Wanderings in the Strangest Summer- Some local-ish walks.

 August 1st 2020.

I went to Matlock Bath by mistake.  Not long after the great and, as it transpired, temporary lifting of restrictions. I was not ready to encounter humans in such densities,  and I swiftly realised my mistake, and took a wander homeward.

I walked down by the river,  through the parks beside the rushing Derwent in the sunshine, where a dipper bobbed about. I climbed back up onto the road, and wandered along it, past the old Mill building.  I picked up the Cromford Canal Towpath, eerily quiet in comparison to the bustle of Matlock Bath Promenade, following it to the High Peak Junction, where I wandered through the sheep field, encountering a beautiful fledgeling Redstart, beginning to moult into the winter plumage of an adult male. Its sibling was not far away. In moult they bore a curious resemblance to Common Rock Thrushes, but smaller, perching on the dry stone walls, perhaps to scale with Alpine boulders. These tiny birds, just a couple of months old, were preparing for a long and perilous journey to subsaharan Africa. Also preparing to leave were the massed House Martins and Sand Martins which zipped about around the oak tree beside the camp site, where a few brave campers took advantage of the recent reopening.

Selected sightings (no list made) Kestrel, Woodpigeon, Mallard, Dipper, Black Headed Gull, Redstart, Pied Wagtail, House Martin, Swallow, House Martin. 

Cutthroat Bridge, Derwentside, 6th August 2020

I parked up in the layby beside Cutthroat Bridge, a bridge over a small beck, named for a grizzly robbery which took place there in 1635, where a man was left dead, or deprived of speech, depending on which version you read, by mysterious assailants. A second murder, the dumped body of a Mancunian gangster in the 1990s, adds to its grim mystique.  Counterintuitively, the place had quite a calm, wild energy about it, a gentle summer breeze, the heather in flower, and a Kestrel hovering.

Calluna blooming on the Derwent Moors. 

 I strolled uphill, among the flowering Ling Heather, Calluna vulgaris, and the Cross-Leaved Heath, Erica tetralix, the latter now beginning to go to seed. This was Grouse country, and sadly would all to soon be rumbling with the sound of guns as the toffs and London city boys hit the moors to shoot fledgelings out of the sky for shits and giggles. I passed a number of Grouse shooting butts, well maintained, almost luxurious with gravel floors and embossed door numbers. Nice of them, I thought, to provide so many public toilets so close to the Inglorious 12th.  Even in this magnificent, rugged landscape The moors bore the angular scars of controlled burns, in which floristic diversity is sacrificed for maximum densities of grouse for shooting.

Red Grouse on the Derwent Moors. 

Fox Moth larva on the Derwent Moors

As I ascended the moor, I could not help but acknowledge that, despite my distain for grouse shooting, this place was extraordinarily beautiful. Expansive views opened up, of the Derwent reservoirs, a Hobby pursued some hirundines around the granite outcrops. Meadow Pipits were busy, shuttling back and forth with food parcels. The views were enthralling, almost defying description, a vast landscape of hills and shining water. 

I reached the National Trust's land at the Derwent Estate, where I encountered my only actual Red Grouse of the walk, a female, who raised a head above the heather and looked at me quizzically. I walked on to a trig point, scrambling up the rocks for a selfie with it, and enjoyed a commanding view, now taking in part of the city of Sheffield, and viewed the Dark Peaks from their heart. On my return the sun was beginning to dip, and the reservoirs shone, bright glare of their mirror surface.

Yes, a place of remarkable beauty. And in sharp contrast to my ill advised trip to Matlock Bath, I saw barely a soul today. Just space and lakes and heather.

View of the Derwent Reservoirs from Derwent Edge. Or something. Who cares what a place is really called anyway. 

Birds Seen: Buzzard, Kestrel, Hobby, Raven, Great Tit, Swallow, Long-tailed Tit, Chiffchaff, Wren, Meadow Pipit. 

Lathkill Dale 7th August 2021

On a very hot, sunny day Natty and I strolled down from Over Haddon into Lathkill Dale. We found the River Lathkill dry, it had retreated underground, into its cave system, the disused mines beneath its course. The marginal vegetation like Hemp Agrimony had begun to wilt in the heat and dry. Only the deep, bathing pools, historic fishponds downriver held water, and here Swans and Mallards ignored swimmers and dogs. The site was busy but not the nightmare of antisocial behaviour reported on in recent weeks. Perhaps more people were staying away. Birds were few and far between, but a Buzzard gave us close views as it flew among the trees.

