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Cromford Canal, Derbyshire (1 Viewer)

Had an hour down on the meadows this morning,lots of birds moving through:
430 Wood Pigeons w/sw
100 Fieldfare w/sw
60 Redwing w/sw
25 Starling n/w

Also present, a large female Sparrowhawk,Buzzard,Nuthatch,GS Woodpecker,Siskin,Grey Wagtail,male Goosander,35 BH Gulls and good numbers of Goldfinch.A first for the patch this year were 2 Skylarks flying over.
Hoped for an early Hawfinch, but no luck, though the Yews by the church have plenty of berries this year.
 
Wood Pigeon movements continue with 840 w/sw in an hour this morning.
Also 200 Redwing in the same direction and 23 Fieldfare south.
Also present 2 Dipper under the bridge,2 Grey Wagtail, Goosander (m),Sparrowhawk (m),plenty of Mistle Thrush and Greenfinch.
 
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Wood Pigeon movements continue with 840 w/sw in an hour this morning.
Also 200 Redwing in the same direction and 23 Fieldfare south.
Also present 2 Dipper under the bridge,2 Grey Wagtail, Goosander (m),Sparrowhawk (m),plenty of Mistle Thrush and Greenfinch.

Clive everytime I've visited the churchyard I've dipped on the Hawfinch. Which month would be best in your opinion to try and see them? They are a real bogey bird for me.

Cheers in advance - Mick
 
Clive everytime I've visited the churchyard I've dipped on the Hawfinch. Which month would be best in your opinion to try and see them? They are a real bogey bird for me.

Cheers in advance - Mick

I've been many times with Clive and found the best months are between December/January until March. Although they're sometimes seen just outside these months this should be the best time to see them.
 
Down again today, 19th November,on a mild but quite overcast day.I get out of the car on the meadows and the area is alive with birds, a mixed flock of Goldfinches and Siskins are flying around calling, near the cattle grid. Overhead a group of 60 or so Jackdaws are suddenly calling loudly and a Blackbird is alarm calling also, a Mistle Thrush joins in the panic with its football rattle call.I scan the sky for a passing raptor, but to no avail,though a Grey Heron does fly over. All around birds are calling, and eventually a male Sparrowhawk moves over, though I am not sure it was him that caused the comotion.A group of 8 Magpies are still agitated and a Wren calls from somewhere unseen.A Great spotted Woodpecker flies over, with its distinctive undulating flight, and a group of 60+ Redwing are in the air too. More Jackdaws are swirling around and they must number close to 200 now, they are joined by a large Corvid which turns out to be a Raven, and a second Raven lands "gronking" in a tree before moving off to mob a passing Buzzard.Another raptor, this time a Kestrel, comes into view and hovers over the meadows. A dog walker goes by seemingly oblivious to the show being put on over her head.More and more birds are now in the area,Mallards, Greenfinches,Wood Pigeons,Black headed Gulls and a group of Long tailed Tits, which are searching for food in a Hawthorn tree, along with a single Blue Tit.
Spectacle over, I move onto the canal where a group of Moorhens are feeding on the grass, their tails flicking to reveal their white undertail coverts, 30 or so Mallards are also present here. A Dunnock flies out of a hedge, and more Siskins are hanging in the Alders at the canal side.A Jay flies across the Rugby pitches and further on in a small wooded area are at least 10 Blackbirds,Great Tits and a Song Thrush, which is in sub song. Robin,Wren and Dunnock are also singing along this stretch of the canal.
Heading towards High Peak Junction a couple of Goldcrests are seen,also there are the usual Little Grebes, but from here onwards there are less birds around.
Between the aquaduct and Gregory tunnel, I locate a few Treecreepers and stop to watch them as they probe for food amongst the bark. Only a couple of Nuthatch are added to the list until I turn to retrace my steps, where I finally get the first Chaffinch of the day. Back by HPJ a Grey Wagtail is on the roof of the work sheds. Back near the meadows and I hear Lesser Redpoll amongst another flock of Siskins.

39 Moorhen,15 Little Grebe.
Good numbers of Siskins and Redwing.
 
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Just nipped down by the church, in the hope of an early Hawfinch. Nothing doing for me but I did bump into a well known Derbyshire birder, who told me he had one in flight, but distant.
Then I went down to High Peak Junction, an area that has held Firecrest in the past. Again no luck, but I did get a few Goldcrests and the usual Treecreeper, Nuthatch, LT Tits etc. Also a nice flock of 5 or 6 Bullfinches, a couple of Buzzards and a Jay.
 
