Roe Deer Buck - Beeley Moor

Doug Aston sent me this rare photo of a Roe Deer on Beeley Moor taken recently.
Sounds like Spring is finally underway in the Darley area, Ken has reported Swallows and Sand Martins around Rowley.

Roe Deer buck(Doug Aston)

Spring is on it's way - Dipper feeding young on River Wye

Real signs of Spring appearing now with a pair of Dipper already feeding young on the River Wye this morning.
I will be missing the Spring in the UK this year as I am travelling abroad until the Summer but you can follow my progress on my Wildlife Diaries blog and on the Twitter feed in the two blogs.
I will post any interesting wildlife photos received from the Matlock/Bakewell area whilst I'm away on the Darley Dale blog and normal service will resume on my return!

Dipper

Continental race of Cormorant - Ogston Reservoir

Spent this morning sat in the hide at Ogston, whilst the rain continued outside. My only diversion was the Cormorants sat in front of the hide. Two were white headed adults showing characteristics of the continental race sinensis. I took quite a few photos then, when I got home, thought I would check for the latest thoughts on separation of nominate carbo from the continental race sinensis, I knew most of the obvious field characters; extent of white on the head and flanks and plumage colouration had now been discounted as unreliable but knew there was something about the gular pouch angle.

Continental Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis

The most detailed analysis on the subject was published back in 2004 (Sub-Specific Differentiation & Distribution of Great Cormorants in Europe Stuart E. Newson et al). The study concluded that a bird with a gular patch angle <65 degrees was likely to be P c carbo and those with an angle > 73 degrees was probably sinensis. 
The bird photographed today at Ogston looks to have an angle of 90 degrees and is probably therefore the continental race sinensis

Comparison of gulag patch angle in P c carbo and P c sinensis

For comparison the photo below is of a bird photographed at Chatsworth last November, it is bearing a ring which identifies it as having originated from Rutland Water. The gular pouch angle is around 60 degrees which accords with it being the nominate race carbo although it should be noted that the number of sinensis has increased in the inland breeding population during the past few decades.

Cormorant P c carbo

Water Rail - Cromford Canal

Made another trip this morning to look for Water Vole on Cromford Canal, this time with James. We had just passed Whatstandwell Station and we were nearing the sewage works when I mentioned to James that walking this area a few weeks ago I had met someone who had seen Water Rail here last winter. No sooner had I said it than a Water Rail appeared on the edge of the reeds just across the canal from us.
Beautiful blue sky and an obliging Water Rail, who could ask for more?
We took several hundred photos and some video (see below), pointed it out to various passing walkers and left it to continue its feeding.

Water Rail

Curlew in the snow

A lone Curlew on the moor this morning, looking like it wished it had stayed on the coast a bit longer.

Curlew

Short-eared Owl landing

Ken took this superb photo of a Short-eared Owl coming in to land on Beeley yesterday. 
No sign this morning with snow settling across the moors.

Short-eared Owl (©Ken Smith)

Siskin in the garden

Mentioned yesterday that there are plenty of Siskin about now, and up to a dozen regularly visiting the garden feeder. Some of the males are starting to look very smart as the pale feathers tips, hiding the black and green plumage, are worn away.

Siskin - male

Male Sparrowhawk - Darley Dale

A rather distant photo of a male Sparrowhawk but it shows the lovely blue-grey head and orangey face and barring on the underparts. Otherwise a fairly quiet day, but plenty of Siskin around now and coming regularly to my garden feeders.

Sparrowhawk - male

Whooper Swans - Middleton Moor

Six adult Whooper Swans at Middleton Moor this morning. Looking in the log it looks like they have been present since the 21st February. They drifted around the eastern edge of No 4 lagoon and showed well from the hide, calling occasionally. Also 2 Shelduck there today.

Whooper Swans

Shelduck

Brown Hares active at last

I've mentioned before that, locally at least, the Brown Hares disappear in to the woodlands over the winter and I therefore have very few sightings between November and February but with the Spring like weather they have returned to the fields during the last week and several animals put on a fine show in this mornings sunshine.
First Curlew calling on the moor this morning!

Brown Hare

Long-tailed Tit

Great to watch a party of Long-tailed Tits in the sunshine today. This particular bird kept coming back to a small Hawthorn bush and was happily feeding no more than 5m away. Tricky getting a photo with no obscuring branches though.

Long-tailed Tit

Juvenile Shag Bakewell

Went in to Bakewell this morning looking for a male Goosander I had seen on Friday where they feed the Mallard and gulls. No sign of the Goosander, so I walked up river a bit and was very surprised to find this juvenile Shag on the narrow island by the A6 opposite Lumford Cottages.  Looks like it's starting to get some green adult scapulars. 
I think there are still three at Linacre Reservoir, which are the last of the original 8, which turned up there last November. The other 5 went to Carr Vale in December and there was still one there in January so it's possible that this bird is one of the original 8.
As I returned to the town centre the male Goosander was out in the feeding area.

Shag - juvenile

Goosander - male

Short-eared Owl back on Beeley Moor

I was surprised this morning to come across this Short-eared Owl hunting in the bright sunshine on Beeley Moor. I put 'back' on Beeley Moor in the blog post title but it's not clear if they have ever left. They were definitely very nocturnal in their hunting towards the end of January but I have had odd reports of owls being seen in fading light since then.
I can only assume that the continual rain yesterday has forced it to hunt during the daylight so I was pleased to see that it successfully took at least one vole.

Short-eared Owl

The Water Vole by Christine Gregory

My copy of local author Christine Gregory's new book, The Water Vole arrived through the letter box this morning. 
It looks superb with 240 pages of text and colour photographs, nearly all taken by Christine, in a similar format to her publication Brown Hares in the Derbyshire Dales.
In addition to covering the lives and ecology of the Water Vole there is a large section entitled Derbyshire's Water Voles with many photographs taken locally. 
Sadly the book also maps the decline of this iconic resident of our waterways, both Nationally and specifically in Derbyshire. I've mentioned previously my own observation on the Water Voles disappearance from many local sites in the last few years and as Chris Packham writes in his foreword to the book;
 'What would life be like without the characteristic 'plop', that little cork-pulling wet plop, which, if we are lucky , we can still hear as we wend along a wilder stream?' 
What indeed!
I'm looking forward to reading the book in the coming weeks, and well done Christine!

Starling murmuration - Middleton Moor

My first visit this year to Middleton Moor. Starling numbers were quite low, I estimated 6-8K birds, but what they lacked in number they certainly made up for with the murmuration. They circled the reed bed for at least 15 to 20 minutes before finally dropping in to roost.
The first birds arrived about 16:30 and they dropped in to roost at about 17:15.

Starling murmuration