A warm sunny late November morning provided the first opportunity for a while to get down to the river and enjoy the wildlife
A nonchalant muntjac just lay by the side of the river, seemingly unconcerned with dog walkers and photographers:
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Growing out of the footbridge, turkey tail fungus:
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Winter migrant red wings have started to feed off the berries on the over hanging bushes:
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And an opportunity, to see three of the four local raptors out hunting within half an hour of each other:
A common buzzard, flying low over the hedges before moving to the field:
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The once extinct in England, but now very common (if slightly fuzzy), red kite:
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And the once common, but sadly seen less frequently , a kestrel:
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Although no good walk would be complete, without some poo, and this looks distinctly like a water vole latrine:
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As low lying marshland, otmoor is often shrouded in mist and fog, making it a spooky place to visit on a Sunday afternoon.
Despite this, it was busy, with a lot of people seeking out the short-eared owls which have taken up residency and unlike most owls, they hunt in daylight.
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The owls were easy to see, all you have to do is look in the same direction as a group of birders:
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With it being autumn, the stars of the show are the starlings and this is what a lot of people have come to see, and once again, they put on a breathtaking display, which just can't be captured by a photograph from a compact camera:
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The Otmoor birding blog (http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/OtmoorBirding/)
not only has considerably better photographs of the owls, but is an excellent guide to what can be seen at the reserve and I hope to return soon, armed with my DSLR.
