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.

Spotted Flycatcher - last of the migrants

 I saw my first Spotted Flycatchers today, with a pair in Clough Wood. Although they've been back for a week at Carsington I think the 3rd week in May is a fairly typical arrival date locally. Whilst watching them I also had a male Pied Flycatcher singing. So a nice combination with both flycatchers together.

Spotted Flycatcher

Pied flycatcher - male

With the arrival of the Spotted Flycatcher that's all our migrant breeding birds accounted for, although there is still a chance of a Quail and the possibility of a scarcer migrant.

Sedge Warbler and a breeding record of Kingfisher

I spent yesterday morning checking all the likely places for Sedge Warbler in the valley, which were discussed after my first record last year. I didn't find any, but shortly after returning home I received a message that Alan had found one singing on Beeley Moor. To para phrase Sherlock Holmes; when you have eliminated all the likely places you should then search the unlikely places!

Fortunately it was still there this morning but only singing occasionally in rather blustery conditions. News that Simon had found three juvenile Kingfisher being fed by one of the parents at Rowsley was too good to miss and luckily they were still being fed by the river when I arrived. 

I'm amazed how unobtrusive Kingfishers can be, it was February when I last saw one at Rowsley but I did see them several times last year on the river close to the recycling station so perhaps they have nested somewhere in that direction.

I watched one of the juveniles make several unsuccessful dives and I imagine that it is a skill that they take some time to learn.

Kingfisher - juvenile

Yellow Wagtail - Elton Common

 My first 'patch' Yellow Wagtail of the year this morning with a male singing at Elton Common. A scarce passage migrant migrant on Beeley and the Eastern Moors the Yellow Wagtail is a rare breeding bird in the White Peak. It's difficult to know how rare as I only tend to visit a small part and I would be interested to hear of any other records locally.

Yellow Wagtail - male

Another unexpected sighting today was of a Little Egret on the River Wye at Rowsley. It was disturbed briefly by grass cutting for Haddon's fishing access but soon settled again. The driver of the grass cutter was as surprised to see it as I was when I spoke to him later. It could be the bird that wintered at Youlgrave and it will be interesting to see if it lingers.

Little Egret

Yesterday I was fortunate to see a young (second calendar year) Goshawk displaying. Although females do sometimes breed in the second calendar year I can only assume that this bird is unpaired. 

The slight gap between the secondary and primary feathers is due to the loss of a juvenile primary feather as she starts the moult in to a more adult like plumage which will be completed by the autumn.

Northern Goshawk - female 2cy

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.

White-tailed Eagle crosses Beeley Moor

 On 29th January 2005 I had cycled up to the Triangle and spent some time chat with Ken and Mel before working my way home. This was before the time of universal mobile phones and Ken didn't have my phone number. A little later I heard that they had seen an immature White-tailed Eagle land on Harland Edge where it spent some time there before drifting off towards Chatsworth. I drove back up to the moor but there were no further sightings after I returned.

This morning, also having cycled up, I was stood with Ken on the Bar Road when Mick Taylor rang to say a White-tailed Eagle had just left Ogston at about 09:10 heading North West. I knew Robin Elliot was also on the moors so quickly sent him a text message to alert him. Ken and I decided to move to the Triangle which give slightly better all round views.

At 9:30 Robin rang back to say that he could see the bird distantly from Whitesprings, a sub-adult, still travelling NW and looking like it was over the Sitches Plantation area. Ken and I scanned the area frantically but couldn't pick the bird up.

At around 11:00 a White-tailed Eagle past over Blackmoor Foot Reservoir just SW of Huddersfield which I presume was the same bird.

The fact that it was a sub-adult bird means it isn't one of the released birds for the Isle of Wight reintroduction programme and I understand that Roy Dennis has confirmed this. So it was presumably a wandering wild bird from the Scottish population.

Hopefully I'll see the next one!

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

Return of the Turtle Dove and first Whimbrel on Beeley Moor

After my last blog, in which I mentioned that Alan had heard a Turtle Dove on Flash Lane, Simon Moody contacted me to say that he had first seen the regularly returning bird on 11th April and had seen or heard it fairly regularly since then. This is the 5th year that Simon has seen this particular returning male.

I looked and listened for it several times without success until this morning when I came across it purring from the top of a conifer tree not too far from Matlock Forest. It was calling regular and several times did a display flight which is very similar to the Collared Dove.

Can it find a mate this year? It would be fantastic if it could be the chances are low given that the Turtle Dove seems to be almost lost from Derbyshire now.

