Derbyshire County Birding (2 Viewers)

[Daniel Martin]

Had a great visit to Padley and Grindleford yesterday. News had been fairly negative in general but it produced all the expected birds yesterday, many feeding young.
Pied Flys much in evidence feeding young in boxes and fledged young in trees. Redstarts seemingly everywhere also busy feeding young as were Nuthatch, Treecreeper, and all the common Tits etc.
We had Dipper, Green and Great Peckers, several Cuckoo, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and a shimmering Wood Warbler half way down that performed very nicely indeed. A Spotted Fly was a bonus here too.
On the tops we had Tree Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Curlew, two pairs Stonechat feeding young but no Wheatear in the traditional areas due to being over grown.
Stopped at a few sites on the way home to add various raptors and several calling cuckoo again - they seem to be having a good year.

 

[DaveN]

Corncrake reported from Crich yesterday.

Still there today, apparently. Anybody know exactly where it is?

 

[Gomphus]

Still there today, apparently. Anybody know exactly where it is?

I wondered that to Dave, wondering now if its still there....

 

[Clive A]

And another, taken using scope and iPhone

Stunning shots Dan:t:

 

[DaveN]

For the 3rd year in a row Gadwall have once again bred down Wyver with the emergence of a female with 10 young on the main pool. Presuming it's the same female she also had 10 young last year and managed to keep all 10. So hopefully a similar scenario this year. The year before she had 9 but ended up with 5. In 2012 the young appeared on June 9th, last year was July 6th, and today 2014

In the log book for yesterday is a record of 3 Gadwall chicks. It is possible to have another female somewhere but we were down for a while today and only saw the female with 10. We did however see a female Mallard with 3 fairly fresh young. As well as the female with 10 chicks there were 5 adults so a total of 16 Gadwall is a site record.

Another surprise today was the pair of Mute Swans with 4 cygnets. I'm not sure where they bred because they originally built a nest on the main pool but then abandoned. They started to build again on the top pool but once again abandoned. They then disappeared until today so they must have been nearby.

Other bits of note was 4 Teal, 6 Tufted Ducks, 2 Oystercatchers, 25 Lapwings, Sparrowhawk with prey, male Kestrel and a Common Tern.

 

[DaveN]

It looks like Brutus the Yellow-legged Gull is back at Carsington. An adult dropped in at Sheepwash yesterday afternoon that certainly looked like him. There was also 79 Lessers of varying ages and 7 Common Gulls (6 1st summers and a 2nd summer). The BH Gull chick numbers are increasing daily with 22 at Millfields and 15 at WLC yesterday with more to come no doubt.

9 Grey Herons all at Sheepwash, pr of Mute Swans with 7 cygnets off Stones Island, Geese numbers are already huge with at least 330 Canadas, 5 Greylags and 2 Canada/Greylag hybrids. Tufted Duck broods are always late at Carsington and the first ones of the year appeared yesterday. A female with 7 chicks, a female with 3 and another with 1.

An unseasonal Arctic Tern flew through last night. There aren't many records in late June but there are some. Something else unseasonal is a Skylark that I've had twice this week. I had it singing above the Dam Wall on Wednesday and yesterday it was feeding on the Dam itself.

A Common Sandpiper also on the Dam is another bird unusual this time of year. LRP's haven't done anything this year but 2 are still hanging around.
At least 8 Oystercatchers including 2 well grown young.

Also on the Dam was the sad sight of a dead Kestrel.

 

[mtaylor87]

2 Egyptian geese at Willington yesterday

 

[Daniel Martin]

White letter hairstreak

Not birds I know but 20+ of these showing well in Derby on Elm this morning.
Mornings are best due to the position of the sun.

 

[John Eaton]

Back from a week or so in north Scotland. At WGP the LRP chick still survives and hope it will fly soon. The Oycs still have their 3 young, and the Redshank got off 2 broods, both seem to have moved over to the fisherman's side.
Other breeding news is a Shoveller with 6 young, and a Tufty with the same number this morning. Couple of Tern broods on Dead Goose and Lapwing as well. Difficult to tell what's happening on the Spit as only half is visible now and that is covered in vegetation, though BH Gull chicks can be seen and expect several broods of Terns. Overall looks like being a good year.
Pair of Hobby seen well on Saturday, though not sure seeing a pair is a good thing as one should be on a nest I guess.
Those Gypo geese have been around on and off for a month or so unfortunately.

