RSPB Otmoor was our chosen destination for bank holiday Monday hoping the hegdrows might give us a bit of cover from a cold wind. Otmoor isn't a place I've visited often and I tend to always side with Slimbridge for that type of days birding. We landed around 8am to find the car park, complete with singing Garden Warbler, almost full.
The paths and the signage are excellent the only downside is having to walk back the same way you walked out. There was a number of first sightings of year for us including a Spotted Redshank, Glossy Ibis, Marsh Harrier & feral Barnacle Geese. The warblers around the reserve were in great voice, most teased the camera with posing and then diving for cover. A male Cuckoo feasted on a hoard of catterpillars it had found and the Lapwings displayed above us throughout our visit. Red Kites were circuling until we left Oxfordshire and diverted to Borough Hill in Northamptonshire where a Wryneck had been located. With a heavy storm approaching we manged to watch the fabulous Wryneck for about ten minutes before making a run for the car. The drive back was through some very heavy rain underlining how lucky we had been to make the most of the morning.
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