Wandering in the Strangest Summer: Curbar, Froggatt and White Edge via the Longshaw Estate. 20th June 2020

20th June 2020 

I parked up on the bend in the road up to Curbar Edge from Curbar, camera-less sadly following its unfortunate inundation in the storm which had caught me at Bradford Dale, and took the low path, through the trees, passing some lovely fresh Small Tortoiseshells, and blooming Foxgloves. The woods were fairly bird-quiet, so I made my way up onto the moor, with the Heather and Meadow Pipits. There were loads of people up here, making their entertainment in the outdoors, though perhaps this is typical. A smart Whinchat, a charming summer visitor, migrant relative of the Stonechat, perched atop a frond of Bracken.

Photos taken on Curbar Edge in 2018

I spent a few moments in solstice meditation at the Stone Circle, ancient marker of this rather magical place high in the Eastern moors, and also took in the vistas across the valley, as the Swifts wheeled above and below me. I strolled downhill into Hay Wood, which was beautiful and alive with birdsong, and charming wrens. I reached the Longshaw Estate, National Trust land. The National Trust in Derbyshire was sadly mired in controversy a few years ago, when a gamekeeper was seen to place a plastic decoy Hen Harrier, a fiercely persecuted, endangered and magnificent raptor, and wait by it with a gun, until walkers sent him packing and the Trust ended his employer's shooting lease. This incident did not happen here, but on land near the Snake Pass, according to Raptor Persecution UK, but unfortunately some of the Longshaw Estate remains under grouse shooting management.

There remains a rich, wild beauty to Longshaw's moorland fringes, its moorland though well walked is home to some remarkable wildlife. A Hobby, a small migrant falcon about the size of a kestrel, but faster and more agile,  hunted over a blooming moor, its underside boldly streaked, a black mustache on its white cheeks. The sound of aero engines made me look up, as a Harvard trainer flew loudly overhead in formation with a couple of smaller machines and a Nanchang. Further engine sounds a few moments later caused me to look up again, and a Hurricane, iconic fighter of the Battle of Britain, followed the same path through the sky. 

Following my pleasant aviation interlude I continued onto the parkland, where a handsome Cuckoo sat silent, my first sighting of this bird this year. I arrived at the heart of the Trust's visitor operation, a popular temporary cafe in a wooden shed, and enjoyed a local ice cream before continuing my exploration of the parkland, enjoying Nuthatches and Coal Tits busy in the branches. A pond on the estate is a great site to see Mandarin ducks.  

I left the Longshaw Estate and all its people behind, and continued onto the high, undulating expanse of White Edge, part of Big Moor. This was quieter, though a family disconcertingly allowed their dog to run off lead. Curlews bubbled their mournful calls, and small bands of deer grazed peaceably below, and Meadow Pipits sang.  A beautiful Stonechat put on a distraction display beside the path.

Stonechat photographed at South Walney in 2015

As I returned to the car, I was surprised to find many young people gathered around, dressed for a night out in alternative stylings, perhaps en route to some Solstice gathering. Were I ten years younger I might have attempted to join them. I hope they had a good night. 

Birds Seen: Mandarin Duck, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Curlew, Woodpigeon, Cuckoo, Swift, Hobby, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Skylark, Swallow, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Wren, Nutchatch, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Robin, Whinchat, Stonechat, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Chaffinch, Goldfinch. 

Mammals: Grey Squirrel, Brown Hare, Red Deer. 

Butterflies: Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Meadow Brown. 

Flashback: Curbar Edge, 30th May 2020

Natty and I took a brief drive, the first one since lockdown for a birdy trip together, to Curbar Edge on he Eastern Moors. The sun was high and bright but a gentle breeze cooled the tops. There were many families out enjoying the sun, but possible disturbing the birds somewhat. Meadow Pipits were plentiful and some stonechats a welcome sight, and there was a beautiful red Cardinal Beetle on the heather.

Cardinal Beetle on Curbar Edge. 

Unfortunately we were witness to an unfolding disaster, as a thick column of smoke rose from the moors somewhere to the North of us. A call to the Eastern Moors RSPB warden to alert him, we found his number online thanks to the miracle of mobile technology, confirmed it was on Bamford Moor, near the Derwent reservoirs. Six fire engines, and a helicopter, I learned on the internet, were needed to put it out, with the support of gamekeepers and other land workers.  In these dry summers, keep your barbecues off the moors, people, and don't smoke up there. A fire at this time of year is devastating for bird life, grouse, raptors and stonechats alike nest in the heather, and the frequency of fires in recent summers far exceeds natural levels.

The Bamford Moor Fire from Curbar Edge. 

We strolled sadly back down the low path, through the leafy birch woodland, where Natty's expert ears picked out Yellowhammer and Cuckoo calling.

Birds Seen: Mallard (flew over) Cuckoo (Heard only) Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Skylark, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Song Thrush (heard only) Robin, Stonechat, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Yellowhammer (heard only) 

Not Birds Seen: Cardinal Beetle, Small Tortoiseshell, Small Heath, Green Veined White. 

