Carrion Crow - Beeley Moor

A bird I haven't featured before on the blog but a common sight both around the parks and gardens and on the moor. In the past I have seen congregations of several hundred birds on the moors but numbers are much lower at present and they tend to been seen singley or in small groups of a dozen or so. 
Not easy to photograph being all black and therefore requiring decent light, to show the feathering, as it was this morning.

Carrion Crow

Sparrowhawk and Kestrel

Great to see some blue skies for a few days. 
I was photographing a hovering Kestrel today when suddenly another bird flashed in to the viewfinder and disappeared just as quickly. I pressed the shutter and got a few photos which captured the incomer, a male Sparrowhawk, quite nicely. 

Sparrowhawk and Kestrel

Long-tailed Skua - First for Carsington Water 7 October

I'm a bit late posting this, but better late than never!
Monday 7th October was one of those wet days we seem to have had a lot of recently where it's raining when you open the curtains first thing in the morning and it's still raining when the light fades in the evening. Fortunately I had no plans so was happy to stay indoors. Early afternoon I got a call from Simon Roddis to say he had a small skua on the water at Carsington and was I interested to come and have a look at it?
I was, and set off almost immediately marvelling at the dedication of Simon and other Carsington regulars who brave all weather in search of interesting birds, their efforts had been well rewarded recently with a brief Grey Phalarope and a longer staying Slavonian Grebe.
I arrived at the Sheepwash Car Park and set off for Brown Ale Bay the last reported location of the skua. I bumped in to Roy Frost on the way who was just leaving, unaware of the skua sighting but who was more than happy to tag along on the skua quest. 
The skua was just drifting out of view when we arrived and joined Simon and Roger Carrington my first thought was to try and get some record photos in case it disappeared altogether. I took a few photos in the poor light using the 500mm lens with a 2x converter, not ideal but the bird was some distance away. It then took off and landed another 100m away so I was glad I did.

Long-tailed Skua juvenile

Standing together with the bird now perhaps 400m away we discussed its identity and the unanimous view was that it was  an Arctic Skua and with the rain still falling we departed. 

A couple of photos were put on Twitter which resulted in several people questioning why it wasn't a Long-tailed Skua.
In the end the birds identity as a juvenile Long-tailed was clinched on the following points;

1. Evenly spaced broad buff barring on the under tail,
2. Lack of pale tips to the primaries,
3. On the upper wing only two white primary shafts, Arctic usually shows more,
4. Dark tip to bill covering about half of its length. In Arctic the dark tip is not so clearly demarcated. I had thought that the bill was rather long and thin but this appeared to be in the range for Long-tailed.

We quickly conceded that it was indeed a juvenile Long-tailed Skua and a first record for Carsington Water and only the 7th for Derbyshire.
Unfortunately it wasn't present the following day. 
It certainly proved a valuable lesson in assessing all of a birds features when making an identification and the value of obtaining photos of any unusual bird.

Whoopers and Pinks over Chatsworth

I've just returned from a birding trip to Azerbaijan and today was my first local trip out, after the deluge of the few days since I returned it was great to see some sunshine today. 
A party of ten Whooper Swan following the river south west by Chatsworth House was a pleasant surprise as was a skein of 65 Pink-footed Geese following a similar track. Three further Whoopers appeared 30 minutes after the first group so perhaps there has been a significant movement today. Otherwise I saw my first local Fieldfare of the autumn which have doubtless been around for several weeks now - nice to be back anyway.

Whooper Swans - part of a flock of ten

Pink-footed Geese

Willow Tit - Flash Lane

Over the past couple of weeks I've seen and heard what is presumably the same Willow Tit on two occasions and I managed a few photos today. The Willow Tit rare locally with occasional records from Clough Wood but can be seen fairly easily at Carsington Water.

Willow Tit - of note this bird has a pale spot on one side of the bill which is usually associated with Marsh Tit

With the on-set of autumn tits and other passerines are likely to be encountered in small mixed flocks and so it was today with a nice group of about 15 Long-tailed Tits with 7 or 8 Goldcrest, 2 Chiffchaff and a Treecreeper all in the same few bushes.

Long-tailed Tit

Goldcrest - female

Had my first Skylarks passing overhead and a group of 4 Common Crossbill which are the first I've seen for several weeks.
Meadow Pipits are migrating south now over the moors and I counted over 500 today in loose flocks.

