Caspian Gull - Upperloads

 It seems to be all gulls at the moment with another Caspian Gull today in a ploughed field on Syda Lane,

The field was proving quite an attraction as there were also around 40 Lesser Black-backed, 3 Herring and a Common Gull plus a nice party of 67 Golden Plover and around 40 Lapwing.

It's possible that th Caspian Gull is the same bird that I saw in Darley Dale last week I guess.

There were several hundred Fieldfare on the moor and the first signs of Woodpigeons on the move with over 1000 birds counted flying SW.

Caspian Gull

I picked up some more news on the Great Northern Diver reported at Chatsworth, what must surely have been the same bird was phptographed on the Derwent in Belper yesterday. So it had almost certainly drifted down river through Darley Dale and Matlock. An amazing record.

Yellow-legged Gull - Chatsworth

Following last weeks Caspian I came across an adult Yellow-legged Gull today in the fields just north of Chatsworth House. It was present for about 30 minutes with around 50 Lesser Black-backed Gulls before the flock was disturbed and they moved off to the south. 

Adult Yellow-legged and Lesser Black-backed Gulls

I didn't see much else but a juvenile Great Northern Diver was reportedly on the river south of the House on Monday (30th October) which I would have loved to have seen.

Great start to the year - Hawfinch, Great Northern Diver & Dusky Thrush

Started the day at Cromford and, stood by the entrance to Willersley Castle, was very pleased to see a flock of at least 14 Hawfinch flying towards me from the church. They turned before crossing the river and landed in the tops of the trees between the church and the Arkwright Mill Car Park. I walked round and the birds were still in a loose group in the tops of the trees before flying off together over the road in the Rugby Club direction but I quickly lost sight of them. I had a single bird in the trees by the Willersley entrance but didn't see the flock again by 10:00 when I left. Are the birds roosting in the church area then feeding elsewhere? This is the largest group I have seen at Cromford.
At Carsington I had distance views of the Great Northern Diver from the Millfield car park then left for Beeley. The Dusky Thrush was in it's usual area in the grassy field on Pig Lane and showed well to the 40-50 birders who were present. Apparently it had been in the same area since at least 09:30.

Bird watchers on Pig Lane

Great Northern Diver - Carsington Water

An adult and juvenile Great Northern Diver have been present at Carsington Water since the start of the week and the juvenile showed very well this morning under a blue sky, but it was very cold with the first snow of the winter overnight.
There were also 9 Whooper Swans on the reservoir and a Red-throated Diver was seen earlier in the day but I missed this and 4 Little Gulls and there was no sign of the juvenile Shag which had also been present for several days but I was happy to leave with several hundred photos of the diver.

Great Northern Diver - juvenile