Lunch Time for the Raptors!!

Ed: I just want to wish you all a very happy 2020 and thank you for maintaining faith with David whilst he went through that 4 months period of rambling and the publishing of un-avian news.

I have now issued a 3-line whip requiring that all future posts are edited by me and will be authorised for publication by a conspicuous endorsement by me!!

2020… here we go!!!  Thank you for all your good wishes for the new year, and from a comment-ator on my last blog of 2019!!

So, 1^st January 2020 and Christine and I duly set off at 8.30am, neither of us apparently hung over from celebrating Hogmanay!

Our first stop per custom, was Markeaton Park. It was a bit chilly, but so quiet and few dog walkers. With the sun so low, spotting birds in the trees was not easy so by our standards, 25 was not very good. The only bird of note was the Little Egret that we (accidentally) flushed from the edge of the lake.

The Mackworth area and the journey to Cromford, produced nothing of note, although a (couple of?) Great Spotted Woodpeckers was a reward for our patience.

And Cromford? Absence of birders on the bridge over the Derwent, the Rugby club grounds, the church grounds and Willersley Hall, was a fair warning that Hawfinches were absent. And the walk along the river to the A6 disclosed a dearth of Dippers and Grey Wagtails. Not surprising really because the river was in full flow, and perching rocks were few and far between.

What was evident was how high up the waters-edge trees was the evidence of the December very high water, and the rubbish that had got caught up in the branches. We could envisage that that tide mark would be evident for many months, as we could not see what would bring down the rubbish – high wind and rain perhaps.

After lunch it was on to Carsington, and with the Sheepwash car park being full, on to the main centre and down to the Wildlife centre. Good decision as the number of scopes toters evidenced! I had read that apart from 2 Great Northern Divers, there had been reports of a Red Necked Grebe and Jack Snipe.     It was the Jack Snipe on Horseshoe Island that was attracting attention, and with a lot of patience we finally both spotted a very inactive bird amongst the brash. It was a while before I got a sighting, and only the broad bright yellow on its rump confirmed the Jack. Not that I saw it happening, but the frequent call was “It’s bobbing!!”  

3 Willow Tits on the feeders were nice, and we then headed to the point at Stones Island to successfully find what we deduced was the junior Great Northern Diver.

A group of us where tracking the Diver as it headed towards the dam wall, counting c45 seconds when the bird was down, up for a breather and then another 45 below. Then it decided to turn around and come back!!

Over the latter part of 2019 I have heard of frequent sightings of Chiffchaff over-wintering in different areas of the site, so it was a real thrill to have one in the scrub, right by the spot where we stood, such that we could id the bird even without bins.

36 was a satisfactory count for the first day of 2020 – onwards and upwards as they say.

And so it was Sunday January 5^th, and I joined 24 other people on Amanda’s first BwB walk of the year . Fortunately, she had 6 leaders, so everyone got any help they needed.

Stones Island did not have a lot to offer, but I was pleased to be the first to spot the Juvenile Great Northern Diver near the dam wall. The 6 pairs of Telescopes proved very useful, albeit patience was needed to wait for the bird to briefly surface.

The wildlife centre gave the group a good number of walk additions, to give a total of 34. Additions not seen elsewhere on the walk were Snipe, Willow Tit, Barnacle Goose, Redshank, Pochard (many..and mostly male), and I added 10 for my own list.

On the way home it was brilliant to spot a couple of raptors out for lunch! Well it was 12.30pm.  The first was a single Red Kite meandering around above the road searching for food. It is known that a pair bred at Kedleston Hall last year, so they should become even more familiar in 2020.

And as I was scanning a field near Weston Underwood, a Kestrel flew through with food dangling from its claws. Too quick to see what was on the menu, as the road had to be my priority!!

Being a bit self-indulgent, it is great to get back to having some Avian stories to tell you, so I hope this will continue.

Not to forget the old favourites snippet (of mine!)…. One of the best known of historical dates is 1066, and it was to-day in 1066 that Edward the Confessor died.. 954 years ago.

Happy Birding

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