Derbyshire County Birding (1 Viewer)

[DaveN]

Just got back from a few hours up Bottom and Beeley Moor. Quite a few Crossbills in the former with a flock of c30 and a flock of c15. A lot more heard whilst walking round. Got some decent views of a female as it sat on top of a Conifer.

Many other birds seen/heard including Goldcrest, Coal Tit by the dozens, Blue and Great Tit, G.S Woods, Siskins, Robins, Dunnocks, Wrens, Blackbirds, c100 Starlings and Long-tailed Tits. Drove around the triangle and caught sight of a small Falcon being mobbed by a Corvid. A very pale looking individual but with it flying away from me and just the bins I couldn't get anything on it. Certainly looked interesting and maybe it was just a very pale Kestrel but it didn't really come across as one.

The Raptor and Corvid was in fact the only birds I saw around the triangle. I got out the car for ten minutes but there was absolutely nothing.......not even a Mipit!

 

[tvmr_birder]

No sign of the Crane earlier, a RL Partridge on wasteground near the Indian Restaurant opposite the Derby Royal was the only thing of even slight note.

Matt

 

[James_Owen]

Popped up to Carsi again this morning:
4 Shoveler,2+ Pintail,2 Goldeneye,2 RC Pochard,Dunlin and Siskin heard in several locations.

Took the girlfriend up to see the Kingfisher today, to add to the above late afternoon a fisherman's boat pushed a female Common Scoter close to Paul Stanley Hide. 3 Snipe also flushed by some sheep (one ewe doing a comedy belly flop into the channel left of the hide).

 

[ChrisLuv]

Spent a few hours of this morning down at Erewash Meadows.

Mistle thrush, 3 Redwing, 1 Stonechat (female), Bullfinch (female), several large mixed tit flocks. Widgeon, Gadwall too.

 

[Gomphus]

Went up Carsi yesterday, the RC Pochard had reached 8 in a flock snoozing in the weed mats off Sheepwash. Someone had recorded a male and female Scaup in the book (anyone on here as it wasn't signed?). We couldn't see them but a search turned up this Scaup alike in front of Sheepwash. Unfortunately the camera settings had got moved and I didn't realise till too late so only got a few blurry shots. Looks very good at first but the consensus amongst the birders present was its bill looks to have too much black at the nail area for a pure Scaup..... how much can an imm Scaup show?

The roost produced only 3 or so YLG and a couple of Herrings of note.

Not sure I remember ever seeing the water so low at Carsington./QUOTE]

James you should have seen the water levels in 1996, it was really low, and that was our best wader year with a massive (for inland) flock of Little Stint of 49 (still a county record I think!).

Oh and Clive.....RC did argue with the tern id but I'll stick to my guns on Arctic :-O:-O it definitely had pale secondaries etc!

ATB

Steph'

 

[Daniel Martin]

interesting to see a Crane noted at Castleton today.........."one north over Mam Tor towards Kinder Scout"........was this saturdays bird I wonder? strange that news wasnt very forthcoming after the original sighting. I would have thought someone who could age the bird would also know for sure that it was that species.

 

[Clive A]

Oh and Clive.....RC did argue with the tern id but I'll stick to my guns on Arctic :-O:-O it definitely had pale secondaries etc!

ATB

Steph'

Well I would agree, it certainly showed a white trailing edge. Roger told me he had not seen the Tern again, after he left Sheepwash.
Certainly been a good selection of Ducks at the res of late:
Mallard,Wigeon,Pochard,Gadwall,Teal,Ruddy:eek!:,Pintail,Tufted,Red crested Pochard,Chiloe Wigeon,Shoveler,Goldeneye, Common Scoter and now possible Scaup?

 

[DaveN]

Not so good a selection of Wildfowl today but did have a single Shoveler, and a single Pi ntail (as Clive now calls them), No sign of any Scaup like birds either. I often find records that haven't been signed in the log book to be a little dubious, especially when It's something fairly unusual.

6 'Mipits' on the Dam Wall, also a single Skylark over together with 3 more over Stones Island. A Dunlin was on one of the rafts of weed that have accumalated in front of sheepwash. Kingfisher very showy as usual and delighting many observers. 4 Buzzards, 2 Ravens, Grey Wag, 6 Grey Herons and a Yellow-legged Gull. Can't think of anything else apart from a few Butterflies, Speckled Wood and Comma.....oh and some Common Darters and a Southern Hawker.

