Woodstock Wildlife Record

One thing I enjoy about birding is that you never know what you'll get week to week. At the end of February a Hawfinch was reported in a tree near to Hensington Road cemetery in Woodstock. Having not seen one this year I decided to go and try and see it. I knew they had been seen in and around the cemetery during the winter so opted to look for the reported bird there and that day I saw a couple high up in some of the tall trees in the cemetery. I was pleased with that given most of the time that is the best kind of view you can hope for of these birds. But knowing they were around and getting reported regularly had me wanting more. And being only a short distance from home, I wanted to make the most of the opportunity to see them. Inevitably, they became a bit of an obsession. Over the course of probably a dozen visits to the cemetery, mostly early morning when the sun was out, the views I got gradually improved and it was possible to get a feel for their movements and behaviour. ...

February on the Ardley patch got off to a great start when Justin Taylor found a Green-winged teal on the Quarry lake on 6th. Fortunately it stuck and I was able to see it in the gloom the next morning. It seems a good chance it was the same bird that had been at Otmoor given their rarity, but then amazingly another was found the next day only a few miles away in the Mid-Cherwell valley, so at least two in the area. There have been up to 150 teal wintering at Ardley, using both the quarry lake and ERF lagoon. It was good fortune that the GWT picked probably the most viewable spot on the site and remained for the remainder of the month. I also managed to see the Clifton bird so it is fair to say I've had my fill of this species recently!  The adult Caspian gull was still around at Ardley during the month.  I don't often see foxes at Ardley and never two together before. Gull numbers increased at Blenheim early in the month. Three Yellow-legged gulls in one afternoon was a good ...

For 2025 I plan on focussing on my local patches again but will also try and visit some other local sites more often.  The Balscote Bewick's Swan got my year off to a nice start with a county tick.  A Marsh Harrier at Blenheim on the 8th was very unexpected. It's the first harrier species I've seen at Blenheim and I think only the second record of Marsh Harrier for the site. The fact it was a tagged bird added some extra interest and it seems to have made the local area its home for now. There hasn't been a great deal else of interest at Blenheim this winter. Low numbers of ducks generally and nothing unusual. I've not seen a Goosander here this winter which is very unusual. Far lower numbers of Pochard compared to last winter with only single figure counts so far. A pair of Pintail on a couple of occasions in January was nice to see. Since the Queen Pool has been deepened, it's not quite as attractive to dabbling ducks. Far fewer Teal and Shoveler winter now, b...