Feel free if you have crap taste in music to hum the tune to Four seasons in one day by Crowded House when you read the post title. I can't remember the last time I did actually have 2 lifers in one day but with a trip to North Norfolk I knew there was a possibility.
Chris mentioned on Wednesday that he was contemplating going for the long staying Western Sandpiper over at Cley. I was also up for New Year twitch and giving my meagre life list a little boost. We almost went on Thursday but with the weather forecast looking decidedly dodgy we elected to go Friday.
It meant an early start so I set the alarm for 04.00 in readiness for Chris coming at 05.00. The roads as you would expect at that time were fairly clear so by 08.30 we were at Cley. We walked to the hide overlooking Pat's Pool where the Western Sand had last been reported the previous day. There was already a few birders there and a after a short while we were watching the bird. It was a bit flighty as was all the birds due to a lurking Peregrine but we afforded good but fairly distant views.
There was plenty of other Waders there to keep us occupied when the Western Sand wasn't showing. There was at least 700 Golden Plover, c70 Blackwits, c30 Ruff, several Redshank and Curlew and 100's of Lapwing. Wildfowl consisted mainly of Wigeon and Teal but there was also c50 Shelduck, 3 Shoveler, a couple of Gadwall and a drake Pintail.
A couple of Marsh Harriers were quartering the marshes and one was showing interest in an obviously injured Pink-footed Goose. We heard the familar 'pinging' of Bearded Tits on several occasions and caught up with about 10 birds.
The Western Sand had been gone a while so we left and took a walk down the East Bank towards the sea. We were hoping for some Snow Buntings but it was fairly quiet. A brief seawatch didn't reveal much either apart from 6 Shelduck and a probable very distant Red T Diver flying West.
We then left and made our way to Holkham to take a look at the Geese. It was the first time I had been there in mid-winter so hadn't seen as many Geese as that before. We estimated about 10,000 Pink feet but could well be out by a few thousand either way. Whilst scanning the Geese we found 2 Ross's Geese. We hadn't seen them reported before so we put the news out.
There had been some Shorelarks knocking about so we went in search of those. The trouble is, a few birders said that there were that many dogs running about the birds had buggered off. We had a look anyway but only got a flock of 60+ Skylark.
We went back to look through the Geese when somebody shouted that a Rough legged Buzzard was up. We turned around to see it soaring over the woods. It was nice to finally catch up with one and see the differences between that and Common Buzzard. It just looked different on shape, the way it flew, the way it held its wings, the obvious pale rump and the pale underwing that really emphasised the dark carpal patches.
Looking through the Geese again we found some Barnacles, around 18 in total. We also found a load of European White Fronts although we couldn't find anywhere near the 75 that were reported. There was also 16 Bean Geese there which we failed to see.
We were thinking of going to Titchwell for the Arctic Redpoll but we hadn't a lot of time and as it hadn't been reported all day we drove straight past. As we neared Snettisham I looked on my phone and saw that it had been put on late afternoon that it was showing well. It was too late to turn back so we headed to Wolverton to see if any Golden Pheasants were showing....and they weren't. Never the less, it was a good day.
Saturday, 7 January 2012
Sunday, 1 January 2012
2011 Review
On my previous blog when I did a 2010 review it took me hours to do due to trawling through all my records for the year. I was however pleased with the end result and the comments I received. So hopefully this will go the same way. Well, If you missed that one, this is just my take on 2011 whether it be highs, lows, what ifs, maybe and maybe nots.
My first highlight of the year involved a site tick that came on Jan 10th at Carsington. A female Smew was found at the back end of 2010 and luckily stayed on until the new year. The 10th was my first day of the year out birding and I caught up with the Smew near the draw off tower where it stayed for most of its stay. 2 Great Northern Divers were also seen, together with 41 Goldeneye, Yellow-legged Gull, Pintail and 13 Ruddy Duck (them were the days).
On Jan 18th and although not really a highlight as such we did have 10 Pochard down Wyver Lane which is quite a notable count for there. We meaning Chris and myself. We went up to Beeley Moor for the Great Grey Shrike and met Clive up there who said it had been showing well and indeed it was. It was also extremely cold up there as I recall. It was fairly quiet up there otherwise although we did have c50 Pink-footed Goose over. The following day at Carsington I had the Smew, 2 Gn Divers, 3 Pintail, 5 Buzzards and a couple of YL Gulls.
On the 24th and again at Carsington I had 2 skeins of Pink-feet go over. 43 at 09.55 and then 170 at 11.00. The Gull roost that day held an adult Med Gull, 2 Yl Gulls and c350 Common.
The 26th was one of those 'the one that got away' maybe. I was sitting alone in Sheepwash Hide when I had the 2 long staying GN Divers. I scanned towards the south end part of the res and picked up a 3rd Diver. Although distant I was sure it was a Red-throated. Clive later joined me and despite us both searching we couldn't find it again. A couple of days later and 3 GN Divers were on site so it was probably a GND after all. The female Smew was still present and c150 Pink-feet flew over west.
On Jan 31st I was out with Clive and as well as the 3 GN Divers at Carsington we had a while down Cromford and bagged the first Hawfinch of the year.
On Feb 8th at Carsington I had a Dark Bellied Brent Goose at Sheepwash. Only my second Derbyshire record. My first was also at Carsington. Another trip down to Cromford revealed 2 Hawfinch.
On Feb 14th I was again out with Clive and we had a pair of Goshawk. Unfortunately I can't reveal the location just in case there are any dick heads reading this. Whilst doing the Gull roost we had a Barn Owl in front of the hide.
February 21st saw 2 Pintail arrive at Wyver. Quite a rarity for down there. Also a rather high count of 630 BH Gulls.