 

[tvmr_birder]

Hi all,

Continuing the theme of breeding news, yesterday there was an Egyptian Goose pair with four juveniles at Barrow GP. With this species often breeding early it's possible they weren't bred here, but this site and surrounds has often been good for this species and is very close to Twyford where they have definitely bred before.

And at Shirebrook Colliery today three broods apiece of Tufted Duck & Gadwall.

And earlier in the Spring Goosander broods at both Abbey Hill and Ingleby.

Matt

 

[DaveN]

7 drake Common Scoters at Carsington this morning.

 

[DaveN]

The female Gadwall still has her 8 chick down Wyver. Plus another 3 adults on the main pool together with a drake Teal, 43 Mallards and 5 Tufteds.

A juvenile Peregrine spent about 30 seconds half heartedly having a go at some BH Gulls and Lapwings before flying towards the mill which I presume is where it came from. The 2 Oycs still present with 20 Lapwings.

7 Swifts feeding over the pool and Sedge and Whitethroat in song. I also heard a snippet of a song which was probably a Reed Warbler.

 

[DaveN]

Considering it's June and the apparent summer doldrums are in full flow it's looking like a bumper month species wise at Carsington. Species seen so far this month include Wigeon, Teal, Gadwall, Shoveler, Pochard, Common Scoter, Scaup, Skylark, Common Sandpiper, Hobby, Red Kite, Osprey, Little Egret, Black-tailed Godwits, Ringed Plover, Green Sandpiper, Greenshank, Arctic Tern, Sandwich Tern, Kingfisher, Spot Fly and Lesser Whitethroat. Not bad for June think you'll agree.

 

[Daniel Martin]

@_BBRC: #BBRCdecision :Ref No 4855.3 Accepted same-Lesser Scaup 16-Mar-13 Ogston Resr,Derby

 

[melodious]

Anybody happen to have any idea on the Quail that's been reported near Shillito Wood over the last week? I've been up three times (twice in the evening) and unfortunatley heard nothing in the area.

 

[melodious]

Thanks to Arniemonkey for the PM and father Dave for the gen. Heard this evening at 20.30 but not easy; somewhat drowned out by a Curlew alarm calling nearly in synch with it's song, three tractors mowing in adjacent fields, and a light aircraft taking off from another!

 

[DaveN]

Somebody is missing some Snow Geese. 4 at Carsington today. 1 White and 3 blue. Flew high west this afternoon.

 

[DaveN]

Every now and again I like to give Wyver a real good grilling, and today was one of those days. And quite productive it was too as there was plenty of young birds on show.

First off on the pools and the Gadwall has lost another chick so now has 7. Better news was a female Tufted with 9 fresh young. Also on the main pool was 57 Mallards, a female Mandarin, 3 more adult Gadwall and 4 drake Tufties.

A couple of Grey Herons and a couple of Cormorants. 2 Kestrels hunting over the old tip field, 3 Buzzards and young heard calling from some nearby woods.
No sign of the Oycs and only 7 Lapwings.

A Kingfisher hunting from the posts on the near bank. A Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, 4 Swifts, 8 Swallows, Sand Martin and 4 House Martins.

Lots of small birds inc many young. 12 Reed Buntings, 13 Chiffchaffs, 3 Sedge Warblers, 10 Whitethroats inc 4 juvs, 10 Blackcaps, 2 Redstarts, 2 Song Thrush, 3 Jays, 2 Nuthatch, 6 Coal Tits inc 2 juvs, 9 Robins, 16 Wrens, Grey Wagtail, 10 Blackbirds, adult and juv Goldcrest.

 

[DaveN]

Great White Egret flew over Long Eaton GP's and towards Trent Lock this morning.

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Somebody is missing some Snow Geese. 4 at Carsington today. 1 White and 3 blue. Flew high west this afternoon.

Blue morph bird reported in Staffs at Tittesworth Resr on June 24th.

CB