Golden Plover returning to the moors

 A flock of 6 Golden Plover on fields at the edge of the moor this morning are the first I've seen since the snow moved of the birds that hung around up to Christmas. A very scarce breeding bird on Beeley and East Moor these birds will be eventually heading north, perhaps to the Dark Peak although we often have been around well in to April which suggests that they are heading much further north.

Golden Plover

Merlin - Beeley Moor

Nice views of a male Merlin this morning. Any day that you see a Merlin is a good day in my book and, sadly, the sightings have become less frequent during the last decade. When I first moved to Darley Dale in 1998 they regularly bred on both Beeley and East Moor but they gradually became less frequent with the last pair in 2007. 

I postulated about the possible impact of climate change on Merlin when writing about the decline of the Red Grouse and as with the grouse it's difficult to come up with an explanation. Numbers have recovered in the past from declines in the early twentieth century and in the 1970's, following the adverse effects of organo-chloride pesticides, so perhaps we will see them back as a breeding bird one day.

Merlin - male

First returning Curlew!

Spring could be just around the corner with the first returning Curlew on the moor this morning and what I assume was the same bird later this afternoon close to Gladwin's Mark. I also had my first Brambling of the year on Flash Lane, in what is the worst year I can recall for them. 

I saw a single Red Grouse on Beeley Moor on Thursday and Little Egret close to Bakewell Bridge so I have had a decent month, having seen 85 species so far compared to just 76 in January.

For anyone interested in shorebirds I've managed to put an identification video I produced back in 1994 on Youtube. 

Eurasian Curlew

Woodlark breeding in Matlock Forest

2017

In June 2017 I received  a message from Ken Smith to say he had had a Woodlark singing in Matlock Forest. We had often talked about the possibility of Woodlarks occurring as the habitat is similar to that where they can be found in Sherwood and Budby in neighbouring Nottinghamshire.

Unfortunately I was unable to follow-up on Ken's record as I was travelling in northern Finland and Norway. I didn't return until early July and it seemed unlikely that I would see the bird although Ken had occasional sightings in the intervening period.

Back at home I made regular visits to the area of Ken's sighting without success until 28th July when I had several sightings of a lone bird which, gave its distinctive melodic call occasionally. I saw the bird again before the end of the month. On 1st August Alan Stewardson rang me to say he had several sightings of two birds and had seen one of them carrying food. On the 5th August I saw both adults, accompanied by a recently fledged juvenile. They had nested successfully and raised one youngster!

One of the adults (top) with the first juvenile in 2017

There were several more sightings but the birds quickly disappeared. Would they return in 2018?

Woodlark are generally early migrants, returning to their breeding grounds by March, sometimes earlier so expectations were high the following Spring. 

2018

In 2018 March turned to April then May with no sight or sound of Woodlark. I was away from early June until mid-July but received news of Woodlark sightings in late June. When I returned I saw three birds on 21st July but wasn't sure whether it was an adult and 2 juveniles or 2 adults with a single juvenile but the matter was resolved on 26th July when I saw 4 birds, the breeding pair with 2 juveniles. 

A moulting adult Woodlark with one of the juveniles in 2018

Success again, but why such a late arrival. The only theory we could come up with was that the adults had bred somewhere else first and moved to Matlock Forest to raise a second brood. Again the adults and juveniles were only present for a few weeks before departing from the area.

2019

Again in 2019 we had high hopes of returning birds in the Spring but again nothing in March or April until Alan found a singing bird on 21st May, I was leaving on a birding holiday later that day but managed to see the singing male in the morning before I left. During my absence the male was seen and heard several times and was still present when I returned on 26th June although I didn't manage to see it and there was no evidence of breeding that year.

2020

A singing male was found in a new location in Matlock Forest on 30th May and I saw and heard it the following day and again on the 2nd, 7th and 9th June but there were no subsequent records in 2020 although I covered the whole area thoroughly and with no trips abroad to interrupt due to the Covid-19 outbreak and various lockdowns.

A lone male was recorded in 2020

Status in Derbyshire

According to 'The Birds of Derbyshire' the Woodlark bred in the County until the late 1800's. Details are provided of a nest in 1910 and since then of just 24 records up to 2011. The last record was a bird flying over Beeley Moor on 5th November 2011 which I missed, although I was close by when it flew over.

Since 2011 a pair has nested intermittently in NE Derbyshire with the only other breeding records those noted above in Matlock Forest.

According to the latest report (2018) of the Rare Breeding Birds Panel (RBBP) there were 22 singing males in Nottinghamshire and 2 in Derbyshire out of a total of 833 singing males for the whole of the UK. The UK population estimates have fluctuated somewhat in 2012 the Woodlark was removed from consideration of the RBBP when the population was estimated at 951 breeding pairs but reinstated in 2016 following indications that the population may be declining.

With just a single pair in the Matlock Forest area it seems unlikely that a viable population will be established especially when it appears the male was unable to attract a female in 2019 and 2020. However, there is plenty of suitable habitat at the moment and I'm hoping for more records in 2021.

Marsh and Willow Tit double

In a repeat of my post for 1st December, today I saw both Marsh and Willow Tits again on the same day. The Willow Tit was again on Flash Lane and is the first time I have seen it since the 10th December last year. There is still around 6cm of snow in the Flash Lane area and, with wind chill, it must have been around -5 °C so it was a surprise to see it.

The Marsh Tit was again in Alport and could be the same bird I last saw on 1st December. 

Both species are extremely scarce locally.

Marsh Tit 

Swans & Geese

An unexpected movement of Whoopers Swans and Pink-footed Geese of the last couple of days. This morning 38 Whooper Swans flew NW up the valley over Darley Dale followed by at least six skeins of Pink-footed Geese totalling 430 birds with an additional 100 yesterday. Not sure why they would choose to go north now, usually they are moving south in cold weather.

Whooper Swans

Pink-footed Geese

More snow and return of the hybrid Tufted Duck

 A bit more snow fell overnight but the forecast is for more in the next 24 hrs. There was very little in the valley bottom but 2 or 3cm was present higher up. It's always nice to see birds with a snowy background and a took a few photos of some of our commoner birds.

Blue Tit

Great Tit

Robin

The hybrid drake Tufted x Pochard has returned to Bakewell, I first saw this bird on 2 February 2014 so it's at least 11 years old. Recently I think it has been at Ogston Reservoir but it's nice to see it back in Bakewell. It sometimes gets reported as a drake Scaup but which would be very rare locally.

Tufted x Pochard hybrid

There are still groups of gulls, mainly Black-headed with a few Common on the flooded fields but an adult Herring Gull put in an appearance yesterday in the fields between Darley Dale and Darley Bridge. 

Generally the Herring Gull is a rare winter visitor to the area, often just seen flying over the valley.

Herring Gull

First Red Kite of the year and a stray Pink-footed Goose

Had a decent day today with a small passage of Skylark over the moor and both Herring Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gulls plus roosting Barn Owl and Little Owl. Followed by my first Red Kite of the year over Alport. 

It was actually September 2020 when I last saw one locally and it looks like they are absent in the Darley Dale area during the winter (late September to February).

At Youlgrave I counted 107 Greylag Geese, and with them a lone Pink-footed Goose, also had 3 drake Goosander and a Water Rail there.

Red Kite

Pink- footed Goose (juvenile) with Greylags