Water Rail - Caudwells Mill

 In very murky conditions I had a look at Caudwells Mill this morning and was lucky to see a Water Rail. They are doing some repairs on the weir at the canal and have lowered the water level which has created a muddy edge where the Water Rail was feeding.

This winter I've also recorded Water Rail at Youlgrave and close to Bakewell. Due to their secretive behaviour it's difficult to know what numbers may occur in the area. There is an abundance of suitable habitat in the form of small ponds and the vegetated banks of the river Bradford, Lathkill and Wye so they are doubtless more common than my records suggest. I've also seen them on the pond in the Whitworth Park several times.

I've only recorded them between late October and March but they have bred as close as Wyver Lane, Belper so they could breed on occasion.

Water Rail

Another Little Egret

 Having said last week that Little Egrets have remained scarce locally I've seen two in two days this week. The first bird was still at Youlgrave yesterday, it flew over the village and landed in the cattle field by the road leading to Harthill Pond. 

Today I saw a bird in Matlock flying from Lumsdale heading towards the ponds at Tansley. I guess it could be just one bird but it seems unlikely.

A Barn Owl hunting by the river below Beeley village was an unusual sighting this morning.

I had a look for the Great Grey Shrike at Bonsall Moor last Friday without success but it was still there on Thursday (9th Dec) so is probably still in the area.

Little Egret

Caspian Gull - Elton Common

 I check the Elton Common area for gulls fairly regularly but, even when the gulls are about, it's very hit and miss whether you can find them as they move around a lot. This afternoon I was about to give up when a saw a small group of Common Gulls landing in a distant field. Fortunately I was able to drive a little closer and counted 28 Common, 3 Lesser Black-backs and a very white-headed bird that looked like an adult Caspian Gull.

I took some rather distant photos and was able to confirm the key features of Caspian, un-streaked white head (the head of Herring Gull is heavily streaked in winter), flat forehead, rather long narrow bill, small dark eye and slender body with protruding breast. 

They are also longer legged than Herring but this is difficult to see when walking in grass.

Single birds are recorded fairly regular in the autumn at both Ogston and Carsington and this bird will presumably roost at the latter but it's only the second I've seen in the Darley Dale area.

In the very strong wind the birds were constantly moving and quickly went out of view.

Caspian Gull - adult

Little Egret - Youlgrave

 Despite the dramatic increase in the number of Little Egrets recorded in the County it remains a scarce visitor to the Darley Dale area. So it was a pleasant surprise to find a bird this morning feeding in the field next to Harthill Pond in Youlgrave.

It was flushed by the cattle in the field and briefly fed on the river by the bridge before being disturbed by walkers and returning to the pond.

They are more or less resident during the summer at Carsington and Ogston and the first breeding was recorded at Drakelow in 2018 so we are likely to see more of them in the future.

Little Egret