After a couple of fine, warm days, this morning started rather cloudy and a good bit cooler than recently. It was the first day of my Easter break so I decided to have a day out before the Bank Holiday weekend started and more people were about. I chose to go to some birding places I'd not visited before but first I stopped off at another site to locate a rare duck.
Before Christmas I had two failed attempts at finding a pair of ring necked ducks at Radley lakes near Abingdon. They were initially very mobile and sometimes hard to find, but more recently they have settled on a small water filled pit, a couple of hundred yards down a gravel path away from the main Thrupp lake. I therefore knew exactly where I was making for when I arrived and today they were easy to spot amongst the few tufted ducks. They are similar to tufted ducks but with slight variation in colouring and a distinct bill pattern. In fact the male appears a very smart duck indeed. Although I was quickly able to spot the male duck, it decided to go to sleep before I had a chance to get my camera out and remained so for a little while. A noisy jay flew across the lake and the duck stirred but not for long enough to get a photo. I knew I would have to wait a bit longer. Eventually, a bit of commotion amongst some coots set all the ducks in a bit of a panic so I was able to get a couple of photos while it looked up and swam around.
My next stop was at Aston Tirrold where I planned to park before taking a walk to Lollingdon Hill, a popular birdwatching area. The hill itself, is not particularly high and is privately owned but there is access to a path which circles the hill.
From reading a blog ahead of my visit, I learned that opposite the Recreation ground where the walk starts, lives a certain British tennis star, Tim Henman. His house was easy to view form the track and I could make out a grass tennis court through the hedge! I followed the bridlepath alongside some fields for a mile or so, noticing the blackthorn beginning to blossom along the path. Chiffchaffs could be heard, and I think I also heard the song of a blackcap though couldn't locate it.
I eventually came across what seemed to be a path to the hill and asked some approaching walkers if that was the right place. On finding it was the right track, I followed them up an incline to the south side of the hill which had some extensive views. Here they turned off, but told me that the path would take me round the circumference of the hill and back to where I met them. As I turned away from them I spotted my first wheatear of the year at the edge of the field. I just had time for a quick photo before it flew off further into the field where it was hard to spot. The sun had come out at this point, and I decided to stop for my lunch which I'd brought with me. It had become warmer too and it was a pleasant walk around the rest of the hill, though I didn't see any more birds of note.
My last visit of the day was to Cholsey Marsh, ten minutes away, which is a Wildlife Trust owned nature reserve alongside the river Thames. You can park right up close to the edge of the river, provided there is room, and today there were only a couple of cars. Judging by a sign on the gate, it had been rather busier during lockdown. It certainly would be a lovely spot for a walk on a summer's day. I wanted to find where this reserve was, as there is a particular dragonfly I'd like to look for in May which is found here. I didn't walk that far along the Thames today but I did spot a kingfisher and also a Red Kite which was calling from its perch in a tree.
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