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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Derbyshire County Birding (3 Viewers)

A couple of hours spent in the hide down Wyver this morning. The female Gadwall still has her 7 chicks, as does the female Tuftie. 3 Cormorants flew over high from the east. 3 Oystercatchers briefly on the island. 2 Kestrels and 2 Buzzards.

5 species of Warbler heard or seen including Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, and a Reed Warbler singing from behind the island.

I've noticed a few reports of Swifts heading south over the past few days including a couple of three figure counts at Ogston. Also 5'200 past Spurn by 12.00hrs today. Can't quite compete with those figures but I did get c70 going through this morning.

A flying visit with Chris on Thursday morning produced a Common Sandpiper on the island. 2 juvenile Peregrines around the horse field. 2 Buzzards and 3 Kestrel.
 
I've had a bit of luck in finding ringed birds at Carsington lately. First off was an immature Grey Heron a couple of weeks ago. A yellow ring 61 revealed it was ringed as a pullus on April 23rd at Lower Derwent NNR 6 miles south of York. My sighting on June 23rd was the first re-sighting of the bird. It was still at Carsington several days ago.

On Thursday of this week I found a ringed 1st summer Lesser-black Backed Gull at Sheepwash. The ring was a yellow ring on the left leg reading V8UT. And although I haven't heard back yet it's looking like it could be a Danish bird. I'm quite fond of Danish birds it has to be said.

Then yesterday I found another ringed 1st summer Lesser-black Backed Gull. This time it had a green ring on the right leg reading YBMB. I sent off an email last night and almost immediately I received a reply. It was ringed as a chick on 08/07/2013 at Ijmuiden, Forteiland in North Holland.

It stayed there until 15/08/2013 before being seen at Ijmuiden, Ijmondhaven also in Holland on 22/08/2013. Then on 19/10/2013 it was seen at Badajoz rubbish dump in Extremadura in Spain. The next recorded sighting was yesterday at Carsington.
 
A few photos of the Great White Egret at Carsington today.
 

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Another good bird for Carsington. Me and Chris were in the right place at the right time on the path to Hopton. Quite bizarre when it appeared to be leaving high NE until a Peregrine started attacking it. It then dropped back down and settled on Big Island for a while. Just heard from Roger that it's now at Sheepwash. It's been on site for almost 6 hours now so easily the longest staying GWE at Carsi.
 
Nice photos, Clive. I especially like the one with the Heron behind it. I liked that one when you showed it me earlier.
 
No further sign of the GWE this evening. Apparently it was flushed by a fishing boat and observer failed to see where it went :eek!:
I guess it could still be on site somewhere as there's plenty of areas it could be.
 
New here - pleased to meet you.

Hi all. I'm new here. Always loved my birds, and know some species fairly well, but don't consider myself particularly expert. I wouldn't say I would qualify as a birder, yet, and I don't have all the correct "gear" to observe birds at their best. But I do live in the wonderful Peak District and have always enjoyed its wildlife.

I'm in a bit of a quandary whether to invest in better binos and a scope. I'm happy too, if I maintain my current level of enthusiasm, and two things happened today to demonstrate why I need to, if I am to improve my recognition skills.

I was walking the high limestone uplands above Dovedale today. Steep, sheep grazed country with little vegetation. High above me, around the crags, a number of very agitated carrion crows were mobbing what I think was a female Peregrine - that's the thing about the binos ; I could pick up little detail - I might have thought Goshawk (the tail seemed quite long) except I don't associate Goshawks with open ground. So I'm only 80% sure it was a Peregrine.

Whatever it was swooped to the ground to pick up a crow - maybe it knocked it out of the sky earlier, but I missed that - and then carried the (young?) crow away with some amazingly agile flight given the size of its prey.

But the real optic problem was a smallish (<blackbird) grey, black and white bird I saw (briefly) on the ground. Dark grey to black shoulders and a strong black eyestripe / mask. As it flew away, black and white registered and the tail seemed quite long. My reaction was Great Grey Shrike (I have seen one before) but I know that they are veeeery rare winter visitors and this is July.

Since I got home I have pored over my bird books and online photos. More I think about it, the more I am convinced it could not be a shrike. Maybe it was darker than that, and my binos are poor. But I can't think what else it might have been.

So I thought I would do something positive and join birdforum. Hope this first post doesn't make me seem stupid, but I have a bad feeling that I have seen two remarkable things today, and I can't be certain what it is that I have been privileged to see; frustrating :#
 
welcome to birdforum drover, not much to go on your first bird, sparrowhawk at a guess , your second bird sounds like a wheatear
 
andm said:
welcome to birdforum drover, not much to go on your first bird, sparrowhawk at a guess , your second bird sounds like a wheatear
Click to expand...

Thanks for the welcome and for the ideas. Yes, a Wheatear is a distinct possibility - didn't see anything of the breast so only saw the blue/grey, black and white - I have checked a number of rear view photos, the habitat and behaviour fits, so I am confident that you are right.

The raptor was bigger than a sparrow hawk (I see those most days) and it outpaced the chasing crows whilst carrying a young crow (possibly a jackdaw)in its talons. I'm not certain it was a Peregrine, though that seems most likely - if anything, it seemed bigger, which made me wonder about a Goshawk. The wings were not as broad as a buzzard and I have never seen a buzzard move that quickly. Oh for a better view!
 
Clive A said:
It's looking like it's a French ringed bird Mark, but awaiting confirmation.
Click to expand...

News for the colour ringed Great Egret has now been received.
The bird was ringed as a nestling at Besne in France on 13th May 2013.It has subsequently been seen in the Netherlands on several occasions,the last of which was on 5th May 2014 at Beusichem, Culemborg.
 
Lapwings have increased to 106 today down Wyver. They were mostly on the right hand side of the pool which is just shallow enough to hold them. But I suspect that might change over the next 24 hours with what's forecast. Both the female Gadwall and female Tufted Duck still have 7 & 6 young respectively.

63 Mallards, a fem/juv Mandarin, 3 redhead Goosander, 3 Mute Swans, 2 Grey Herons the best of the rest. A Sparrowhawk seen twice with prey. Also 2 Buzzards and a Kestrel.

Three species of gull which is good for Wyver. The usual BH Gulls (15), and a 2nd summer of both Common Gull and LBB Gull.

All three hirundines present.....Swallow (10), House Martin (28), Sand Martin (4). Also a few Swifts. The only Warblers were a Sedge and a Chiffy.

Plenty of Butterflies in the very warm sunshine. At least 7 Gatekeepers, numerous Meadow Browns and Ringlets, 5+ Small Torts, 2 Red Ads and a Comma.
 

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