Lockdown Walks-A Retrospective. 2nd May 2020

 Middleton Moor, 2nd May 2020

We strolled from the front door once again, walking up via Stoney Wood, and the Middle Peak Quarry, up through the sheep fields to the Middleton Moor trig point. The now familiar Redstart pair were there again, and several Whitethroats sang. The Trig Point boasts fascinating views, to Heague Windmill, Belper and Derby, to Black Rocks and Alport heights, and over Carsington Water.  The sky rang to the sound of Skylarks, and the Cowslips still bloomed, a green carpet studded with pale lemon yellow flowers.

Middleton Moor.

  A highlight was a pair of Wheatears close to Middleton Top. A friend of mine had reported them to be a few days previously so it was great to connect with them at last. Wheatears are a charismatic summer visitor to the uplands, a long distance migrant which winters in Africa. In the breeding season it has a circumpolar distribution; some individuals of this species cross the Atlantic twice a year, all return to Africa for the winter, from Atlantic Canada and Alaska. The English name is a Bowdlerisation of its old name White-arse, so called on account of its distinctive white rump, a moniker which Victorians deemed too crude.

Wheatear.

Orange tip butterflies were abundant in the Dale, and the first of the leggy St Mark's flies, named for the date on which they tend to appear, were on the wing near Middleton Top.

View from Middleton Moor.

Birds Seen: Buzzard, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Magpie, Jackdaw, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Skylark, Swallow, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Blackbird, Robin, Redstart, Wheatear, House Sparrow, Dunnock, Meadow Pipit. Chaffinch, Linnet, Goldfinch. 

Wirksworth to Harborough Rocks, 3rd May 2020

I strolled up in the afternoon, on a largely overcast day, to the High Peak Trail via Stoney Wood and the Middlepeak Quarry, saying hello to my familiar Redstart again as I passed. I passed two Carsington turnings and took a side path into the woods, eventually finding myself among mighty earthworks at the foot of towering wind turbines. I met Lizzie and Natty there, who confirmed the footpaths ahead were impassible, indeed I later found they were in the process of being diverted. We returned to the High Peak Trail and continued, until we reached the permissive path up Harborough Rocks. We passed the mouth of the cave there, a huge, open space in the rock, apparently used by our ancient ancestors, and occasionally occupied by singing Pagans. The rocks are usually popular with climbers but today they were quiet.

View from Harborough Rocks

We carried on up to the Trig Point atop Harborough Rocks. The view was impressive as any of the local trigs, with the Peak District spread out to the North and West. 

Whitethroats and a Garden Warbler sang in the bushes beside the High Peak Trail.   St Mark's flies were very abundant, especially in the disturbed habitat around the Wind Turbines.

St Mark's Fly (Bibio marci)

Birds Seen: Pheasant, Buzzard, Black Headed Gull, Kestrel, Magpie, Jackdaw, Raven, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Whitethroat, Wren, Blackbird, Robin, Redstart, Meadow Pipit, Goldfinch. 

Wirksworth to Near Alport, 6th May 2020

Today I took the 'exit' from Wirksworth near the Leisure Centre, and strolled up through a field, now with fresh, flighty cattle, crossed through the bluebell wood near Hardhurst Farm, and joined Hay Lane, where Swallows and House Martins were back to nest under the eaves, and several linnets, their chests flushed red in the sunshine as if they wore strawberries, resplendent in the sunshine. 

Nearing the 'heights,' at the junction of Hay and Knob Lane, I heard the distinctive bubbling calls of Curlew, a threatened upland breeding bird. I struck out down a footpath, following the sound. I passed through fields and a small woodland to near the Bull pub. A pair of Curlew could be seen in arcing, nervous flight, bubbling away in alarm. The cause of their distress was a pair of Buzzards circling on the thermals. 

