We had a good unoffcial WeBS count (Wetland Bird Survey) count this week. Bird numbers are still building and lots are being drawn in to the lagoon on Ashgrave. It can be quite tricky getting good views of the lagoon as its on the hill a few hundred metres out from the hide but it's definitely an area worth keeping an eye on. This lagoon has only been there for about a year as it used to be be kept dry by old land drains…

One of the projects I've been working on recently is a trial to see if we can use a substance called gypsum to improve the quality of the soil on the reserve. Due to how wet its been it's taken me a while to get the project completed, however this week I'm pleased to say it's all been finished off! This is just the first year of the trial, which we're carrying out on a small area of the Greenaways field.…

Every now and then I have a proper 'RSPB moment' when I'm down on the reserve. Today was one of those days... As I reached the metal gates leading out onto Greenaways I saw a raptor in the distance being pursued by two crows, catching a flash of white on its rump I zoomed up the bridleway to try and get a better view. Everything was quiet and I thought I'd missed it until 20 snipe suddenly flew over and then a female…

Well we can't guarantee you'll get a glimpse of them, but a small group of these exotic looking birds have been flitting around the Otmoor reedbed for about a week and a half now. I have to admit I've still not seen them but if you head down to the reedbed on a still day there's a chance that you might (if you do see them or even better get a photo please let us know). Hopefully they will at some point start breeding…

Otmoor’s massive starling roost is one of the winter highlights on the reserve. Unfortunately last year was a bit of a disappointment, low water levels in the reedbed were probably to blame as predators were able to get out onto the reedbed islands disturbing and discouraging the roost. This year however looks like it could be a good one. Water levels are already almost at our target levels for the winter and the fact…

We have all three species of UK newt living on Otmoor; common, palmate and great crested. At the moment there seem to be a lot of common newts (also known as smooth newts) wandering around, presumably looking for sheltered places to spend the winter. I saw one of these at the weekend clambering up the  side of the lizard and newt hiberation mound situated by the first reedbed viewing screen. He introduced himself as Norbert…

Otmoor is a special place for many reasons, not least because it is the sole remaining site in RSPB's Midlands region where snipe breed. We had 6 breeding males on the reserve this year and were lucky enough to stumble across 2 of their very well camouflaged nests. They prefer nesting in wetter areas with long vegetation and so our management work is organised to always leave some areas of the reserve in suitable a…

Earlier in the year there were loads of large black slugs creeping across the reserve, now there seems to be lots of snails. Most of the snails I saw today are commonly known as banded snails, although as can be seen by the 3 fine examples I spotted on the screening outside the hide, they don’t all have bands on their shells.

The different shell patterns exhibited by these snails are a good example of natural…

As well as all the larger management tasks we carry out on the reserve, there are also lots of smaller jobs we undertake. For example; volunteers have recently put bat boxes up on a tree by volunteers in Sally’s Field, 9 species of bats have been recorded on the reserve and during the warmer part of the year they can be seen hunting over the reedbed, in front of the hide or following the stretches of hedgerow that criss…

I seem to have become a bit obsessed with reptiles recently and to encourage even more for these scaley beasts onto the moor, a reptile hotel has been created on the sunny, south facing bank next to the lizard lounging area. Tentatively named the House of the Rising Sun it’s hoped that common lizards, grass snakes, and possibly even slow worms (which as far as I’m aware haven’t been recorded on the moor) will make use…

After narrowly surviving a savage attack by a vicious Oxfordshire wild cat...

... I ventured down to the reserve to do some weed wiping. Weed wiping isn’t the most exciting way to spend a day but it’s an important and effective method for reducing the amount of rush we have on the reserve. Some rush is good, providing cover for snipe, nesting areas for reed buntings and can be good for invertebrates, but as with most…

After an enjoyable morning spent sorting out the reserve's asbestos health and safety folder, I managed to escape down to Ashgrave to carry on with a bit of topping. As it's still quite wet in front of the hide we've been using the ATV and mower to cut the grass rather than the tractor. We've made good progress and will start doing some rotavating today to create nice muddy areas in front of the Wetlands Watch hide. Whilst…

