Migrant catchup

I was abroad for a month from late March so have spent the 10 days since I got home catching up on the common migrants that have arrived during my absence.

Migrants generally seem to be in good numbers with Blackcaps, Willow and Garden Warblers singing in all the usual locations. Pied Flycatchers were seen in Halldale Wood in the middle of April but then seem to have moved on but are easily found on the other side of the valley.

Pied Flycatcher - male

I usually see Wood Warbler between the 20th and 24th April but there was no sign by the end of April but finally there was a singing male this morning in Halldale Wood.

Wood Warbler

Common Whitethroats also seem plentiful and I've heard a single Lesser Whitethroat several times at Middleton Moor.

I've not been to Elton Common yet but a pair of Yellow Wagtail have been seen there.

I saw my first Cuckoo last weekend, but birds were reported around the 12th April, and I heard Grasshopper Warbler but I've yet to see Whinchat or Hobby but both have been seen in the Beeley Triangle area this week.

Middleton Moor has provided both Sedge and Reed Warblers and a few waders, the best of which were two Wood Sandpiper on 29th April but I saw both Ringed and Little Ringed Plover together there on 1st May.

Wood Sandpiper

Ringed Plover (foreground) and Little Ringed Plover

My first Common Swifts were over Darley Dale on the 30th and Swallow, Sand and House Martins are back at their usual nesting locations.

I've yet to see Spotted Flycatcher but a bird was reported from Hellbank Plantation today, and the Nightjars have yet to arrive.

 So still plenty of the regular migrants to look for and there's always the chance of something rarer.

Wood Warbler - Stanton Moor

 My first Wood Warbler of the year, calling in the woodland on the edge of Stanton Moor. Several times over the years I've noted that the first Wood Warblers are calling rather than singing males and I wonder if this is something they do before they actually establish a territory?

There were two male Pied Flycatchers in the same area which I think is a reflection on the quality of this ancient wooded area.

I usually expect the first Wood Warbler in the 'twenties' rather than 'teens' of April but the dates, as with other migrants are definitley getting earlier.

Wood Warbler

A chance Long-eared Owl

 Following my last post I did hear Common Quail calling at Elton Common on 26th May, so that's all our potential breeding birds back.

In early June I was lucky to see an adult Long-eared Owl, this bird had two fledged youngsters. The Long-eared Owl is one of the hardest birds to find locally as they are almost entirely nocturnal. The only time they are likely to be seen before dusk is when they are feeding young.

Long-eared Owl

I'm still not sure whether they are resident on the moors but it seems likely that they remain in some years as a bird was photographed on Beeley Triangle in November a few years ago. It probably depends on how severe the winter is.

The breeding season is now well underway with parties of juvenile Stonechat and Meadow Pipits on the moors and I've seen both Wood Warbler and Pied Flycatcher feeding young today.

Wood Warbler

It looks like the Mute Swans have had a better year with 6 cygnets at Caudwells Mill and 4 in Bakewell.

Mute Swan

The Cuckoo have been very active on the moor and I had an interesting encounter a few days ago. Both the male and female were using the fence posts, the male to hunt for caterpillars and the female to locate Meadow Pipit nests. The male caught a large caterpillar, either a Fox or Northern Eggar I think, then the female took the caterpillar from the male although it took her three attempts to grab it.

Common Cuckoo - male and female

I received some exciting news a few days ago of a female Hawfinch feeding a youngster in the Darley Dale area last Saturday (11th). Although there have been occasional sightings in the breeding season this is the first confirmed breeding record for many years.

Return of the Wood Warbler

 The first Wood Warblers were seen and heard in the woodlands close to Darley Dale today with two, possibly three birds present. 

The last week in April is typically when I expect them to arrive having wintered in sub-Saharan Africa although last year we had an exceptionally early record on 6th April. 

Garden Warblers have also returned in the last couple of days and I had my first Common Sandpiper at Chatsworth this morning so aside from the scarce migrants like Lesser Whitethroat, Yellow Wagtail and Whinchat we just have the Swifts, Spotted Flycatcher and Nightjar to look forward to.

Wood Warbler

An Osprey at Chatsworth and more migrant arrivals

 After the unseasonally warm weather at the end of March it looked like spring migrants would be flooding in with Willow Warbler at the end of that month, as noted below, and a Common Redstart at Carsington and Swallows also at several locations. Since then however it has been very cold with some frosty nights and snow falling on the hills which has slowed, if not quite stopped migration in to the area.

House Martins have been noted at several locations but only the odd one or two so far whilst Sand Martins and Swallows have continued to increase in numbers, returning to their favoured locations.

The most unexpected arrival however was a Wood Warbler in Darley Dale on the 6th April. Checking in the Birds Of Derbyshire there is just one earlier record on the 5th April 1995. It's certainly the earliest I've ever seen by about 2 weeks! 

Wood Warbler

I was lucky to see an Osprey this morning circling over Chatsworth and carrying half a fish. It looked like it was searching for a place to land but slowly drifted north.

Osprey with fish

With cool weather forecast for the next few days it looks like arrivals will be slow, but at least the penetrating cold wind has gone so it should be easier to look for migrants.

A change in the weather

Since my last post the weather has gone rapidly down hill, and stayed there! To be fair there have been some bright spells and during one I drove up to Elton Common and heard and actually managed to see my first Common Quail of the year. I had two birds but there have been reports of up to three, this must be one of the most reliable sites in the County to at least hear them.
The Quail was my 98th species seen locally this month which is pretty good going I think. Local for me is an 8km (5mile) radius of Darley Dale which gets me as far North as Bakewell and Chatsworth, just takes in Elton Common to the West, and Holymoorside/ Ashover to the East.
I have been out to check on the Wood Warblers, the pair I had originally photographed have fledged 6 young as I had hoped and I found another recently fledged juvenile from another nest which was just about able to fly. It looked a bit damp after all the rain but looked to be doing OK otherwise.

