Cromford Canal, Derbyshire (2 Viewers)

[BarryH]

As it was another lovely day I popped down on the bike this afternoon.

It wasn't you who nearly knocked all us poor photographers over was it Clive? Amazing the speed some of the bikers travel along the canal.

Really enjoyed my visit up there today, to add to your list there was a very bold Sparrowhawk that kept flying low over the canal and we heard an owl calling. Sorry I couldn't say which, bird song is far from my strong point.

The water voles were showing really well.

 

[Clive A]

It wasn't you who nearly knocked all us poor photographers over was it Dave? Amazing the speed some of the bikers travel along the canal.

Really enjoyed my visit up there today, to add to your list there was a very bold Sparrowhawk that kept flying low over the canal and we heard an owl calling. Sorry I couldn't say which, bird song is far from my strong point.

The water voles were showing really well.

No not me mate, I am not fit enough to get any speed up! Actually I like to dawdle so I can see the wildlife, but I know what you mean there are some pratts about. Was that you near High Peak Junction, with the big lens? I was about to photograph a Water Vole but 2 Mallards spooked it. I also saw a Sparrowhawk at the Ambergate end, recon it must have been perched at the side of the canal as it flew up as I trundled by (slowly!) As for the Owl was it the Toowit ,toowoo ? if so a Tawny.

 

[BarryH]

As for the Owl was it the Toowit ,toowoo ? if so a Tawny.

Not the Toowit, Toowoo sound Clive, more like the "owl" noise they use on TV programmes. The nearest I can think is like someone blowing across the top of a bottle, a note of the same tone, no ups and downs. Apologies for the poor description.

There were four "big lens" photographers at High Peak today, two of us reasonably local, one from Staffs and one, I think from Norfolk. There were also a couple of visitors from New Zealand looking around as well. Cracking little place.

 

[michael23]

A superb afternoon down the canal yesterday, Walked from the wharf down to high peak junction and then a little further, but didnt get to gregory's tunnel.
Started off with a nice surprise, very faintly singing and hard to hear over the flapping mallards was a GARDEN WARBLER, my 1st of the yr. This was opposite the little area they have fenced off just above the toilet block. CHIFFCHAFF and WILLOW WARBLER in the same area too, of note a single MUTE SWAN was at the start of the canal, Moving on up COOT and MOORHEN, GOLDFINCHES in abbundance. Mixed in with them were GREENFINCHES. LITTLE GREBES as always one of which is sitting on 1 egg, just saw it as the birds did a changeover. Having a sit down at the junction i wasnt expecting the next bird i saw! I decided to scan the the tree tops of the woods and i get onto a bird of prey, it was flying head on towards me and then it turned a little and started flying straight over the canal in the direction to carsington, to my amazement it was a RED KITE!!! No pic though, just wasnt quite quick enough, This was around 16:50,. I walked on in the hope for dippers but, i only heard 1 at the bridge past the pumping station. 1 interesting chiffchaff which was quite grey on the back and underneath was greyish green and had a pale yellow rump patch, and its call was odd too, just the contact note of "huhu" it was flicking its tail and had dark brown legs!
Here are some noted counts.

22 Chiffchaff,
12 Blackcap,
12 Long tailed tit,
2 jay
2 treecreeper
2 nuthatch
30 goldfinch
4 coal tit

1 final thing i had a superb goshawk today, (but of course im not putting its location down)

 

[Clive A]

Cracking day indeed Michael, never had Red Kite down there, thanks for the report.Garden Warbler is never a common bird on the canal, I did have a Willow Warbler the other day (which I forgot to mention).

 

[birdleg]

Visited Cromford Canal today (walked from Wharf to Whatstandwell and back): a lot of birdsong!

Saw 50+ Mallards (one female Mallard with 2 ducklings (3 sightings) and another female Mallard with five ducklings later), 13+ Moorhens (2 were on nests), a Dunnock, a Coot, 10+ Little Grebes (2 were on nests), 3 Chaffinches, 3 male Blackbirds, Pair of Canada Geese (flying over twice), 2 Mute Swans near High Peak Junction workshops, 2 Long Tailed Tits, 9 Crows, 4 Wood Pigeons, 3 Robins, a Wren and a Coal Tit.

Also saw 2 Water Voles - one at Whatstandwell and the other near the High Peak Junction workshops.

 

[Clive A]

Trundled down on the bike late afternoon, of note were:
4 broods of Moorhen 1/1/3/5, 3 broods of Mallard 1/2/3 (typical of the small numbers which survive on this site),3 broods of Little Grebe 2 quite large young at High Peak Junction and 2 nests with at least 1 youngster peeping out underneath a parent. I watched a drake Mallard get too close to a Little Grebe nest, one of the adult grebes kept diving and then popping up at the side of the Mallard, until the Mallard was spooked and took flight.Did not hear/see Pied Flycatcher but hopefully breeding will take place.
Usual warblers, Blackcap, Chiffchaff,Willow Warbler and Garden Warbler.
2 Mute Swans and a single Coot also present.