By the end of the month Waders were starting to return with 5 Oystercatchers and 5 Curlew at Carsi.
I was down Wyver on March 1st and apart from the first Grey Wagtail of the year and 9 Common Gull it was a typical Wyver day. Carsington on the other hand had 22 Whooper Swans which I think Clive caught up with.
The following day I went to Carsington but the Whoopers were long gone. Oystercatchers had increased to 10 and the Barn Owl was seen again.
At Carsington on March 7th I had a Rock Pipit at Sheepwash. My first ever spring record. An adult Med Gull was again in the roost.
The following day I had the first Curlew of the year at Wyver. One lucky person however had a Snow Bunting at Carsington.
On March 9th whilst scanning the regular feral Barnacle Goose flock I noticed that one was colour ringed. With a little help from Clive and Carsington Bird Club Recorder, Roger we managed to read the ring. I sent off the information and after a few weeks I received the following email.
"Orange ADZ was ringed on 8/2/99 at Caerlaverock WWT in Dumfriesshire, Scotland as a male first year bird hatched in summer 1998. It was last seen on the reserve on 27/1/10 and is seen on the Solway in most winters". So somehow a seemingly wild bird and gotten caught up with the feral flock and as genuine wild Barnacle Geese in Deryshire are as rare as a goal from Fernando Torres it attracted quite a bit of interest.
On March 10th the first Oystercatcher of the year returned down Wyver Lane.
March 14th and there were still 3 GN Divers at Carsi with the possibility of 4 present. The Barn Owl was seen again. We also had 3 Stonechats up on Beeley.
March 15th proved to be one of my all time birding highlights never mind just for the year. I was sitting in the hide down Wyver on what was quite a misty day. Around lunchtime a large group of BH Gulls flew in and then in almost disbelief I heard the call of Avocet. I scanned through the flock of Gulls and saw not 1 but 5 Avocets. The first record for Wyver and also the 3rd highest for Derbyshire. Sand Martins also returned on the 15th with a total of 6. And another good bird for Wyver was a Redshank although it was just a fly through. I heard my first Chiff Chaff of the year too.
A single Dunlin was down Wyver on the 17th and on the 19th a Barnacle Goose.
On March 22nd I had 9 Buzzards down Wyver which is the joint highest record down there.
On the 25th I was down Wyver with Chris when a male Wheatear flew in and landed in front of the viewing mound. Mine and Chris's first for Wyver. Later that same day a sure sign of Summer approaching as we had a Little Ringed Plover down at Willington.
On the 29th I had my first Swallows of the year with 3 at Wyver. Clive also found a Black Redstart up at Carsington. I caught up with it the following day.
On April 2nd I had another Wheatear down Wyver. I wait almost 10 years to see one down there and now have 2 in just over a week.
My first Housemartins were at Carsington on April 4th and my first Blackcap at Wyver the next day.
Another site tick on the 6th when at Carsington we had a Red Kite. Also a Common Sandpiper which was the first of the year.
My first Garden Warbler was one at Wyver on April 12th.
The next day and things were really starting to pick up. At Carsington we had over 100 Swallows, 50+ Housemartins, 6 LRP's and a couple of Yellow Wags. Up on the moors and Wheatears seemed to be everywhere. We counted at least 19 but there was probably many more. We also had 140 Golden Plover and 70+ Meadow Pipit.
On April 14th another site tick at Wyver. I was standing on the viewing mound when I heard a Redstart singing from near Wyver woods. I took a walk up and there was 2 males. My first Whitethroat of the year was down the lane.
By the 16th there was still 2 male Redstarts down Wyver and they had been joined by a female. I was with Chris and when we heard about a pair of Garganey down at Willington so we went down there. Also my first Cuckoo and Common Tern of the year.
On April 18th I went up to North Derbyshire and finally got Ring Ouzel on my County list. A trawl around the moors produced our first Tree Pipits of the year. The next day down Wyver I had a Yellow Wagtail and a Grasshopper Warbler.
On the 20th at Carsington and another couple of year firsts. I wasn't far off leaving site when I picked up 5 Black Terns off Stones Island and as I was walking off the island a Whimbrel flew over.
On May 1st a Nightingale was reported in South Derbyshire at Ambaston. A rare bird for Derbyshire and one that would be a lifer for both Clive and me. Clive picked me up and we went down there. We waited a while before we heard it. But seeing it in very blustery conditions wasn't going to be easy. Eventually persistance paid off and we had some not very good views.
The following day there was both Green Sand and Common Sand down Wyver.
On May 5th I had an Osprey perched on one of the newly erected platforms at Carsington near Lane End Hide. A good publicity stunt by Severn Trent erecting those because if they think Ospreys are going to breed on them then they are in cloud cuckoo land. On May 9th I had another Osprey at Carsi, also my first Hobby of the year.
My first Sanderling of the year was on May 11th at Carsington.
May 13th was a good day at Wyver but not for me. Another birder had Marsh Harrier, Red Kite, Hobby and a Cuckoo. I did however have a Whinchat up on Beeley.
On May 16th I had 4 Arctic Terns at Carsi.
May 18th was another good day at Carsington. I had already picked up the adult Great Northern Diver from Sheepwash. As I scanned the water with my scope I picked up a 2nd Diver. I was sure it was a Black-throated but because of inexperience and distance I wasn't sure. After a short while it moved much closer and indeed it was a BTD. I put the news out and several more birders caught up with it. Ironically, the Great Northern which was now in fine summer plumage decided that the 18th was to be its last day and left.
On May 19th I was out with Chris when a Spoonbill and Kittiwake was reported at Ogston. Unfortunately they were just fly throughs so we had to make do with 22 Ringed Plover and a Sanderling.
