FARMOOR AND OTMOOR

A sunny, spring morning but a cold northerly breeze was blowing as I walked around Farmoor Reservoir today. Almost felt I needed hat and gloves!  Again I didn't see the Bonaparte gull, in fact very few gulls around today. However, I did see four types of wagtails; pied, white, grey and yellow. I also disturbed a napping female goosander on the edge of the reservoir, which made a quick getaway once it realised I was there. 
Other highlights included common terns, common sandpiper, and a grey heron. The female mallard and her family were still around, swimming close to the causeway edge. 
At the hide I saw reed bunting, great tit, blue tit, chaffinch, coot, and heard my first cuckoo of the year. 

I 

a sleeping female goosander

which woke up...

...stood up...

...and quickly swam off.

grey heron on the causeway

mallard and her ducklings

With some time still to spare today, I then decided to drive a bit further on to RSPB Otmoor. From the bird feeders, grasshopper warblers could be heard but not seen today, I'd not heard them before but they had an unmistakable sound like  a fishing rod being reeled in! However, I did manage to see some very vocal sedge warblers and a reed warbler.  There were also some early lapwing chicks running about in the field, but sadly too distant for a photo,  they did look cute though!

After reading a notice about grass snakes sunbathing on the flattened reeds, I spotted one curled up.  Also seen was a brown hare in the field, hunkered down with just its ears showing. 

grass snake

can you spot the ears?

a vocal sedge warbler