After the excitement of the Grey Phalarope last Sunday it's been a much quieter, and wetter week. Still plenty of thrushes about and a came across a Little Owl today sheltering from the drizzle.
A scarce bird locally numbers appear to have declined in recent years but still a few pairs around.
Little Owl
A report of a Grey Phalarope in Bakewell took me completely by surprise this morning. I was just returning from a walk at Chatsworth when I heard the news so diverted to Bakewell. Always a bit sceptical when I hear something so unexpected but there it was feeding happily just a few feet from the path by the island below Bakewell Bridge.
It was completely unconcerned by the many day trippers walking within a few metres of it, many stopping to take a photo and ask what it was. There were some strong winds yesterday which had displaced a Kittiwake to Carsington but I certainly hadn't expected any inland Grey Phalaropes but here it was in Bakewell.
A maritime species in winter, after breeding north of the Arctic Circle they migrate down the North Atlantic, often well off-shore to winter of South and West Africa so this bird is well off the expected route but will presumably head back out sea now the winds have eased.
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| Grey Phalarope |
My first Great White Egret in the Darley Dale area today. Despite increasing numbers in the south of the County with a record count of 6 at Drakelow in recent days it still took me by surprise. I had imagined a distant view at Chatsworth or on the River Wye but this bird flew straight across the moor, heading towards Darley Dale, and perhaps on to Carsington.
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| Great White Egret |
Large numbers of Redwing and Fieldfare have been moving in to the UK since the wind moved to the East on Tuesday. At Flamborough Head 32,830 Redwing and 4,475 Fieldfare were counted. Closer to home 300 Fieldfare crossed Beeley Moor. This morning in thick mist 180 Fieldfare were sat in a ploughed field close to the moor with 80 Redwing.
Fieldfare and Starlings in the mist
I noted the darvic type ring on this 1st winter Black-headed Gull at Bakewell on 25th September, traced the ring to Poland and sent of the details.
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| Black-headed Gull TLW5 |
Turns out it was ringed near Krakow on the 21st May, so it has travelled 1535km in 127 days. We often assume that birds we see regularly are locally bred but that's clearly not the case as we'll see soon with Blackbirds and Robins arriving from the Continent with our winter thrushes.
