A quick hour around the quarry area at midday produced 2 Red Legged Partridge in the area chopped down to make way for the new Pylon lines. Other than that there were numerous Skylark in song with several 'parachuting' Meadow Pipits, probably about 20 or so displaying Lapwings as well. Finally just one Wheatear today.
Not a huge lot about but the day did have a 'spring' feel about it. First few Wheatear of the year with 5 birds seen, 1 just above Hillside farm (Derbyshire), 2 first right hand field up the PR path and 2 above Far Bradshaw.
A little on the 'slow' side, to say the least! Of some note were 20 rooks down, 2 ravens, chiffchaff, 13 lapwings, 2 red-legged partridge and a male reed bunting. The partridges were flushed by the farmer's wife and her team of dogs from the field between the pond and the plantation (about 20 minutes after you'd gone John!). Reed bunting also at the pond.
Not a lot different today. A flock of 14 golden plover was the main addition. Curlew 4, skylark 3+, lapwing 29, redpoll heard, rook 5+, c10 stock doves, kestrel. The 'other wildlife' was of more interest.
8 Curlew just in Derbyshire (pond field above the quarry) c200 Starling and 50 Lapwing in a mixed flock 11 Skylark put up while I was walking along Gun Road 2 Raven 1 Kestrel and 1 Snipe
A pair of Red Legged Partridge were a pleasant surprise.
No Raven's for a while now.
Cheers
Mark
Mark,
Had one yesterday, but little else. A snipe species rose from the weedy area around the pond just 4 feet in front of me and silently. Unfortunately it flew straight into the sun and behind a bush.
Andy
Cheers Andy, as it was I was down just as John was leaving yesterday and had 1 Raven then. No Stonechat but that was probably due to not getting that far over. Other than the Raven not much myself.
A pair of Red Legged Partridge were a pleasant surprise.
No Raven's for a while now.
Cheers
Mark
Mark,
Had one yesterday, but little else. A snipe species rose from the weedy area around the pond just 4 feet in front of me and silently. Unfortunately it flew straight into the sun and behind a bush.
I was up briefly on Monday for an hour but there was not much about numbers wise, I did hear one 'hoot' from a Tawny Owl near Hillside farm though. Other than that a single small flock of 10 Golden Plover was the only other thing of note. Nothing at Larkhill this time.
-- Edited by Mark Walsh on Thursday 7th of February 2019 01:36:58 PM
A surprise covey of at least 12 Grey Partridges flew across Gird Lane
Otherwise very quiet, the feeders at Larkhill being completely birdless. Elsewhere: A mixed flock of 41 Fieldfare and c90 Starlings 47 Rooks feeding with c180 Jackdaws 1 Pheasant
Generally quiet with the only 'lively' place being the feeders at Larkhill which produced;
1 Brambling 6 Tree Sparrow 5 Chaffinch 1 Reed Bunting
Mostly Corvid's elsewhere (no Ravens), one single Meadow Pipit by the quarry and a couple of Bullfinch at Cloughend were the only other small birds visible.
Good numbers of Fieldfares (I saw approx. 450 but Mark reported larger numbers earlier on) Red-legged Partridge 1 (Above quarry. Flew towards eastern end of Q) Teal 1 Snipe 1
A couple of hours this afternoon produced not a lot. Most numerous were corvids and woodpigeons but amongst a measly 22 species were: 14 Fieldfares 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers 2 Snipe 1 Sparrowhawk 1 Goldcrest
Looks like I got my ID wrong as Andy Bissitt had 2 Red-legged Partridge yesterday in the same area, so I withdraw my Grey Partridge. Usual excuses: Brief views, flying away, no time for optics, old age, mental infirmity etc. etc. but in the brief view I had I didn't pick out any white about the head.
An unexpected surprise today in the form of 2 Grey Partridge below the quarry. A juvenile Mute Swan, looking totally exhausted, flew in and flopped down on a hillside amongst the rushes and gorse. Buzzards 2 Raven 2 Fieldfare c60 Greenfinch 9
Main highlights this morning: Pink-footed Goose (316) in 3 closely associated skeins of 53, 168, 85. All SE at 12.10. Buzzard 5 (Resident pair seeing off 3 migrant interlopers) Skylark 2 over N. Redwing 15 (no Fieldfares) Nuthatch 3 Jay 4
Cheers John
Edit: Photo added of the largest skein. Roger Baker is my usual number checker so I expect him to be on here soon
-- Edited by John Rayner on Friday 19th of October 2018 05:31:47 PM
In bright sunshine with Andy Bissitt and Mark Walsh:
Pink-footed Geese (2 skeins of 56 and 57 both SE) Redpoll 12 Greenfinch 7 Fieldfare 63 Redwing 15 Skylark 4 Chiffchaff 1 Great Spotted Woodpeckar 1 Buzzard 2 and Kestrel 1 Only a thin passage of Woodpigeons and Meadow Pipits today
Cheers John
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Thursday 18th of October 2018 01:38:56 PM
Before I met John, I had 33 pink-footed geese going west and whilst watching one of the other groups he mentions (which were probably one and the same), I saw a flock of 250+ woodpigeons way off to the east.