On May 21st I was sitting in Sheepwash Hide at Carsington when quite late in the day a Tern flew in front of the hide. At first it totally threw me and got me thinking I had something quite rare. Luckily it perched on some rocks in front of the hide and after taking a few photos it left site. I was quite sure It was a 1st summer Arctic Tern which in itself is quite rare in Europe. Many other birders saw the photos and were also happy it was a 1st summer Arctic.
May 23rd and yet another Osprey at Carsington. The BT Diver was till present. Not quite a highlight but at the feeding station at the wildlife centre we watched a Jackdaw kill a juvenile Tree Sparrow.
On May 26th there was 2 Shelduck down Wyver Lane. They stayed for over a month.
On May 28th I had a possible Cetti's Warbler down Wyver. I initially heard a call which I couldn't quite place then I heard what could have been a bit of sub song across the pool. Unfortunately it wasn't heard again so that was that.
2 Turnstone at Carsington on May 31st were the first of the year.
On June 2nd Chris and I went up to Padley Gorge in search of Wood Warbler and Pied Flycatcher. We had at least 11 Pied Flys although Wood Warbler was a little harder. We eventually had one lone singing male. There was also a pair of Spotted Flycatchers.
June 4th saw a site rare Spotted Flycatcher down Wyver Lane.
On June 6th we had a Quail near Aldwark not far from Carsi.
On June 12th a Great White Egret was found at Carr Vale. Despite persistant rain Chris picked me up and we went up for it. Another lifer despite getting pissed wet through.
The next day I went to see the Egret again but this time with Clive . We also surprisingly had a Woodcock on the Moors at 15.10 in the afternoon.
On June 23rd a Red-footed Falcon was found near Long Eaton. I was at Carsington for most of the day but managed to meet up with Chris and went for it. The bird was very obliging often perching only a few metres away.
June 26th and another day out with Chris. We tried for Quail at Pikehall but no joy there. We did have 4 Yellow Wags and then another 5+ Yellow Wags near Elton. We tried for Nightjar at a secret location and got one churring at 21.15 and then decent views in good light. We then had it perched up for a little while. We also had 2 Woodcock, 2 Tree Pipits and a Hobby.
Chris and I again tried for Quail at Pikehall on July 1st but this time we had at least 5 birds calling.
Early July also seen a first record for Derbyshire of a Western Bonellis Warbler. It turned up on July 3rd and the next day Chris picked me up bright and early for the long drive. We arrived on site to find a handfull of birders looking. We eventually heard the bird singing and a liitle later had quite good views. I also went the following day with Clive although this time I only heard it. The bird stayed for 43 days and is the longest staying Western Bonellis ever in the UK.
July 10th and down Wyver with Chris saw another site tick when we had 3 Crossbills fly over the viewing mound.
Out with Clive on the 11th we had 13 Raven up together on the moors. Also 2 Hobbies and a male Whinchat.
On the 13th I had 5 Greenshank drop in near Sheepwash Hide at Carsi. My biggest Greenshank flock in the county.
The water at Carsington was dropping fast and with miles of exposed shoreline waders were already passing through and taking advantage. On July 18th I had a site record 18 Common Sandpipers. And that was only at 2 locations so I suspect there was probably more.
July 23rd down Wyver I heard Crossbills going over and there was a site record 4 Raven.
On July 25th Little Ringed Plovers were proved to have bred at Carsington when Clive and me found a pair with 4 young. Nearby we also had a Grasshopper Warbler which was another site tick. In the evening we had a Long-eared Owl on the moors.
July 29th was quite a good day at Willington. Chris who was year listing needed Black Tern so when one got reported from Platform 4 we shot down there. We got the Tern and 7 Little Egret, Water Rail, Hobby, 3 Green Sands, 16 Common Tern and finally 15 Black-tailed Godwits dropped in.
July 30th and I got another county tick with Marsh Tit near Ticknall. We then went to Welbeck in Notts for Honey Buzzard. No luck but we did have Goshawk, Hobby, 7 Buzzard and a Marsh Harrier. The downside was seeing a group of young Weasels flattened by some arse in his car.
Unbelievably just 2 days later I was walking down to Sheepwash Hide with Clive when we heard a Marsh Tit calling. Only 2 days after my first county one. This one was better though giving me another Carsi tick.
On August 12th Clive found a Little Stint at Carsington near off Stones Island. I had just taken my lad to the pictures and was sipping my second pint when I heard. Chris who was in south Derbyshire siad he would pick me up. So I got Mrs Cant Be Arsed to pick the lad up and went up Carsi and got the Little Stint. We had already been at Carsi in the morning and had had 2 Greenshank, 3 Turnstone, 12 Ringed Plover, 4 Dunlin, 8 LRP and a Yellow Wag.
August 13th and we had 2 Sandwich Terns at Carsi. Also Clive and me had 3 Crossbills over. Another site tick.
A Spotted Redshank was reported at Willington on Aug 16th so I went down with Chris for that one. My first visit to Newton Solney was quite productive with 4 Green Sands and 5+ Yellow Wags.
Two days later at Carsington Clive and me got another Spotted Redshank.
On August 20th I had an adult Caspian Gull at a private site.
August 22nd at Carsington and me and Clive had a flock of 19 Yellow Wagtails on Stones Island. Easily the biggest ever Autumn flock.
August 30th saw me have another Osprey at Carsington.
The next day and again at Carsington I was standing on Stones Island with Clive when a Marsh Harrier come in from over the Dam Wall and over the island. A Carsi and County tick.
On September 3rd I went up Carsi with Chris and had 2 juvenile Curlew Sands.
