Common Crane - Middleton Moor

 An exciting day at Middleton with good numbers of common migrants but the star bird was a Common Crane which we believe is just the third record for the site.

It usual for the gulls to spook periodically often for no apparent reason but I always check the sky incase a raptor has scared them. This happened yesterday and I looked up to see a Coomon Crane no more than 100m above me. It did a nice fly past then started to circle, quickly gaining height until it was just visible with the naked eye then drifted off south. A fantastic sight and as breeding numbers continue to increase in Norfolk and Linconlshire, reported as 87 pairs last year, it may become a commoner site.

Common Crane

Other birds seen included both Yellow and White Wagtail (the Continental counterpart of our Pied) and Garden Warbler as well as Wheatears and Common Redstart that have been around for several days.

White and Yellow Wagtails

Finally I found a 1st winter Caspian Gull amongst the gulls which still number about 60 Lesser Black-backed and up to 100 Common.

Caspian Gull - first winter

Ruff and other migrants Middleton Moor

 I've been away for a month so had some catching up to do on the Spring migrant front. A party of 5 female Ruff ( reeves) turned up at Middleton on 9th April and a male joined them on 16th and I was pleased to see they were still present yesterday on my return.

Ruff - five females with the larger male at the back

It was a decent day with Ringed and Little Ringed Plovers, 2 Common Sandpiper and a good range of migrants including Ring Ouzel, several Redstart, Whitethroat and a dozen or more Willow Warbler. 

Also a White Wagtail which is the first I've seen at Middleton.

White Wagtail

No change this morning but a single Dunlin had joined the Ruff.

Russian White-fronted Goose - Middleton Moor

 I mentioned the influx of White-fronted Geese in relation to the Youlgrave birds in December and the few regulars visiting Middleton Moor had thought that we were going to miss out. However,  a visit by Jon Lowes this morning in conditions that didn't look promising with thick mist turned up trumps with two birds on the lagoon, which then disappeared in to the mist.

After a  tense two and a half hour wait the mist finally lifted enough for us to confirm that they were still present. A first record for Middleton Moor as far as we can tell!

Russian White-fronted Goose

I was at Middleton on Saturday, and with widespread reports of Common Scoter and passage waders on inland waters I had high hopes but I was a little disappointed with Redshank and the first Dunlin of the year but not a bad haul on reflection.

Redshank

Winter plumaged Dunlin with Lapwing

 

Jack Snipe - Middleton Moor

I purchased a thermal camera at the start of the year. One of my main targets for it was the elusive Jack Snipe. I have seen them occasionally at Middleton Moor but just in brief flight views. Unlike Common Snipe they do not flush until you are almost stood on them, and spotting one sat on the ground is just about impossible without a thermal camera.

Today I managed to find one and although I was stood within about 4m of it I was able to take some photos and leave it without flushing it thanks to the thermal camera.

I would love to find one on Beeley Moor but that might be a challenge for next winter as they will be moving north shortly back to breeding grounds in northern Scandinavia.

Jack Snipe

  Just to give you an idea of how well camouflaged they are here is the photo taken on my phone with an arrow to mark the Jack Snipes position and below that the image from the thermal camera with the Jack Snipe 'hot spot' showing in red.

Returning Curlew - Middleton Moor

Although single Curlew were recorded at the start of the month its only really the last couple of days that numbers have started to increase with 5 on Saturday and 11 today but not much else of note.

Curlew

Egyptian Goose - Middleton Moor

 Another grey day at Middleton Moor was brightened up by the presence of two Egyptian Geese this morning. Ray Scally found them first thing and fortunately I was on the A6 heading to Youlgrave to look for the geese there, so it wasn't too much of a diversion.

As far as we can tell this is this first Middleton Moor record since two spent four days there from from 11th - 14th August 1979, as reported in the Birds of the Sheffield Area. 

I've still never seen one in the Bakewell/ Matlock area despite there resident status now in southern Derbyshire.

The Slavonian Grebe was also still present this morning.

Egyptian Goose

Slavonian Grebe - Middleton Moor

 I went to Middleton Moor yesterday and had the first half decent day for a while with a Green Woodpecker, which is only recorded once or twice per year there, plus a couple of Pink-footed Geese with a small group of Greylags so with more mist forecast for this morning I went to Chatsworth instead.

I was very surprised therefore when i got a call from Ray Scally to say he had found a Slavonian Grebe which was just visible through the mist.

A major rarity locally and a first record for Middleton Moor, so I had to postpone breakfast with Pam at Chatsworth Garden Centre and headed for Middleton.

It was still misty when I got there but the grebe was visible and the visibility improved early afternoon so a fantastic start to February. 

A Shelduck was also new in and my first for the year.

