As I posted my first post of 2020, on 14th January who could have predicted what lay ahead? By then I had heard of the Covid-19 infections in Wuhan but that seemed an awful long way away and I didn't envisage it impacting significantly on the UK.
I even managed short trips to Rumania and the French Alps in January and February before things started to get serious. It was 18th March I think, when the Lockdown was first announced, coming in to effect on the 24th.
The Lockdown lasted 50 days, until 13th May, by which time I had recorded 105 species in the Darley Dale area and 66 species from my garden. It wasn't all bad news though as spending more time birding locally I added several new birds to the Darley Dale area with Wood Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Great White Egret, Firecrest and more recently Grey Phalarope in Bakewell bringing my total number of species in the area to 159 of which 130 were seen in 2020.
A Green Woodpecker calling on the first day of Lockdown from the Whitworth Park was new for the garden and my only record of the year.
Highlights for me were the return of a Turtle Dove and Woodlark (I'll write up the successful breeding of Woodlark in prior years in the New Year) although neither could be proved to have bred.
The Bearded Vulture, passed close to Darley Dale as it headed north in June, passing Hassop, before settling at Howden Moor. It moved on to Crowden, Glossop in early August before returning south on 19th September when it appeared to roost in Lathkill Dale. It finally crossed the Channel in East Sussex on 15th October.
Red Kites bred locally again and look set to be a regular feature of the summer. Other breeding birds of prey appeared to do OK but I only saw a single Long-eared Owl and Merlin were in very short supply with just two sightings but there has been an encouraging number of sightings of Hen Harrier through the autumn.
The Great Grey Shrike found in November was the first for 4 years and kept me occupied in trying to determine it racial identity.
Plenty of Pink-footed Geese crossed the moor from October onwards, continuing through in to December.
The mild prolonged summer proved excellent for breeding birds and Stonechat did particularly well on the moor with some pairs successfully raising 3 broods. Whilst in the woodland Wood Warblers had the best year I can recall with up to 14 singing males in the Darley Dale valley. I found, and managed to photograph my first juvenile Common Crossbills and it was pleasing to prove that they had bred successfully.
Yellowhammer also look to be doing well with singing males encountered in half a dozen locations during the summer, mainly on the moorland edges.
On the other hand Red Grouse continued their decline and sadly I posted that they could disappear from the moors in the next few years.
Roe Deer now seem to be established in small numbers in the larger wooded areas and I've had further reports of Muntjac and of Otter but have seen neither. Weasel and Stoat both remain scarce but are occasionally encountered on the moor.
I made my last visit of the year to Chatsworth this morning which proved quiet but the regular Grey Heron, caught by the early morning sun made a nice photo.
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| Grey Heron |
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