September 7th and again at Carsington I got yet another Osprey. This one was a bit more special though. It turned out to be a bird called Rothiemurchus, one of Roy Dennis' Scottish satellite tagged ospreys which was reported flying S over Ladybower Res at 1pm and then south over Carsington at 2.50pm.
I or should I say we, were very lucky on Sep 13th. I had been down Wyver with Chris in the morning and we were then wondering where to go. We decided on Carsington where we met up with Clive. We were enjoying all the waders near the sailing club.....4 Curlew Sands, 5 Ruff, Knot, 10+ Ringed Plovers, 2 Dunlin., Greenshank, Green Sand when we took a walk onto Stones Island. We had just walked to the end to scan the water when both Clive and me received a text from Roger that read 'Gannet at Carsi now'. I think we let out the odd swear word, actually I know we did. We looked across the water to see one flying about towards Sheepwash. Wanting better views we raced to the car and sped around to the new path. We had much better views and even had the pleasure of seeing it being mobbed by a female Peregrine. After a while it flew off high north east. Another county and site tick and one of the better ones.
As I said earlier, Waders were taking advantage of the low water and on Sep 19th we had another site record. This time 23 Ringed Plover. We also had 3 Ruff and 135 Meadow Pipits.
On the 22nd down Wyver there was a record count of 184 Greylag Geese.
I've mentioned in some of my previous posts about visible migration and how much I enjoy it. On Sep 27th down Wyver with Chris we did just that. I don't think either of us expected it to be quite so good though. Over a 3hr period we had 540 Meadow Pipits, 114 Swallows, 49 Pied Wags and c50 Linnets. Quite an unusual record turned up in built up Codnor. A Nightjar had decided that somebody's garden fence in the middle of a housing estate would be a good place to spend a few days. So I went with Chris for a look in what was one of the hottest days of the year.
The first week in October saw Clive and me head over to Norfolk for 5 days. It wasn't the best week we've had over there but the highlight was a Barred Warbler at Holme on Oct 3rd.
On Oct 10th whilst I was sitting in Sheepwash Hide at Carsi I witnessed nature in the raw. There was some small groups of Teal feeding in some shallow pools in front of the hide. Then out of nowhere a female Peregrine flew in and took one out. For about half hour I watched the Peregrine devour the Teal. Fascinating to watch.
Some more visible migration down Wyver Lane on Oct 13th saw 101 Skylark over in about 3 hours. Also quite a lot of Fieldfare and Redwing on the move.
Oct 17th and me and Clive had an adult Great Northern Diver at Carsi. We thought it was one of the returning birds but within a few hours it had buggered off.
Oct 19th at Carsi wasn't a bad day until I realised I had missed an Arctic Skua. Earlier in the day I had had 3 Whooper Swans and some Crossbills over the dam. However, later in the evening whilst going through the Gulls the whole lot went up. I knew straight away it was a Skua but despite frantically searching I couldn't find one. I then received a text from another birder in a hide about half a mile away that an Arctic Skua had flew through. I was gutted to say the least as any Skua at Carsi would be most welcome.
On Oct 28th I went over to Norfolk with Chris for an Isabelline Shrike. Absolutely stunning views and if you look elsewhere on this blog you will see some cracking photos.
Whilst we were in Norfolk a Squacco Heron turned up at Attenborough NR in Notts but was also occasionally seen on the Derbyshire side of the river. There wasn't a lot we could do over in Norfolk but we were both keen to see it.....especially in Derbyshire.
I was struggling to get down to see it but on Nov 1st Clive picked me up to go and have a look. We waited quite a while to see it but it was only in Notts. But I was just glad to have seen the bird.
On Nov 3rd I went down to see it again with Chris and luckily saw it on the Derbyshire side of the river. A little later that day we had a Great White Egret at Barrow GP's
Nov 8th down Wyver and me and Chris had 86 Stock Doves. My previous best was about 20.
The following day at Carsi we had 276 Golden Plover. Both Clive and me had had a walk on Beeley Moor with very little of note apart from 2 Stonechat. As were walking back towards the car a female Marsh Harrier appeared through the mist.
Golden Plover numbers at Carsi was increasing all the time and on Nov 13th Chris and me had 350+. We fancied a couple of hours on the moors but the higher we got we realised we were wasting our time due to the thick fog. Just before we got on the moors though we had 11 Bewick's Swans fly low over the road right in front of us. We didn't realise it at the time but they had been at Carsi before leaving north.
Nov 14th we had 3 Whooper Swans at Carsi and 361 Golden Plover. Also the first ever November record of Greenshank. Later that day whilst we were in the hide I received a text that there was 2 Bewick's Swans at Wyver. Being my local patch I was very keen to see them but with Karen not coming to pick me up until after 16.00 I knew time wasn't on my side. When she picked me up we drove as fast as legally possible to Wyver. We arrived in fading light to find 2 Mute Swans by the Tern raft and a further 2 Swans asleep at the back of the pool. A quick clap of my hands and they popped their hards up revealing themselves. The first record at Wyver since 1990 so obviously my first there.
On the 16th Nov I had a site tick Grey Partridge at Carsi. Maybe of dodgy origin but maybe not.
Nov 17th and quite an incredible record. I was standing on the viewing mound at Wyver with Chris having a typical Wyver day. When just behing the large ash tree I saw a small bird fluttering about. I couldn't quite work it out at first but then I realised it was a Housemartin. I shouted out Housemartin but it then disappeared. I'm sure Chris didn't believe me but eventually he saw it for himself. Without doubt Wyver Lane's latest ever record and the 2nd latest ever for Derbyshire. One was at Drakelow on Nov 23rd 1997.
The following day I was out with Chris again when we went down to Willington for the Bean Geese that had been around since the previous day. We hadn't been on platform 4 long when the 7 Beans flew in and landed on the water.