A trip to Carsington this morning proved a waste of time because of dense fog,bringing back memories of how this thread started. Myself and Dave decided to try again for a Hawfinch at Cromford, and we were successful with one bird in the tall trees at the back of the cricket ground.
We walked down to High Peak Junction..quite a few birds about including, a group of 4 Song Thrush, 4 Redpoll, several Goldcrest, GS Woodpecker,lots of Chaffinch and a Grey Wagtail.
It looks like the Hawfinch are beginning to show, but it is probably still too early to be in with a reliable chance, so anyone wanting to see them should probably hold fire for a while longer.
 
Single Hawfinch showing well in trees by Willersley castle entrance, and then in trees by cattle grid.Watched it for 30 minutes, eating buds and Yew berries, also drinking from a hollow in the tree.
Also popped down to HP Junction:
2 Raven,2 Jay,2 Grey Wagtail,3 Nuthatch,GS Woodpecker and several Goldcrest.
 
A brief trip down to Cromford with Dave N this morning, after being fogged off yet again at Carsington.
A Hawfinch again adjacent to the cricket pitch, and a possible second also in the area.
A new bird for the patch this year was a Common Gull, amongst BH Gulls, on the rugby pitches.
Had a walk down at HPJ: 2 Dippers on the river were the pick, but loads of Blue/Great Tits around the sewage works. Otherwise just the usual stuff.
 
Down on the canal, for the last time this year.Parking on the meadows the temperature in the car reads 3C, a big rise from the sub zero's we have had for the last week or so.
On the meadows the usual Jackdaws are soon in evidence along with a few Black headed Gulls. A solitary Wood Pigeon sits motionless in the trees by the cattle grid, but another is singing somewhere in the distance.A flock of 20 or so Goldfinches pass tinkling over, and a smaller flock of Siskins soon follow.A small flock of Tits contains 3 species-Blue,Great and Long tailed, a Blackbird lands in a tree over my head.The grass at the meadows entrance has been reduced to mud following the annual raft race on boxing day, and a flock of a dozen Pied Wagtails are searching for food here.A single Hawfinch suddenly lands in the trees, but is soon lost in the tangle of branches, 2 Greenfinches are more visible.
I walk gingerly towards the canal, as the melting snow has refrozen and left a sheet of ice on the car park.Magpie, Mallard,Carrion Crow and Robin are seen, and a Bullfinch flies over the water, with several more calling from the bushes nearby.The usual Little grebes and Moorhens are seen along this section.
The trampled and melting snow on the toepath has become one sheet of ice, and I struggle to keep my feet as a Great spotted Woodpecker calls out.As I approach the garden centre the conditions are no better, and here a slight camber on the path has me sliding towards the water.Enough is enough and the prospect of broken bones, or worse still optics, forces me to change course as I hop over the railway line and down to the river.
By the river a flock of Redwing and 3 Fieldfare pass overhead, and a couple of Mistle Thrushes are here also.A good number of Blackbirds are on the field and Wren,Chaffinch and a screeching Jay are noted.A Dipper flies upstream before landing on a rock, where it issues its slow throaty song, not unusual even in the depth of winter.
I watch the Dipper as it plunges into the fast flowing water, emerging with some item of food which it eats, before drinking from the river. These charasmatic birds are one of the specialities of the area.
Back on the meadows and I decide to call it a day as the rain begins to fall, a dissapointing end to the year. It has however been an interesting year, which has added to my understanding of the area and its wildlife.

A snap of the frozen toepath that brought an early end to the walk!
 

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Popped down on the meadows this morning, after a long absence.
7 Hawfinch posing in trees between the cricket ground and the church.
Dipper singing beneath the bridge, and a Peregrine flew over towards the village.
 
A report of 12 Hawfinch yesterday,so it looks like the flock is building to a peak again in February, just as last year. As usual the birds can be difficult to pin down, so perseverence may be required.
 
A report of 12 Hawfinch yesterday,so it looks like the flock is building to a peak again in February, just as last year. As usual the birds can be difficult to pin down, so perseverence may be required.

A good count of 12 there, Clive. I gather you know but they were in trees on the hillside in Willersley Castle grounds.
 
Well myself and Dave managed only 2 Hawfinch today, in a mini blizzard, though others had had about 8.
A pair of Goosander flew down the river also.
 
Well myself and Dave managed only 2 Hawfinch today, in a mini blizzard, though others had had about 8.
A pair of Goosander flew down the river also.

11 reported at 10.30 near the entrance to the castle. That must have around the time we were there :eek!:
 
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