 

[Clive A]

Not so good a selection of Wildfowl today but did , and a single Pi ntail (as Clive now calls them), NQUOTE]

Funnily enough I noticed that and tried to edit it, but when I did it didn't show the space, wierd.:smoke:

 

[DaveN]

Never mind mate. I know these computers can be a handful, especially when you're a techno-phobe. I did forget to mention something else I had yesterday....16 Redwings flew over Hall Wood.

 

[Gomphus]

A Dunlin was on one of the rafts of weed that have accumalated in front of sheepwash.

Aha, Saw a small, distant wader flying around on Saturday late on over the gull roost... just remembered it..... so my fly past ID of Dunlin was probably was right.....phew!


The Dragons are good late records Dave might nip up this pm to see if any are still around today!

ATB

Steph'

 

[Daniel Martin]

Never mind mate. I know these computers can be a handful, especially when you're a techno-phobe. I did forget to mention something else I had yesterday....16 Redwings flew over Hall Wood.

Thousands of Redwing being seen around the Country today, so worth checking for the "biggie" Derbyshire is due!?

eg, 5,000 west between 07:00 and 08:30am - Strumpshaw

21,551 flew over The Pinnacle between 06:55 and 09:25 - Sandy

 

[DaveN]

Just got back from Wyver, Dan. I had 135 Redwings in two separate flocks of 75 and 60. Also (which you already know about ) a superb Jack Snipe showing for several minutes behind the island. It was sat out in the open and looked lovely in the sunshine. It's the first one I've ever seen bobbing. I've only ever seen two before and they were sitting down doing nothing.

Also down there was 12 Snipe...the Common variety, 4 Shoveler, 200 BHG's, 25 Lapwing, Water Rail, 2 juv Mute Swans, 2 Buzzards, Kestrel, 3 Grey Herons, Skylark over, 20 Long-tailed Tits, Treecreeper, 3 Pied Wags, 2 Grey Wags, 62 Greylags and a Jay.

 

[Daniel Martin]

Jack Snipe is a nice find - any ropey long distant digi scoped images to share with us...??!

 

[DaveN]

Jack Snipe is a nice find - any ropey long distant digi scoped images to share with us...??!

Afraid not. I was so intent in just watching the bird that I didn't even think about a photo. If I'd known at the time how long it was going to stay out in the open then I would have got the camera out and took a few. I reckon they would have been quite good too because the light was pretty good.

 

[ChrisLuv]

Thousands of Redwing being seen around the Country today, so worth checking for the "biggie" Derbyshire is due!?

I'll be having a poke around locally tonight - though I'd probably need it carrying a sticker saying "MEGA" to recognise it .

 

[ChrisLuv]

Didn't have long, but larger number of redwing (10ish) today down at Erewash Meadows, also of note were Green and GS Woodpeckers. The latter confused me for a minute as it was perched rather than vertical on the side of a branch like normal. rubbish photo (as per normal for me) attached.

 

[Daniel Martin]

I like that pic Chris - it is an unusual pose for Greater Pecker thats for sure!

 

[Gomphus]

Adult winter Med Gull in the roost at Carsi tonight, along with the obligatory 4 or so adult YLGulls....... no young birds this year much tho'? Still the best views of YLG are of the semi-resident adult bird, either on the tern rafts off the WLC or the Spit at Sheepwash tho'. Also now the Herring Gull numbers are starting to rise with a few ads and imms in tonight, along with a single hulking 1st winter (or should we now say 1st calender year 1cy?) Greater BB.
A single Dunlin and 5 or so Snipe at the WLC were the wader highlights. Mid pm a pair of Buzzards were sparring with a pair of Ravens over Hall Wood for a few minutes.

Cheers

Steph'

Oh and I had a Peregrine over the Garden in Belper in the evening on Wednesday......

 

[Clive A]

Had a run over Beeley/Leash Fen this afto,
2 Peregrines interacting with a pair of Kes,
3 Sparrowhawks,
large flock,200ish,of mixed winter Thrushes and Starlings.100+ Lapwings.
5+ Crossbills and a few Redpoll.