Scorched Wing

Several new moths for the year last night; Turnip Moth, Broken-barred Carpet, True-lover's Knot, Green Arches, Grey Pug, Bloodvein and this Scorched Wing.

Scorched Wing

Epinotia biluna

One of the more distinctive Tortrix moths, I only catch one or two a year but it is very widespread.

Epinotia bilunana

Turnip Moth

The only other Turnip Moth I have posted was very ragged so this is a somewhat better example of this regular Noctuid.

Turnip Moth

Dipper on the Wye

James returned to Chee Dale again today to have a look at the Dipper. The photo below of a juvenile is a combination of good photographic and editing skills to create a really striking image.

Dipper -juvenile in flight (James Butler)

Mottled Rustic

A few more moths of interest in the trap last night with several Elephant Hawkmoth, Poplar Hawkmoth, Pale Tussock, Freyer's and White-spotted Pugs, plus a nice Green Silver-lines and this Mottled Pug. 
I was going to say that I don't catch many Mottled Pugs, only a couple each year but it may be more that I don't identify many. This one has the typical smudged reniform stigma and the rusty smudge through the centre of both stigma that some Mottled Rustic show but is generally not seen in the other rustics.
I've ordered a new moth trap for the garden as I seem to be loosing a battle with the Great Tits as to who can get to the trap first in the morning!

Mottled Rustic

Mandarin with ducklings

It looks like the Mandarin Duck numbers in the area are going to continue to rise. Walking a 1Km stretch of the River Derwent I came across three broods of ducklings this morning. Interestingly one brood was tended by two females which does occur occasionally in other wildfowl but I have never seen before with Mandarin.

Mandarin Ducks and ducklings

Curlew and chick

Driving over the moor this morning I came across two Curlew swooping over the edge of the road. As I pulled over a tiny chick ran across in front of me, I waited a few minutes to check that there were no others following, the typical clutch is 4, then encouraged the one visible chick in to the undergrowth.
As with the note on the Snipe the Curlew can now be regularly seen sat on the stone walls and posts in the fields which gives them a good view of their offspring and any approaching danger.

Curlew

Curlew - chick

Redstart - male

This male Redstart looked like it was feeding young in a nest. Fantastic looking birds and they appear to be in good numbers this year. 
Came across another brood of Gooseander, a female with 6 downy young at Rowsley.

Redstart - male

Mayfly - Rowsley

Mayfly's were in good numbers at Rowsley this morning. The Mayfly is unusual in that a winged dull coloured sub-adult emerges from the nymph and it then sheds it skin again several hours later to produce the brightly coloured adult as in this photo. Having reached this adult state the Mayfly only has a few hours of life left during which it must mate to secure the next generation.

Mayfly

Redwing singing Matlock Forest

Ken and I had a real surprise this morning when we came across a singing male Redwing on the edge of Matlock Forest. 
Looking in Roy Frosts 'The Birds of Derbyshire' there are very few records between May and September. Interestingly there is reference to a singing male at Slagmill Plantation on 18th May 1985, and another in the Goyt Valley on 17th June 2003, otherwise there are a couple of records cited for June and July. Other than the singing males there has been no records of the Redwing breeding in Derbyshire.

Redwing - male in song

Long-eared Owl at dusk

The fact that, perhaps more than any other owl, the Long-eared is almost exclusively nocturnal makes it particularly difficult to photograph, The sun was almost setting when this bird flew over to start it night of hunting.

Long-eared Owl

Long-eared Owl - juveniles

It's not just owls that need excellent eyesight. Locating this brood of juvenile Long-eared Owl needs excellent eyesight on behalf of the observers as well. Although getting towards full size and able to fly these juvenile Long-eared Owls are very difficult to locate as they stand motionless in the tops of trees bordering the moor. 
Despite the poor weather recently the owls appear to be doing well at the moment.

Long-eared Owl - juveniles

Goosander and ducklings - Bakewell

I received a call from Pam mid-afternoon, whilst she was shopping in Bakewell, to let me know that there was a female Goosander on the river with four downy youngsters. I got through the holiday traffic and eventually relocated the female taking the ducklings from the river by the playing fields upstream. 

Goosander - female with ducklings

Large Red Damselfly

A recently emerged Large Red Damselfly next to its discarded larval skin on Bog Bean.

Large Red Damselfly

Shelduck - Middleton Moor

I mentioned back in April that I had a single Shelduck flying over Beeley Moor and that this had almost certainly come from Middleton Moor. I had a pair of Shelduck at Middleton Moor this morning. The male was regularly chasing the female and Middleton Moor is probably the only site in the Peak District where Shellduck may breed.
I had at least one Whimbrel calling and a lone Barnacle Goose which I think has been present for a couple of days.

Shelduck