A Snowflake descends on Farmoor Reservoir 27th November 2024

c Thomas Miller

A dull mid morning at the fag end of November with nothing much to enthuse about had me heading for Farmoor Reservoir, my local go to birding destination.

But what's this?  Having just set off from home a light on my car's instrument display informed me that the pressure of one of my tyres was low which abruptly and unwelcomly changed my plan  

The rest of the morning was spent in Chipping Norton arranging to have a nail removed from the tyre. By the time the car was roadworthy it was approaching noon as I once more set a course for Farmoor.

Approaching the Toll Bridge at Eynsham, which crosses the Thames and is near to Farmoor I had a change of heart and eschewing the reservoir made for nearby Dix Pit which lies to the south of the reservoir and, as the Cormorant flies, is very close. I reasoned that I had spent most of yesterday at Farmoor and a bit of variety would be in order. The reservoir had been almost devoid of birds of interest yesterday, with the over wintering Common Sandpiper plus a flyover Raven the only things of any note and I could see no reason why it would be any different today. It would be the usual Coots, Tufted Ducks, Mallards, Great crested and Little Grebes with,the odd gull thrown into the mix. Hardly inspiring.

Dix Pit is a former gravel pit that is now a lake. It lies adjacent to a former landfill which was famed for its gulls but the landfill has long since been filled in and landscaped although the lake still attracts good numbers of ducks due no doubt to the fact that unlike Farmoor Reservoir its waters remain undisturbed by yachts or windsurfers.

Parking the car in a decidedly wet and muddy layby I made my way to the footpath that winds uncertainly around the circumference of the lake.The recent heavy rain has resulted in the path either being partially underwater or reduced to liquid mud and consequently treacherous to walk on. Definitely requiring wellington boots.

Dix is depressing at the best of times in winter and a late November afternoon under grey skies threatening rain and with a chill wind blowing was hardly going to persuade me otherwise, in fact precisely the opposite but at least I was birding and you never know I might find something of interest 

And I did!

Scanning the far shore I could see a line of egrets sheltering in a corner of the lake.Stood on a muddy spit against the dark bare willows that surround the lake their white plumage rendered them unmissable. Using the trees and bushes as cover I moved closer to check them in my bins and counted a total of nineteen of which six were Great White Egrets, a very good count, the remaining thirteen being Little Egrets.

Gingerly I continued my progress around the lake, one slip in the mud would be disaster. Some Redwings flew in alarm from a line of hawthorns as I splashed my way onwards. I was half way round when my Oxon Birds WhatsApp pinged and alert and consulting it I discovered that a Snow Bunting had been found by Dai at around 2pm on the reservoir causeway 

If only I had stuck to my original plan of going to the reservoir I would not now be reduced to a state of anxiety and frustration in equal measure. My main worries were: could I get there before the light went or the bird flew off. I rang Dai who told me the bunting was very confiding and in his opinion was going nowhere.My car was about as far away as possible from where I was currently standing by the lake. There was no choice but to carry on around the lake and get back to the car as fast as possible.I comforted myself with the fact that I was already in close proximity to the reservoir and not having to make a forty minute journey from home.Nevertheless my anxiety levels began to arise.

Power walking in wellington boots on very wet waterlogged ground and through flooded areas is not conducive to speed and I had to be careful not to slip on the slick mud and grass as sheep in the wet field I was traversing scattered in alarm.It seemed to take forever but eventually I was back at the car, divesting myself of the cumbersome wellingtons to put on walking boots and then drove the few miles to the reservoir. A matter of minutes away but the journey seemed to take a lifetime

Anxiety remained my constant companion as I trailed behind two huge trucks  which eventually turned off towards the A40. Fortunately the Toll Bridge was by now unmanned but the light was beginning to dull as a watery sun commenced sinking below the trees.Temporary traffic lights at some roadworks then put in a bid to further delay me but finally I was free to drive the final quarter mile to the reservoir gates and turning into the car park got myself together and set forth for the reservoir causeway.

I was for once travelling light as my camera is away being repaired so it was bins only for this trip

There is an unwritten law that any 'good bird' arriving at Farmoor will invariably choose to be at the far end of the causeway and so it proved with this  latest  star bird to grace the reservoir's concrete bowl.Thomas passed me at a run, commenting in passing that the bunting was at the far end of the causeway. It always is I replied as he disappeared into the gloom.

I followed at a fast walk praying that the bunting would remain where it was. I met Ben coming the other way who reassured me it was still present, feeding at the side of the causeway. Ten minutes later I joined half a dozen of Oxonbirding's finest who had managed to make it in time and were now standing on the concrete shelving of F2 below the retaining wall, looking over the wall and across the narrow strip of tarmac to the bunting which was picking seed from plants that were contriving to eke out an existence in the cracks between the tarmac and the retaining wall of F1.

From l -r Adam,Roger,Thomas,Paul and a n other

I sat on the wall by Jason as he video'd the bunting which was. as they so often are, remarkably tame and showed little alarm at our presence.Viewed from a few metres it was a real beauty as.its plumage was fairly bright, a pleasing mixture of buff, brown, grey, black and white as it shuffled on short black legs and feet, close to the wall, its corn yellow bill nibbling seeds.

c Thomas Miller

Snow Buntings can present infinite variations in plumage and consequently can be difficult to age and sex and it has so far been suggested that this bird is a first year female or possibly a male. whilst others have seen adult characteristics in the photos of its plumage. 

c Thomas Miller

Snow Buntings are long distance migrants from the Arctic that come to us for the winter, and  comprise two races:  nivalis which originate from FennoScandia, northwest Russia, northern Scotland and Greenland or insulae which originate from Iceland. Migrants of both races visit Britain, with  nivalis predominant and a few still breed in The Cairngorms in Scotland. Snow Buntings are usually found wintering on the east coast of Britain rather than inland so probably this bird was crossing the country on its way to the coast and decided to make a brief stop at the reservoir to rest and refuel.

There is little more to be said other than I watched it in the company of my fellow Oxonbirders for thirty or so minutes and as the light slowly faded. its unexpected presence certainly brightened my day. 

By common consent as darkness began to fall we left the bunting still actively feeding and made a leisurely walk back down the causeway to the cafe for a cup of tea and chat before heading for our respective homes.

There was no sign of the Snow Bunting the following morning

Snowflake is a colloquial name for the Snow Bunting

My grateful thanks to Thomas Miller for allowing me to illustrate this blog with his images and likewise to Jason Coppock for the use of his excellent video of the Snow Bunting