 

[Clive A]

Cycled on to Ambergate this morning, out of the ordinary were:
Male Tufted Duck on the wharf, along with 2 Canada Geese. Further on was a Coot, which is a rare bird on the canal anyway, but this one was feeding a youngster.Two Greylags flew over the aquaduct. A male Pied Flycatcher is still singing towards Gregory tunnel. A Whitethroat was singing near the river on the meadows, the first I have had in 2 years

More ordinarily were 12 broods of Moorhen,8 of Mallard and 5 of Little Grebe.
Having stated recently that Mallard broods tend to be very small on the canal, I was delighted to see 2 broods of 10, and another which at first appeared to be 13 but on closer inspection was 1x9 and 1x4 with a single adult female (not sure if this is normal).

All around was the sign of breeding birds, a Blue Tit flew into a hole in a tree, 2 Dunnocks gathered food before flying to a nest site and a Wren gathered nesting material.

Other birds sang from every area, including many Wrens (good news after the hard winter)Song and MistleThrush,Robin, Blackbird, Chaffinch, Greenfinch and many more.

Good to see several Water Voles towards the Ambergate end, away from the usual High Peak Junction colony.
Quite a few Damselflies on the wing also.

A few dodgy photos attached, Little Grebe with young, Water Vole, Azure and Large Red Damselflies.

 

[ChrisLuv]

Hi Clive,

Wonder if that's the same brood I picked out on the 22nd May on their Mums back. If so its amazing how fast they grow.

Chris

 

[Clive A]

Hi Clive,

Wonder if that's the same brood I picked out on the 22nd May on their Mums back. If so its amazing how fast they grow.

Chris

Hi Chris,

My photo was of a brood the other side of Gregory tunnel, though there was a couple of virtually full grown young by the aquaduct. The ones I photographed are the furthest south that they breed, so it will be interesting to see if they colonise further down in the next year or so, now the canal has been dredged.

 

[ChrisLuv]

Hi Chris,

My photo was of a brood the other side of Gregory tunnel, though there was a couple of virtually full grown young by the aquaduct. The ones I photographed are the furthest south that they breed, so it will be interesting to see if they colonise further down in the next year or so, now the canal has been dredged.

Sounds like the same brood then, with so many birds over winter (i had counts over 20 this winter) then you'd expect them to be able to spread out along the length as you say. Would the algae problem in the south cause them any problems?

 

[Clive A]

Sounds like the same brood then, with so many birds over winter (i had counts over 20 this winter) then you'd expect them to be able to spread out along the length as you say. Would the algae problem in the south cause them any problems?

Well hopefully now many trees have been cleared the algae should not be such a problem. There is still a lot of dredging to be done, not sure if they will start again after the breeding season is over. It may take time to settle down, but hopefully the Grebes will expand their range in the next few years, we will have to keep a look out. Good counts of 20+Grebes in the winter Chris, I was talking to someone yesterday who thought numbers might have been down, but apparently not.

 

[michael23]

very quiet down the canal today, not many birds singing at all.
Started off with nuthatch calling in the large tree in the car park next to the canal, a flock of around 20 or so birds which were mostly blue tits were flitting around near the bridge opposite the cricket pitch, also in those trees Swallows were showing superbly with around 30 birds dotted through out the trees and a really impressive sight of c50 swallows scooping down onto the canal feeding just inches in front of us, it was very muggy and a light drizzle had brought the insects very low down indeed. Not much else from then on and up until the junction. Main note was a pair of little grebe had some very tiny young! prob about 4 or 5 days maybe? PLus a late brood of 2 mallard chicks, coots and moorhens in good numbers too. Didnt see that many grebes though, but with the reeds taking most of the canal in places, i reckon they were well hidden, also 1 buzzard today. I was very suprised at not having any chiffchaff or black caps,

 

[Clive A]

Thanks for the update Michael, I am having problems at home, so have not been able to get down on the canal at all. Interesting you say Coots are in good numbers, they are not that common usually down there, though I did note breeding early in the season.

 

[michael23]

its certainly more coots than i have seen before, i didnt do an exact count but 15 or so, never seen that many down there.

 

[Clive A]

Had a walk down there today, after a long absence. Good to see the usual supects, and get a feel for the canal again. Of note, plenty of Little Grebe(including many young) Nuthatch, GS Pecker, several Treecreepers,Goldcrests, Chiffchaff, Blackcap etc.
Nice to see a group of juvenile Bullfinches feeding on Rowan berry seeds near the sewage works.
Mute Swan at HPJ and Coot at wharf area.
Dragonflies noted were Southern Hawker and Common Darter.
Only Butterfly seen was Speckled Wood.
Kingfisher heard near the river.

 

[Clive A]

Forgot to post, but had a walk on the canal tuesday 16th:
Treecreeper 8+
Goldcrest 4+
Nuthatch 3
Gs Woodpecker 1 female
2 Mute Swans
3 Coots

 

[Clive A]

A single Hawfinch, in trees by the toilet block on the meadows,this morning.A redhead Goosander flew over, also. 240+ Wood Pigeons were on the move (N/N/E). The Yew trees are heavy with berries, but won't be for long if the many Mistle thrushes and Redwings have their way.

 

[Clive A]

Had an hour around the wharf and meadows this morning, a chilly -8C but otherwise a lovely morning. I was hoping for hawfinch but no joy there, but hundreds of Redwing were feeding on and under the Hawthorns. There were smaller numbers of Fieldfares, Mistles, Blackbirds and Song Thrushes all trying to find food along the edges of the canal. A Dipper was singing on the river.

 

[DaveN]

I imagine the canal's all frozen isn't it?