Marsh Harrier - Harland Edge

Watched a cracking juvenile Marsh Harrier sparring with a Buzzard along Harland Edge yesterday. 
It's only about the 4th I've seen over the moor. It's a mystery to me why, when the number of Marsh Harrier have increased dramatically in England over the past 20 years, they are as scarce, if not scarcer on the moors now than two decades ago.

Marsh Harrier - juvenile

In search of Twite in Derbyshire

The Twite has probably never been a common bird on the Derbyshire uplands but changes to agricultural practices in the hay meadows bordering the moors has almost led to their extinction as a breeding bird in the County. The population in the southern Pennines is estimated to have decreased by 80 per cent between 1990 and 2000 according to the RSPB.
A seed-eater the Twite is reliant on seed from the traditional hay meadows to feed their young and it is thought that the loss of these food sources is one of the main reason for their decline.
A small population can still be found in the Doveholes area where birds are nesting in quarries and, through the support of the quarry operators and the RSPB, this small population is part of a long term study of the species. Since 2015 over 200 birds have been caught and fitted with a unique combination of coloured rings so that their movements can be monitored. This has shown that the majority move to the north Norfolk coast in the winter but some have gone to Wales and Northumberland.
I visited the area today and managed to see 8 individuals although according to Peter Walsh, one of the volunteers monitoring the population, this doesn't appear to have been a good breeding season with possibly only a single pair fledging young.
I've never seen Twite in the Beeley area although birds may cross the moor as they head to Norfolk. Three birds were seen in Wraggs Quarry last year so there is a chance of seeing them but would be easily overlooked unless the distinctive nasal call that gives the bird its name is heard.

Twite

Twite bearing colour rings

Osprey - Whitesprings Plantation

It's been a poor autumn for sightings of Osprey locally, both Ken and I have had just single sightings at Chatsworth and over Harland Edge last weekend but there have been birds present regularly at Ogston and Carr Vale with a few sightings at Carsington.
This morning a bird flew up from the Darley Dale direction to Whitesprings carrying a fish which it was doubtless planning to eat somewhere in the woodland. It was an adult and could be the same bird I saw doing the same thing last year in the same area. 
Whilst the likelihood of birds nesting locally is less than for the Red Kite it certainly wouldn't beyond the realms of possibility to see a pair nesting locally in the next few years which would be quite something.

Osprey over Whitesprings Plantation

Red Kite born and bred in the Peak District

I've speculated previously that the return of the Red Kite as a breeding bird in the Peak District has only been a question of when not if, and I can finally confirm that a pair has successfully fledged at least two young this summer. The photos below were taken today which is the first time I've seen them in the air.
It was probably around 1860 that the Red Kite finally became extinct as a breeding bird in the Peak District but since the late 1990's and the successful reintroduction programmes in England and Scotland the number recorded annually in Derbyshire has increased dramatically and birdwatchers have long speculated about its return as a breeding species in Derbyshire which, as previously reported, finally occurred last year at Kedleston Hall. 
I suspect, and hope that we will now see an upsurge in number locally with more pairs breeding in the future. 

Red Kite juvenile

Red Kite juveniles

Red Kite adult

Compared to the adult Red Kite the juvenile looks slightly shorter in both the wings and tail. All the feathers are the same age in the juvenile and have a very fresh appearance. Compare with the adult (above) which is moulting several inner primaries and central tail feathers giving it a rather tatty appearance.

Night-flowering Catchfly - Darley Dale

The first record for the County of Derbyshire in 16 years of the Night-flowering Catchfly (Silene noctiflora) has been found at the recently opened Darley Dale Medical Centre by birdwatcher come botanist Mick Lacey. 
The plant has doubtless arrived in the re-seeding of the area around the car park. The site staff have kindly provided a protective cage so the plant is easily found on the left of the car park by the green electricity box.
As the name suggests the flowers are generally closed in the day time but open and release a scent at night to attract pollinating moths. 

