Red Knot - Middleton Moor

 Usually just referred to as Knot in the UK as it's the only Knot which regularly occurs here and the vast majority seen in Britain are in the grey none breeding plumage but this bird, which has been at Middleton Moor for a couple of days now, is in breeding plumage and you can see why it gets its name.

Knot

There are only a handful of records each year in Derbyshire so it's a rare visitor to the County. 

I also had a female Ring Ouzel there yesterday which is my first of the year and always great to see.

Ring Ouzel -female

Decent morning at Middleton Moor

I spent yesterday morning at Middleton Moor and certainly felt that I had got my monies worth by the time I left!

First thing, looking from the hide it was immediately obvious that there was a Great Black-backed Gull stood with the Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the edge of the lagoon. I've often wondered when looking through the gulls could I overlook a Great Black-backed and certainly when seen with Lessers the size difference is so obvious that the answer has to be no!.

I think this bird is in its 3rd summer, so not quite adult as can be seen from the brown feathers in the wing and the dark barring on the tail. There has recently been a sighting of the very similar Cape Gull, probably from South Africa, in West Yorkshire but that was an adult so this certainly isn't it.  The Great Black-backed Gull is a rare visitor to Middleton Moor and probably even scarcer now than it was in the past.

Great Black-backed Gull with two Lesser Black-backed

Great Black-backed Gull

Having watched the gull for a while I took a walk, eventually viewing the lagoon from the other side.

As well as the currently resident Little Ringed Plovers a single Ringed Plover was feeding on the shoreline and I noticed another bird landing that looked small for a Curlew and sure enough it was a Whimbrel a scarce but annual visitor.

Whimbrel

I scanned the shoreline again a little later and was very surprised to see another Wood Sandpiper, my third in a week for this very rare visitor which is on its way to breeding grounds in northern Scandinavia.

Wood Sandpiper

There was a lot of heat haze and the birds were distant, but the photos are just about good enough to see what they are.

What else will May produce?

Whinchat - Beeley Triangle

 I wasn't able to locate a Whinchat on Beeley Moor over the weekend. 

I blame the cold and the wind but it didn't stop Dave Griffin who photographed this male by Beeley Triangle on Sunday.

Whinchat - male © David Griffin

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.

Mediterranean Gulls - Middleton Moor

 A slightly disappointing week, I was expecting Wheatear and Sand Martin but the cold spell seems to have deterred the early migrants.

A few more Chiffchaff around, including my first for the year in the garden.

Not one, but two Mediterranean Gulls at Middleton Moor today though lifted my spirits with an almost summer plumaged adult and a first winter bird.

Mediterranean Gulls -top two adult, bottom a 1st winter

Red-legged Partridge - Youlgrave

 I was surprised to see a Red-legged Partridge at Youlgrave yesterday, my first in that area. It was by Conksbury Lane just to the north of the church. Seems odd just to come across isolated individuals but they could be releases for shooting.

Red-leeged Partridge

No more migrants yet this week but the winds are more favourable over the weekend so fingers crossed. The Hawfinch are still at St Helen's Church in Darley Dale, I had three at the start of the week but Alan Stewardson had 10 yesterday.

I haven't seen the Little Egret in Bakewell this week but there was one in Bradford Dale, below Youlgrave, during the week so that could be one of the Bakewell birds.

Looks like the Oystercatcher may have another go at brreding at Chatsworth with a single bird there yesterday.

Eurasian Oystercatcher

Nice to see the Teal still in the Whitworth Park with a male displaying to two females during the week. Like the Mallard they have got used to people walking past so its possible to get nice photos of what is normally quite a shy species.

Eurasian Teal - male

First Chiffchaff of the Spring

 A Chiffchaff in Darwin Forest this morning is my earliest record, seems strange to be talking about Spring at the end of February but there have already been several records of Sand Martin across the Country and the first Wheatears have been reported on the south coast.

Common Chiffchaff

Continuing with the spring theme I counted 91 Curlew coming in to roost at Middleton Moor last night and also saw my first Barn Owl there, hunting before the sun was anywhere near setting.

Eurasian Curlew

Taking advantage of the clear skies I went looking for Goshawk this morning. With not even a hint of a breeze conditions were not ideal but I did see several birds although they were rather high in the sky.

Eurasian Goshawk (top adult, bottom two birds are a juvenile and immature female)

Caspian Gull and first Curlew - Middleton Moor

 A 3rd winter Caspian Gull hybrid type joined the Common and Lesser Black-backed Gulls at Middleton Moor this morning, the first I have seen this year and there was a lone Curlew which hopefully marks the start of Spring. 

Although it will be another month or so before we are likely to see migrants arriving from the Continent.

The Caspian Gull wasn't a classic long-thin-billed and flat fore headed bird indicating that it has some Herring Gull in its ancestry.

Caspian Gull - 3rd winter

Eurasian Curlew

Mediterranean Gull - Bakewell

 A surprise this morning to find a first winter Mediterranean Gull with the Black-headed Gulls at Bakewell Bridge. I check the gulls every time I go in the hope of finding one but it's something of a shock when you actually do! 

I'm not aware of any previous records in Bakewell but with the number of Black-headed Gulls there it seems likely that they must occur occasionally.