Wanderings in the Strangest Summer: Elton to Bradford Dale 17th June 2020

17th June 2020 

I took the short drive to Elton, not to be confused with the same name, once again, and parked near the church, where I was greeted almost immediately by a confiding young Song Thrush.  From here, and in pleasant weather, white cloud above, I crossed the farm fields where a magnificent Hereford Bull nuzzled affectionately with one of his cows. A glance signalled permission to cross, and I did so. I walked through meadows now teaming with Meadow Browns and Small Tortoiseshells, even on this overcast day.

Song Thrush at Elton

Then I crossed some 'improved' fields, ugly dayglo green dairy deserts, little more than lawns, with few butterflies. I waked past enclosed copses fenced in by barbed wire. Barbed wire was a feature only of the improved fields, curiously. I reached a rock-strewn slope and descended through the cattle, and paused to view a small pond, signs advertising it for angling, where coots and tufted ducks swam. The Eastern end of Bradford Dale was heavily managed and well trodden, but there were wild flowers down to the water's edge attended by smart Red Admirals and yet more Small Tortoiseshells.

The Eastern side, where I walked beyond the bridge in Youlgreave, was more wooded in character, though host to Grey Wagtails, swans, and an area of slow, crystal clear water designated for swimming. I walked into the woodland, in decreasing light, as storm clouds gathered. The river had historically been managed for fish, once on a commercial basis, and was divided into concrete pools, each holding a family of Mallards, some with large, near adult size juveniles, others with downy doughball ducklings. The weather was on its way, but still I paused to enjoy a Dipper darting in and out from a nest in some pipework where the river flows under a small arch bridge.

I took the footpath through some wetlands, across a camp site, abandoned for the time being, past a field of inquisitive bullocks, who walked in step with me on the other side of a fence, and reached a narrow road near one of a couple of places in the UK called Robin Hood's Stride. Here the heavens opened, and I found a memorial bench overhung with branches, I wish I could remember to whom it was dedicated, but to their family I am grateful, as from this bench I watched fork lightning split the sky, as the downpour drew on. Hares darted at the sound of thunder like gunfire, and cattle bellowed in their frustration, and gathered together around the loudest. Birdwatching was out of the window, butterfly spotting a laughable dream

When the rain alleviated a little, I made my way back to Elton. When it had stopped, I shivered. To my surprise, on my way back to Elton, I saw a Barn Owl, floating ghostly over the fields. Perhaps the rain had been so heavy mice and voles had been flooded out of their holes. It dived into the grass, stayed down a moment, and then was up again and flying. I reached for my camera, but found its viewfinder and LCD display frosted by condensation. 

I made my way back to my car, shivering, disassembled the camera, hopelessly it transpired, a victim of the deluge, on the passenger seat to dry. As I drove, another storm rolled into the green valleys.

Grey Wagtail

Butterflies Seen: Elton-Bradford Dale: Small Copper 1, Red Admiral 1, Small Tortoiseshell 6, Meadow Brown 29. 

Bradford-Alport: Small Tortoiseshell 8, Meadow Brown 1. 

Bradford Dale East: Red Admiral 1, Common Blue 1, Small Tortoiseshell 5, Meadow Brown 3.

Bradford Dale West (inclement weather) Green Veined White 1, Small Tortoiseshell 2.

Birds Seen: Greylag Goose,Mute Swan, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Pheasant, Buzzard, Moorhen, Coot, Woodpigeon, Barn Owl, Swift, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Kestrel, Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Swallow, House Martin, Long Tailed Tit, Chiffchaff, Wren, Treecreeper, Starling, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Robin, Redstart, Dipper (visiting nest) House Sparrow, Grey Wagtail, Chaffinch, Goldfinch. 

Lockdown Walks-A Retrospective. 13th - 16th June 2020

 13th June 2020

Stoney Wood and the paths between the High Peak Trail and Carsington Water. 

I took a stroll out of the front door this time, up through Stoney Wood, where the butterfly munching Spotted Flycatcher was up and about, and a Kestrel hovered. I made my way along the left hand path through the disused quarries, the one with the tunnel and the barbed wire, and through the scarred and uneven landscape. 

I crossed the road into the sheep field, and took the path down through the fields.  

I ate my lunch in a field overlooking some cattle, where a stunning male Redstart darted between the wind-bent Hawthorns. A Matriarchal looking cow made confrontational noises at me. I must confess after the Bull incident, I was a little averse to mixing with her, so I kept out of her way. 

Many of the thistles in these fields had been sprayed, bent over and yellowing, even as Butterflies tried to feed on the blossoms. However there was a glorious patch of Scabious and Meadowsweet, attended by beautiful Small Tortoiseshell butterflies.

Small Tortoiseshell on Scabious. 

Stoney Wood Birds: Kestrel, Jackdaw, Wren, Spotted Flycatcher

Stoney Wood Butterflies: Common Blue (1) Small Heath (1) 

Stoney Wood-High Peak Trail Butterflies Meadow Brown (6) Speckled Wood (1) Small Tortoiseshell (9) Red Admiral (2) Small Copper (1)

Speckled Wood Butterfly. Only as I add the photo to the blog do I notice it has no antennae. Odd. 

High Peak Trail-Hopton Environs Butterflies: Meadow Brown (3) Red Admiral (1) Small Tortoiseshell (7) Common Blue (1) Small Heath (1) Large Skipper (1) 

Birds: Pheasant, Buzzard, Black Headed Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Woodpigeon, Kestrel, Magpie, Jackdaw, Raven, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Skylark, Swallow, House Martin, Whitethroat, Mistle Thrush, Redstart, Pied Wagtail, Goldfinch.

