Chipping Norton - Sun 20 Feb

A few of my mates had been up to Chipping Norton yesterday, but I had alternative plans so could not join them, so when the cat woke me up at 5.50am I decided it was a sign and within twenty minutes I was on the road, leaving Ellie sleeping soundly in bed!
A very good journey up to Chipping Norton took less than two and a half hours, with a Red Kite over the road about twenty miles south of Oxford. By 8.30am I had parked the car and walked south to the area in which the recently rediscovered Oriental Turtle Dove had been frequenting. However, I met only one other birder, so figured our chances of finding it were not that great. After ninety minutes with no sign a few more birders arrived, and quarter of an hour later I saw the bird, but only brief flight views. Another ten minutes passed and the dove was relocated in an ivy covered oak tree thirty metres from where we were standing! I was close enough to grab a couple of record shots of the Oriental Turtle Dove:

I watched this mega rarity for half an hour, and as the news spread more and more birders appeared. By the time I left there must have been at least 150 people present and as I walked back to the car more were arriving. So a great morning out, and after an uneventful drive, I was back home by 12.30pm.