Returning, I found Curlews, perhaps the same individuals, down in a field by Knob Lane, probing in the grass and earth with their decurved bills for worms. For a man from Essex, seeing Curlews in Summer in Derbyshire is always something of a treat, and it strikes a curious chord in the memory. For me these are a bird of the winter wetlands, the grey of open mudflats and winter skies a more typical backdrop to the sight of one of these large, long billed waders than green fields and blue skies. They are a bird of the mud and salicornia and biting cold, a predator of ragworms and not earthworms. Their feeding behaviour, walking and probing with their long bills is strikingly similar despite the great difference between their summer and winter habitats. To me their call has always been a sound of the estuaries, of the Blackwater, the Crouch and the Thames, and not a sound of the hills. A world away in a few months and a hundred miles. 

On account of my unscheduled trip down Knob Lane to homesick nostalgia I did not climb to Alport heights this time, instead returning down to Gorsey Bank, passing New Buildings where a Treecreeper was feeding young in a tree-hole. The Dandelions and Gorse have begun to go over, but Forget-me-Nots, Bluebells and Red and White Campion were in flower.

Red Campion and Forget me Nots

Birds Seen: Mallard, Pheasant, Buzzard, Curlew, Black Headed Gull, Woodpigeon, Swift, Kestrel, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Great Tit, Swallow, House Martin, Long Tailed Tit, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Whitethroat, Wren, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Robin, House Sparrow, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Chaffinch, Linnet, Goldfinch. 

Butterflies Seen: Orange Tip, Peacock, Small White, Green Veined White, Speckled Wood. 

Odonata: Large Red Damselfly

Mammals: Grey Squirrel, Field Vole, Rabbit. 

Orange Tip Butterfly.

Lockdown Walks, A retrospective. 25th April-

Wirksworth - Carsington Trig Point - Middleton - Stoney Wood. 25th April 2020

Today I walked out of Wirksworth along the green part of Summer Lane, through its ancient leafyness and then down through the blooming fields of dandelions. I joined the road to Callow and accessed the Trig point near Carsington. It boasts a good view of the surrounding countryside and Carsington Water itself. The water was clear and calm, and looked cool beneath the blazing summer sky.

A field of Dandelions close to Carsington Water. 

I made my way down to the end of the reservoir, where Reed Warblers sang in the small reed bed, their curious, rhythmic song, perching openly high in the reeds. A long-staying pair of Goldeneye, a beautiful, black, white and bottle green duck, a wintering species in these parts, a tree nester of forest fringed Northern lakes in summer, was a welcome sighting, and in the distance I caught sight of the wintering Great Northern Diver, something of a 'star' species at Carsington with up to three individuals wintering on site pretty much annually. The size of a Goose, thick-set, if a Great Crested Grebe is Bruce Banner the Great Northern Diver is the Incredible Hulk, this bird spends much of its time underwater, hunting fish with a bill like a broadsword, so seeing it at rest on the surface was unusual. 

A Garden Warbler sang in the increasingly verdant trees which fringe the lake. The leaves had really begun to burst, obscuring the water at many points.

Handsome sheep near Middleton Top.

On my return journey I encountered another stunning male Redstart, near Middle Peak Quarry, a species I had not expected to find so abundant within a walk of my home, and a pair of Red Legged Partridges, an introduced game species were visible by the path through the quarry, and represented something of a local 'tick.'

Record shot of Red Legged Partridge in Middle Peak Quarry. 

 

Birds Seen: Canada Goose, Greylag, Gadwall, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Goldeneye, Red Legged Partridge, Pheasant, Great Northern Diver, Great Crested Grebe, Buzzard, Coot, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Black Headed Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Swallow, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Reed Warbler*, Garden Warbler*, Wren, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Robin, Redstart, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Bullfinch, Linnet, Chaffinch. 

Butterflies seen: Orange Tip, Brimstone, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Green Veined White, Small White

Wirksworth-High Peak Trail. 26th April. 

