First Pink-footed Geese of the autumn over Beeley Moor

 I was pleased to see a small skein of 40 Pink-footed Geese crossing Beeley Moor this morning, I had thought they might have missed us this autumn with a large movement of birds down the east coast last weekend with 12,000 passing Spurn on Friday the 21st. Hopefully there are still more to come, and we may catch birds returning to the Lancashire coast before the end of the year if there are issues with the sugar beet crop in Norfolk like last year.

A female or immature Merlin give superb views through the telescope as it sat on one of the old stone shooting butts and if I'd known it was going to fly directly towards me I could have had a nice photo but by the time I'd got the camera it was flying away. There are hundreds of Meadow Pipits migrating over the moor at the moment so there's no shortage of food for it.

Merlin female/immature flying away

The old shooting butts also attracted a migrant Northern Wheatear, only the second I've seen this month.

Northern Wheatear

There have also been several Jay crossing the moor, with a group of 5 yesterday and several small parties of Common Snipe.

With the colder weather now it definitely feeling like autumn now.

First Wigeon of the autumn - Chatsworth

 Checking the Mallards along the river at Chatsworth I was rewarded with my first Eurasian Wigeon of the autumn plus a single immature female Goosander which are still in short supply.

Eurasian Wigeon - 1st winter male I think

A depleted Emperor Lake held 25 Teal which is the largest count I have had since Swiss Lake was drained.

An immature male Hen Harrier, perhaps one from the successful breeding this year in upper Derwent Dale, has been seen several times around Harland Edge and East Moor during the past week.

a very distant Hen Harrier probably a juvenile male messing with a Carrion Crow

Some positive news on Red Grouse with at least 4 seen on East Moor and a further 2 or 3 on Beeley Moor in the last few days, my largest count for several years.

Lesser Black-back Gulls at Elton Common

 I've been abroad in France for several weeks but before I left I checked several times on gull numbers around Elton Common/ Pike Hall and there were generally around 100 birds loafing around in early August. Checking there today I estimated around 2000 birds were present as the fields were ploughed at Elton Common today (a few days ago Simon counted 8.8k at Carsington so there must be plenty of other groups around)

Lesser Black-backed Gulls following the tractor

There are almost 400 birds in the photo above and there was a second tractor with a similar number of birds in attendance with large numbers sat in the neighbouring fields.

There were several darker backed 'intermedius' type birds along with a few Herring Gulls and several Black-headed Gulls plus at least one Common Gull.

Lesser Black-backed Gulls with a darker intermedius type (centre) and Herring (right)

Earlier I had a Ringed Plover fly over Beeley Triangle, calling and my first local Northern Wheatear of the autumn. 

There was an Osprey over the moor on Saturday, but too distant for photos, and what may be the same bird was seen again yesterday.

No sign of any Pink-footed Geese yet or winter thrushes but that will hopefully change before the month end.