An evening on Beeley Moor

 When I gave my update on returning migrants I forget to mention the Hobby. The first returning birds were reported on the moor on 31st April and have been seen irregularly since, the cold weather preventing insects emerging on the moor. Recent warmer weather has brought out the moths and I saw at least three birds last night hunting what I presume were Fox Moths.

Eurasian Hobby

More unusual though was a Short-eared Owl, my last sighting was of a bird present for just a few hours in April last year. Hopefully this bird will stay longer.

Short-eared Owl

In the forestry clear fell I had several Woodcock and at least four Eurasian Nightjar churring. It was a feat of endurance waiting for them to start churring at around 21:30 as there were clouds of biting midges, but worth it in the end.

Eurasian Woodcock

Dunlin - Harthill Pond (New Dam) Youlgrave

 A couple of interesting records today, the first a Pied Flycatcher in a mixed tit and warbler flock on the edge of Alport. This is the latest date I've recorded Pied Flycatcher locally, my previously latest date was mid-June so this is significantly later! Pied Flycatchers leave the woodlands where they have bred in early June and I've often wondered where they go. Departing migrants are not normally encountered on the coast before early August and it may be that the post breeding birds are dispersed around our river valley before they depart which is supported by todays record but I would have thought they would be more frequently reported in July if that were the case?

The second record is of an adult Dunlin at Harthill Pond, Youlgrave, it was very distant and I thought it was going to be a Snipe on my initial view so was very pleased to see that it was an adult Dunlin still retaining its black belly. Although they breed in small numbers on the moors of north Derbyshire and regularly occur at Carsington and Ogston on passage its a very scarce bird locally.

Dunlin - adult

I went out last night, ahead of the heavy rain forecast for today, and was pleased to see and hear several Nightjar still giving their distinctive churring song. Their breeding season must be almost over so it's surprising that they continue churring in to August.

Scanning the drystone walls on the edge of the moor one stone looked very oval and proved to be a Little Owl which are very easy to overlook given the number of dry stone walls!

Little Owl - second rock from the left!

Little Egret - Chatsworth

July is a fairly quiet month as the breeding season comes to an end and some of our breeding migrants are already leaving the area, my last Curlew was on 4th July although there is still a chance of birds passing through and both Pied Flycatcher and Wood Warbler have left their breeding sites.

A Little Egret was a surprise this morning at Chatsworth, the first I've seen for about 6 weeks and interstinglly it looks like a fresh juvenile with its dark eye and green-yellow legs. Perhaps a bird from southern Derbyshire.

Little Egret - juvenile

Goosander look to have had a fairly typical year with family parties on the Derwent at Chatsworth and on the Wye at Bakewell.

Goosander - 3 juveniles standing with an adult female behind

Nightjar are still displaying on the moorland fringes and I have had some great views recently of birds flying very close to me and even landing on the path a few metres away.

Nightjar

Whinchat - last of our breeding migrants arrives

 Having seen my first Nightjars a couple of days ago a Whinchat this afternoon on Beeley Moor completes the arrivals of our breeding migrants, a superb male I'm hoping it will stay to breed. As the Whinchat is just arriving the first young Stonechats have fledged this week.

Whinchat - male

Had lovely views of a singing male Pied Flycatcher a few days ago. Usually most of the Pied Flycatchers I see are on the west side of the Derwent River but this year I have encountered 7 singing males on the east side of the although two birds were in Alders on the river bank so could have been either side, hopefully they will also stay to breed.

Pied Flycatcher - male

No signs of any Short-eared Owls this month but a Long-eared hunting over a clear fell area at dusk is a positive sign and a pair of Little Owls close to Bakewell are always nice to see.

Little Owl - pair

Nightjars still churring

 I've made a couple of evening visits to the moor this week and was surprised to find that the Nightjars were still churring and wing clapping. 

The breeding season must be over by now and the birds will shortly be migrating but their behaviour was much like in Spring.

Nightjar male churring

Nightjar Beeley Moor

 Three male Nightjar churring last night in rather windy conditions. Also 2 Woodcock doing their rodding display flight.

The first returning bird was heard on 12th May, churring in daylight at 07:30 in the morning! I've heard birds churring several times in daylight, usually just short bursts of song.

Nightjar - male

Goosander breeding success

 A female Goosander with 5 downy young was a nice surprise on the River Wye at Rowsley this morning. I didn't see any young last year so hopefully this is a sign of a better breeding season.

Goosander - female with 5 chicks

On the moor I managed all three chats today, with at least 4 Wheatear and a lovely singing male Whinchat as well as several pairs of Stonechat, which are now feeding the young of their first brood.

Northern Wheatear

My first Swifts were on the 10th May over Darley Dale but they may have arrived earlier as I have been away for a week. 

Alan reported the first Nightjar yesterday which he heard in the plantations bordering the moor and there was an unusual report on the 9th of a Black Kite seen over Flash Lane.

Common Whitethroat v Lesser Whitethroat

 I finally caught up with the Lesser Whitethroat today with a pair just north of Winster. It is very thinly distributed in the Darley Dale area and almost exclusively in the limestone dales. On the other hand its cousin the Common Whitethroat is very widely distributed and can be found in almost any scrub type habitat from Beeley Moor, the river valleys and the limestone plateau.

