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
