More migrant arrivals

 Caught up with my first House Martin of the year yesterday at Chatsworth and then a flurry of migrants at Beeley this morning. 

House Martin

Starting with Common Cuckoo calling on the edge of Beeley Moor, then an Osprey flying North over Whitesprings Plantation, which unfortunately was a disappearing speck by the time I got the camera out of the bag.

Moving on to the Cathole area we added Common Whitethroat and reeling Grashopper Warbler.

A decent morning, despite the cold!

Common Whitethroat playing hide and seek in the bushes

More migrant arrivals

 Despite the rather cool temperatures there has been a steady arrival of migrants in to the area over the past week. Hopefully, warmer weather forecast for the end of the week will see an increase in the number of migrant birds arriving;

Willow Warbler - 4th April in Farley Plantation and now fairly widespread in the woodlands close to the moor.

Blackcap - several singing birds recorded from 7th April and again can be heard in many wooded areas now. Impossible to distinguish true migrants from overwintering birds although the latter tend not to do much singing.

Common Redstart - 8th April a male singing by the river at Rowsley is my only record so far.

House Martin - 10th April over Darley Dale

Tree Pipit - 10th April at Flash Dam and several reported at Whitesprings Plantation this morning/

Pied Flycatcher - 11th April, singing males reported singing in woodland on both sides of Darley Dale

Merlin - a female on Beeley Moor this afternoon is the only record of the Spring so far and there was only an odd record over the winter. This former breeding bird appears to be just a scarce passage migrant now.

Pied Flycatcher - a male gave a few short bursts of song this morning

Greylag Goose breeding at Chatsworth

 A pair of Greylag Geese with three goslings in front of Chatsworth House this morning is the first time I've confirmed breeding in the Darley Dale area. I suspect numbers will rival those of Canada Geese in a few years time.

Postscript: After publishing this post I went to Bakewell on 10th June and counted 55 Greylag Geese by the river and lake just north of the Thornbridge Brewery. At least half of the birds were juveniles so the number of birds in the area is going up rapidly!

Greylag Geese

After the controversial netting of Chatsworth House to prevent House Martins nesting it was good to see several pairs nest building under the Three Arch Bridge today.

House Martin

Swallows and Martins

For the first time I have recorded my first of all three hirundine species on the same day. I picked up a group of four Sand Martins feeding over the trees bordering the Wye north of Rowsley then noticed a Swallow had joined them and shortly afterwards a House Martin appeared! 
The Sand Martins are a bit late arriving but that's hardly surprising given the recent poor weather and snow again yesterday but both the Swallow and House Martin are a little early.
As further evidence that the seasons move on despite the weather this female Mallard was adjusting her clutch of eggs at Rowsley.
With the first Osprey records of the year today at both Ogston and Carsington things are looking up.

Mallard - female on eggs

House Martin - Chatsworth

My first House Martin of the year at Chatsworth with a dozen Swallows and a Sand Martins.

House Martin

House Martins - preparing for departure

At least 500 House Martins this morning on the wires at Warren Carr. Numbers have been generally down this year and they have been absent from some regular nesting sites so its good to see them in reasonable numbers now before they head off south.

House Martins