Kate Titford finds a fabulous mix of wintering birds near the centre of Oxford

Finding a winter wildlife spectacle doesn’t always mean needing to head out into the depths of the countryside. I went a short distance from the centre of Oxford to Port Meadow. Here, with the railway on one side and the River Thames on the other, I found a fabulous mix of wintering birds. The meadow floods and this attracts huge numbers of ducks. This month the turbulent, swirling waters of the flooded river were fast and dangerous, and many birds sought refuge in the standing water on floodplains. After all the recent rain, there was plenty of birdlife here to enjoy.

I saw large flocks of wigeon, the male duck has a broad, creamy yellow stripe running over its chestnut head, and pretty little teal, noted for a green flash across the eye of the male. These usually dabble around in the shallow waters and mud around the edge of the floods. A few different gull species, golden plover and lapwing were also present, using the meadow to roost and feed in safety.

It’s always worthwhile keeping an eye on the sky too, particularly if there’s a sudden commotion among the birds on the water – wigeon are often nicknamed ‘whistling wigeon’ and you will realise why when they start calling. Look up, and you may catch sight, as I did, of a peregrine falcon gliding silently overhead. This, the fastest bird in the world when it’s at full speed, was very special to see.

At Oxey Mead, a few miles further north, the BBOWT nature reserve on the banks of the Thames, has had flocks of birds displaced from the fast-flowing river. It’s also a good place to see waders, such as snipe and curlew, using the flood waters and wet meadows as feeding grounds. Iffley Meadows nature reserve, downstream of Oxford city, is another floodplain and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Earlier this month the tussocky grassland was home to birds escaping the churning Thames. Now that the flood waters are ebbing away, a fine harvest of rich natural fertiliser is being deposited on to the meadows. Just how much this will affect the annual flowering of Oxfordshire’s iconic snake’s-head fritillaries remains to be seen. I’ll be joining the group of BBOWT volunteers at the annual count, probably just after Easter this year, to see how many thousands of these beautiful plants are flowering.

Woodland birds large and small are making the most of this winter’s abundant crop of fruit and seeds.

When I visited Burgess Field Nature Park just off Port Meadow, redwing flitted about in large flocks showing off the red patch under their wings and calling ‘seep-seep’.

Most exciting of all, for me, were the bullfinches. The male birds have bright crimson breasts and were busy feeding on spindle berries and seeds. They may look exotic but most live here all year round. Despite their bright colour they can be hard to spot as they spend most of their time hidden within tree branches. So watching them at close quarters was a real treat.

Of course there are plenty of wooded areas near Oxford that make fantastic places to look out for birds. Sydlings Copse, a BBOWT nature reserve just north-east of Oxford, is one spot to make a beeline for, particularly on a sunny day when the birds are singing loudly again, marking their territories in readiness for breeding in the spring.