An enthusiastic group of 8 others joined me for the walk at Otmoor. Some arriving early in the hope that early birders catch the Grasshopper Warbler. Unfortunately that was not to be. Otmoor is a great reserve and at this time of year, full of a wide range of warblers. Reed, Sedge, Common and Lesser Whitethroats, Chiffchaff, Willow, Blackcap, Garden and the inevitable Cetti’s were all seen or heard. The big ticket warbler however is Grasshopper. Normally they can be heard along the Roman Road, but not this time. Steve had however found one by the feeding station. Some of the party heard a snatch of the song and/or a glimpse of the bird. One of the RSPB volunteers promised to message us if he came across another. We were only 200 yards away when one was found. This resulted in marginally better views.

The previous day a Garganey had been reported. Despite searching only the usual wildfowl subjects and a few dodgy hybrids were seen. Feral Barnacle Goose was probably the pick of the sightings.

Waders were fairly limited. Lapwing, Redshank, Curlew and Snipe are priority species for this reserve as their numbers are declining and are uncommon in southern areas. These together with Oystercatchers were seen, many with young. The highlight to me were the drumming Snipe – the drumming sound is produced by the vibration of the outer tail feathers and is part of courtship.

Many hobbies were seen hawking for insects or sitting on posts. Marsh Harriers, Red Kites, Kestrels and Buzzards made up the birds of prey sightings. Cuckoos were calling well and seen by some. 

There are a number of cranes on the reserve. These originate from the western population i.e. descendants of the Slimbridge Great Crane Project. Normally we get good views. This time however we were limited to one flyover. A Bittern was heard booming and Tony thought he may have seen one flying. Noone else connected.

Tony who was keeping score tells me that the tally was 69 species.

Geoff