Wood Warbler - recently fledged trying to attract its parents attention

I've also been across to Clough Wood but couldn't find any Pied Flycatchers, its amazing how quickly they leave the nest area once the young fledge. I did come across another Tawny Owl which was a nice surprise but there was no sign of any Marbled White butterflies yet, although its usually early July before they are flying.

Tawny Owl - not sure about its age?

A better year for the Wood Warbler

It's already a record year for Wood Warbler for me with 14 males establishing territories within 4km of Darley Dale. Still nothing like the 33 that Ken recorded in the same area in the late 70's but a big increase on the last few years and there could still be birds to arrive. 
Great to hear them singing in the woods, I don't think any bird puts more effort in to its song than the Wood Warbler with its whole body shaking as it delivers its trilling song.

Wood Warbler in song

Lockdown day 40 - the breeding season moves on

Amazing how quickly the breeding season progresses, I've already seen Mallard and Moorhen chicks at the Whitworth and Coot at Caudwells Mill but even the recently arrived migrants are already nest building. I managed some nice photos of the Wood Warblers doing just that and some poorer photos of a female Pied Flycatcher looking rather 'whiskered' as she carried nesting material.

Wood Warbler nest building

Pied Flycatcher female

Up on the moor the Stonechats are already feeding their first brood.

Stonechat - male with food for young

Meanwhile migrants such as the Spotted Flycatcher and Nightjar have still to arrive in the area. I'm interested in seeing the Spotted Flycatchers (which I failed to find locally last year) so please let me know if you see any in the Darley Dale area.

Lockdown day 27 - First Wood Warbler

A lovely sunny day although still with a cool NE wind and Pam and I did a walk up to Beeley Moor. On the way I was surprised, but very pleased to hear a Wood Warbler calling in the local wood. Strange that it never give its delightful trilling song, doesn't seem likely that this would be a female as they generally arrive a week or so later than the males. 
My previous earliest record is 22 April so four days earlier is quite something and continuing the trend in early migrant arrivals. 
As we walked up to the moor a Cuckoo was calling which is a more typical arrival date.

Wood Warbler - calling

Return of the Wood Warbler

Finally found a returning Wood Warbler, singing this morning in Clough Wood. I've been checking the local woods regularly since reports came back of birds in the Sheffield area well over a week ago. 
I mentioned last year how numbers have declined nationally and how this has impacted on our local population so its always a relief to see and hear the first bird back.

Wood Warbler

Wood Warbler - Halldale Wood

The first report of a singing Wood Warbler was on 10th May in Halldale Wood, whilst I have been away, but what is presumably the same male was still singing there this morning.

Wood Warbler

I've mentioned previously that the local population of Wood Warblers has declined markedly over the past two decades and last year I'm not aware of any records from Halldale which used to be one of the best places to hear their trilling song so its pleasing to have at least one male back there this year. The wider Derbyshire population faired better during the first decade of the 21st Century but has been subject to significant fluctuations from year to year and it looks like the overall trend is sadly one of decline.

The UK Wood Warbler population has declined by 69% since the mid 1990s and has been lost from 50% of its former UK range. However, the causes of this decline are unknown and may be driven by factors at their wintering sites, or migration routes or a combination of these. In order to try and understand the factors affecting Wood Warblers abroad the RSPB has attached tiny geo-locators to a number of Wood Warblers from Dartmoor and the New Forest populations which is further explained here.

I made a recording of the Wood Warbler singing this morning. On the recording you can hear the distinctive liquid trill three times followed by the peu-peu-peu-peu notes at 40 seconds and finally finishing with another trill.

Wood Warbler - Darley Dale

I returned to the UK at the weekend after my two month tour of southern Europe. On my first trip out today I came across one, maybe two Wood Warblers in the wood running up to the moor from my house in Darley Dale. Amazing to think that less than two weeks ago I was watching a migrant Wood Warbler in Greece on the shores of the Aegean Sea at Porto Lagos. That bird wasn't singing, but this one was in constant song.
They are fantastic birds and it's good that we can still see them locally.

Wood Warbler

Wood Warbler at last

For once I'm happy to be proved wrong! A couple of days ago I commented on the decline of the Wood Warbler and speculated that they may no longer occur in the Matlock/Bakewell area. Today I had a male singing in the woods at Darley Dale - so there is at least one bird in the area. 
It may be that the spell of cold weather delayed their arrival although as I mentioned they have been recorded at Padley Gorge.

Wood Warbler

Wood Warbler - Halldale Wood

A chance encounter with Roger put me on to the first Wood Warbler record of the year which Roger had located earlier in the morning. My favourite of our resident warblers the Wood Warbler has declined dramatically around Darley Dale in the past few years. In the early 2000's I would regularly encounter 5 or 6 singing males in Halldale with a similar number between Darley Dale and Rowsley but last year I recorded none and only had a single bird at Stanton in 2012. 
Hopefully this will be a better year!

Wood Warbler

Wood Warbler...at last

Finally found a single singing male Wood Warbler on the edge of Stanton Moor. The bird showed well but in dense cover.

Wood Warbler

Good numbers of spring migrants

Walked up to Beeley Moor and saw a good selection of spring migrants; Pied Flycatchers and Wood Warbler in Halldale Wood, not a great photo but you can tell what it is. Tree Pipits on Flash Lane and Lesser Whitethroat on Beeley Triangle with a flyover Crossbill. Also had my first Cuckoo yesterday.

Wood Warbler