Whinchat, Hobby and a first Common Lizard of the year

 A male Whinchat held territory on Beeley Moor from late May in to June and I had hoped that it would breed, but despite several searches I have not been unable to find any juveniles and suspect the male either remained unpaired or the attempt failed. However, I did find an adult female on the fence line above Harthill Pond in Youlgrave earlier this week. 

Coincidentally, there were also records from Carr Vale and Ogston Reservoir on the same day, all the records were of adults and perhaps signals a departure of the adults from their breeding grounds.

Whinchat - adult female

Yesterday I came across two, presumably a pair, of Hobby chasing swallows above Rowsley. They have bred in the area previously and hopefully there is a nest with what should be almost fully grown juveniles somewhere nearby.

Hobby - second calendar year bird, lacking the red undertail and already moulting some primary feathers

During the summer months I always keep an eye on the dry stone walls in the hope of seeing a Common Lizard. Usually my first sightings are in late April or early May but this year I hadn't seen any until today when I saw a single adult on Flash Lane.

I perhaps haven't looked too hard this year and the weather was very poor in June but still it's very late for my first of the year. Hopefully I'll see more in the coming months as I usually record them through to mid-September.

Common Lizard