On the last day of the sunshine, I took a stroll from Wirksworth up towards the High Peak Trail, aiming for Ramshaw Rocks. I did not get there, but we passed through damp tunnels and encountered a couple more showy male Redstarts in the fields near Middle Peak Quarry, and a Skylark sang near the turning for Carsington. 

Birds Seen: Pheasant, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Raven, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Skylark, Swallow, Long Tailed Tit, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Wren, Robin, Redstart, Dunnock, Chaffinch, Linnet, Goldfinch. 

Butterflies seen: Green Veined White, Red Admiral, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Orange Tip. 

Wirksworth-Carsington Water-Middleton Top

Natty and I walked, in very changeable weather, across the fields from Summer Lane, to the Trig Point I'd visited a couple of days before, which we now knew was called Hasker Farm, when a dark grey weather front rolled in from the North, the Heavens opening and hastening our descent to Carsington Water.
Here, after the short, sharp shower, we found Reed Buntings singing in the Hopton Reed Beds. There were hundreds of hirundines over the water, and a couple of Swifts, once supposedly called storm swallows for their habit of appearing in front of heavy rain, were among them, our first of the year.  and Moorhen chicks were being fed. We returned via Middleton Top, across fields of cattle, where small Bullocks briefly surrounded us, though we bravely walked on, and upon reaching an invisible line, the Bullocks gave up following.

Countryside with a view of Carsington Water. 

There was a bright sunburst over Middlepeak Quarry, and we enjoyed the sight of a rainbow over Wirksworth. 
Highlight of the day occurred when, drawn by the anxious chatter and alarm calls of Blackbirds and Blue Tits, we discovered Tawny Owl, perched openly in a tree in a tiny roadside copse on the outskirts of town, mobbed frantically by small passerines. In a remarkable encounter, this shy nocturnal predator, so seldom encountered in the daylight, looked us directly in the eye as we stood on a public road.

Tawny Owl. 

Birds Seen: Canada Goose, Greylag Goose, Mute Swan, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Pheasant, Great Crested Grebe, Moorhen, Coot, Oystercatcher, Black Headed Gull, Woodpigeon, Tawny Owl, Swift*, Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Skylark, Swallow, Chiffchaff, Reed Warbler, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Wren, Blackbird,Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Robin, Dunnock, Chaffinch, Linnet, Goldfinch. 

Lockdown Wanderings (A Retrospective) 17th-24th April

 Wirksworth-Middleton Top-Carsington Water 17th April 2020

A sunny day but with strong winds at the tops, and around the high peak trail, but cooler than the past few. 

Despite the hide closures and the lack of visitor amenities, the public footpath sections of Carsington's trails were open. I strolled down from Middleton Top into Carsington/Hopton Village, where the verges bloomed with Forget Me Nots and Dandelions, attended by Tree Bumblebees and a few small Andrena spp. Most of the trees down here are not yet in full leaf. 
Carsington's birds were mainly passerines, with most of the winter waterfowl apparently moved on. Blackcaps sang spiritedly and wrens darted low back and forth across the paths, presumably with hungry gapes to feed. Hirundines wheeled and Lapwings displayed, issuing their strange, electronic sounding whistles. 
My intended route home was blocked by a footpath closure- it passed through the garden of some self-isolating people, so I returned by the same route along which I arrived. There were a pair of Redstarts in the bushes near Middleton Top. 
Additional interest was provided by flypasts from a single member of the RAF Red Arrows display team, a single jet screaming through the sky, low over Carsington Village. 

Birds Seen: Canada Goose, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Pheasant, Great Crested Grebe, Buzzard, Coot, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Redshank, Black Headed Gull, Great Black Backed Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Kestrel, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Swallow, House Martin, Long Tailed Tit, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Wren, Nuthatch, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Robin, Redstart, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Dunnock, Pied Wagtail, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Linnet, Goldfinch. 