Skylark

14th June 2020

Carsington Water

I hitched a lift to Carsington Water with Lizzie and Natalie, and arrived in the Visitor's Centre car park. It was sunny, humid and disconcertingly populous. Inevitably visitors had invaded the foreshore and their dogs were in the water. The tranquility of lockdown, for the birds were at an end, and Oystercatchers circled, and alarm called constantly as witless humanity trampled what had been their quiet nest site. 

I walked across the Dam Wall, around to Millfields, on the far side of the lake, As soon as I had cleared the car park, the place seemed deserted. A Lesser Stag Beetle was a lovely sighting. The Black Headed Gull Colony appeared to be having a good year, with several young birds on the water, and Great Crested Grebes attended their growing 'humbugs.' Juvenile Blackcaps were out and about too, in the hedges. Willow, Blue and Long-Tailed Tits had begun moving with their broods in their small family groups typical for the later part of the summer.

Lesser Stag Beetle. 

The weather was punctuated by frequent bouts of heavy rain. A man sheltered his dog under his jacket as his shirt sleeves got soaked. Love. 

I walked through the mature woodland, on the less explored side of the reservoir, and saw a field vole pootling about on the path, as if without a care in the world, perhaps a youngster naive to the risk of predation it faced out in the open. 

I waited at Sheepwash for my lift home and watched the Pipistrelles zipping about among the trees, a larger bat or two among them, perhaps Noctules, and a Tawny Owl called in the descending gloom. Rain began to fall. 

Mammals: Pipistrelle, Noctule (?) Rabbit, Field Vole, Grey Squirrel

Butterflies: Common Blue, Small Tortoiseshell, Meadow Brown. 

Other Invertebrates: Oedemira nobilis, Lesser Stag Beetle, Black Soldier Beetle, and too many biting Horseflies. 

Birds: Canada Goose, Barnacle Goose, Greylag Goose, Mute Swan, Gadwall, Mallard, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Pheasant, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Grey Heron, Buzzard, Moorhen, Coot, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Redshank, Black Headed Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Woodpigeon, Tawney Owl, Swift, Kestrel, Jay, Magpie, Jackdaw, Willow Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Swallow, House Martin, Long Tailed Tit, Chiffchaff, Reed Warbler, Blackcap, Wren, Treecreeper, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Robin, House Sparrow, Dunnock, Pied Wagtail, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Reed Bunting. 

16th June 2020

Cromford Canal via Bolehill

On a sunny afternoon  I walked up to Bolehill, via the fields behind the Railway station. A dead Bullfinch on the footpath was a sad sight, the body apparently undamaged, perfect. Perhaps a cat kill, or a window collision casualty. On a happier note, the Siskins were back again, the first time I had seen these charming little arboreal finches, green and yellow and streaky. The flock appeared to include fledgelings, suggesting local breeders. To a Southerner, seeing these finches in summer still feels exotically Northern. There was a juvenile Goldfinch in among them. 

I marched up past the Trig point, and nodded at a few walkers, before I wandered down to the High Peak Trail, under an amenable sky of bright white cloud. I joined a path down the grassy, open slopes, enjoying glorious views of Cromford and the Heights beyond. There were confiding Meadow Pipits posing on the rocks, often overlooked but such smart little passerines up close, and Small Heath butterflies fluttered in the grass. I reached Intake Lane, and joined the canal at its head in Cromford. Geese and their goslings hung around outside what, in a normal summer, would be busy food outlets. I followed the towpath, now in sunshine, passing a few fine Cardinal Beetles, and a shoal of small Perch, boldly striped. I reached the High Peak junction, and here a shoal of Roach, pretty, silver fish, very common in such waterways, hung in the crystal clear water.

Meadow Pipit

On the river Derwent, from the bridge behind the sewerage farm, I paused to watch a beautiful family of Grey Wagtails, three fledged juveniles and two adults. These beautiful wagtails, which are often associated with running water like the Derwent, are somewhat badly named. Though they have a deep, smart grey back, their undersides are bright yellow in the male, who also in the breeding season has a deep black bib, and lemon yellow in the female. They are not to be confused with yellow wagtail, the charming running dandelions associated with short grazed grassland.  As I watched these birds, another passerine appeared among them, a small, stocky brown bird with a white belly, bobbing on a rock, before dipping into the fast flowing water, pausing with its head submerged, before briefly disappearing from view in the current, popping up again on another rock. A Dipper! Dippers are the only passerine in Britain to regularly hunt for food, usually small invertebrates, underwater. As I watched the dipper through my binoculars, a flash of blue darted through my vision.  A Kingfisher! I watched it fly off downriver, a stripe of electric blue between whirring wings. Three remarkable and charismatic species of fast flowing water, viewed from this one spot in just a few seconds. 

I caught my breath and walked up a little further along the canal, hoping to see some of these birds again from the aqueduct. The dipper alone was visible, and I watched it busily feeding for a short while. I spoke briefly with a gentleman from Ambergate, sharing our sightings, and he recalled a time when the canal was wildly overgrown, largely abandoned by industry and not yet rediscovered by recreation, and hosted impressive Pike, a species no longer regularly seen there. 