Night-flowering Catchfly in its protective cage

Protective cage containing the Night-flowering Catchfly

Essex Skipper new for the area

Finally caught up with Essex Skipper at Whitesprings Plantation off Flash Lane today. 
A bit like the inevitability of Red Kites breeding locally it has always been a question of when, rather than if Essex Skipper would turn up locally, as they have continued to spread northwards through the county.
I think the elevation of the areas bordering the moors has perhaps been a barrier or at least delayed their occurrence here when they are recorded further north in lowland locations.
This is my first record in the Matlock/ Bakewell area and I daresay that other have recorded them locally before me, I would be interested to hear of other records.

Essex Skipper

The most obvious differences from Small Skipper are the black 'dipped in ink' tips to the underside of the antennae which are orange in Small Skipper and the shorter sex brand on the wing which runs parallel to the wing edge in Essex Skipper but is longer and runs towards the edge of the wing in Small Skipper (compare with photos below)

Small Skipper

Essex Skipper NBN Atlas distribution map

Another Waved Black in Darley Dale

The tenth record of the Waved Black moth was recorded today in Darley Dale. Unsurprisingly it was Simon Roddis who caught it, I say unsurprisingly as he also caught the prior 9! Simon lives fairly close to the wood yard at the back of DFS and we have previously speculated that this is the original source of the records. The ten records are spread over 17 years of moth trapping in the village so it's not quite an annual event.
I'm not aware of any other records in Derbyshire so it's a real Darley Dale speciality. I've previously published the UK distribution map for anyone interested.

Waved Black (© Simon Roddis)

An unexpected White Wagtail or hybrid and some juvenile chats

A muck heap on the edge of Beeley Moor has proven to be a magnet for small insect feeding birds this week. As well as many Pied Wagtails I came across a single bird showing characteristics of White Wagtail feeding there, which is only the second I've seen locally. Our Pied Wagtail is a race of the continental White Wagtail which is a regular visitor to our coast and wetlands in the spring. Seeing one here in the summer is very interesting and raises the possibility that it could be breeding, either with another White wagtail or more likely with a Pied. Intriguingly I did photograph another pale backed bird that was probably a hybrid White x Pied Wagtail.

Update: I sent details of the upper bird to Peter Adriaens a Dutch birder who is the author of the most recent article on the separation of White Wagtail from Pied Wagtail. He commented as follows;

I agree that it shows a grey rump, which would be very unusual for a yarrellii. 

Its upperparts look rather dull grey with some dark streaks though, which is more typical of yarrellii but can also be shown by worn alba in summer. 

The flanks look rather dark and extensively grey. 

It could be a dark alba, but I am not fully convinced, and I certainly cannot exclude a hybrid. 

Based on his comments it's perhaps safest to leave the bird as a possible hybrid.

White Wagtail male (upper) with probable hybrid White x Pied Wagtail (lower)

As well as the wagtails there were also several family parties of Stonechat and Redstart which provided some great photo opportunities.

Stonechat juvenile male

Common Redstart juvenile

Common Valerian

There is a good showing of Common Valerian on Flash Lane and Whitesprings plantation at the moment. Historically the plants root was collected to extract a sedative in the 19th century. Flora Britannica by Richard Mabey contains an interesting extract from a local valerian collectors diary from the mid-1860s who cultivated the plant locally.

'He and his companion would set out early on a spring morning walking from Clay Cross towards Chesterfield. Each of the pair has an empty bag rolled up and carried under one arm, and he also has a small fork of wrought iron. They proceed together for several miles for tho' the seedling valerian plants of which they are in quest are to be found in the woods on each side of the road they are not in sufficient abundance to justify a break in their journey till near the Chatsworth woods. The seedlings are now developing a couple of rough leaves and where these appear in abundance the little iron forks are applied in lifting them from the leaf mould of which the soil here mainly consists. They collect sufficient seedlings for the plot of land already set apart and prepared for the replanting. This was done in regular rows and at the right distance apart to allow for growth. After which little attention was required beyond keeping the plants free from weeds. However vigorous the growth may be above ground, this is all rejected and allowed to waste, the roomt being now the only portion of the plant of any value.... A little field, barley three-quarters of an acre in extent, in one seasonn grew a crop of valerian which realised seventy-five pounds. The bulk of this produce is now exported to the USA'

Common Valerian

Portrait of a Grasshopper Warbler

There are still several male Grasshopper Warblers delivering their distinctive reeling song around Beeley Moor. The Grasshopper Warbler is often double brooded and these males are doubtless advertising their territory whilst the females incubate these second broods.