Mediterranean Gull - first winter with Black-headed Gulls

Two Little Egrets by the Fire Station is also unusual although a single bird has been in the area for a month or so.

Little Egret

Twelve Hawfinch at St Helen's Church yesterday is my highest count of the winter with 8 seen there this morning. They like to site in the Alders at the back of the church having eaten some of the Yew berries.

Marsh Harrier - Middleton Moor

 I wasn't able to get out until early afternoon so decided to have a look at the gulls at Middleton Moor. I arrived at the hide at about 14:45 to the news that a cream crowned (female or juvenile) Marsh Harrier had been present since around 14:00 but had dropped in to the reeds in front of the hide shortly after and hadn't been seen since.

I checked the gulls whilst I waited and had brief views of a juvenile female Hen Harrier but there was no sign of the Marsh Harrier which i decided had either slipped out of the reed bed whilst I was looking elsewhere or had gone to roost early.

Then at 16:20 the harrier flew out of the reed bed, quickly gaining height and chased by the Lapwings it disturbed as it flew. It circled then dropped back down flying low over the reed bed and seemingly looking for alternate roosts sites but eventually dropping back in to the reeds in front of the hide.

Marsh Harrier - probably second calendar year female

Marsh Harrier pursued by Lapwing

It repeated this process once more at 16:45 but again returning to the reeds in front of the hide where I presume it roosted.

A scarce bird in the Peak District and my first at Middleton Moor with thanks to Darren who told me about the bird after he had first seen it.

Hen Harrier - second calendar year female

Lesser Scaup - Carsington Water

 Carsington Water continues its amazing run of rare and scarce birds today with a second County record of Lesser Scaup. A female this time found this morning at the Millfields end.

Lesser Scaup female in the shade (top) and sunshine (below)

Very similar to female Tufted Duck but the pale flanks of Lesser Scaup continue on to the mantle whereas the mantle is darker than the flanks in female Tufted. In flight the white wing bar is restricted to the secondaries but extends across the primaries in Tufted. The head looks rather more pointed in Lesser Scaup but varies a bit with posture.

I also saw the female Ring-necked Duck in the same area but there are still two Greater Scaup present plus Great Northern and Red-throated Divers so there is plenty to look for there.

Ring-necked Parakeet - Darley Dale

 There were a couple of reports of a Ring-necked Parakeet visiting bird feeders on Northwood Lane during the week. 

With feral populations in Sheffield and Derby its perhaps surprising we don't get more records but they are few and far between with single birds reported on Beeley Moor in 2001 and 2007 and Bakewell in 2001.

Once established numbers can build rapidly so it's probably just as well that we just get the odd bird passing through.

Ring-necked Parakeet (photo Glen Sellors)

On a similar vein a Barnacle Goose was seen with the Canada Goose flock at Chatsworth on Wednesday, I was there on Thursday but there were only 6 Canada's and no sign of it but it may well turn up again, 

Two female Wigeon were on the river infront of the House and have been present for several days.

Still up to six Hawfinch at St Helen's Churchyard

Wigeon - female

Cold weather thrush arrivals

 The cold spell has resulted in a big influx of thrushes in to the valley with hundreds of Redwing and Blackbird feeding in areas with little snow. I counted 40 Redwing feeding in the Whitworth Park with 30 Blackbirds and at least 6 Song Thrush. 

Redwing

Although the ponds were frozen the open water where it entered the park was full of Mallard and the female Teal was still with them.

I only saw one Hawfinch during a brief visit to St Helen's Church but it was nice to see them in the sunshine over the last couple of days.

Hawfinch - male

Hawfinch increasing at St Helen's Church, Darley Dale

 Four Hawfinch have been reported several times over the last few days at St Helen's Church but increased to six this morning. They feed in the Yew trees then sit in the tops of neighbouring trees presumably while the berries are being digested. There are also good numbers of Greenfinch also feeding in the Yew trees. I saw about 20 this morning but more have been reported.

Hawfinch 

Yesterday I braved the snow and ice and ventured to Middleton Moor. There was more snow there and the small road leading to the rough track was particularly difficult but it was worth the effort as a juvenile female Goshawk flew over Black Harry Gate. Sighting of Goshawk are few and far between at Middleton which is a little surprising although there are no significant woodlands close by.

Eurasian Goshawk - juvenile female

A Curlew has been present for several weeks but looked rather forlorn sat out on the ice.

Eurasian Curlew

Hawfinch - St Helen's Church, Darley Dale

 Decent views of Hawfinch in St Helen's Churchyard this morning, Simon had two fly in just before I got there and one bird sat for 5 minutes in the top of the trees, on the cricket pitch side of the church. It called occasionally particularly when a Jackdaw displaced it from the top of the tree. 

I didn't take my camera due to the poor weather so I've used a photo taken a while back at St Helen's.

It looks like there may have been birds in the area for some time as Alan first reported one on 21st December last year and more recently 2 or 3 were reported last Tuesday. 

The overnight snow has displaced some Redwing with around 50 seen this morning in small groups. A few gulls flying around, mainly Black-headed but also single Common and Lesser Black-backed and still 3 Teal on the Whitworth Pond.

Hawfinch - photo taken in 2018 when there was a nice flock at St Helen Church