This morning I decided to undertake a long walk across farmland between Morton Bagot and Henley. It basically covered much of tetrad H in SP16. I know this because back in 2008 and 2009 it formed a part of the BTO Atlas area I was working.
Unlike Morton Bagot, where HOEF has transformed the habitat since those days, the Oldberrow parish has remained a mixture of sheepwalk and arable farmland, part of which is still covered by Higher Level stewardship. It also contains a number of private woodlands which were off-limits.
Sadly, it has lost its Tree Sparrows and I didn't find any Reed Buntings or Partridges today. However I was pleased to locate flocks of at least 80 Linnets, 19 Yellowhammers, 45 Skylarks, and 76 Starlings in the parts I was able to visit. I felt obliged to stick to public footpaths, and would certainly have seen more if I had wandered more freely.
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| Yellowhammer |
While I was pleased to see an array of familiar farmland birds, there wasn't much that was new. The best on offer being a pair of Red Kites, now starting to rival Common Buzzard in abundance.
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| Red Kites |
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| Common Buzzard |
The walk also plugged a bit of a gap in my recent attempt to cover all of my circular patch.
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