Wirksworth to Alport Heights, 20th April 2020

Natty and I strolled South out of Wirksworth along Prathall Lane, taking a detour to Moor View Farm through the small woods. There were a few Swallows zipping about around the farm buildings, and plenty of pretty, chirpy Linnets in the fields adjoining Hay Lane. We continued along the narrow country lanes to Alport Heights, pausing to giggle at Knob Lane.
Sadly lots of litter had accumulated around the Alport Heights car park, which was currently closed, but we enjoyed stunning views over the rolling hills of South Derbyshire. Willington and Drakelow Power Stations loomed large to the south. Alport Heights is something of a local tourist destination, where people come to park up and enjoy the view. Irritatingly, the Trig Point at Alport Heights was locked into a fenced compound with the mobile phone masts.

We returned via Prathall Lane again, where Orange Tip Butterflies fluttered and Wild Garlic bloomed beside a babbling brook at Folly Well. Returning to Wirksworth over the bridge across the Hannage Brook I had a surprise, eye to eye encounter with a pair of chiffchaffs, the male continuing to sing just a metre or so from my face. 

Birds Seen: Pheasant, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Black Headed Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Kestrel, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Swallow, Long Tailed Tit, Chiffchaff, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Robin, House Sparrow, Dunnock, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Linnet, Goldfinch. 

Wirksworth - Bolehill - Black Rocks - Dene Hollow - Gang Mine - Middleton Village - Wirksworth 22nd April 2020

An interesting one, strolling from Wirksworth up to Bolehill, where a single House Martin circled, then continuing to Cromford Moor, where a surprisingly confiding Willow Warbler was in a Silver Birch. I began to descend via Black Rocks, and took up the path to Gang Mine Nature Reserve. Sadly there were some dog idiots about here and their menacing charges were off lead and running amok. The grassland at Gang Mine, which hosts remarkable botany, nationally scarce Mountain Pansy and Alpine Pennycress, thriving on the lead spoil which would be toxic to many of their competitors, and a diverse insect flora including mining bees, could also support ground nesting birds if only dog walkers could stay away.  Irritated, I continued to Middleton, passing the town's recreation ground. Since closure it has become a beautiful riot of Dandelions and forget me nots, the abandonment of mowing giving way to a feast of wild flowers.

Taking in some good views of the town, I continued up onto Middleton Moor, where Skylarks sang,  Meadow Pipits argued over breeding rights and nest sites, and Swallows zipped across the grass at speed. 
The weather was fine, with a cooling breeze in the high places. Orange Tip, Large (a beautiful 'cabbage classic') and Small White, were on the wing, with Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell. The Blackthorn on Gang Mine had begun to go over, brown petals falling as the shrubs came into leaf, and the Wood Anemones have begun to fade, but the Bluebells and Forget Me Nots had grown in intensity. 

Birds Seen: Pheasant, Buzzard, Stock Dove, Sparrowhawk, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Kestrel, Jackdaw, Raven, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-Tailed Tit, Skylark, Swallow, House Martin, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Blackbird, Robin, House Sparrow, Dunnock, Meadow Pipit, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Linnet. 

Middleton Top Long Loop, 24th April 2020

Natty and I walked up to Middleton Top via Stoney Wood and Middle Peak Quarry. We saw our first Whitethroat of the summer, performing his song flight. He descended slowly and loudly from the heavens to take up his position atop the scrub. We continued to the trig point at Middleton Top, access to which is somewhat ambiguous, where we enjoyed the 360° view from there, taking in the range of local habitats and geologies. Here Natty and I parted company for the evening, among the cowslips above Middleton Top Cycle Hire, having enjoyed further aerial virtuoso performances from Skylarks and Meadow Pipits. 

I continued with a circular walk around Middleton Top, taking in views of the village, then continued through the young Hawthorn woods with their abundant Wood Anemone- these still looking stunning, and bluebells. My visit took in an abandoned quarry, along unofficial paths cut by mountain bikers. The quarry workings were impressive, tunnels of varying ages were cut into the rock. A short stretch of road brought me to a footpath through a farmyard, where I apologised for the intrusion as the family were enjoying a barbecue. I walked past dry stone walls, where increasingly tired Small Tortoiseshell butterflies competed for each other's attention, and that of peacock butterflies, across fields,  and then returned to the High Peak Trail and retraced my route home. 