Turtle Dove - display flight

A little later I was cycling across Beeley Moor and stopped to check a field which held several Curlew and found a smart Whimbrel. 

It was feeding quite happily much as birds have in prior years and this seems like a regular stopping off spot for birds heading to Scotland or perhaps Iceland or northern Scandinavia.

Whimbrel

Ring Ouzel at last

I was on Flash Lane this afternoon, looking for a Turtle Dove that Alan Stewardson had heard this morning. 

No sign of the dove but 2 female Ring Ouzel were ample compensation. I've struggled to see Ring Ouzel locally the last few years so I was very pleased to see these two birds and to manage a record photo.

Hopefully the Turtle Dove will be relocated.

Ring Ouzel - female

 

More migrant arrivals including an early Hobby

 As I had hoped in my last post the warm weather produced more migrant arrivals with the first Grasshopper Warbler and several Wheatear on Thursday (14th) Cuckoo and Common Whitethroat yesterday (15th) all on Beeley Moor. 

This evening I had a call from Robin Elliot to say he had seen a Hobby on Bent Lane and fortunately it was still sat in an isolated Birch tree on the moor when I got there, a few minutes later. It's the first April Hobby I have seen and only a few days later than the earliest record listed in the Birds of Derbyshire which is given as 13th April. 

Thanks to Robin for finding it and giving me a call and for use of his photo.

Hobby © Robin Elliot

Spring has sprung - first Pied Flycatchers, Tree Pipits, Willow Warblers and Redstart today

 I was abroad during March and thought I had timed my return to coincide with the start of the spring migration. However, the first week of April felt more like winter than spring and the birds clearly felt the same as there was little evidence of any migrant arrivals. 

My first migrants were the expected Chiffchaffs which I have seen, or heard daily since 1st April. Surprisingly I had two Swallow over Beeley Moor on the 2nd but didn't see any Sand Martin until the 8th when I had six birds at Chatsworth where I also saw my first Blackcap.

The weather finally changed this week when the wind moved round to the south for a period and the day time temperature rose by several degrees. The effects were soon apparent with migrant numbers rapidly increasing. Today I had my first Willow Warbler, not just one though, I counted at least 14 today. I also recorded my first Pied Flycatchers of the year as well as Common Redstart and several Tree Pipit. 

Pied Flycatcher - always a welcome sight

Although the wind has moved round to the west maximum day time temperatures are around 16˚C to 17˚C so hopefully birds will continue to move north.

Although I haven't seen Wheatear yet on the moor I did see 9 (6 males, 3 females) in Long Dale, Hartington at the weekend. The males were singing and giving occasional song flights. It's amazing that migrant Wheatears are only just starting to appear locally but they are already establishing breeding territories just 12km from Darley Dale.

There have been several sightings of Osprey nearby with birds at Wyver Lane, Belper, Baslow, Carsington and Ogston so there must be a decent chance of one locally.

There are plenty of Mandarin back on the river and I got a nice photo of a pair mating yesterday. The males take some beating for their colour and ornate feathers.

Mandarin mating

Mediterranean Gull and Common Shelduck - two new birds for the Darley Dale area

 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.

Mediterranean Gull - adult in breeding plumage

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

Great Grey Shrike relocated on Bonsall Moor

 The Great Grey Shrike was last reported on the 9th December on Bonsall Moor but I felt that there was a good chance it was still somewhere in the area. Once a shrike establishes a winter territory they are usually faithful to it, only leaving when they start the journey back to the breeding area.

I've returned 4 or 5 times since to look for it without success but this morning I got lucky and saw it sat on top of a hawthorn bush just off the rough track below the Motocross circuit, just 1.5km from where I originally found it. Presumably it's been in this are since early December and hopefully now it will be seen a bit more regularly.

I don't think there is any doubt that it is the same bird that was seen on Bonsall Moor in January 2021 having been first located on Farley Moor in November 2020. It shows the same pale rump and white in the secondaries that indicated that this bird could be of the eastern European race homeyeri.  I did a write up on the bird on my Wildlife Diaries blog. I'll be looking out for photographs of the spread tail if anyone manages to get one which may help confirm its racial identity.

It has clearly eaten recently, perhaps a small bird or mouse, as there is blood staining its lower breast as can be seen on the photo below.

Great Grey Shrike

Another sighting of the Hen Harrier

I saw the male Hen Harrier on the 22nd January and it was seen again on the 23rd January but as far as I'm aware it was seen subsequently so it was a very pleasant surprise to see it close to Wragg's Quarry this morning.

It was a long way off but still looked stunning as it broke the sky line, buffeted by today's strong winds.

Hen Harrier - male