Great White Egret - Youlgrave

Hot on the heels of Great White Egrets at Chatsworth and Middleton Moor, Pam and I came across another at Harthill Pond (New Dam) at Youlgrave today. They are definitely on the move and a record count of 8 at Audenshaw Reservoir, Manchester at the weekend suggests it might be to the North West.

Great White Egret

More thrushes about today with at least 80 in conifers in Matlock Forest and the flock included my first Fieldfare of the autumn. There was also a nice group of 10 Common Crossbill, which are the first I've seen for several weeks.

For those concerned about the potential development of Matlock Forest there is a meeting of the Save Matlock Forest Group on 22nd October at the Whitworth at 7pm. They have also produced a website with details about the campaign to stop the construction of 75 holiday lodges in Farley Moor which you can find here.

There was a decent passage of birds moving up the Cathole by Harewood Moor at the weekend with Wood Pigeons, Redwings and finches on the move. The number of birds attracted some predators with both adult and juvenile Goshawk and my first Merlin of the year, which showed several times as it chased Meadow Pipits.

Eurasian Goshawk - adult female

Merlin - rather distant female

Red Grouse on the Triangle and Golden Plover arrival

 A had a single Red Grouse on the Triangle yesterday and then saw two flying near Wraggs Quarry and I thni three birds is now the total for Beeley Moor with perhaps a couple of pairs on East Moor. I think the bird in the photograph below is a juvenile with its rather dark plumage and lack of pale edges to the flanks. So the positive news is that they are still breeding, but raising a single yougster is unlikely to sustain the population. I have seen them crossing Harland Edge so there is some interchange with the East Moor birds.

A recent taxanomic decision by the International Ornithological Congress has elevated the Red Grouse back to full species status Lagopus scotica from its previous position as a race of Willow Grouse, Lagopus lagopus. With the likely future treatment of Scottish Crossbill as a race of Common Crossbill it will be the Uk's only endemic species.

Red Grouse

A nice flock of 22 Golden Plover with a Lapwing flock on Syda Lane are my first of the autumn.

Golden Plover

In the hope of seeing a few more wildfowl and waders I've made several visits to Middleton Moor recently and this morning I was rewarded with two Great White Egrets dropping in. They preened for about an hour then continued west. Seemingly only the second time the species has been recorded at Middleton Moor.

Great White Egret

 

Great White Egret - Chatsworth

 Walking along the river towards Chatsworth this morning a heron sized bird flew past towards Beeley and I was surprised to see that it was a Great White Egret. It circled over Beeley Village, gaining height, then drifted off towards Rowsley. I was even more surprised therefore 45 minutes later to see either the same bird, or possibly another sat in the conifer tree just south of Chatsworth House.

It looked like it was feeding in the channel running from the bottom of the cascade steps as it flew down several times before returning to the same tree and with a Grey Heron on one occasion.

We saw two Little Egrets along the river so two species of egret in the Peak District is still good going despite numbers of both species continuing to increase in the south of the County.

Great White Egret - Chatsworth - top right in the upper photo

Great White Egret - Haddon Hall

Some great spotting and identification from Pam as we drove down the A6 just south of Bakewell. I'd just mentioned that the flooded fields were looking good for a heron when Pam called egret, and it looks big! 

Sure enough it was a Great White Egret in the fields between the Haddon Park Farm track and Haddon Hall. Only my third on the patch but number continue to increase in the south of the county. Just need Cattle Egret now which must turn up soon, there is one at Carsington at the moment.

Great White Egret taken at ISO 3000 600 f5.6 1/1250

It's been a poor winter for Brambling but there is still a nice flock of at least 40 birds on Hodge Lane. The males are already starting to attain their breeding plumage. 

At least 40 Skylark, 25 Reed Bunting and 10 Yellowhammer in the same area.

Brambling

Whimbrel on Beeley Moor

I enjoyed distant views of my first Whimbrel of the year this morning on the large grass field in front of Clover (formerly Screetham) House. It was presumably the same bird seen by Doug Aston on Monday in the same area.

The last few years we have usually managed one or two Whimbrel spending a few days on the fields adjoining the moors before continuing the journey north, perhaps to Iceland or northern Scandinavia.

Whimbrel

Later in the day I had another surprise when I went in to the garden to scan for an early Swift when I picked up a high circling Great White Egret which then headed north up the valley. 

Having only seen my first for the area last October it was a very unexpected addition to my garden list and perhaps they will become a regular visitor although it smaller cousin the Little Egret has remained rare.

Great White Egret heading up the Derwent Valley

Great White Egret - Beeley Moor

My first Great White Egret in the Darley Dale area today. Despite increasing numbers in the south of the County with a record count of 6 at Drakelow in recent days it still took me by surprise. I had imagined a distant view at Chatsworth or on the River Wye but this bird flew straight across the moor, heading towards Darley Dale, and perhaps on to Carsington. 

Great White Egret

There were other birds on the move this morning with over 500 Fieldfare and 120 Redwing heading west plus 11 Brambling.

Great White Egret - Bradford Dale

Exciting news from Doug Aston today of a Great White Egret in Bradford Dale. It was seen and photographed by Doug between Youlgrave and Middleton-by-Youlgrave.
This is the first record I can recall in the immediate Matlock/ Bakewell area but is not entirely unexpected as the numbers in the UK have increased dramatically during the past decade although there are still only around 10 recorded in Derbyshire each year.

Great White Egret (© Doug Aston)