The walk beside the canal revealed few new bird species and I did not see the Kingfisher again, so I made my way back over the fields as the sun went down. When I returned home, Natalie informed me that a tremendous rainstorm had fallen. Only a couple of miles away, on the other side of the hill, it had passed me my entirely as I enjoyed riverside avian splendour.

A Kingfisher. Photo taken at Lakenheath Fen, Cambridgeshire, in January. 

Birds Seen: Canada Goose +fl, Mallard, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Moorhen, Black Headed Gull, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Swift, Kingfisher, Kestrel, Jay, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Sand Martin, Swallow, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Wren, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Spotted Flycatcher, Robin, Dipper, Grey Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Chaffinch, Linnet, Siskin. 

Fishes: Perch, Roach. 

Wanderings in the Strangest Summer, a Retrospective. Frampton Marsh and Freiston Shore

11th June 2020

With lockdown coming to an end, but my weekdays still luxuriously free, Natty and I celebrated our Anniversary with a drive out to the Lincolnshire coast, our longest away trip since March. We deliberately chose a grey day to avoid any crowds, though, as the weather deteriorated, we realised we may have chosen a little too well. 
Under a grey sky we walked from the car park down the main path toward the 360 hide, which remained closed, before pressing on toward the sea wall. Despite the cold winds, a Sedge Warbler put on a distraction display, posing on the wire fence, a response to a predator, distracting attention from the fledgelings in the reeds.

Sedge Warbler

In a creek on our right, a Spoonbill, crowned by its breeding plumes, pale yellow horseshoe marking emblazoned on its chest, emerged, and walked close to us, unperturbed by our presence. A stunning bird, once considered a real rarity, Spoonbills have begun to colonise Britain in recent years, but to see one so close and in its breeding finery was still a great privilege. A Little Ringed Plover, surprisingly well camouflaged against the mud, almost disappeared when it turned its back to us. It probed in the mud with its short bill, before flying off into the grassy marsh, the lack of a wing bar confirming its identity. 

Spoonbill

On the pool to the left of us were many Avocets with their chicks, big headed and gangly legged. Some took shelter beneath the wings of their parents, creating the impression of a six-legged bird, while the other parent was up mobbing a passing Gull. 
From the sea wall we watched displaying Redshanks, dropping on stiff downcurved wings, and calling eerily. Avocet parents mobbed us a little, flying close and noisily, and we made our way by as quickly as we could, to avoid creating any more disturbance or exposing the chicks to opportunistic and more confiding corvids and gulls. Perhaps reduced foot traffic during the lockdown period had allowed them to nest closer to the sea wall than they would otherwise have. 
The hedges are noted for their passerine avifauna, and I was looking forward to squinting into bushes for little brown birds, when it began to rain. Indeed, the heavens opened and all the birds were driven into deep cover. There was still plenty of birdsong, Natty's musician's ears identified 12 singing Yellowhammer, though I only heard three. The rain drove us onward to the sheltered stretch of public footpath, where the seeing was easier, and at least our binoculars could stay dry. A pair of Turtle Doves flew by, and damp, bedraggled hares stood hunched in neighboring fields. 
Beaten by the rain, Natty and I retreated to the motor, and then to Boston, where we picked up a fish and chip supper and headed to Freiston Shore. 

Birds Seen: Mute Swan, Greylag Goose, Shelduck, Shoveler, Gadwall, Mallard, Teal, Tufted Duck, Pheasant, Great Crested Grebe, Spoonbill, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Cormorant, Moorhen, Coot, Oystercatcher, Avocet, Lapwing, Little Ringed Plover, Black Tailed Godwit, Redshank, Black Headed Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Common Tern, Woodpigeon, Turtle Dove, Collared Dove, Swift, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Skylark, Swallow, House Martin, Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat, Starling, Blackbird, Meadow Pipit, Goldfinch, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting.

Freiston Shore

We ate our chips in the car as the rain beat down on the roof, then took a brief walk down the path. past fledgeling blackbirds, baffled by what must have been their first encounter with heavy rain. A robin sang beautifully, but was wise enough not to expose itself to the harsh conditions. The hirundines were busy, hunting insects low over the water. Mist and rain limited our visibility, so we struggled to make out any waders a reasonable distance away. 
Freiston is in many ways a smaller version of Frampton, with freshwater lagoons and saltmarsh, but it does boast a clear view of the sea, something I had dearly missed over the past few months. 

Birds Seen: Mute Swan, Mallard, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Oystercatcher, Avocet, Black Headed Gull, Common Tern, Carrion Crow, Swallow, House Martin, Wren, Blackbird, Robin (H)   

Wanderings in the Strangest Summer- A retrospective.

 2nd June 2020

I parked the car in Elton, a small village just off the road to Bakewell, and took a wander along the still quiet country roads to Gratton Dale, a dry, narrow dale, host to a lot of scrub as well as wildflower rich, limestone grassy banks. There was a huge abundance of butterflies, Common Blues chasing off anything in sight. The Common Blues combined with the activity brought on by warm conditions made photographing butterflies very challenging. Among the butterflies chased off by the territorial blues was a scruffy Green Hairstreak, a species coming to the end of its season. There were plenty of very fresh Brown Argus on the wing too, possibly the univoltine (single brooded) race which occurs round here. A Tawny Owl hooted in the daytime, which seemed unusual. The blackbirds were going crazy, mobbing something unseen. A pair of Redstarts were provisioning their young.