River Lathkill on one of its few excursions onto the surface. 

Curiously a number of big Nyphalid butterflies were gathered on the trunk of a beech tree, apparently
feeding on sap. Several trees held Commas and Red Admirals engaging in this behaviour.

Comma and two Red Admirals feeding on tree sap. 

Butterflies Seen: Ringlet, Gatekeeper, Red Admiral, Comma, Large White, Small Copper, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, 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. 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.

 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. 

Lockdown Walks, a Retrospective. 16th-19th May 2020

16th May 2020

Crich Trig Point.  

I strolled down to the Cromford Canal on my own, and then up through Lea Wood on a grey day, water standing in puddles around. The trees were thick now and there were few splashes of colour in the herb layer. I made my way along a fenced path across a parkland estate, ascending to the village of Upper Holloway, signs proclaiming its status as a 'village in bloom,' Its gardens were bright and alive with vivid cultivated flowers, and the paths and alleys on which I continued my ascent were lined with wild Forget Me Nots and Comfrey and Bluebells.

Bluebells in Upper Holloway. 

Mining Bee spp. Seen near Upper Holloway. 

After crossing a few sheep fields, as the clouds parted I joined the curving path from the road to the memorial and the trig point. The smell of may blossom filled the air. A Spotted Flycatcher and a pair of Bullfinch were about. I crossed the tracks of the Crich Tramway village, where, in different times, preserved trams take visitors on short rides.

Spotted Flycatcher at Crich. 

Now I must confess I hadn't known what the Pepperpot building which looks down on Matlock and Cromford from its commanding hilltop to the East actually was. A distinct landmark, unknown. It is a memorial to the soldiers of the Sherwood Foresters, a British Army regiment whose soldiers hailed from the Midlands. The men of the regiment served bravely in the First and Second World Wars, the unit's name is inscribed on many a war memorial hereabouts.   The memorial can be seen for several miles, and the views from the hill are commanding. Belper, Derby and the wider countryside spread out below me. I wasn't the only one there. A couple embraced on the grass beside the memorial. A sombre looking man respectfully took down the flags which flew at the site entrance for safe keeping as evening approached. 

View from Crich. 

Sherwood Foresters Memorial. 

I hung out with a handsome crow for a while, and had my lunch, and drank in the expansive vista, and some tea, and then I headed down again, via further woodland, where some fellow walkers were looking for a site used in the filming of the Children's drama 'Stig of the Dump.' I regret only the book was a part of my childhood, the 1981 and the 2002 versions both neatly avoiding me. 

Did Stig of the Dump wander among these Ramsons? 

I reached the Cromford Canal again as the sun was setting, and walked back, fish spotting. A huge, lone Perch, a neatly striped fish with two big dorsal fins more familiar as shoaling juveniles, big enough to be an ambush predator, hung motionless in the water. A few hundred yards on, I watched a Little Grebe fishing in the clear water, astounded by the speed they can do underwater. My word those things are fast. The terrors of the minnows. Clouds of Mayflies were hatching and danced in the evening sun over the water. 

Mallard on Cromford Canal. 

Mayfly Hatch on Cromford Canal. 

As I strolled back over the hills I reflected on how far I had just walked. 

Birds Seen: Canada Goose, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Little Grebe, Buzzard, Moorhen, Black Headed Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Woodpigeon, Jay, Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Raven, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Swallow, House Martin, Long-Tailed Tit, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Wren, Nuthatch, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Spotted Flycatcher, Robin, House Sparrow, Dunnock, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Chaffinch, Bullfinch, Goldfinch. 