Slavonian Grebe

Cetti's Warbler - Youlgrave

 A nice walk from Alport to Youlgrave yesterday along the river Bradford produced Kingfisher and Little Egret but the star bird was undoubtedly a Cetti's Warbler which was calling repeatedly and moving quickly upstream towards the road bridge at the bottom of the village. 

It showed well for a Cetti's Warbler but I wasn't quick enough with the camera, but did manage to record the distinctive call on my eBird checklist here.

Although I have had the long staying bird at Middleton this year this is the first for my 10km patch centered on Darley Dale.

Whooper Swans - Middleton Moor

 Went up to Middleton this morning without any great hopes as I assumed, correctly, that it would still be largely frozen. So I was surprised to see a nice herd of 10 Whoopers Swans in the small area of open water.

Whooper Swan

They departed east whilst calling loudly at 10:45, just as it started to rain. I managed a nice recording of the calls which is on my eBird checklist here.

It's remained warm so hopefully the ice will thaw quickly.

Hawfinch - St Helen's Church, Darley Dale

 Despite several searches in the early part of the winter it wasn't until 1st January that a single Hawfinch was seen briefly by Alan at St Helen's. 

I made several visits to the churchyard in the first week of January but didn't manage to see the hawfinch until yesterday when it perched up for a few seconds in a Sycamore before it dropped out of view in to the Darley Yew.

Today Simon saw three birds together so things are looking up. They have been scarce in the County so far this winter with up to 3 birds seen at Cromford but most reports have been of just a single bird.

Hawfinch

Generally its been a fairly quiet start to the year but I've seen Little Egrets at Chatsworth and Bakewell with one by the river at Ashford today. I also saw the Cetti's Warbler at Middleton Moor today but the lagoon is almost completely frozen at the moment.

Russian White-fronted Goose - Youlgrave

I've been checking the Greylag flock at Youlgrave regularly since numbers started to increase there, a decade or more ago and have been rewarded with several Pink-footed Geese over the years but have always hoped for something a little rarer. 

With records of Russian White-fronted Geese scattered across the country over the last few days I thought this would be a good time to check through the Youlgrave birds. 

Fortunately they were quite well positioned to north of the fishing lake and I was very pleased to find first one, with a very white face, and soon after another, with much less white. Both were obviously smaller than the Greylags which numbered about 120.

A patch tick for me so a nice Christmas present!

Russian White-fronted Goose

Middleton Moor Update

I've been a little slow to post recent sightings so here's a short update,

Hen Harrier

Adult female on 16th and 26th November

Hen Harrier

Jack Snipe

One on 16th November

Caspian Gull

Adult on 10th November

Caspian Gull - adult

Caspian Gull x European Herring Gull

One on 8th November

Pochard 

Two on 4th November, increased to 4 on 10th November

Common Pochard 2 male, 2 female

Black-tailed Godwit

One on 29th October

Black-tailed Godwit

The only other birds of note were 3 Little Egret on the flooded fields just north of Rowsley on 16th November and a Brambling flock on Bent Lane which has increased to over 100 birds.

The Cetti's Warbler is still at Middleton having survived the colder weather.

Cetti's Warbler - Middleton Moor

I was away for most of September returning on the 26th. The following day I went to Middleton Moor and watched what we believe is the first record of Cetti's Warbler for the Derbyshire Peak District with Ray Scally and Jon Lowes. It has remained at the site, calling frequently but has been difficult to see, but I finally managed some photos yesterday.

It's still present this morning and I had 11 Whooper Swans drop on to the lagoon which are the first of the autumn. Also over a hundred each of Redwing and Fieldfare. 

Cetti's Warbler

Cetti's Warbler was first recorded in Derbyshire in 1999 but with just 5 further records in the following decade. The first proven breeding was in 2010 and it has since colonised wetlands in much of the south of the county. 

So it has been expected further north but is clearly still very rare in central and NW Derbyshire.

Great Crested Grebe - Chatsworth

I first saw this juvenile Great Crested Grebe in front of Chatsworth House on 6th August but didn't have mt camera with me so I was both surprised and pleased that it was still there this morning. It's only my second record at Chatsworth so it is a real rarity there.

It will be interesting to see how long it stays, it looked healthy and must be feeding OK. 

Great Crested Grebe juvenile

Decent wader passage at Middleton

 The first real signs of autumn wader passage getting underway today at Middleton Moor with Wood Sandpiper, Dunlin and 4 Ringed Plover. The Ringed Plover and Dunlin departed high NW but the Wood Sandpiper was then joined by 3 Redshank and a Ruff.

On the 14th I had a Green Sandpiper at Middleton so the photos taken today of the Wood Sandpiper make a nice comparison with the Green, both are juveniles.

Wood Sandpiper juvenile

Green Sandpiper juvenile

Ruff juvenile

Ringed Plover, Wood Sandpiper and Dunlin