With Autumn now upon us and wetland bird numbers starting to increase on the reserve it's time for the Otmoor staff to start doing the monthly WeBS (Wetland Bird Survey) counts . As well as carrying out the official Core Counts on the dates specified by BTO, we also carry out a monthly unoffcial count to for our own records. At this early point in the season we only focus on those fields which are holding water, as the…

I've been spending time recently collecting soil samples from the Greenaway. This was the first field purchased by the RSPB on Otmoor and prior to its purchase it was an intensively farmed arable field. Because of this, the soil sturcture isn't great and so we are aiming to improve and loosen up its thick clay structure, allowing easier root penetration and increasing aeration. In turn this will benefit soil organisms…

After spending a day digging up soil samples and counting earth worms, I thought I’d go and investigate what was happening around the area of the first reedbed viewing screen. This is currently a hot bed of wildlife activity and I wasn’t let down. On the trail up to the screen there were hundreds of darter dragonflies, with a few hawkers mixed in with them, a curlew called from somewhere in the Big Otmoor field and a…

Whilst popping down to the first screen to give the lizard lounging area a trim, I not only saw another lizard but also four green sandpipers feeding in front of the first screen and two grass snakes warming themselves up under a metal sheet I put down there a few weeks ago. I took a not very good photo of one startled looking snake and the tail of another as it slithered off.

Quite a few red kites were following Zoe…

This might get a bit technical... but you may have noticed that the tractor is now out ‘topping’ the grassland fields on the reserve. We normally start doing this at the end of June but with all the rain we’ve had this year the fields have been far too wet for us to venture out onto. Owain managed to get the tractor stuck over on Flood at the beginning of August, demonstrating just how wet some areas of the reserve still…

A few months ago I posted on the blog about how a lizard lounging area had been created on the grassy bank by the first reedbed viewing screen. Well, the small pile of logs and clay pipes seem to be working and adult and young common lizards have been seen basking on the logs (I took these lizard pictures yesterday). Lizards can be a tricky species to see on Otmoor so it's great that they are happy to bask in an area…

The best sound of Spring for me is the sound of the Cuckoo. One of the loudest songs of the summer has to be from juvenile Cuckoos.

The fact we have Cuckoo’s on Otmoor is very special. They are one of the fastest declining migrants in the UK and sadly have declined by over ½ over the past 25 years.

Nevertheless Otmoor is proving to be a stronghold for them and this year an estimated 4 juveniles have fledged…

Today was my second day on the reserve for my work experience placement that lasts until Thursday. I was out with the volunteer work party today mending fences near the hide and putting up a new electric fence. We also put up the marquee for the Barbecue tomorrow, although I hope it doesn't rain because it's not the most waterproof of things. Unfortunately unlike yesterday we didn't get mobbed by cows, but we did…

As the breeding season draws to an end so the cattle are put out onto the fields. They are an essential ally in our quest to keep the wet grassland in prime condition for ground nesting wading birds. Using their rough tongues to tear away at grass and vegetation they produce a 'tussocky' grass sward which is preferred by waders and invertebrates. This in combination with the grass cutting (topping) that we do using the…

Although we are the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, we are just as passionate and dedicated to protecting bugs, butterflies, bats and buttercups as we are to protecting birds. Improving habitats for a target species will undoubtable have knock on benefits for a range of other species and this is well illustrated by Otmoor, where the wet grassand restoration, reedbed construction and hedgerow management have…

Yesterday (27th June) was a really good day for wildfowl on the reserve. A red-crested pochard was reported from the reedbed in the morning and in the afternoon I saw a group of three garganey from the first viewing screen. Six wigeon were also present, as they are a duck normally associated with winter on Otmoor it made a change seeing them on a hot summers day. Lots of little grebes were uttering their laughing calls…

2012 has been a really good year for wading birds on the reserve, with the addition of the scrapes on Big Otmoor definitely adding to the spectacle. On Tuesday (19th June) the 23rd wader species was added to the ever growing reserve year list when a grey plover in full breeding plumage was seen on one of the scrapes. These scrapes are managed in such a way that water levels are slowly drawn down during the summer to provide…

2012 has been a good year for wildlife on Otmoor, with one of the latest exciting finds being the reserve's first ever greater butterfly orchid.