Birds Seen: Pheasant, Buzzard, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Kestrel, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Raven, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Skylark, Long Tailed Tit, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Wren, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Robin, Meadow Pipit, Chaffinch, Bullfinch. Goldfinch. 

Lockdown Wanderings (A retrospective) continued. Walks from 11th-15th April 2020.

Stoney Wood, Middleton Moor, National Stone Centre, 10th April 2020

Orange Tip Butterfly at National Stone Centre. 

A stroll was taken from the front door, up through Stoney Wood, where Peacock Butterflies were abundant, through the abandoned quarry, and up the fields to Middleton Top. Near Middleton Top stand some old farm buildings, and here a male Redstart sang from the top of some Gorse. I crossed Middleton Moor, where a friend had advised me his daughter had seen a Wheatear a few days before.

Cowslips. 

 

Middleton Moor is not a Moor at all, but instead a gentle hill of close grazed grassland,  well used by walkers, which in April is alive with yellow Cowslips, and from its Trig Point it offers commanding views of the area.

Birds Seen: Pheasant, Buzzard, Woodpigeon, Stock Dove, Kestrel, Jackdaw, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Skylark, Long Tailed Tit, Chiffchaff, Wren, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Robin, Redstart, Dunnock, Meadow Pipit, Bullfinch, Goldfinch. 

Butterflies Seen: Orange Tip, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Small White. 

Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly.

Stoney Wood-Middleton-Ible-Limestone Way-Bonsall-Middleton  11th April 2020

A relatively long one this time, crossing Stoney Wood and walking to the edge of the 'White Peak' section of the Peak District National Park at Ible. Industry and industrial archaeology is in evidence here with active and disused quarries on the way.  The weather was hot and sunny, unseasonably so. 

Between the High Peak Trail at Middleton and the Via Gellia road, I crossed open farmland, mainly improved grassland managed for, and by, sheep and cattle. A Skylark sang above me and Swallows hawked around some farm buildings, but wildlife was not abundant. Closer to the road which was set in a steep sided valley, woodland grows, but birds seemed relatively few. The steep footpath to Ible had discouraging notices on it, politely requesting walkers to 'consider alternative routes' on account of the Covid 19 crisis, so a nervous jog along the Via Gellia, impossible in times of normal traffic, was required. Ible village seems to be a motley collection of particularly untidy farm buildings, dilapidated and piled high with agricultural rubbish, but Linnets were up there, busy and active, and a new species for the Lockdown List. These chestnut backed finches, the males displaying in summer bright red 'bleeding heart' chest markings, are emblematic farmland birds and seem to be a summer visitor to these parts.

I found the Limestone Way, which took me across more picturesque and gently undulating farmland. I neglected the two turnings for more direct routes home, the first in optimism and enjoyment of the butterflies, the second in error. I crossed an interesting patch of scrub, described somewhat worryingly on my OS map simply as 'shafts.' In addition to the common and vocal passerines and a few Small Tortoiseshells, it held several scars and capped mineshafts, dating back presumably several hundred years.

Buzzard.

Eventually I found myself in Bonsall, under a glorious summer sky, stood beneath the lovely old village church. Despite being picturesque this was something of a navigational error, but I found the narrow road to the village of Slaley, and found the steep, descending footpath toward the Via Gellia. The early Bluebells were gorgeous, and not yet open to their full glory. Eventually I found my path blocked by a fallen tree, which moved ominously at the slightest touch. Not fancying surfing or being dragged down to the busy road on or under a sliding, rootless Beech I retraced my steps to Slaley, an interesting collection of fairly grand old houses old and modern. From here I found a much better path, which took me down to the Via Gellia, and then I struck uphill through the woods. The Anemone flowers had closed for the night, pink heads nodding in the fading light. I reached the pavement in Middleton, which took me all the way home, in twilight. I had cut it very fine indeed. 