Brown Argus

Common Blue

A couple of years ago Gratton Dale had hosted hundreds of Dark Green Fritillaries, I had visited them in late June, an abundance of big orange butterflies, but this time I only encountered a single individual. Perhaps their numbers will swell towards the summer Solstice. There were still a few early season species about, in Brimstone and Orange Tip as well as Green Hairstreak. The beetle Oedemira nobilis was seen in good numbers in all their green jewel brilliance, both sexes, thick-thighed male and female, feasting on the large daisies. Abundant Large Skipper butterflies were my first of the year of this common species. 

Dark Green Fritillary

Oedemira nobilis (male)

Oedemira nobilis (female)

Long Dale was quieter, and lacked the wild kaleidoscope of butterflies, though a Skylark sang overhead. A small copper was pretty but camera shy, and there were plenty of Small Heaths. Long Dale is a National Nature Reserve and kept close grazed, genrally regarded as very well managed, buit I felt it perhaps a little overgrazed, and it lacked the diversity of habitat and the lush verdance of Gratton Dale.  Day flying moths were about, including a Wood Tiger, an arctid with beautiful cream and brown forewings and yellow dappled hindwings, and Forester moths, I'd not like to guess a species, fat and metallic green, were abundant.

Small Heath

Wood Tiger

I climbed the footpath North out of Long Dale over the farmland, and a pair of Linnet watched me attentively as I passed, from a perch atop the Gorse. I avoided a field full of cattle and took in the views. A narrow path among the white Cow Parsley led me down to a road, which I crossed, entering a treecreeper infested patch of woodland. This led me along a stone path to the infant River Bradford. I elected not to try to walk Bradford Dale too, on grounds of time, and took the footpath back toward Gratton village and Elton. Near Gratton I saw a stunning Brown Hare in the grass, and in the grounds of a dairy, numerous Small Tortoiseshells defended a patch of nettles.

Large Skipper

Gratton Village was gloriously wildlife rich, surprisingly so, with an attractive pair of reed buntings, apparently breeding beside a small stream. Chirping House Sparrows were around the houses, and House Martins nested under the eaves. A beautiful Wall butterfly was an unexpected pleasure to see in this pretty stream side hamlet.

Wall

I made my way across more fields back into Elton, to head home, having enjoyed a beautiful, butterfly rich stroll in the glorious June weather. 

Gratton Dale Birds Seen: Buzzard, Tawny Owl, Jay, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Great Tit, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Whitethroat, Blackbird, Redstart, Goldfinch. 

Butterflies: Large Skipper (10) Green Veined White (6) Dark Green Fritillary (2) Common Blue (25) Dingy Skipper (6) Brimstone (4) Brown Argus (5) Orange Tip (1) Green Hairstreak (3) Speckled Wood (2) Small Heath (3) 

Other invertebrates of note: Oedemira nobilis, Aeshna juncea

Mammals: Grey Squirrel

Green Hairstreak

Long Dale Birds: Woodpigeon, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Great Tit, Skylark, Pied Wagtail, Linnet. 

Butterflies Green Hairstreak (1) Dingy Skipper (1) Small Heath (19) Small Copper (1) Large Skipper (1) Large White (2)

Others: Forester Moth, Wood Tiger. 

Elton and Gratton Environs Birds: Pheasant, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Kestrel, Magpie (+fl) Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Swallow (+Fl) House Martin, Chiffchaff, Whitethroat, Wren, Treecreeper, Mistle Thrush, Robin, Redstart, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Goldfinch, Reed Bunting. 

Butterflies: Green Veined White (5) Orange Tip (3) Small Tortoiseshell (9) Wall (1) 

Mammals: Brown Hare, Rabbit, Grey Squirrel. 

Lockdown Walks-A Retrospective. 28th May-1st June

 28th May 2020

Wirksworth to Alderwasley

In glorious sunshine I headed up to Alderwasley, taking Wash Green up out of Wirksworth. A gorgeous brood of newly fledged Coal Tits were in a garden on Wash Green. A huge European Hornet, gentle giant among wasps, looked for a nest in a wall.  I crossed the field full of sleepy but occasionally playful Bullocks, and through the woods. The nodding bluebells and the carpet of anemones were gone to seed, but foxgloves and red campion bloomed abundantly. 

I returned via Kennel Woods, a thick deciduous wood which rang with birdsong, and spotted a fine pair of Bullfinches. I continued past a farmhouse where I encountered beautiful cattle and horses. On my return to Wash Green I was somewhat besieged by the Bullocks whom I had passed to peacefully earlier. I was relieved when they were distracted by the farmer, who delivered them a salt lick. A pair of Grey Wagtails flew overhead. 

Birds seen: Mallard, Pheasant, Buzzard, Moorhen, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit (+fl) Blue Tit, Great Tit, Swallow, House Martin, Chiffchaff, Whitethroat, Wren, Blackbird (provisioning), Mistle Thrush, House Sparrow, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Chaffinch, Bullfinch, Goldfinch. 

