Owl. The pale feathering above the eyes may help break up the bird’s outline and provide camouflage:
This may be one of the birds that bred locally, pictures of an adult and fledged chicks can be seen at the end of this post from May.
This morning was a good morning for raptors too, though the low temperatures meant that most were sitting perched awaiting the warmth of the sun. A male Kestrel sat in willows near the Churchill Hospital pond; a Buzzard brooded on a tree on the golf course and this female Sparrowhawk sat unobtrusively above Boundary Brook:
Being larger raptors, the local Red Kites sat out on more prominent perches, catching the cold November sun:
This has been a much more productive winter for thrushes and finches than last winter in the Lye Valley and Warneford Meadow area. In the winter of 2019-20, I struggled to record single figure numbers of Fieldfares, Siskins or Redpolls. This winter all have returned in good numbers. Siskins have been recorded in flocks of up to 35, Lesser Redpoll is frequently recorded and there are up to 50 Fieldfares and between 50-100 Redwing present during most visits this month. The thrushes, including this Mistle Thrush and the Redwing below it, are drawn to the holly berries:
But even as the nights draw in and the days approach their shortest length, some birds are preparing for the next breeding season. On 16th November this Song Thrush became the first singing thrush recorded since mid-summer. This morning three were in full song. There are four weeks to go before the shortest day, but for some, spring is already on the way.
Two recent local patch visits have produced a species that I spent much of last August listening and looking for, but without success: Tree Pipit. This species is a scarce migrant in Oxfordshire, but one that has history in this area. I spoke to Steve Heath early last year. Steve grew up in Cowley and used to watch the Southfield Golf Course area many decades ago. Steve told me that Tree Pipits used to be regular up on the golf course and even now I could see why. The open grassy spaces on top of the hill, the many mature pine trees combined with the sandy bunkers on the golf course, look as if they could tempt a passing migrant Tree Pipit down to investigate.
There was a significant movement of Tree Pipits across England in late August 2019, but despite many hours of observation by myself and Dave Lowe we did not record a Tree Pipit in the Lye Valley area. Last week I was in south Devon and saw, heard and photographed a number of Tree Pipits as they migrated down the coast. Their calls were fresh in my memory as I headed out on Tuesday morning.
Devon Tree Pipits
First encounter: no confirmatory second call
As I descended from the golf course towards the trees of the Lye Valley on 25th August, I was stopped in my tracks by a buzzing “tzeep” flight call of a bird passing high overhead. I immediately called out “Tree Pipit!” I scanned the skies, cupped my ears and listened out another flight call. It never came.
I have long since stopped identifying birds on the basis of “what else could it have been?” If I find myself going down that particular avenue, it simply means that I have not gathered enough evidence to confirm the identification of the bird in question. There must be evidence from my own observation to substantiate the identification. Identification based on ruling everything else out that is not present, is by definition, much less secure.
I reflected that had I been on the Devon coast I would have simply added Tree Pipit to my eBird list and carried on. But in an Oxfordshire context, Tree Pipit was a new species for the Lye Valley area and a species that I had neither seen nor heard in the county. I needed more evidence. I needed the confirmatory second flight call. The one you hear when you are fully alert and listening. Not the first flight call, that can catch an observer unawares, where the mind can play tricks or the wind can distort the call of a more common species. For me, I needed to hear more than one call to reach a satisfactory evidence threshold to add a new species to my patch or county list. I gritted my teeth and headed into the woods.
Second encounter: the confirmatory call!
About eight minutes later, as I passed between the Churchill Hospital and the 18th green of the golf course (this is a strange local patch), I was stopped in my tracks by an explosive buzzing flight call from a bird high overhead. Again I stopped and scanned the skies and listened and this time the flight call was repeated as the bird moved south, sounding just like this recording:
[Albert Lastukhin, XC495491. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/495491]
It was a Tree Pipit! And I had heard the second confirmatory call. The one that for me, reduces the risk of an overactive imagination or wind distortion and nails the ID. Tree Pipit was on my patch and county lists. I went home a happy man.
Third encounter: “chip” calls
This morning I was back on the golf course at first light. I was unnaturally optimistic about finding a Redstart for some reason, but as usual drew a blank. As I searched the southern end of the golf course I once again heard the distinctive sound of a Tree Pipit’s standard flight call. This time it was relatively low and I managed to photograph the bird as it circled around overhead.
I watched and listened to it fly over the hilly southern edge of the course before losing sight of the bird. Then I became aware of some high pitched “chip” calls coming from a pipit-like bird flying back north over the golf course. These calls were unfamiliar to me. About 15 minutes later the bird making the “chip” calls flew back overhead, before inserting a classic Tree Pipit flight call between the chips notes. The “chip” calls were Tree Pipit alarm calls, just like this recording:
[B Whyte, XC566189. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/566189.]
