Return of the Turtle Dove and first Whimbrel on Beeley Moor

After my last blog, in which I mentioned that Alan had heard a Turtle Dove on Flash Lane, Simon Moody contacted me to say that he had first seen the regularly returning bird on 11th April and had seen or heard it fairly regularly since then. This is the 5th year that Simon has seen this particular returning male.

I looked and listened for it several times without success until this morning when I came across it purring from the top of a conifer tree not too far from Matlock Forest. It was calling regular and several times did a display flight which is very similar to the Collared Dove.

Can it find a mate this year? It would be fantastic if it could be the chances are low given that the Turtle Dove seems to be almost lost from Derbyshire now.

Turtle Dove - display flight

A little later I was cycling across Beeley Moor and stopped to check a field which held several Curlew and found a smart Whimbrel. 

It was feeding quite happily much as birds have in prior years and this seems like a regular stopping off spot for birds heading to Scotland or perhaps Iceland or northern Scandinavia.

Whimbrel