Generally easy to hear, particular in the evening, but difficult to see but I was lucky with this male when it landed briefly on a drystone wall which it ran along, almost mouse-like before disappearing in to the undergrowth. It then reappeared 15m further away after several minutes and sang briefly.

Grasshopper Warbler

Marbled White - Clough Wood

I looked for the Marbled White at Clough Wood at the end of June which has been their usual emergence date since they first occurred there in 2015 but no sign. I've been away for a few days but was pleased to hear that two had been seen on 3rd July.
I went this morning and saw at least 4 so all appears well with them and I presume the slightly later emergence was a result of the cooler temperatures in May.

Marbled White

Common Sandpiper and Oystercatcher breeding at Chatsworth

Pleased to see a pair of Common Sandpiper are on territory at Chatsworth, the colour-ringed bird has gone now and one of the pair is perhaps its offspring. The Oystercatchers have been successful raising two fledged youngsters. The nest site has previously been on the house side of the river but the adults and youngsters are now on the other side? Wonder if they could have crossed one of the temporary bridges installed for the RHS show?

At least 6 broods of Mandarin with chicks of various sizes and a lone Kingfisher made for an interesting walk.

Common Sandpiper

Oystercatcher - chick

Painted Ladies, Foresters and a mystery carcass

The recent influx of Painted Ladies has continued, I saw 5 last Saturday but over 20 today around Beeley Moor. They were most apparent on the newly replanted forest areas but I saw several crossing Beeley Moor in a southerly direction.
Many are very worn but some are in quite good condition which makes me wonder whether they have all travelled the same distance. Hundreds if not thousands have been reported from eastern and southern coastal sites so it's a very significant immigration.

Painted Lady

The first Forester Moths have emerged again on Flash Lane with at least a dozen seen today. I heard of other sightings in the Cromford and Ashover area so this is probably a fairly widely distributed moth on rough grassland which may have been overlooked in the past.

Forester Moth - male on right and smaller female on left

Walking in Whitesprings Plantation with Mel Hayes we came across the emaciated, headless corpse of a mustelid. We couldn't specifically identify the corpse which was about 35cm long, including the tail, but suspected it could be a young Polecat. There have been a few records of dead animals as road casualties in the area in recent years but I've yet to see a live one.

Possible Polecat corpse

Blomer's Rivulet new for the garden

I last trapped Blomer's Rivulet in 2011 in Halldale Wood which is very close to where I live. I have often thought there must be a chance of attracting one to the garden moth trap but without success, until last night. 
I've been abroad for the last month and haven't run the moth trap at all this year but having my 3 year old grand daughter to stay last night I thought I would see if I could catch some hawkmoths to show her. I was lucky with the hawkmoths catching both Elephant and Small Elephant as well as a rather worn Poplar Hawkmoth but the star was a pristine example of Blomer's Rivulet.
Historically the valley of the River Dove north of Ashbourne and Halldale Wood are the two main localities for the species in Derbyshire but there have been a scattering of records elsewhere in the County.

Blomer's Rivulet

NBN Atlas data for Blomer's Rivulet

More orchids and the Grey Gorse Piercer moth

In addition to the Green-winged Orchids yesterday I saw a single Burnt Orchid which was only about 5cm high. Last year I visited the area in early June and there were more Burnt Orchid so I'm guessing I'm a little early for them flowering.

Burnt Orchid

In the area of the Green-winged Orchid I came across a few fresh looking orchids that I think may be hybrids with Early Purple. The Early Purple had mostly gone over but these orchids were fresh but lacked the distinctive dark lines on the sepals but otherwise the flowers looked similar to Green-winged.

Possible hybrid Green-winged x Early Purple Orchid

Passing through an area of gorse I disturbed many small grey looking micro moths which turned out to be the Grey Gorse Piercer ( Cydia ulicetana) a moth I have occasionally caught at home but nice to see it amongst the gorse.

Grey Gorse Piercer Cydia ulicatana

Green-winged Orchid - Via Gellia

One of the rarest orchids to be found in Derbyshire I finally caught up with several examples of the Green-winged Orchid today in the Via Gellia. Named for the dark veins on the sepals Derbyshire is a the northern end of its UK distribution although isolated colonies do occur further north.

Green-winged Orchid