The Tree Pipit continued flying east and I watched it leave East Oxford and fly until it was lost from view. An instructive morning and a small ambition fulfilled. It is good to know that this hilltop golf course in Oxford city can still attract migrating Tree Pipits in autumn.
This blog post looks at some of the more uncommon bird species recorded in the Lye Valley area of Headington, Oxford in spring 2020. It was a phenomenal spring for unusual birds!
Daily coverage revealed that both scarce and rare birds pass through this area, including some entirely unpredicted species. 63 species were recorded in April 2020 alone, out of a total of 81 species recorded ever. I saw the remarkable total of 6 new species for the area in April, meaning that nearly 10% of the species recorded were new for the Lye Valley area. In many ways, there may never be another month like April 2020.
Late March and early April see many species of waterbird take to the wing, moving towards their breeding areas. All the new species added to the Lye Valley patch list in April were birds that breed on or near water. The eBird list for April 2020 is here.
The month began with a regular Little Egret, that could be found feeding in the Lye Valley pools at dawn:
On 3rd April, two Little Egrets were seen to fly in from the west, presumably roosting somewhere near the River Thames. Both landed in trees above the Lye Valley pools:
Red-legged Partridge continued their odd pattern of occurrence. This species has only been recorded in late March and early April, a pattern more typical of migrating birds passing through, though partridges are not known for migration.
My first Mute Swan for the Lye Valley area flew over my head on 11th April:
Sub-adult Mute Swan, over the golf course.
April 12th, Easter Sunday, was a very memorable morning. The unmistakable insect-like song of a Grasshopper Warbler could be heard from Warneford Meadow:
Above, a recording of Grasshopper Warbler, Warneford Meadow, by Isaac West.
Not only was this the first Grasshopper Warbler for the Lye Valley, but it is a remarkable record within Oxford city. It was also the equal earliest Grasshopper Warbler recorded in Oxfordshire this year, another was heard singing in Radley on the same morning (per Ian Elkins).
Shortly afterwards, Issac West found the first Sedge Warbler, singing by the tiny Churchill Hospital Balancing Pond. This bird remained for at least a week:
Sedge Warbler, Boundary Brook Valley, 12th April. Raven, Lye Valley 16th April. With only 4 records in the whole of 2019, there were 4 records in April 2020 alone.
Any species of wading bird is a rarity in the Lye Valley area. Indeed, the only species of wader on the Lye Valley list before April 2020 was a Woodcock, in November 2019. I have often wondered what the next species of wader recorded would be, Lapwing perhaps? With no suitable habitat any species of wader would be like gold dust. As such, nothing prepared me for the shock of seeing two noisy Oystercatchers flying up from the golf course at dawn on 19th April:
Oystercatchers, Southfield Golf Course
This may be the pair that have been regularly recorded on Port Meadow. A pair of Oystercatchers were recorded over Iffley Meadows early the same morning (per Steve Roby) and were seen to fly into Port Meadow late morning (per Dave Lowe). These birds flew over the Lye Valley and away to the north-east, calling loudly:
I was delighted at having recorded Oystercatcher over Headington. But things were about to get much better: on April 25th all my wader dreams came true. Four medium-sized wading birds flew rapidly over the golf course, heading north-east. Fortunately, I managed to grab a few pictures of the birds before they disappeared, the images would prove crucial in confirming their identity. Astoundingly, the birds were 4 Bar-tailed Godwit:
A full write up of my most remarkable 11 seconds in the Lye Valley can be found here. The record has been confirmed and accepted by Ian Lewington, the Oxfordshire County Recorder.
The first Cuckoo for the Lye Valley flew over on 24th April, albeit silently. More satisfyingly, a male Cuckoo was also heard calling on 3rd May. This still remains a rare bird in Headington. Hobby is more frequently recorded, but is still uncommon. The bird below flashed over the golf course on 1st May:
All in all, a superb spring of local patch birding, at the end of my road. There may never be another like it. The full illustrated list of all bird species recorded in the Lye Valley and Warneford Meadow area can be found here. Now, what will summer bring?
Spring 2020 will forever be associated with the coronavirus pandemic. With the country in lockdown, I was unable to work. As such, I took my daily walk at dawn and recorded as many bird species as I possibly could in the Lye Valley, Warneford Meadow and Southfield Golf Course area. These areas surround the Churchill Hospital and Old Road Campus, both of which are actively involved in helping the fight against the pandemic.
Below, Warneford Meadow at dawn in April 2020. My overriding memory of spring 2020 will be the crystal clear visibility and the intense (aircraft-free) blue skies:
This blog post covers some of the common bird species recorded in the Lye Valley area in Spring 2020. I made 46 consecutive dawn visits in the period from late March to early May. More coverage generally means more birds and this certainly proved to be the case. In April alone I recorded 63 species. For context, 71 species were recorded in the whole of 2019. Below are some photographic highlights of the common species of birds in the Lye Valley. The next post will examine some of the more unusual visitors.
