Following information from Pat
Warwick regarding Wood Warbler and Pied Flycatcher, David, Ken, Roger and I
decide to visit the Goyt Valley in Derbyshire.
We arrived at the southern car
park at Errwood Reservoir just after 08:00 and whilst the others were getting
kitted out I strolled across the road to view the reservoir and found a Common
Sandpiper. Once we were all ready we
walked up the slope leaving the car park in the left hand corner and were soon
watching two Spotted Flycatchers our first target, a singing Wood Warbler. After some nice views of the very active
warbler we walked a little further and could hear a Pied Flycatcher singing but
it took us a few minutes to locate it but then had some very nice views of the
bird and also had brief views of a Siskin.
We continued walking along the path and found a Tree Pipit and then a
superb male Redstart. David climbed down
the slope to the road but Ken, Roger and I went further along the path seeing a
female Pied Flycatcher and another male Redstart and also hearing a Cuckoo
before the path came to the road. As we
walked back long the road we had further views of the second male Redstart and
we also found a Nuthatch and a second Siskin.
When we joined David we found a pair of Redstarts and a Great Spotted Woodpecker
and saw two Common Sandpipers on the shore of the reservoir. Two other birders informed us that they had
seen two Short-eared Owls on the other side of the valley and so we went back
the way we had come and after parking followed a footpath out onto the
moor. There was no sign of the
Short-eared Owls but we did see a Buzzard and a couple of Raven, including one
carrying a presumed Curlew egg. There
was also a couple of Green Hairstreaks and a Red Grouse as we walked back to
the car.
We discussed what we should do
next after a very successful morning and decided to drive through the Goyt
Valley before heading off to Wetton Mill in Staffordshire. Two Grey Wagtails were observed, although I
only saw one, as we crossed a small stream in the valley. When we eventually reached Wetton Mill in the
Manifold Valley it was 12:15 and after
seeing a Treecreeper as we had lunch we walked to the bridge where we had a
pair of Grey Wagtail and a brief view of a Dipper as it flew under the bridge
and up the stream and there was also a Nuthatch that was seen briefly near the
bridge before it flew off up the valley.
We decided that we should walk up the valley to see if we could re-find
the Dipper as Ken hadn’t seen it very well.
As we walked slowly up the road David found the Dipper on a small rock
in the stream and we watched for a few minutes before appeared to just fly to
the bank but out of sight. We continued
on up the road and found a couple of male Redstarts and a Spotted
Flycatcher. We also heard several
Chiffchaff, Willow Warblers and Blackcaps and a single Garden Warbler and a
Buzzard was observed soaring on the far side of the river.
Male Grey Wagtail
Male Grey Wagtail
Female Grey Wagtail
It had been an excellent days
birding with some fine weather in a superb part of the country and it was a
pity we had to leave so early due to commitments at home.
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