Butterflies: Common Blue, Large White, Green Veined White

Mammals: Grey Squirrel, Rabbit, Weasel. 

Other notable invertebrates: Scorpionfly.

31st May 2020

The Conquest of Riber Castle

I walked, on a sunny, hot and slightly breezy day up to Riber Castle above Matlock. I trudged first to the Cromford Canal, where a Mallard enjoying the sunshine was the only bird to be seen, crossed the canal, the railway and the River Derwent, and Lea Road, and entered Bow Wood, the first time I had been to this pleasant woodland part managed by the Woodland Trust. The Bluebell ground flora had largely gone to seed. A family looking for Strutt's Mill were the only humans I encountered here. A Blackcap was up and singing and a beautiful Four-Spot Chaser Dragonfly was on the wing over the Bracken, deep green and gold, skillfully evading photography in speedy style.

I ascended by a network of paths, there seemed to be a choice of routes. The heat as I climbed as a little oppressive, lending a tropical atmosphere. I stopped when I reached a clearing on the hillside and looked down onto Cromford below me, the green expanse of rugby pitches, the shimmering meanders of the Derwent, the straight cut canal, with Black Rocks and Bolehill above. I paused to drink in the view before pressing on up, through old fields bounded by drystone walls, passing farm buildings and holiday cottages riotously planted in colour. Here I saw my first Goldfinch fledgelings of the year, lacking the distinctive head markings of their parents, but bearing the bright yellow wing stripe, begging youngsters perched on a wire. I reached Riber and with a couple of wrong turnings I approached the castle, an imposing building reminiscent of something out of Game of Thrones, once a zoo, now a building site being converted to flats. I used to refer to it as The Twins before I counted its towers. On the grass outside its Harris fencing there were a few people enjoying the grass and the sun. It had a commanding view of Matlock. After a cup of tea and my packed lunch, I returned to the farm track and took a left before Willersley Lane. Views from this footpath improved even on those from the castle. The Cable cars of Cromford hung over the shimmering Derwent, and Gulls could be seen over its surface. I could hear the occasional roar of a motorbike over the birdsong, the noise penetrating my leafy tranquility. The car park at Cromford still looked busy, and the whole Derwent valley was alive with humanity before me. I continued my descent through scrub and singing Whitethroats and Redstarts.

Cultivated Geraniums in Riber

Riber Castle

Matlock from Riber Castle. 

I reached the road and briefly took a wrong turning before being corrected by an affable and somewhat merry farmer whose drive I had mistaken for a footpath. I recovered the footpath and past a couple of ponds, and another Dragonfly, a Black Tailed Skimmer, was basking, a black and slatey blue beast. I reached Cromford Meadows, and found a little litter, evidence of humans reemerging to enjoy the sun, and corrected a memorial vase which had been upended.

Dragonfly.

After an aimless wander in the parched brown sheep field I took up a slightly perilous stretch of road, and crossed the Derwent by the big stone bridge. Bullocks were drinking from the brown, peaty water. I stopped breifly by the Cromford Canal, where Canada Geese were raising a family of downy yellow youngsters, and entered the network of alleyways, which led me, under flocks of House Martins, and past beautiful Tabby cats, up to the High Peak Trail. Music blared from car stereos in the Black Rocks car park, and dogs barked, and people drank beer out of glasses, the pub, it seemed, had moved onto these green thoroughfares for a sunny saturday night in the ongoing partial lockdown. I glanced back to Riber Castle and noted that it looked a long way away. I returned home in the late evening twilight.

Distant Riber Castle from Cromford. 

Birds seen: Canada Goose, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Buzzard, Moorhen, Black Headed Gull, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Swift, Jay, Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Swallow, House Martin, Long-Tailed Tit, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Wren, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Robin, Redstart, Dunnock, Chaffinch, Goldfinch. 

Not Birds Seen: Rabbit, Grey Squirrel, Four Spot Chaser, Black Tailed Skimmer, Scorpionfly, Black Soldier Beetle, Small Tortoiseshell, Green Veined White, Cinnabar Moth. 

1st June 2020

Stoney Wood

I took a breif bird and butterfly bimble over Stoney Wood, in not inconsiderable heat. 

Birds: Black Headed Gull (flyovers), Kestrel, Jackdaw, Great Tit, Chiffchaff, Blackbird, Mistle Thrush. 

Butterflies: Common Blue (3) Dingy Skipper (1) Small Heath (1) Small White (1) Cinnabar Moth (1) 

I continued through Middle peak quarry, which was alive with valerian, buttercups and trefoil, and young people enjoying themselves, and a couple of police officers trying to stop them. A Redstart was disappearing into bushes and I could hear the sounds of noisy, begging young. Then I was on Middleton Top. The Cattle had moved up onto Middleton  Moor for some summer grazing. I came down through the grounds of the National Stone Centre. 

Birds: Black Headed Gull, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Swift, Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Skylark, Swallow, House Martin, Willow Warbler, Treecreeper, Blackbird, Mistle Thrush, Redstart, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Linnet, Goldfinch. 

Butterfly: Small Tortoiseshell. 

Lockdown Walks, a Retrospective. 21st-25th May.