Sub-adult Grey Heron, Lye Valley. This young Heron was a regular feature of the Lye Valley in April. 6 Cormorants pass below the setting Moon at dawn, 14th April. April is Cormorant month here, with regular sightings of birds flying overhead. They are rarely recorded in any other month of the year. Displaying male Sparrowhawk, using “slow-motion” wing-beats. Male Kestrel, one of the local pair. Red KiteMale Pheasant: a frequently heard species, but rarely seen. At least two pairs stay hidden in thickets in the area. A pair of courting Stock Doves, a small number of pairs breed in the area. Male Great Spotted Woodpecker, drumming in the Lye Valley. Woodpecker drumming was the dominant sound of the woodland in April, but ceases later in the month as the birds move onto the next phase of their breeding cycle. Eurasian Jay, Lye valleyNuthatch, collecting mud for the entrance of the nest hole, Boundary Brook ValleySinging male Grey Wagtail, Churchill Hospital Balancing Pond, March 2020. Singing Chiffchaff, Boundary Brook Valley. It was a good year for Willow Warblers, with up to 4 singing birds present. All these birds seem to move through though, with none remaining to breed. Male Blackcap, collecting nesting material, Lye Valley. The dominant warbler species. The Lye Valley is filled with Blackcap song in spring and early summer. Garden Warbler: much less frequent than Blackcap, but the odd pair may breed locally. Goldcrest, Warneford Meadow. Blue Tit with face stained yellow with tree pollen. Swallow: the first Swallows passed overhead on 3rd April, with small numbers recorded moving through all month. Two Tawny Owl chicks, found by Isaac West, high up in a sycamore. This is the first confirmed breeding of Tawny Owl, though it has long been suspected. Adult Tawny Owl.
Next: uncommon and rare birds seen in the Lye Valley area in Spring 2020.
A few minutes after 7am on Saturday 25th April I was taking my daily walk around Southfield Golf Course and the Lye Valley in east Oxford. It was my 35th consecutive dawn visit since lockdown began. The low cloud base and cold easterly wind meant I was wearing a coat and gloves and it didn’t feel particularly spring-like. There had been no evidence of any overhead migration at all, when four birds flew over me from behind. I saw them with the naked eye for a few seconds, with binoculars for a few seconds, and then fired off 6 pictures. Most of the time that I could see the four birds, they were flying away from me and slightly to the right. In terms of size and flight action, all four birds appeared identical.
Naked-eye impressions: As soon as I was aware of movement above me, I looked up, saw four birds overhead and thought “waders”! This was staggering in itself. I have made 121 visits to the Lye Valley area (including the golf course) over the last 13 months and only saw my first wader species, two Oystercatcher, six days previously. Lapwing would have been a new species for the area and Golden Plover something to be dreamt about. Any other wader species was nearly unthinkable. As the birds passed overhead, I could immediately see that they were medium-sized waders with long wings and bills. In local patch terms, I was in uncharted territory. They were not small sandpipers or Dunlin or Snipe: they were too large. In terms of their size they appeared to be in the Whimbrel-Godwit category.
Binocular impressions: By now, the birds were flying directly away from me. Probably the worst angle to try to attempt to identify a flying wader. I quickly found them in my binoculars. The birds appeared all dark in the field, I looked for but could not see any white on the wings or tail. No trailing legs could be seen, they did not call. As I was below and behind the birds, I could not see the back of the birds. My guess, on what little evidence to their identity that I had so far, was that they might be Whimbrel. But this was based more on feel, structure and likelihood rather than visible plumage features. Below is an uncropped, unedited picture of the four birds flying north-east over the golf course to show lighting conditions and the height of the birds:
The photographs:
When I looked at the pictures that I had taken, I immediately realised that the four birds were not Whimbrel. The autofocus had locked onto the far-left bird in the flock. The images clearly show that this bird has a long straight bill:
With more photo-editing (heavier cropping; exposure and saturation increase; plus shadow and noise reduction) more features become apparent. This bird appears to have chestnut-coloured underparts and importantly this colour extends to the vent. The underwings look pale, the bill is very long and straight :
Having established that the vent is not white and is chestnut only leaves one conclusion: this bird is a summer plumaged Bar-tailed Godwit. Black-tailed Godwit and all similar species of tringa waders (except Spotted Redshank which is pure black underneath) are white in this area and this would be visible in the images. With the other three birds in the flock appearing identical in size and flight action, it seems safe to conclude that the birds were all Bar-tailed Godwit. FOUR BAR-TAILED GODWIT over Southfield Golf Course, Headington in Oxford city!!! Barwits pass through Oxfordshire in very small numbers in spring and autumn. Any record away from water is good, but to see Bar-tailed Godwit over Oxford city is exceptional.
