OXFORDSHIRE DELIGHTS

During my time in Oxfordshire, I spent many of my evenings exploring the county’s rich mosaic of habitats, and was rewarded with an impressive variety of wildlife encounters.

Just a few miles from my hotel lay Cothill Fen, the largest area of alkaline fen in central England and a designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC). Together with the neighbouring reserves of Dry Sandford Pit, Parsonage Moor and Lashford Lane, this complex forms a nationally important suite of wildlife sites. The fen supports a wealth of highly specialised species that depend on this rare habitat and are consequently scarce elsewhere. In total, more than 100 rare or notable species have been recorded here.

Among the most sought-after is the Southern Damselfly, a species that is both nationally and internationally rare, having suffered an estimated 30% decline in its UK distribution since 1960. With this in mind, I spent time searching the reserve for Southern Damselfly and Small Red Damselfly, and was delighted to encounter both species during the week.

Southern damselfly 

Small Red damselfly

An evening walk around Parsonage Moor provided another memorable moment, when a Grass Snake was found basking in the warmth of the summer sun, offering excellent views.

Grass snake

The diversity of insects and birds in the area was equally impressive. Other species recorded included:

Red Kite

White Marbled

Beautiful demoiselle

Meadow Brown

Red Admiral

Large Skipper

Broad-bodied chaser

Keeled skimmer

Large-red damselfly

Comma

Black-tailed skimmer

As the accompanying photographs illustrate, there is no shortage of wildlife to observe in this corner of Oxfordshire, and future visits will undoubtedly produce further highlights.

I rounded off the week with a visit to Chimney Meadows, situated along the Thames Path. My target here was a female Red-footed Falcon, and I was fortunate to find the bird present shortly after arriving. It spent time hawking over the meadows in the company of five Hobbies, creating a thrilling spectacle. Remarkably, this individual represented only the sixth recorded sighting of the Red-footed Falcon in Oxfordshire.

What a cracking bird

A truly cracking bird, and a fitting end to a memorable week in the county.