Andy
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Thursday 18th of October 2018 10:30:41 PM
In bright sunshine with Andy Bissitt and Mark Walsh:
Pink-footed Geese (2 skeins of 56 and 57 both SE) Redpoll 12 Greenfinch 7 Fieldfare 63 Redwing 15 Skylark 4 Chiffchaff 1 Great Spotted Woodpeckar 1 Buzzard 2 and Kestrel 1 Only a thin passage of Woodpigeons and Meadow Pipits today
Cheers John
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Thursday 18th of October 2018 01:38:56 PM
Woodpigeons (433) with a few Starlings (28) amongst them. Only 5 Woodpigeons N Redwings (44) Fieldfares (40) Chaffinch 14 Greenfinch 9 Meadow Pipit (19) Jay 2 Raven 1
Take care if walking round the Western end of the quarry. Two large sink holes have appeared, one is at least 15 feet wide and 15 feet deep. Only one of them is roped off, the other part concealed. Over the years I must have been walking on a skin of grass and top soil
Cheers John
-- Edited by John Rayner on Tuesday 16th of October 2018 04:27:58 PM
One flock of about 40 Fieldfare over the quarry early afternoon, not much else until I got to the car at Hillside and had a Sparrowhawk in the fields opposite.
A male merlin gave me a thrilling display of its hunting technique just a few meters away. It flew off with the presumed meadow pipit and was probably the bird seen (at distance) being mobbed by two crows over the quarry area 50 minutes later.
Other things of note included 4 golden plover, 4+ snipe and a chiffchaff. Other than that the usuals like buzzards, kestrels, sparrowhawk, stock doves, common gulls, rook et al...
First post here for over a month during prime migration time. Kind of says it all really.
Only things which caught my eye on an afternoon of insect hunting were 5 ravens in loose association which went NW, and a juvenile/1st winter great black-backed gull. Otherwise it was a good job the sun provided me with some interest.
28th and today's combined sightings (today with Paul Greenall)
156 Starlings (nicely perched up on wires for easy counting on 28th) Lapwings - a large flock of probably around 200 mixed in with over 80 Starlings (today) 2 Ravens mobbing 2 Buzzards Kestrel 2 Buzzard 3 Linnet 3 Swallow flocks of c50 and 15 plus 2s and 3s House Martins 4 Sparrowhawk buzzing the Swallows Bullfinch 3 Canada Goose 37 Rook 12 Chiffchaff 6
50 Swallow over the fields near Larkhill, a further 20 or so through in small groups of 6 or less. 22 Meadow pipit 17 Mistle Thrush 11 Goldfinch 3 Jay 2 Kestrel 2 Chiffchaff 1 Buzzard
A visit this past Saturday produced 2 Spotted Flycatchers......alas in Derbyshire.
1 Spotted Flycatcher and 2 Redstarts (m&f) in same small hawthorn near Cloughend. Another fem/imm Redstart below quarry. A total of 12 Chiffchaffs including 6 together below quarry 2 Blackcaps 1 Whitethroat 5 Swallows south 7 Rooks 3 Buzzards (1 ad hunting, 1 juv begging, 1 distantly soaring) 15 Meadow Pipits 5 Reed Buntings 22 Goldfinches 1 Pheasant (no big releases this year as yet)
This afternoon, more for the fresh air than anything. Not massively exciting but at least some birds to see, viz:
At least 10, and possibly as many as 15 tree sparrows at Lark Hill. Also at least one tree sparrow was with a flock of its house cousins back west along Sandhill Lane (I walked up from the Glossop Rd).
30+ linnets near Ernocroft Farm, where also 12 swallows.
1 raven down on Ernocroft Ln.
8 stock doves (flock of 7 + 1 loner),
c150 starlings with at least 12 mistle thrushes feeding on the rowans on the track to Greenfield Farm.
also, sparrowhawk, kestrel, 2 rooks, 20+ more swallows. Just any sign of migration missing really!!