On Nov 22nd me and Chris had just had a Jack Snipe on the moors when we heard about a Black Redstart at Carsi so we went down for that.
Down at Kedleston on Dec 1st we had 75 Mandarin.
We started to notice down Wyver that around dusk there were decent numbers of Mandarin flying over to roost somewhere. On Dec 20th we had over 40 birds over. Later that day at Kedleston we had 4 Whooper Swans and a Water Rail.
Well that's it and it wasn't a bad year. Let's hope for more of the same this year.
My first highlight of the year involved a site tick that came on Jan 10th at Carsington. A female Smew was found at the back end of 2010 and luckily stayed on until the new year. The 10th was my first day of the year out birding and I caught up with the Smew near the draw off tower where it stayed for most of its stay. 2 Great Northern Divers were also seen, together with 41 Goldeneye, Yellow-legged Gull, Pintail and 13 Ruddy Duck (them were the days).
On Jan 18th and although not really a highlight as such we did have 10 Pochard down Wyver Lane which is quite a notable count for there. We meaning Chris and myself. We went up to Beeley Moor for the Great Grey Shrike and met Clive up there who said it had been showing well and indeed it was. It was also extremely cold up there as I recall. It was fairly quiet up there otherwise although we did have c50 Pink-footed Goose over. The following day at Carsington I had the Smew, 2 Gn Divers, 3 Pintail, 5 Buzzards and a couple of YL Gulls.
On the 24th and again at Carsington I had 2 skeins of Pink-feet go over. 43 at 09.55 and then 170 at 11.00. The Gull roost that day held an adult Med Gull, 2 Yl Gulls and c350 Common.
The 26th was one of those 'the one that got away' maybe. I was sitting alone in Sheepwash Hide when I had the 2 long staying GN Divers. I scanned towards the south end part of the res and picked up a 3rd Diver. Although distant I was sure it was a Red-throated. Clive later joined me and despite us both searching we couldn't find it again. A couple of days later and 3 GN Divers were on site so it was probably a GND after all. The female Smew was still present and c150 Pink-feet flew over west.
On Jan 31st I was out with Clive and as well as the 3 GN Divers at Carsington we had a while down Cromford and bagged the first Hawfinch of the year.
On Feb 8th at Carsington I had a Dark Bellied Brent Goose at Sheepwash. Only my second Derbyshire record. My first was also at Carsington. Another trip down to Cromford revealed 2 Hawfinch.
On Feb 14th I was again out with Clive and we had a pair of Goshawk. Unfortunately I can't reveal the location just in case there are any dick heads reading this. Whilst doing the Gull roost we had a Barn Owl in front of the hide.
February 21st saw 2 Pintail arrive at Wyver. Quite a rarity for down there. Also a rather high count of 630 BH Gulls.
By the end of the month Waders were starting to return with 5 Oystercatchers and 5 Curlew at Carsi.
I was down Wyver on March 1st and apart from the first Grey Wagtail of the year and 9 Common Gull it was a typical Wyver day. Carsington on the other hand had 22 Whooper Swans which I think Clive caught up with.
The following day I went to Carsington but the Whoopers were long gone. Oystercatchers had increased to 10 and the Barn Owl was seen again.
At Carsington on March 7th I had a Rock Pipit at Sheepwash. My first ever spring record. An adult Med Gull was again in the roost.
The following day I had the first Curlew of the year at Wyver. One lucky person however had a Snow Bunting at Carsington.
On March 9th whilst scanning the regular feral Barnacle Goose flock I noticed that one was colour ringed. With a little help from Clive and Carsington Bird Club Recorder, Roger we managed to read the ring. I sent off the information and after a few weeks I received the following email.
"Orange ADZ was ringed on 8/2/99 at Caerlaverock WWT in Dumfriesshire, Scotland as a male first year bird hatched in summer 1998. It was last seen on the reserve on 27/1/10 and is seen on the Solway in most winters". So somehow a seemingly wild bird and gotten caught up with the feral flock and as genuine wild Barnacle Geese in Deryshire are as rare as a goal from Fernando Torres it attracted quite a bit of interest.
On March 10th the first Oystercatcher of the year returned down Wyver Lane.
March 14th and there were still 3 GN Divers at Carsi with the possibility of 4 present. The Barn Owl was seen again. We also had 3 Stonechats up on Beeley.
March 15th proved to be one of my all time birding highlights never mind just for the year. I was sitting in the hide down Wyver on what was quite a misty day. Around lunchtime a large group of BH Gulls flew in and then in almost disbelief I heard the call of Avocet. I scanned through the flock of Gulls and saw not 1 but 5 Avocets. The first record for Wyver and also the 3rd highest for Derbyshire. Sand Martins also returned on the 15th with a total of 6. And another good bird for Wyver was a Redshank although it was just a fly through. I heard my first Chiff Chaff of the year too.
A single Dunlin was down Wyver on the 17th and on the 19th a Barnacle Goose.
On March 22nd I had 9 Buzzards down Wyver which is the joint highest record down there.
On the 25th I was down Wyver with Chris when a male Wheatear flew in and landed in front of the viewing mound. Mine and Chris's first for Wyver. Later that same day a sure sign of Summer approaching as we had a Little Ringed Plover down at Willington.
On the 29th I had my first Swallows of the year with 3 at Wyver. Clive also found a Black Redstart up at Carsington. I caught up with it the following day.
On April 2nd I had another Wheatear down Wyver. I wait almost 10 years to see one down there and now have 2 in just over a week.
My first Housemartins were at Carsington on April 4th and my first Blackcap at Wyver the next day.
Another site tick on the 6th when at Carsington we had a Red Kite. Also a Common Sandpiper which was the first of the year.