Both species are usually heard first with the Lesser Whitethroat delivering a rather dry rattle whilst the Common Whitethroat delivers a mix of scratchy notes often during a display flight.

Lesser Whitethroat (upper) v Common Whitethroat

The first returning Nightjar was churring in one of the clear fell areas adjacent to Beeley Moor this evening. Not as early as last year when I recorded my first of the year on 9th May but still a fairly early date. 

There were several rodding Woodcock and earlier in the evening a Hobby over East Moor, I saw my first Hobby of the year yesterday over Farley.

Lockdown day 47 - return of the Nightjar

Yesterday I walked up to the moors twice, one good thing for me from the current lockdown is that I've had a lot more exercise! 
In the morning I managed some nice portraits of the Skylarks, the photos are of a pair and it was interesting to see that the male kept his crest raised all the time whilst the female didn't. The sexes are inseparable on plumage but the male was giving occasional bursts of song. 
I think there are around 15 pairs in the area that I regularly walk.

Skylark - male upper

I also came across the family party of Stonechat again with both parents actively feeding the offspring.

Stonechat - juvenile

In the evening I returned to the moor at dusk and waited for the Woodcock to start their display flights. Shortly afterwards I heard the distinctive churr of a male Nightjar. He appeared to be flying around quite a bit and calling 'pruick' and I concluded that he was still exploring the area and hadn't yet established a territory. Very pleased to have the Nightjar back my 104th species for lockdown.

Woodcock - roding display flight

 
It started to rain around 10pm so I made the journey home to the occasional hoot of the Tawny Owl.

Short-eared Owl and Nightjar

I set off this evening to do some moth trapping on Beeley Moor, it was slightly warmer than it has been and the wind appeared to have finally died down. 
On the way I thought I would check for Nightjar and, just as it was getting dark a bird flew over calling with a second bird churring in the distance. When do they migrate? I had it in mind that it was August but it is clearly later, I will have to check the dates in Birds of Derbyshire.
As I then drove across the moor I saw something flying ahead of me and thought it may be another Nightjar but, as I got closer, I saw a Short-eared Owl sat on the tarmac at the edge of the road. I grabbed the camera but as look would have it another car was coming the other way. As the car approached another owl flew in front of me. I thought the owl on the road was about to be run over but it lifted just in front of the approaching car.
I got one fuzzy record shot through the car window.
I've posted this update from my car so apologies for any errors.
I originally post this as Short-eared Owl but thinking back have corrected it to Long-eared, I don't think there is anything in the photo to help with the identification but the eyes were definitely orange not yellow. This is my first September record for Long-eared, I'm still not sure whether they are resident locally or leave the area in the winter.
Back to Short-eared following discussion with various folk, face pattern, light streaking on belly and structure/jiz
Checking in the Birds of Derbyshire August is given as the departure date for Nightjar but there is a single reference to a bird at a breeding site on 10th September, so this is a late record.

Long-eared Owl

Return of the Nightjar

Fantastic display from the Nightjars last night in Matlock Forest. A male and female chasing each other through the woods with calling and wing clapping. Hopefully we've lost the wind now and its starting to warm up so there should be a few more moths on the wing for them.

The return of the Nightjar almost completes my list of summer visitors, the only one missing is the Wood Warbler which I have looked for. Numbers have continued to decline both nationally and locally over the past 20 years the BTO breeding bird atlas estimates the population may have fallen by as much as 65% and I fear we may have lost it from the local woodlands. There have been records just to the north from Padley Gorge  but it will be a sad loss if they are no longer in the Matlock to Bakewell area of the valley.

Nightjar

Nightjar - first summer male

George sent me another photo of the Nightjar trapped on 24th August on Beeley Moor which he aged as a first summer male. This photo clearly shows the white mirrors in the three outer primaries.

Nightjar 1st summer male (George Briggs)

Nightjars - Beeley Moor

The only regular bird ringing on Beeley Moor is carried out by George Briggs, his main focus is Meadow Pipits in the Spring and Autumn and thrushes over the winter but he is also licensed to ring Nightjars and has caught several birds over the last few years including a bird first caught in the Clumber Park area in Nottinghamshire. 

During August George caught three birds and he has kindly sent me the photos, he has aged the top two as juveniles and the bottom as possibly a first summer male.

Nightjar 08/08

Nightjar 14/08

Nightjar 24/08 (George Briggs)

Nightjar - Matlock Forest

In almost complete darkness a male Nightjar sat churring from the top of a dead tree in Matlock Forest this evening. It was a still night and judging by the number of insect bites I received there was plenty of food on the wing. I've added another photo just to try and prove it was a Nightjar it was about 10:15 pm shot at ISO 10000.
Also 3-4 Woodcock roding.

Nightjar

Nightjar - Matlock Forest

The Nightjar is one of Derbyshire's rarest breeding birds and we are fortunate to have had a small population in the Matlock Forest area for many years, I have reports of a survey from 1974 when the population was estimated at 12 pairs but the report also refers to arrival dates of birds returning to breed in the 1950's. As they are almost entirely nocturnal seeing them at all is a challenge and their presence is often only given away by the distinctive churring calls which the males make on calm evenings shortly after sunset.
Positive management of the coniferous forests to create suitable clearings by the Forestry Commission has helped to sustain the population locally although birds will also nest on the open moor.

male

male

female

female