Birds Seen: Pheasant, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Stock Dove, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Kestrel, Jay, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Skylark, Swallow, Long Tailed Tit, Willow Warbler, Wren, Nuthatch, Robin, Redstart, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Chaffinch, Linnet, Goldfinch. 

Butterflies seen: Peacock, Orange Tip, Green Veined White, Brimstone, Large White, Small Tortoiseshell

National Stone Centre, Gang Mine, Rose End Meadows, Black Rocks.  14th April 2020. 

Another bright sunshiney day, another sunny stroll out of the front door, taking in three local Nature Reserves and the environs of Dene Quarry, walking along its Eastern fringe, parallel to Cromford Hill. Here the common passerines were abundant, with vocal Wrens and Blackcaps especially plentiful. 

Rose End held no new passage migrant surprises but was floral and pleasant. The pond, which in previous years has held good Dragonflies and Amphibians, seemed unfortunately to have become somewhat silted up and appeared relatively lifeless. A Peregrine hunted overhead, circling on the thermals. 

I walked up the steep path through woods and fields, taking in impressive views, up to Black Rocks, and descended via the now familiar path through Bolehill. Siskins, streaky green and yellow seed-eating finches associated with Northern and Upland woodland, were on garden feeders in Bolehill.

Chiffchaff

 

Birds Seen: Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Peregrine, Kestrel, Jay, Magpie, Jackdaw, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Wren, Treecreeper, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Robin, Pied Wagtail, Chaffinch, Bullfinch, Goldfinch, 

Butterflies Seen: Peacock, Orange Tip, Small Tortoiseshell, Green Veined White.

Middleton Moor Again. 15th April

More fruitless searching for the Wheatears of Middleton Moor. I strolled up to Middleton by Wirksworth via Stoney Wood, counting butterflies on the way, and then on to Middleton Moor. In the Gorse near the disused farm buildings two male Redstarts were fighting a pitched and colourful battle. The aggression was serious, not dissimilar to Robins fighting. Eventually one bird decided to beat a retreat and flew out of sight with the other in hot pursuit. I did not get to see whether he escaped. 

Also in this area there were plenty of Small Tortoisehell butterflies (Aglais urticae). Butterflies adult lives are brief, and, having endured the winter fully formed and in torpor, these insects seemed well aware that time was against them. Many, after a long spell of hot weather and great activity, had already become somewhat tatty, wings frayed at the edges or with chunks missing or translucent patches, their colour sun bleached. The urge to reproduce, or to reproduce one more time both sexes can breed with multiple partners, was strong in them. Intriguingly, what I assume to be a male Small Tortoiseshell appeared to be attempting to court a female Peacock Butterfly (Aglais io), following her persistently, and touching her with his antennae every time she landed. This cross species behaviour has been reported on the internet too. I found it a curious sight. The two species are cogeneric, so perhaps the chemical and visual signals are not too different.

Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock (with wings closed) cross species courtship behaviour. 

I walked down from Middleton top via the National Stone Centre, where I enjoyed beautiful close views of a female Orange Tip (Anthocharis cardamines) butterfly. Named for the male, whose dayglow orange wingtips are conspicuous, the female lacks these, but still has a beautiful pattern of dappled green, like sunshine on a mossy forest floor rendered in miniature, on the underside of her hindwing. She was ovipositing, laying a single egg on each Cuckoo Flower plant. A wise move, for Orange Tip larvae will readily turn cannibal on encountering another of their kind.  She was confiding and elegant, a sweet bug, and photogenic.

Orange Tip Butterfly ovipositing. 

I went on my way as the light took on golden tones. 

Birds Seen: Pheasant, Buzzard, Kestrel, Magpie, Jackdaw, Raven, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Skylark, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Wren, Blackbird, Mistle Thrush, Robin, Redstart, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Goldfinch, 

Butterflies Seen: Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Green Veined White, Orange Tip. 