My first Garden Warbler was one at Wyver on April 12th.
The next day and things were really starting to pick up. At Carsington we had over 100 Swallows, 50+ Housemartins, 6 LRP's and a couple of Yellow Wags. Up on the moors and Wheatears seemed to be everywhere. We counted at least 19 but there was probably many more. We also had 140 Golden Plover and 70+ Meadow Pipit.
On April 14th another site tick at Wyver. I was standing on the viewing mound when I heard a Redstart singing from near Wyver woods. I took a walk up and there was 2 males. My first Whitethroat of the year was down the lane.
By the 16th there was still 2 male Redstarts down Wyver and they had been joined by a female. I was with Chris and when we heard about a pair of Garganey down at Willington so we went down there. Also my first Cuckoo and Common Tern of the year.
On April 18th I went up to North Derbyshire and finally got Ring Ouzel on my County list. A trawl around the moors produced our first Tree Pipits of the year. The next day down Wyver I had a Yellow Wagtail and a Grasshopper Warbler.
On the 20th at Carsington and another couple of year firsts. I wasn't far off leaving site when I picked up 5 Black Terns off Stones Island and as I was walking off the island a Whimbrel flew over.
On May 1st a Nightingale was reported in South Derbyshire at Ambaston. A rare bird for Derbyshire and one that would be a lifer for both Clive and me. Clive picked me up and we went down there. We waited a while before we heard it. But seeing it in very blustery conditions wasn't going to be easy. Eventually persistance paid off and we had some not very good views.
The following day there was both Green Sand and Common Sand down Wyver.
On May 5th I had an Osprey perched on one of the newly erected platforms at Carsington near Lane End Hide. A good publicity stunt by Severn Trent erecting those because if they think Ospreys are going to breed on them then they are in cloud cuckoo land. On May 9th I had another Osprey at Carsi, also my first Hobby of the year.
My first Sanderling of the year was on May 11th at Carsington.
May 13th was a good day at Wyver but not for me. Another birder had Marsh Harrier, Red Kite, Hobby and a Cuckoo. I did however have a Whinchat up on Beeley.
On May 16th I had 4 Arctic Terns at Carsi.
May 18th was another good day at Carsington. I had already picked up the adult Great Northern Diver from Sheepwash. As I scanned the water with my scope I picked up a 2nd Diver. I was sure it was a Black-throated but because of inexperience and distance I wasn't sure. After a short while it moved much closer and indeed it was a BTD. I put the news out and several more birders caught up with it. Ironically, the Great Northern which was now in fine summer plumage decided that the 18th was to be its last day and left.
On May 19th I was out with Chris when a Spoonbill and Kittiwake was reported at Ogston. Unfortunately they were just fly throughs so we had to make do with 22 Ringed Plover and a Sanderling.
On May 21st I was sitting in Sheepwash Hide at Carsington when quite late in the day a Tern flew in front of the hide. At first it totally threw me and got me thinking I had something quite rare. Luckily it perched on some rocks in front of the hide and after taking a few photos it left site. I was quite sure It was a 1st summer Arctic Tern which in itself is quite rare in Europe. Many other birders saw the photos and were also happy it was a 1st summer Arctic.
May 23rd and yet another Osprey at Carsington. The BT Diver was till present. Not quite a highlight but at the feeding station at the wildlife centre we watched a Jackdaw kill a juvenile Tree Sparrow.
On May 26th there was 2 Shelduck down Wyver Lane. They stayed for over a month.
On May 28th I had a possible Cetti's Warbler down Wyver. I initially heard a call which I couldn't quite place then I heard what could have been a bit of sub song across the pool. Unfortunately it wasn't heard again so that was that.
2 Turnstone at Carsington on May 31st were the first of the year.
On June 2nd Chris and I went up to Padley Gorge in search of Wood Warbler and Pied Flycatcher. We had at least 11 Pied Flys although Wood Warbler was a little harder. We eventually had one lone singing male. There was also a pair of Spotted Flycatchers.
June 4th saw a site rare Spotted Flycatcher down Wyver Lane.
On June 6th we had a Quail near Aldwark not far from Carsi.
On June 12th a Great White Egret was found at Carr Vale. Despite persistant rain Chris picked me up and we went up for it. Another lifer despite getting pissed wet through.
The next day I went to see the Egret again but this time with Clive . We also surprisingly had a Woodcock on the Moors at 15.10 in the afternoon.
On June 23rd a Red-footed Falcon was found near Long Eaton. I was at Carsington for most of the day but managed to meet up with Chris and went for it. The bird was very obliging often perching only a few metres away.
June 26th and another day out with Chris. We tried for Quail at Pikehall but no joy there. We did have 4 Yellow Wags and then another 5+ Yellow Wags near Elton. We tried for Nightjar at a secret location and got one churring at 21.15 and then decent views in good light. We then had it perched up for a little while. We also had 2 Woodcock, 2 Tree Pipits and a Hobby.
Chris and I again tried for Quail at Pikehall on July 1st but this time we had at least 5 birds calling.
Early July also seen a first record for Derbyshire of a Western Bonellis Warbler. It turned up on July 3rd and the next day Chris picked me up bright and early for the long drive. We arrived on site to find a handfull of birders looking. We eventually heard the bird singing and a liitle later had quite good views. I also went the following day with Clive although this time I only heard it. The bird stayed for 43 days and is the longest staying Western Bonellis ever in the UK.
July 10th and down Wyver with Chris saw another site tick when we had 3 Crossbills fly over the viewing mound.
Out with Clive on the 11th we had 13 Raven up together on the moors. Also 2 Hobbies and a male Whinchat.