Not Birds Seen: Brown Hare, Rabbit, Grey Squirrel, Brown Rat, Perch, Common Blue Damselfly, 

18th May 2020

Wirksworth to Carsington 

On a greyish, intermittently breezy day, I made my way via Stoney Wood, where abundant Dingy Skipper were on the wing despite the weather. There were a few fledgelings about, as Spring turns into Summer, a brood of robins up on the top path.  I continued down to Carsington, where the visitor facilities remained closed, that now familiar refrain, 'due to the Pandemic.' However a public footpath skirts the South-Eastern bank of the lake, according to my OS Map, and who am I to doubt it. It was curious to see the area around the visitor centre so abandoned, car parks empty and fenced off, Stones Island with its sculptures unattended, and the grass, normally host to families, noisy youngsters and playful dogs, now totally and utterly reclaimed by Canada Geese. Though a few small crowds of humans were pootling about, as well as the odd jogger, the Reservoir seemed to belong largely to fluffy Goslings and Spotted Flycatchers.  Willow Tits had fledged youngsters, encouragingly. This is a scarce species which seems to thrive at Carsington.

This walk was among the first in which no year nor lockdown bird list ticks were had. A Great Crested Grebe floated with some striped 'humbugs,' the distinctive young of this charismatic and familiar  water bird. 

Stoney Wood Bird Sightings: Jay, Jackdaw, Great Tit, Swallow, Nuthatch, Robin + Fledgelings, Goldfinch (Singing) 

Stoney Wood Butterfly Sightings: Dingy Skipper (5), Green Veined White (2) 

Carsington Water Bird Sightings: Canada Goose, Barnacle Goose, Greylag Goose, Mute Swan, Gadwall, Mallard, Great Crested Grebe, Grey Heron, Cormorant, Buzzard, Moorhen, Coot, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Black Headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Woodpigeon, Swift, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Willow Tit (+Fledgelings), Blue Tit, Great Tit, Skylark, Sand Martin, Swallow, Long-Tailed Tit, Chiffchaff, Reed Warbler, Whitethroat, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Spotted Flycatcher, Robin, Redstart, Dunnock, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Chaffinch, Bullfinch, Goldfinch, Reed Bunting. 

Mammals: Grey Squirrel, Rabbit. 

Butterflies: Large (Cabbage) White, Green Veined White, Brimstone. 

19th May 2020

A Stroll to Bolehill (Contains description of predation) 

A breif hour or so out of the house in beautiful sunshine brought the unexpected. Beneath an old, gnarled Oak tree beside the footpath, a few small birds were feeding on the ground, a typical mixed crowd of tits and finches. A Great Spotted Woodpecker dropped in, I assumed to join them in preying in whatever small insects could be found there. Repeatedly it stabbed the ground, as the smaller birds took flight, chattering, and then it was up, with a small dead bird in its bill. Downy feathers drifted on the breeze. The bird, a Great Tit, was unceremoniously hammered into a crack in the bark by the Woodpecker's bill. The Woodpecker returned twice during the following ten minutes or so to peck at the carcass. An adult Great Tit was in the area with a food parcel for its youngster, one can but hope others survived. Passerine alarm calls abounded throughout.  Woodpeckers are not unknown to take young birds, hammered out nest boxes are a telltale sign of Great Spotted Woodpecker predation, but this was the first time I had witnessed it with my own eyes, and not of nestlings either, but of a fledgeling.

Distant view of the Woodpecker enjoying its meal. 

Plenty of other birds were busy with the business of raising chicks. Blue Tits fed chicks in a nest box on the wall of a house in Bolehill Village. A newly fledged Woodpigeon hassled a weary looking parent for food in a street tree, and robins were busy stuffing invertebrates into the yellow gapes of speckled fledgelings.

Friendly Sheep

I returned to the path beside the farm buildings, Ash Tree Farm or some such, and passed through a field of friendly sheep.  As I crossed the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, a Sparrowhawk flew over, a kill in its talons. Swifts whistled joyously in the clear blue sky, themselves predators on the aerial 'plankton.' 

Birds Seen: Sparrowhawk, Woodpigeon, Swift, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crown, Coal Tit, Blue Tit (+nest w/ young) Great Tit (+Fledgelings, one eaten by GSWP) Swallow, Blackbird, Robin (+Fledgelings) Dunnock, Chaffinch, Goldfinch
 

Lockdown Walks, a Retrospective. 9th-15th May

 9th May 2020

Cromford, Groaning Tor, Middleton Top. 