Lockdown Walk Retrospective part 4. Gang Mine, Dene Quarry and Rose End Meadows.

7th April 2020. 

On a glorious summers' day I strolled up through the grounds of the National Stone Centre, counting bees towards Natty's bumblebee survey on the way. We reached the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust reserve at Gang Mine, a site somewhat overused by dog walkers, though the Alpine Pennycress and Mountain Violets continue to flower on the site of an ancient lead mine. Butterflies were out in force today, a highling being four Peacocks (Aglais io) chasing each other. There were also good numbers of bees, including Common Carder and Tawney Mining Bee. 

Unknown wasp species on Daffodil at Stoney Wood

View of Dene Quarry.

Beneath a blue sky I walked the footpath around the active Dene Quarry, which had been somewhat diverted from its course shown on the map. There were plenty of Peacocks up and about. The path down to the Via Gellia had been closed by quarry workings, and quarry vehicles were still busy in spite of Lockdown. In the chalky grassland and farmland I saw my first Redstarts of the year, beautiful birds with orange bellies and black throats in the summer plumage males, and brick red tails in all plumages, from which they get their name (Steart is an old English word for tail).  I proceeded by the Green Lane down to Rose End Meadows. I found the site surprisingly good bird-wise. with the highlight being a brief, and initially obscured view of a Ring Ouzel. Any doubt as to the birds' identity was blown away when he flew directly over my head, his primaries distinctly grey, and the crescent collar at his neck bright white. This scarce passage migrant, a mountain relative of the Blackbird breeds on the Eastern Moors, 20 or so miles to the North. 

By now the sun was setting and the walk by road up Cromford Hill seemed like rather a long slog home. 

Birds Seen: Mallard, Buzzard, Stock Dove,  Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Kestrel, Jay, Jackdaw, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Raven, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Sand Martin* Swallow, Long-Tailed Tit, Chiffchaff, Wren, Ring Ouzel* Blackbird, Song thrush, Mistle Thrush, Robin, Redstart* Meadow Pipit, Chaffinch, Bullfinch, Goldfinch

Butterflies seen: Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Green Veined White. 

Stoney Wood, 8th April 2020

A nice sunny unofficial survey day in stoney wood. Blackthorn was blooming, white and scented on the steep slope and a glorious cherry tree was in blossom in the lower part of the site. Maintenance was taking place around the StarDisc. Stoney Wood is a community woodland set in a former quarry, regenerating limestone grassland and young woodland on its slopes.

Blackthorn flowers in Stoney Wood.

View of Stoney Wood.

Bird life was a little disappointing, but a Field Vole emerged from a hole under the small wooden bridge and looked up at me, which was something of a highlight, and there were plenty of Tree and Buff-Tailed Bumblebees on the wing. 

Birds Seen: Blue Tit, Great Tit, Chiffchaff, Wren, Robin. 

Butterflies seen: Peacock (9), Small Tortoiseshell (5)

Cherry Blossom in Stoney Wood

Peacock Butterfly in Stoney Wood

Peacock Butterfly in Stoney Wood. 

Back home in the evening a Tawny Owl was singing in the dark, and Woodpigeons, Blue Tits, and Small Tortoiseshells were in the garden. 

Wirksworth, Bolehill, Whatstandwell, Cromford Canal, Wirksworth  9th April 2020

I strolled up a sunny Wash Green, past a year tick singing Blackcap, and several beautiful butterflies, down the long path towards Alderwasley, carefully avoiding the cattle. The route took me through Anemone carpeted woods, where, near Mere brook, a small bat, probably a Pipistrelle, was circling, apparently catching flies, which were abundant, in broad daylight. I found a noisy track, which I didn't enjoy much, through a small community comprised mainly of dogs and diggers, and eventually crossed the Derwent and the A6 at Whatstandwell.

Anemone and Celandine near Mere Brook.

From Here I took up the Cromford Canal towpath, which was surprisingly quiet of humans, and found it alive with the sound of singing Blackcaps, which must have only arrived recently. Only male Blackcaps were seen. The regular residents and chiffchaffs also sang. A  pair of Moorhens had little black fluffball chicks, which were being fed by the adults. Little Grebes were about on the canal as well as Mallards, the sun reflecting off their metallic green heads. 

Moorhens on Cromford Canal

Mallard on the Cromford Canal

I returned via the regular path across farmland, from near the High Peak Junction to Bolehill. No friendly black cat met me this time, and sadly, there were too many squashed toads on the track, presumably killed by farm vehicles. However the roadside ditches were full of the warty amphibians which could also be heard singing. 

It was a Thursday and the applause for the NHS and care workers at 8pm was stunning, loud, car horns, fireworks, and even a shotgun sounded to be in the mix, showing their appreciation. 

At home this evening the Tawny Owls once again provided its midnight symphony of hoots and kee-wicks. 

Birds Seen: Mallard, Pheasant, Little Grebe, Moorhen, Buzzard, Woodpigeon, Jay, Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Chiffchaff, Blackcap*, Goldcrest, Wren, Nuthatch, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Robin, House Sparrow, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Chaffinch, Goldfinch. 

Butterflies Seen: Peacock, Small White, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Brimstone, Orange Tip, Peacock. 

Other Wildlife: Rabbit, Grey Squirrel, Common Toad, Pipistrelle spp. 

Little Grebe on Cromford Canal

A Retrospective on my Lockdown walks. Part 3

Wirksworth-Alderwasley-Shining Cliff Woods-Ashleyhay-Wirksworth, 6th April 2020

An extraordinarily, or so it felt, long one, walking from Wirksworth up the hill, amid intermittent showers and occasionally glorious sunshine, through woods carpeted with white Anemone, and fields full of Celandines, by babbling brooks to the sound of Chiffchaffs and Robins singing, to Alderwasley. There were a good selection of early butterflies on the wing, including Commas, Peacocks and Small Tortoiseshells, species which overwinter as adults and appear on the first warm days to take advantage of the early nectar sources.

Marsh Marigold, probably a garden escape, beside a babbling brook. 

Comma Butterfly, a harbinger of summer.

In Alderwasley I crossed the bridge over the pond in the school grounds, and continued across a patch of Heathland and past a war memorial, into Shining Cliff Woods, thought locally to be haunted, along stream bed paths, to obscured views of the River Derwent and the corner of a quiet industrial estate, before striking back uphill, past the small reservoir and information boards about the wood's history, its historical ownership by the radical Grith Fyrd Pioneers, an organisation dedicated to survivalism, off grid living, and challenging urbanism and industrial labour, and later by the Youth Hostels Association.

Wood Anemone flowers. 

 

Bird-wise, Shining Cliff Woods was surprisingly quiet, with little birdsong, but the adjoining plantation was alive with Goldfinches, busy in the Larches, and a Great Spotted Woodpecker. A pair of Swallows near a small farm and a sign for Belper were my first of the summer, wheeling about in a clear blue sky. Moments later, a huge flock of fieldfares took flight, massed ahead of their long trip North. The changing of the Seasons. A Mistle Thrush sang his lazy blackbird song. 

A long walk from home. 

I picked my way back toward Wirksworth via lanes and rural footpaths. arriving in Prathall Lane, itself appearing an experiment in rural living, with Showman's Caravans and the curious shapes of the living tree furniture chair farm. Prathall Lane was long, but Pheasants, Song Thrush, and a singing Willow Warbler welcomed me back into Wirksworth. 

What a long and rewarding stroll. 

Birds Seen: Canada Goose, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Pheasant, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Moorhen, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Swallow*, Long Tailed Tit, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler*, Goldcrest, Wren, Treecreeper, Blackbird, Fieldfare, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Robin, House Sparrow, Dunnock, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch. 

Bird*=my first sighting of 2020.