I was forwarded a report of a Dartford Warbler being heard singing near the path alongside the 5th on the Red. Dartford Warblers are summer visitors and are rare in the UK, particularly in Oxfordshire. They are also very secretive, spending most time in thick cover. This one was likely to have been passing through on migration. I had a couple of trips to try to spot it, but without success.
Some consolation was to find a new bird for the Frilford list on the reservoir - a Shoveler Duck. This one was a female - the males are rather more colourful. They are named after their large beak, which they use to sift plant matter from the surface of water.
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| Northern Shoveler [Reservoir] |
Also around the reservoir there were a number of Meadow Pipits. I only really see these at Frilford when they are on passage and it is interesting to note that I saw them in exactly the same place exactly a year ago.
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| Meadow Pipit [Reservoir] |
