There’s no two ways about it. October was odd.
Now, what am I referring to exactly. I could be talking about the weather – it was such a warm month – or I could be talking about UK politics. September certainly feels like a long time ago in respect of the latter. Just for the benefit of my future self, our last Prime Minister resigned on 20th October and our current PM took up the role on 25th October.
In truth, I can’t put my finger on exactly why October felt so odd. Maybe it was just me? But here’s a little round-up of some of the wild highlights between the odd times. Hope you enjoy 😊
Catch the wigeon
Yes, the ‘catch the pigeon’ theme tune has become ‘catch the wigeon’ in our household. And, incidentally, apparently it was never even called ‘catch the pigeon’, it was ‘stop the pigeon’. I actually can’t claim this one – blame my partner! – so let’s move on.
So this little snippet is actually about a wigeon. Or wigeons. I wasn’t really tuned into ducks until quite recently. The wigeon is a very pretty species of duck – the most distinctive feature of the male is a gold stripe on its forehead (this is how I remember them).
In the middle of the month, though, I learnt more about what wigeons sound like. It was during a trip to Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve. I was in one of the bird hides and saw scores of birds circling over one of the pools a little way to my left. They were making this weird whistling sound. I hadn’t heard this call before and it was only when I got closer that I realised they were wigeons – now I’ll always remember what they sound like!
Wildlife Spots
I totally forgot to mention another bird that I saw last month – a cattle egret. I saw it at RSPB Otmoor. Cattle egrets are pretty rare, but they’re known to visit this Oxfordshire nature reserve.
Otherwise, this month, a wigeon (full story above), tawny owl and kingfisher (full story below) made it onto my list. The tawny owl was particularly special. I haven’t seen this beautiful owl in the wild for such a long time. It flew out of a tree while I drove home from work one evening. It was just getting dark and I was on the outskirts of Shipston.
A kingfisher, finally!
As I crossed the river on a late afternoon walk in the middle of the month, I finally caught a glimpse of a bird that has eluded me so far this year – the kingfisher!
I’m being honest when I say that I only caught a glimpse. A flitter of blue. Especially the bright, turquoisy blue stripe straight down its back. I stopped and smiled.
I saw so many kingfishers on my Kennet & Avon Canal adventure last summer. Almost one every day that my partner and I walked along the canal (so around 8 in total). I was starting to worry I might not see one this year. But the River Stour didn’t disappoint!
Grey wagtail
I was so inspired by some of the birds I saw when I visited Brandon Marsh. There were long-tailed tits, coal tits and great tits, lapwings and snipe, tree creepers and sparrowhawks, etc, etc. But the grey wagtails really stood out to me. I saw three of them at different pools on the reserve.
When I spotted my second one, I stopped and watched it properly. If you’ve seen one before, have you ever noticed how it bobs about like it’s twerking? It just can’t stop itself from wagging its tail up and down!
So I got out my watercolour paints later that week and recreated this little bird. Despite its name, it’s the grey wagtail’s yellow chest and rump that always draws my eye.
Naseby Naseby
My partner and I finished the month with a short trip to Naseby in Northamptonshire. We’re trying to tick off the UK’s counties and there are quite a few just a short drive away.
While we were in Northamptonshire, we visited a couple of nature reserves: Nene Wetlands and Ravensthorpe Reservoir. The big highlight at Nene was hearing a couple of Cetti’s warblers. I still haven’t seen one of these elusive birds, but it’s always a treat to hear them.
Ravensthorpe wasn’t technically a nature reserve, but you wouldn’t know it – there were plenty of ducks, geese and swans enjoying the water. Particularly great-crested grebes. There were at least twenty on the water and they inspired another art piece!
I hope you had a good October – here’s my full wild list
Week 39 cont.
Sat 1st Oct: Walked to Honington and round. Spotted 3 types of butterfly – brimstone, red admiral and large/small white.
Sun 2nd Oct: Walked through the meadow. Saw/heard a green woodpecker, two buzzards and some mushrooms. The mushrooms had formed in a semi-circular marking in the grass.
Week 40
Mon 3rd Oct: Took a moment to appreciate the sunrise from the bedroom window. The clouds looked like ripples.
Tues 4th Oct: Went to fill-up my car at the petrol station near work and there was a big moth huddled up along the edge of the pump station. I got my phone out quickly to take a photo – apparently it was a large yellow underwing moth.
Weds 5th Oct: Looked through some ‘Birdtober’ pictures on Instagram. I need to take part in this one day!
Thurs 6th Oct: Caught another sunrise during a walk around the meadow.
Fri 7th Oct: Paid Twitter a visit and saw that a ‘Least Bittern’ had been spotted – and rescued – on Shetland. It looked so tiny in the photos!
Sat 8th Oct: Spotted a kestrel and buzzard on two different poles during a walk up the Hanson Track and around. Some of the poles near the cemetery seem to be favourites of birds of prey!
Sun 9th Oct: Started a blue tit watercolour painting today.
Week 41
Mon 10th Oct: A friend from work messaged me this evening to ask if I’d seen the moon. I hadn’t. So I looked out of the window and it was so big and beautiful.
Tues 11th Oct: Sunset walk around the meadow. I saw a yellowhammer really well in a tree.
Weds 12th Oct: Walked past the flower patch around the corner from home and went and sniffed a rose.
Thurs 13th Oct: Discovered a new toy – eurobird portal. According to the map from last year, the fieldfares should be back again really soon.
Fri 14th Oct: Brandon Marsh – saw a whole list of things!
Sat 15th Oct: Worked on a house martin watercolour this afternoon.
Sun 16th Oct: Draycote Water and canal walk at Long Itchington. Saw tufted ducks, coots, moorhens, canada geese, little grebes, great crested grebes (so many of them!), pied wagtails, grey wagtails and some sort of pipit.
Week 42
Mon 17th Oct: Started a new book called Irreplaceable (2020) by Julian Hoffman. Read all about the Hoo peninsula in Kent and how it was rescued from potential airport plans.
Tues 18th Oct: Took in the mist and the beautiful pink light on the way into the office this morning.
Weds 19th Oct: Saw a small group of starlings flocking together on the drive home today.
Thurs 20th Oct: Apparently the fieldfares have landed on Bardsey Island – 5,000 spotted today.
Fri 21st Oct: Travelled up to mum and dad’s today. To my absolute delight, I heard some fieldfares flying over their house – I haven’t forgotten those chattering calls!
Sat 22nd Oct: Spotted a goosander on the canal near the locks in Barlick. I also had a little walk through a wooded area near my grandma’s house.
Sun 23rd Oct: Walk to Honington and around with my partner. This is the first local walk we’ve done together for such a long time!
Week 43
Mon 24th Oct: Sunset walk around the meadow.
Tues 25th Oct: Saw a tawny owl fly above the road near Shipston on the way home from work.
Weds 26th Oct: Read a line in Irreplaceable today that really stuck with me – about how important it is to still preserve what we have left, even if it’s less than previous generations had. This has been getting me a down a bit recently, but Hoffman is right.
Thurs 27th Oct: Went for a long walk just before it went dark – to Burmington and back. It was needed.
Fri 28th Oct: Read about cirl buntings in my RSPB magazine. The RSPB uses ‘off-setting’ to help protect them down in Devon.
Sat 29th Oct: Heard a cetti’s warbler at Nene Wetlands Nature Reserve. My first one in a while.
Sun 30th Oct: Enjoyed seeing all of the great crested grebes on Ravensthorpe Reservoir today. I’ve seen so many of them recently.
Week 44
Mon 31st Oct: Went for a walk in the morning. A heron flew overhead and there was another yellowhammer in the tree.
Ramblings of a (very!) amateur artist 