A slightly disappointing week, I was expecting Wheatear and Sand Martin but the cold spell seems to have deterred the early migrants.
A few more Chiffchaff around, including my first for the year in the garden.
Not one, but two Mediterranean Gulls at Middleton Moor today though lifted my spirits with an almost summer plumaged adult and a first winter bird.
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| Mediterranean Gulls -top two adult, bottom a 1st winter |
A surprise this morning to find a first winter Mediterranean Gull with the Black-headed Gulls at Bakewell Bridge. I check the gulls every time I go in the hope of finding one but it's something of a shock when you actually do!
I'm not aware of any previous records in Bakewell but with the number of Black-headed Gulls there it seems likely that they must occur occasionally.
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| Mediterranean Gull - first winter with Black-headed Gulls |
Two Little Egrets by the Fire Station is also unusual although a single bird has been in the area for a month or so.
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| Little Egret |
Twelve Hawfinch at St Helen's Church yesterday is my highest count of the winter with 8 seen there this morning. They like to site in the Alders at the back of the church having eaten some of the Yew berries.
Whilst the flooding causes major disruption and worse for those whose properties are directly affected it also creates new temporary habitat for wildlife. The area between Darley Dale and Darley Bridge at Four Lane Ends has flooded many times over the years and can attract large numbers of gulls.
Today the flooded area attracted a Common Shelduck, a bird that presumably flies up and down the valley occasionally, as they occur reasonably regularly at Middleton Moor. But this is the first record I'm aware of for the Darley Dale area.
Whilst looking through the gulls I passed over a bird with a jet black hood and pale silvery wings, an adult Mediterranean Gull and another new bird for the area.
Interestingly, Simon recorded the first Mediterranean Gull of the year at Carsington Water yesterday and there must be a reasonable chance that this is the same bird.
He also had a 2nd winter Caspian Gull and Yellow-legged Gull amongst the 100 Herring Gulls, 40 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 20 Common Gulls and 150 Black-headed Gulls this afternoon.
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| Mediterranean Gull - adult in breeding plumage |
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| Common Shelduck in the rain |
A Curlew flew over whilst I was watching the gulls which is my first of the year here.
Who knows what birds might drop in if we had a permanent wetland.Flooding at Four Lane Ends
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| Mediterranean Gulls - adults |