On the 13th I had 5 Greenshank drop in near Sheepwash Hide at Carsi. My biggest Greenshank flock in the county.
The water at Carsington was dropping fast and with miles of exposed shoreline waders were already passing through and taking advantage. On July 18th I had a site record 18 Common Sandpipers. And that was only at 2 locations so I suspect there was probably more.
July 23rd down Wyver I heard Crossbills going over and there was a site record 4 Raven.
On July 25th Little Ringed Plovers were proved to have bred at Carsington when Clive and me found a pair with 4 young. Nearby we also had a Grasshopper Warbler which was another site tick. In the evening we had a Long-eared Owl on the moors.
July 29th was quite a good day at Willington. Chris who was year listing needed Black Tern so when one got reported from Platform 4 we shot down there. We got the Tern and 7 Little Egret, Water Rail, Hobby, 3 Green Sands, 16 Common Tern and finally 15 Black-tailed Godwits dropped in.
July 30th and I got another county tick with Marsh Tit near Ticknall. We then went to Welbeck in Notts for Honey Buzzard. No luck but we did have Goshawk, Hobby, 7 Buzzard and a Marsh Harrier. The downside was seeing a group of young Weasels flattened by some arse in his car.
Unbelievably just 2 days later I was walking down to Sheepwash Hide with Clive when we heard a Marsh Tit calling. Only 2 days after my first county one. This one was better though giving me another Carsi tick.
On August 12th Clive found a Little Stint at Carsington near off Stones Island. I had just taken my lad to the pictures and was sipping my second pint when I heard. Chris who was in south Derbyshire siad he would pick me up. So I got Mrs Cant Be Arsed to pick the lad up and went up Carsi and got the Little Stint. We had already been at Carsi in the morning and had had 2 Greenshank, 3 Turnstone, 12 Ringed Plover, 4 Dunlin, 8 LRP and a Yellow Wag.
August 13th and we had 2 Sandwich Terns at Carsi. Also Clive and me had 3 Crossbills over. Another site tick.
A Spotted Redshank was reported at Willington on Aug 16th so I went down with Chris for that one. My first visit to Newton Solney was quite productive with 4 Green Sands and 5+ Yellow Wags.
Two days later at Carsington Clive and me got another Spotted Redshank.
On August 20th I had an adult Caspian Gull at a private site.
August 22nd at Carsington and me and Clive had a flock of 19 Yellow Wagtails on Stones Island. Easily the biggest ever Autumn flock.
August 30th saw me have another Osprey at Carsington.
The next day and again at Carsington I was standing on Stones Island with Clive when a Marsh Harrier come in from over the Dam Wall and over the island. A Carsi and County tick.
On September 3rd I went up Carsi with Chris and had 2 juvenile Curlew Sands.
September 7th and again at Carsington I got yet another Osprey. This one was a bit more special though. It turned out to be a bird called Rothiemurchus, one of Roy Dennis' Scottish satellite tagged ospreys which was reported flying S over Ladybower Res at 1pm and then south over Carsington at 2.50pm.
I or should I say we, were very lucky on Sep 13th. I had been down Wyver with Chris in the morning and we were then wondering where to go. We decided on Carsington where we met up with Clive. We were enjoying all the waders near the sailing club.....4 Curlew Sands, 5 Ruff, Knot, 10+ Ringed Plovers, 2 Dunlin., Greenshank, Green Sand when we took a walk onto Stones Island. We had just walked to the end to scan the water when both Clive and me received a text from Roger that read 'Gannet at Carsi now'. I think we let out the odd swear word, actually I know we did. We looked across the water to see one flying about towards Sheepwash. Wanting better views we raced to the car and sped around to the new path. We had much better views and even had the pleasure of seeing it being mobbed by a female Peregrine. After a while it flew off high north east. Another county and site tick and one of the better ones.
As I said earlier, Waders were taking advantage of the low water and on Sep 19th we had another site record. This time 23 Ringed Plover. We also had 3 Ruff and 135 Meadow Pipits.
On the 22nd down Wyver there was a record count of 184 Greylag Geese.
I've mentioned in some of my previous posts about visible migration and how much I enjoy it. On Sep 27th down Wyver with Chris we did just that. I don't think either of us expected it to be quite so good though. Over a 3hr period we had 540 Meadow Pipits, 114 Swallows, 49 Pied Wags and c50 Linnets. Quite an unusual record turned up in built up Codnor. A Nightjar had decided that somebody's garden fence in the middle of a housing estate would be a good place to spend a few days. So I went with Chris for a look in what was one of the hottest days of the year.
The first week in October saw Clive and me head over to Norfolk for 5 days. It wasn't the best week we've had over there but the highlight was a Barred Warbler at Holme on Oct 3rd.
On Oct 10th whilst I was sitting in Sheepwash Hide at Carsi I witnessed nature in the raw. There was some small groups of Teal feeding in some shallow pools in front of the hide. Then out of nowhere a female Peregrine flew in and took one out. For about half hour I watched the Peregrine devour the Teal. Fascinating to watch.
Some more visible migration down Wyver Lane on Oct 13th saw 101 Skylark over in about 3 hours. Also quite a lot of Fieldfare and Redwing on the move.
Oct 17th and me and Clive had an adult Great Northern Diver at Carsi. We thought it was one of the returning birds but within a few hours it had buggered off.
Oct 19th at Carsi wasn't a bad day until I realised I had missed an Arctic Skua. Earlier in the day I had had 3 Whooper Swans and some Crossbills over the dam. However, later in the evening whilst going through the Gulls the whole lot went up. I knew straight away it was a Skua but despite frantically searching I couldn't find one. I then received a text from another birder in a hide about half a mile away that an Arctic Skua had flew through. I was gutted to say the least as any Skua at Carsi would be most welcome.