I strolled from Wirksworth up through the National Stone Centre and around Gang Mine Nature Reserve, where the mountain pansies bloomed, vivid yellow. The swifts were now abundant, with plenty of birds screaming and whistling through the heavens and over the undulating mining landscape of lead spoil and ancient workings.

Mountain Pansies at Gang Mine

Bluebells at Rose End Meadows.

I continued via the Dene Quarry footpaths, where I had a fleeting glimpse of a butterfly which may have been a wall, and through a Rose End Meadows, now carpeted with bluebells. Surprisingly, having seen it alive with migrants not too long ago, it was now fairly bird quiet, and I descended via a disconcertingly steep path to the small river beside the Via Gellia, before ascending through wet grassland and woodland to a rocky escarpment, called 'groaning tor' on my OS map. I found it rather impressive. I picked up the path to Middleton, and saw more of the apparently locally ubiquitous Redstarts, and was briefly confused by a horse in a zebra costume. A friend tells me the stripes deter biting flies, hypothesised as one possible advantage of the markings of real zebra.

Horse in a Zebra Costume. 

I reached Middleton, and decided to pick up the 'circular walk from Middleton Top.' This crosses more farmland, young woods of hawthorn, birch and blackthorn, and boasts lovely views across the valley. A Brown Hare was in the farmland, watching attentively, but not fleeing. In the Hawthorn woods the Wood Anemone had begun to go over, some of the white-pink blooms beginning to wilt or brown, but they were still an impressive carpet. I rounded the woods and joined a disused entrance track. after a few wrong turns, and impressive views of some remarkable disused quarry equipment, tunnels hewn into rock, I reached the loops' road section. This section of road could be a challenge to walkers on a busy day when the quarry lorries are on the move.
A tractor appeared to be spraying fertiliser on the fields above. Small Tortoiseshell butterflies, many of then slightly tatty from age basked on the dry stone wall, occasionally taking off to flirt with each other, or even a passing female Peacock Butterfly.

Small Tortoiseshell

I walked across middleton moor and descended once again via the National Stone Centre. 

Birds Seen: Buzzard, Black Headed Gull, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Swift, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jay, Magpie, Jackdaw, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Skylark, Sand Martin, Swallow, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Blackbird, Mistle Thrush, Robin, Redstart, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Chaffinch, Linnet, Goldfinch. 

Mammals: Brown Hare, Rabbit.

Butterflies Seen: Peacock, Brimstone, Green Veined White, Orange Tip, Speckled Wood, Dingy Skipper, Small Tortoiseshell. 


11th May 2020

Wirksworth and Bolehill

I took a bimble up the hill to the trig point on Cromford Moor, and strolled along a trail marked out by blue posts, passing relaxed cattle, moving between regenerating moorland on clearfelled forestry land, and young and mature pine plantation. Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs were busy among the pines. Swifts zipped about ahead of the weather under an increasingly angry sky, which changed rapidly between blue, and the colour of old lead. I even enjoyed a brief hail shower. 
Cromford Moor is an interesting little patch. Though no access is marked on the OS map it is entirely possible to walk round it, and many do. Worth more of my attention, this spot, I think. 

Birds Seen: Mallard, Buzzard, Black Headed Gull, Herring Gull, Swift, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Swallow, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Whitethroat, Wren, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Robin, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Goldfinch. 

12th May. 

Stoney Wood

I took a very brief stroll at Stoney Wood in the afternoon. A beautiful pair of Bullfinch foraged together. Bullfinch are almost always seen in pairs. They are rather romantic like that, foraging together as a pair even during the breeding season. 
Jackdaws flew over carrying nesting material, perhaps for mid season repairs or ahead of a second brood. Corvids breed early. In the low scrub lurked a small, brown, speckled creature, my first fledgeling Robin of the season. Robins, presumably the parents of this little youngster, squabbled with goldfinches over the bird feeders in a neighbouring garden. 

Birds Seen: Black Headed Gull, Woodpigeon, Swift, Jackdaw, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Chiffchaff, Nuthatch, Blackbird, Robin, Dunnock, Bullfinch, Goldfinch. 

Mammals: Grey Squirrel. 

13th May

Wirksworth-Alport-Idridgehay Envrions. 