 21st May 2020

Feeling a touch of sunstroke from my long walk in the heat the previous day, something like the mother of all hangovers, I remained at home today, and enjoyed seeing a Cinnabar Moth in the back garden, a smart, day flying red and black creature. Their larvae, black and yellow striped creatures, feed on Ragwort, and can be seen through the summer months. A Large White butterfly had laid some eggs on my Brussels Sprouts, and I will aim to be the best custodian of them I can be. 

1430-1530

Natty and I visited her bee transects up at the National Stone Centre, a patch of greenery cut by examples of the dry stone waller's craft, surrounding Britain's only museum dedicated to building stone. The sun was hot and high and the Comfrey was in bloom. 

There were some butterflies on the wing including some lycaenids, Common Blues, and a bright orange Small Copper, on a patch of grass beside the Stone Centre car park, my first of the year. A larger Satyrid butterfly which flew by may have been a Wall.

Small Copper Butterfly. 

Bees: Early Bumblebee (worker) Garden Bumblebee (Worker, queen) Buff/White tailed bumblebee (workers) Common Carder Bee (workers) Honeybee (workers) 

Butterflies: Orange Tip (2) Common Blue (2) Small Copper (1)

Birds: Swift, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Blackbird, Goldfinch. 

Gang Mine. 

The mountain Pansies, and tiny white flowers were in bloom on the lead spoil. There were surprisingly few bees, but a beautiful pheasant was standing on the path, confidingly, and hirundines darted about. 

Birds: Pheasant, Black Headed Gull, Woodpigeon, Kestrel, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Sand Martin, Swallow, Long-Tailed Tit, Chiffchaff, Whitethroat, Blackbird, Mistle Thrush, Robin, House Sparrow, Dunnock, Pied Wagtail.

Sheildbug at Gang Mine

Small Heath Butterfly at Gang Mine. 

Butterflies: Small Heath (5) Orange Tip (1) Dingy Skipper (1) Green Veined White (1) Small Copper (1) 

Mammals: Rabbit, Grey Squirrel. 

24th May 2020

Bolehill Envrions

Natalie, Lizzie and I took a wader down to Cromford Canal from Wirksworth, taking the steep ascent to Bolehill. There were plenty of hirundines as swifts cavorting in the blue blazing sky. We took the farm track by the toad pond, so alive a few weeks ago but now near bone dry, and avoided four noisy dogs on the footpath, which yapped in a mildly confrontational manner. 
The Gorses in the cattle field were unusually quiet, but there was a fledgeling Meadow Pipit, my first fledgeling of this species this year. A flock of Goldfinch was busy on the farm track but included no juveniles; I would be interested to know if this collective feeding behaviour is common in the breeding season, or whether these birds were all failed or late breeders. When we reached the canal we found visitor numbers slightly up, but the only canal birds we saw were a single drake Mallard and a flyover Grey Wagtail. 
The climb up the Cromford incline was shallow but seemed unending. The precipitous gritstone cliffs were beautifully bathed in shimmering sunshine. In a small pond some Goldfish seemed to have been dumped, but alongside them some tadpoles persisted and Smooth Newts displayed courtship behaviour, the females gently pursued by the crested and amorous males.  Blue Tits nested in a hole in a concrete gatepost. 
I parted company with Natty and Lizzie, who took the quickest route home, and and headed up Black Rocks. The heat had brought out crowds, and some large groups were gathered up there, though they all seemed thoroughly civilised and there was no litter. There were a gorgeous family of Treecreepers, with little dumpy fledgelings, clinging to trunks above Black Rocks. 
A Cuckoo sang on the descent from the trig point, distinctive, distant, though it would not reveal itself. I stared urgently at a passing Sparrowhawk and at a Stock Dove. . A pair of Jays made food runs to nestlings of their own over my head as I waited in hope, but the Cuckoo remained unseen. I made my way back down to Wirksworth, as mother and foal Shetland Pony played in the evening sun.

Micropigs.

Birds: Mallard, Pheasant, Sparrowhawk, Black Headed Gull, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Cuckoo (Heard only) Swift, Kestrel, Jay (feeding), Magpie, Jackdaw, Blue Tit (nesting), Great Tit (nesting), Swallow, Chiffchaff, Wren, Treecreeper (+fl) Blackbird, Robin, Dunnock, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit (fl) Chaffinch, Goldfinch. 

25th May 2020

Stoney Wood

On a glorious sunny afternoon, \I went for my occasional Stoney Wood Bimble, where I counted the butterflies. The Stardisc, a sculpture which sits at the top of Stoney Wood, an illuminated, round star map, was receiving a little TLC from its creator, who was cleaning and respraying the stars. 

The continuing heatwave seemed to be keeping the birds down, but Blue Tits and Robins were busy feeding fledgelings. 

Birds Seen: Woodpigeon, Swift, Jackdaw, Blue Tit, Swallow, Willow Warbler, Whitethroat, Blackbird, Robin, Goldfinch.

Butterflies: Orange Tip (1) Dingy Skipper (5) Large White (1) Common Blue (6) Green Veined White (2) Small Heath (2)

Common Blue ovipositing on Lotus corniculatus at Stoney Wood.

Cromford Moor

In the afternoon I returned to Cromford Moor, which was surprisingly busy with people, in the hope of reconnecting with the singing Cuckoo, of which there was not sight nor sound. A rabbit afflicted by Myxomatosis was a sad sight, blind and stumbling. At such a point I wished I were not so squeamish and knew how to euthanise a rabbit, but I do not, and for fear of adding to its suffering I continued on my way. 
A beautiful Green Tiger Beetle was a welcome diversion from lapine tragedy, amd scuttled rapidly across the sand on the clearfell area. A splendid little predator, bright metallic green and orange iridescences in the evening sun.

Green Tiger Beetle at Cromford Moor. 

Birds Seen: Buzzard, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Swift, Kestrel, Jay, Magpie, Jackdaw, Great Tit, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackbird, Dunnock, Chaffinch, Bullfinch, Goldfinch. 

Lockdown Walks, a Retrospective.

 20th May 2020

Aiming for Idridgehay. 

On a very hot day, I decided to take a stroll to the South of Wirksworth, in the direction of Idridgehay, following Prathall Lane to its end. As Prathall lane becomes Taylors lane it crosses out of Derbyshire Dales Local Authority area and enters the Amber Valley. Here, curiously, there seems to be a change in the standard of footpaths. Whether this is down to different landowners or local authorities I do not know. Some of the wooded footpaths, winding their way past pheasant release pens, were almost impassable, but Anemones bloomed and Buzzards circled overhead. 

In the searing summer heat I made my way South, toward Idridgehay, picking up the road past the wedding venue at Shottle Hall, and then crossed the main road. A pair of Lapwings off the farmland whooped and tumbled, mobbing a passing Red Kite, perhaps the same bird I had seen a couple of days earlier.

I crossed the main road, and made my way down to the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, crossing the tracks by footpath beside a beautifully restored signal box, and continued down to the River Ecclesbourne a little South of Idridgehay. Here, a beautiful pair of Mandarin Duck floated with their fluffy ducklings. Unlike many ducks, male Mandarins do display some parental care. As hole nesters, the bright male can safely incubate without his bright colours giving away the nest location to predators.

Mandarins. Not the ones actually seen on the Ecclesbourne, but some seen in Kent in about 2016, probably. Included for beautifulness. 

 I gave the Mandarin family a little space, as they seemed somewhat nervous,  and continued on my way, by road and by footpath, past a pond where Mayflies danced in the afternoon sun. I reached a field, and was warned by a sign that there was a 'Bull and Cows with Calves' in the field. Now I am not one to take undue risks around Cattle, but a Bull with cows and calves is usually happy to play the contented father, and seldom feels he has anything to prove. This Bull, however, was not 'with' cows and calves. This Bull was some distance from the rest of the herd, apparently shunned by them, unconnected by genetics or familiarity to any of them. This Bull had a lot to prove, and he bellowed aggressively. He trotted towards me, head slightly bowed, he did not charge but his vocalisations and his trot were warning enough. I made it to a bridge on the other side of the field. The Bull stood, and bellowed some more, whether in frustration or satisfaction I do not know. He was not the first confrontational oddity I was to encounter today. As I  continued walking I was met at a style by a lady of late middle age, dressed like someone who might live on a trailer park in an American movie, with a voice like the Queen. 

Our conversation went something like this: 

She: Excuse me, are you from the press? 
Me: From the press? why do you think I am from the press?
She: Are you from the press?
Me: Let's say I am from the press. Is there a story? 
Her husband: Let's see your press card. 
Me: Okay, I am not from the press. Why do you ask?
She: We've had some problems. 
Me: With the press? 
She: Are you from the Council? 
Me: Why would I be from the council? No, I am just out for a walk. (her husband is satisfied with this explanation and wanders off)
She: Where is your car? 
Me: It's at home. I am out for a walk not for a drive. 
She: I own this. I am the owner of everything. 
Me: Do you own that Bull?
She: There was a sign about the Bull. Why would you put yourself at risk from the Bull? 
Me: I was on a public footpath. A designated right of way. If you put the Bull there I did not put myself at risk, you put me at risk. 
She: Are you from the Police? 
Me: What? Do I look like I am from the Police? [I do not look like I am from the Police] Why would I be from the Police? 
She: I own this. I am the owner of everything. 
Me: Yes but why do you keep asking if I am from the legitimate democratic authorities?

I left the eccentric landowner and her eccentric Bull to their own devices, and wondered whether she was concealing some mystery. Her estate is indeed a beautiful, lush place to walk. I have endeavoured to obscure its location and identity, for obvious reasons. 
I continued, the day advancing apace, back to Wirksworth, grabbing a pint on the way from a hole in a pub wall in Kirk Ireton. Near Miller's Green a snuffling in the leaves beside the road alerted me to my first living hedgehog sighting of the year. Once again I arrived back at Wirksworth in darkness. 

Birds Seen: Mandarin Duck, Pheasant, Grey Heron, Red Kite, Buzzard, Lapwing, Curlew, Black Headed Gull, Tawny Owl (H) Swift, Kestrel, Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Raven, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Swallow, House Martin, Long-Tailed Tit, Chiffchaff, Whitethroat, Wren, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Robin, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Goldfinch. 

Mammals Seen: Rabbit, Grey Squirrel, Pipistrelle, Hedgehog. 

Butterflies: Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Large (Cabbage) White, Green Veined White.