On Oct 28th I went over to Norfolk with Chris for an Isabelline Shrike. Absolutely stunning views and if you look elsewhere on this blog you will see some cracking photos.
Whilst we were in Norfolk a Squacco Heron turned up at Attenborough NR in Notts but was also occasionally seen on the Derbyshire side of the river. There wasn't a lot we could do over in Norfolk but we were both keen to see it.....especially in Derbyshire.
I was struggling to get down to see it but on Nov 1st Clive picked me up to go and have a look. We waited quite a while to see it but it was only in Notts. But I was just glad to have seen the bird.
On Nov 3rd I went down to see it again with Chris and luckily saw it on the Derbyshire side of the river. A little later that day we had a Great White Egret at Barrow GP's
Nov 8th down Wyver and me and Chris had 86 Stock Doves. My previous best was about 20.
The following day at Carsi we had 276 Golden Plover. Both Clive and me had had a walk on Beeley Moor with very little of note apart from 2 Stonechat. As were walking back towards the car a female Marsh Harrier appeared through the mist.
Golden Plover numbers at Carsi was increasing all the time and on Nov 13th Chris and me had 350+. We fancied a couple of hours on the moors but the higher we got we realised we were wasting our time due to the thick fog. Just before we got on the moors though we had 11 Bewick's Swans fly low over the road right in front of us. We didn't realise it at the time but they had been at Carsi before leaving north.
Nov 14th we had 3 Whooper Swans at Carsi and 361 Golden Plover. Also the first ever November record of Greenshank. Later that day whilst we were in the hide I received a text that there was 2 Bewick's Swans at Wyver. Being my local patch I was very keen to see them but with Karen not coming to pick me up until after 16.00 I knew time wasn't on my side. When she picked me up we drove as fast as legally possible to Wyver. We arrived in fading light to find 2 Mute Swans by the Tern raft and a further 2 Swans asleep at the back of the pool. A quick clap of my hands and they popped their hards up revealing themselves. The first record at Wyver since 1990 so obviously my first there.
On the 16th Nov I had a site tick Grey Partridge at Carsi. Maybe of dodgy origin but maybe not.
Nov 17th and quite an incredible record. I was standing on the viewing mound at Wyver with Chris having a typical Wyver day. When just behing the large ash tree I saw a small bird fluttering about. I couldn't quite work it out at first but then I realised it was a Housemartin. I shouted out Housemartin but it then disappeared. I'm sure Chris didn't believe me but eventually he saw it for himself. Without doubt Wyver Lane's latest ever record and the 2nd latest ever for Derbyshire. One was at Drakelow on Nov 23rd 1997.
The following day I was out with Chris again when we went down to Willington for the Bean Geese that had been around since the previous day. We hadn't been on platform 4 long when the 7 Beans flew in and landed on the water.
On Nov 22nd me and Chris had just had a Jack Snipe on the moors when we heard about a Black Redstart at Carsi so we went down for that.
Down at Kedleston on Dec 1st we had 75 Mandarin.
We started to notice down Wyver that around dusk there were decent numbers of Mandarin flying over to roost somewhere. On Dec 20th we had over 40 birds over. Later that day at Kedleston we had 4 Whooper Swans and a Water Rail.
Well that's it and it wasn't a bad year. Let's hope for more of the same this year.
Welcome to 2012
I think you had better ignore the end of my previous post when I said that my next post would probably be a 2011 review. I still plan to do that, but not quite yet. Most birders will have goals throughout the year like improving their life lists, garden lists, patch lists etc or in Chris's case his bus list and I'm no different. However, most of my goals like increasing my Derbyshire, Carsington and Wyver lists are more difficult due to me being unable to drive.
I am quite lucky though having a couple of mates in Clive and Chris without whom some of the birds from last year I would probably never have seen including Western Bonellis Warbler, Great White Egret, Nightingale and Squacco Heron to name just a few. My 2011 Derbyshire list was 174 and roughly counting around 25 of these were seen because Clive or Chris took me. So for that I am eternally grateful.
So what are my goals for 2012? Well, although it will be hard to emulate I would like to beat 174. So when Clive and Chris read this, don't forget me this year when you go out birding.
My Wyver Lane list stands at 137 and is something I'd like to increase but I doubt I'll have such a good year this year than I did the last. It was only just over a year ago that I reached 200 for Derbyshire but with 2011 being a good year I managed to get up to 208. Again, it would be nice to add one or two to that this year. A Red-throated Diver would be nice. As would Cattle Egret.
My first bird of 2012 was Great Tit with two on the feeders. I'm now on 12 so I only need another 163 to beat last years figure. I'll try and post my 2011 review a little later.
I am quite lucky though having a couple of mates in Clive and Chris without whom some of the birds from last year I would probably never have seen including Western Bonellis Warbler, Great White Egret, Nightingale and Squacco Heron to name just a few. My 2011 Derbyshire list was 174 and roughly counting around 25 of these were seen because Clive or Chris took me. So for that I am eternally grateful.
So what are my goals for 2012? Well, although it will be hard to emulate I would like to beat 174. So when Clive and Chris read this, don't forget me this year when you go out birding.
My Wyver Lane list stands at 137 and is something I'd like to increase but I doubt I'll have such a good year this year than I did the last. It was only just over a year ago that I reached 200 for Derbyshire but with 2011 being a good year I managed to get up to 208. Again, it would be nice to add one or two to that this year. A Red-throated Diver would be nice. As would Cattle Egret.
My first bird of 2012 was Great Tit with two on the feeders. I'm now on 12 so I only need another 163 to beat last years figure. I'll try and post my 2011 review a little later.
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