A stroll up to Knob Lane was taken in search of Curlew, which I had encountered up here a few days earlier. Not sight nor sound of these melodious and enigmatic waders was had. I took the footpath down into the Amber Valley behind Alport Heights, where a Red Kite, a rather special lockdown 'tick' soared overhead. These magnificent birds are comeback kings, common scavengers even in cities 200 years ago, before they were methodically exterminated, reduced to a tiny population in North Wales by the mid 20th century, where sympathetic landowners allowed them to thrive quietly, then reintroduced, most famously in South Oxfordshire but at several sites in England and Scotland, at the close of the 20th century. When I was a kid they defined the rare and persecuted raptor. Now they are breeding in almost every English county, and there are records of them from Central London. Mobbed by crows this magnificent scavenger floated above the mid Derbyshire Countryside, as if his species had never left. He was a joy to see.

Red Kite near Alport Heights

Moving from the Derbyshire Dales to the Amber Valley, the quality of footpaths rather declined. It is unclear whether this is the result of differing priorities between the councils, or differing landowner attitudes, but the change across this political boundary was notable and distinct. Eventually I found the Ecclesbourne Way, a route promoted by the Ecclesbourne Valley heritage Railway, and walked beside the brook. Agricultural runoff rendered the brook somewhat cloudy, and it proved disappointing in terms of birds, though a magnificent Grey Heron took flight. I ascended again through the beautiful Gibbet Wood, the light of a fading sun peering between the trees, a tiny brook babbling its progress down to the Ecclesbourne. 

I descended via New Buildings and Gorsey Bank, the Dandelion fields now fully gone to seed, spherical 'clocks' of grey fluff replacing the yellow blooms. I continued through Folly Well to Gorsey Bank, and back into Wirksworth

Birds Seen: Grey Heron, Red Kite, Buzzard, Black Headed Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon,  Collared Dove, Swift, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Skylark, Swallow, Chiffchaff, Whitethroat, Wren, Nuthatch, Blackbird, Song Thrush, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail. 

Mammals: Brown Hare, Rabbit, Grey Squirrel. 

14th May 2020

Bolehill Environs

I took a stroll up to Bolehill and around the blue trail once again, on a gloriously sunny evening. Meadow Pipits sang in stereo from every dead tree and stump among the recovering moorland, in the golden light. Their chorus was joined by truck horns and distant rumbles, shattering the tranquility of the moors. It was Thursday, and the truck horns someone's thoughtful contribution to the weekly applause for the NHS and carers.

Meadow Pipit singing on Cromford Moor. 

Birds Seen: Buzzard, Woodpigeon, Sift, Wagpie, Jackdaw, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Swallow, House Martin, Long Tailed Tit, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Whitethroat, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Robin, Dunnock, Meadow Pipit, Chaffinch, Goldfinch. 

15th May. Wirksworth to Kirk Ireton. 

Natalie and I made our way down through Miller's Green, down to Kirk Ireton via the footpaths associated with Dark Lane, on a bright afternoon. My route through the fields and Half Moon Lane was deemed unduly circuitous. We passed plenty of Pheasants and saw some Red Legged Partridges, and buzzards soared. So many of the passerines we saw were now carrying food parcels to hungry chicks. We could hear the peeps of nestlings too, many of them now well grown. Chiffchaffs and Whitethroats were vociferous. Unfortunately the farmers had been out spraying again, and many of the fields close to Kirk Ireton bore its wilted signature. However this did not seem to have immediately affected the birdsong. 

On the pond near Miller's Green, a carp fishery, were baby Moorhens, and worker Early and Buff Tailed bumblebees, the small 'baby bees' which appear at this time of year, were busy on any thistles. A Nuthatch startled as it flew from a garden feeder past my face, a blue-grey flash across my field of vision. A newly fledged House Sparrow was looking for the power of flight, testing its wings on short hops from the ground near Haarlem Mill, and Swifts wheeled and whistled overhead.

Song Thrush. 

Birds Seen: Greylag Goose, Mallard, Red Legged Partridge, Pheasant, Buzzard, Moorhen, Woodpigeon, Swift, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Swallow, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Wren, Nuthatch, Starling, Blackbird, Song Thrush, House Sparrow, Dunnock, Bullfinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch.