As a wetland reserve we can get a bit obsessive about water, always wondering if there's going to be too much or not enough to keep the wildlife as happy as possible. Variation is important and a few really wet or really dry periods can add dynamism and benefits to the wet grassland habitats, but in general we aim for wetness during the winter, with the fields then slowly drying out through the spring and on into the…

 The Otmoor tractor season is now over! It was a big success and no one got the tractor stuck this year!! To keep the site in prime condition as a wetland wonderland, the grass has been topped, the edges of our shallow footdrains and scrapes have been rotavated, the fields have been aerated to improve soil condition and the visitor paths have been flailed. With this hard work out the way, we can now raise the…

In the lands of the North, where the Black Rocks stand guard against the cold sea, in the dark night that is very long, word spreads amongst the starling flocks. Tales of an amazing, food-rich, safe haven are told. The name Otmoor is squawked from thousands of bills. And so (almost!) every year at this time, the numbers of starlings feeding and more importantly roosting on Otmoor starts to build up, as birds…

A guest blog from Bev, a RSPB community engagement officer who joined the Tuesday work party for the day. 

I am not going to lie, the alarm sounding at 6.50am on a chilly, autumnal Tuesday morning did not fill me with enthusiasm. After hitting the snooze button one too many times, I forced myself to leave my warm, safe bed, grab a flask of coffee and start the misty journey from Bristol to Beckley in Oxfordshire. For…

Some amazing photos of the red-backed shrike found today at the Noke end of the reserve taken by Terry Sherlock.

The shrike was still present at 7pm this evening so may well still be lurking around tomorrow morning (2nd October). It's always exciting when an unusual visitor turns up on the reserve and this shrike was no exception. It gave brilliantly close views as it tucked into the plentiful insects on offer…

Swarms of wading birds, rotavating, aerating, weed wiping, spotted flycatchers, rotary ditching, gypsum spreading, lots of redstarts, manure spreading, hay cutting... It’s all happening on the moor at the moment!

The first viewing screen over-looking the reedbed is currently the place to head to for wildlife on the reserve. A big gang of lizards are making use of the Lizard Lounge, with the highest count so far…

The breeding season on Otmoor this year has been amazing and this was highlighted again today when we found another three fledged snipe. This brings the total found on the reserve this year to 15, loads better than any years previously. Snipe are very secretive and very well camouflaged, with a fondness for muddy, wet areas with long vegetation. Otmoor is the only place in Oxfordshire and the surrounding counties…

Otmoor played host to an interesting array of 'exotic' species this weekend; an elegant looking glossy ibis, which seems to be enjoying its prolonged stay on the moor, a great white egret, which popped in for a couple of days and a bee-eater seen by one very lucky visitor. Bee-eaters are found during the summer months as far north as central France, but they are a rare and exciting visitor to the UK, with a few wayward…

After the whiskered tern a couple of weeks ago, we now have another rare bird making use of the wetland haven that Otmoor provides. The bird in question is a glossy ibis, a long-legged, long-billed, browny-purpley-glossy looking beast. They are normally found in Spain and Southern France but like wandering quite far afield and so the adventurous one on Otmoor is living up to the species’ nomadic tendencies. It is probably…

Starting at 5am this Sunday (11th May), the Otmoor Dawn Chorus walk will provide an ideal opportunity to see and more importantly hear nature's orchestra, as our song birds sing in the new day. Please phone the office if you'd like to book a place on the walk 01865 351163.

I was carrying out a bird survey early this morning and heard loads of birds in full song as they let each other know that they are still…

Have a good look across the fields at the moment and you should be able to see lapwing chicks scurrying around, 35 of the nests we're monitoring have hatched so far. The best places to look are along the wet muddy edges of the ditches and scrapes, particularly on Big Otmoor, at least one chick has also been seen in front of the Wetland Watch hide. These are great places for the well-camouflaged chicks to find tasty…

After Zoe and Adam heard about a strange, dark-bellied tern eating insects over the reedbed last Friday, they decided to go and have a closer look. At this time of year we get common terns passing through the reserve and so initial thoughts were that it was one of these graceful 'sea swallows', checking out the nesting potential provided by the newly refurbished tern raft. When they tracked down the bird though it was…

After a bit of spring cleaning the legendary Otmoor Lizard Lounge is once again open for business. We are expecting lizards from miles around to come flocking to this purpose built reptile hotel and relaxation area. Hopefully some will have hibernated in cosy holes under the rock pile, whilst others will be drawn to the logs and stones that provide perfect sun bathing sites. Lots of grass snakes and a few common lizards…

Spring migration is definately underway with duck and wader numbers much lower than two weeks ago. For comparision wigeon were 3613, teal 2831, pintail 123, golden plover 3306 and lapwing 2113.

It was nice to see 5 black-tailed godwits with one in breeding plumage. The female bearded tit was pinging away again this morning, obviously looking for a mate. Chiffchaffs are in evidence across the reserve I had 4 around the…

There feels less around, and indeed there was (numbers are still high but compared to the record numbers of two weeks ago they are lower). It is nice to see curlew and redshank back on the moor and with some of the golden plover in summer plumage, its easy to think its almost spring! Water levels have dropped, but are still high for the beginning of march, hopefully with a dry week forcast, the levels will fall further…

The floods are finally receding around the reserve so it’s time to shift some of the water from the fields to rediscover the grass and allow it to grow, putting it in optimal condition for the breeding waders. We have dropped the sluices and turned on Greenaway’s pump to aid drainage. We will still keep the fields relatively wet, with all the scrapes, ditches and footdrains full of water, to provide plenty of edge for…

The reserve is still incredibly wet with water levels at the highest for many years, however the wildfowl seem to be loving it. On this grey and damp morning we had the highest numbers of the year and the highest numbers of lapwing, golden plover and shoveler recorded since the RSPB purchased the reserve.

Mute Swan 60 Greylag Goose 281 Canada Goose 363 Wigeon 3415 Gadwall 13 Teal …

There are still good numbers of birds on the reserve, with them concentrated on Big Otmoor and Flood field. Wader numbers have increased, along with shoveler and pochard, the latter a species which is unuaual in high numbers and declining nationally. When they are all flushed by one of the many raptors calling the moor home, it is an incredible sight.

Mute Swan 55 Greylag Goose 243 Canada Goose …