There was even a slight twist in the tale. Just under an hour later, at 8am, Luke Marriner saw 4 godwits over his local patch, the Oxfordshire Golf Course at Thame some 14km (8.7 miles) to the east, see here. It is quite possible that these were the same birds, although we will never know for sure. The joy of local patch birding is the joy of discovery. Today proved that ANYTHING is possible… given enough time!
Thanks to Ian Lewington, Dave Lowe, Andy Last and Mark Merritt for their input and thoughts.
As life as we know it collapses, never to return, I have been struck by a strange double-edged feeling: paranoid calmness. There is less and less for me to do. My business has closed leaving us with no family income. My children are at home and will be until September. I am calm because there is very little to do. But I am paranoid because the calmness cannot last.
There were at least 10 Chiffchaffs in the Lye Valley area this morning. Seven of them were feeding around the tiny pond at the side of the Churchill Hospital. It was sunlit and protected from the cold easterly wind. A warm, insect-rich pool of calmness. Chiffchaffs were flycatching out over the water. Occasionally they swooped down to take insects from the water’s surface. On one occasion a Robin did the same. I spent over half an hour watching and photographing these tiny olive and grey birds, as they flicked, sailed, bill-clicked, called and sang in the willows around the pond. Their colours changed as frequently as the light did. The calmness of this scene felt eternal.
A total of 48 species were recorded in the Lye Valley and Warneford Meadow area in January and February 2020. Incessant westerly winds, with regular rain, resulted in very mild temperatures. So much so, that expected winter species, such as Fieldfare and Lesser Redpoll, have not been recorded at all this year. There a handful of Redwing in the valley, but far fewer than usual:
The wet winter has filled the ponds in the valley, which by the third week of February are full of frogspawn. This juvenile Grey Heron (adults have a black stripe above the eyes, joining at the back of the head) was investigating the ponds:
Most visits produce Green Woodpecker. This male (note the red moustache, females have all black moustaches!) was feeding in Warneford Meadow:
More unusual was my first Peregrine for the Lye Valley. Two birds were seen on 9th January, one carrying a white Feral Pigeon, flying over Churchill Meadow:
Other raptors seen regularly, included the over-wintering male Kestrel:
A pair of Buzzards were often recorded, this is the paler of the two birds:
Even though we may be in the depths of winter, there is increasing evidence of birds preparing for the breeding season. This Red Kite was seen carrying nesting material on 3rd February :
Whilst the landscape of the Lye Valley is only just beginning to show the first signs of spring growth, the soundscape changes much more quickly. Robins, Wrens and Dunnocks sing all year round, but the intensity and frequency of their song begins to develop as the days lengthen.
Song Thrushes joined them in song from mid-December (these are not my recordings, but examples of the birdsong you can hear in the Lye Valley):
[James Lidster, XC527789. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/527789]
The first Great Tit sang on 9th January:
[Jordi Calvet, XC529801. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/529801]
Great Spotted Woodpeckers were drumming from 27th January:
[James Lidster, XC527766. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/527766]
On 3rd February, the first Chaffinches and Greenfinches began singing:
Chaffinch [Jorge Leitão, XC529142. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/529142]Greenfinch [James Lidster, XC527762. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/527762]
An early surprise was the first singing Blackcap on 12th February. A male in Boundary Brook valley was not in full song, but it won’t be long until the valley is full of singing Blackcaps:
[James Lidster, XC528082. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/528082]
Roll on spring! The full list of bird species recorded in the Lye Valley can be seen here.
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.
Chiffchaff
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.
Painted LadyRed Admiral
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.
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.
Swift
Little Egret is an occasional visitor the Lye Valley north fen. This bird flew over down the valley on 13th August:
Little Egret
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.
Juvenile Willow WarblerJuvenile Chiffchaff
Dave Lowe found the first Garden Warbler of the year on 6th June, up to 3 were recorded, usually in the golf course area.
Garden Warbler
Both Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat were recorded as autumn passage migrants in late August:
Lesser Whitethroat
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:
NuthatchSong Thrush
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.
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:
Common BlueCommaMeadow BrownMating Meadow BrownsMarbled WhiteCinnabar MothCinnabar Moth caterpillars were abundant in late July. They could be found on nearly every ragwort plant. Small WhitePainted Lady. 2019 saw a huge influx of these butterflies from the continent and a number were recorded in the Lye Valley area. Painted Lady underwing
Damselflies, Darters, Hawkers and Chasers
Female Beautiful Demoiselle DamselflyCommon Blue DamselflyMale Common DarterFemale Common HawkerBroad-bodied ChaserFemale Southern Hawker
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:
Young Common Lizard
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:
Female Slow-worms
Males are paler below and lack the dark flank stripes:
Male Slow-worm
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.
