After spending the morning of Monday 1st May birding in Derbyshire, I was amazed at the final bird tally, could this really be my home county on the 1st of May? – Black Tern(6), Arctic Tern (1), Sanderling (7), Dunlin, LRP (5), Turnstone (1), Bar-tailed Godwit (2), Curlew (1), Common Sandpiper, summer plumaged Great Northern Diver, Bittern, Med Gull, […]
It has been a long, long time since I have seen Early Purple Orchid in my home county of Derbyshire. The Flora of Derbyshire states that it can be very common in the grassland areas of the White Peak, sometimes turning the dalesides purple in spring. The book also indicates that one of the best places
The Green-winged Orchid is a declining species in Britain. It is a short stemmed orchid preferring specialised limestone grassland and grassy meadow habitat. A very localised plant, but where it is found it forms dense colonies. The flowers grow in a cluster on a single spike and are usually dark purple or pink, sometimes white.
Mid April is the time of the year when our local Pied Flycatchers, little black and white jewels, arrive back in the Sessile Oak Woods of Derbyshire’s Peak District. Their arrival also coincides with other early spring migrants such as Redstart, Tree Pipit, Cuckoo, Northern Wheatear and Ring Ouzel and so often leads to a great mornings
On our way back from Suffolk, on Monday 17th April, we stopped off at a Wildlife Trust National Nature Reserve near Stamford in Lincolnshire. The reserve is a site for the rare Pasqueflower which, at this time of year, grows alongside Cowslip, in what was once an old limestone quarry, used by the Romans over
We spent our Easter weekend in Suffolk, staying at a superb Pub in the quaint village of Dunwich. A few miles from Minsmere, 5 minutes from the National Trust reserve of Dunwich Heath and a short drive to the small towns of Southwold and Aldeburgh. A few hours each day was spent at Minsmere and
Sunday 9th April and a stunning day was spent at Rutland Water and Eyebrook Reservoir, both locations in Leicestershire and two of my favourite local birding sites. An adult summer Little Gull was feeding over the lagoon at the main reserve of Egleton at Rutland Water and several Osprey were seen during the day. Disappointingly there
Opportunities to photograph a Kingfisher are few and far between, so when the opportunity does occur, you have to grab it. Enough said.. Yorkshire and Lincolnshire were the places to be on Saturday 1st April. Kingfisher – above 4 images – male – note the all black bill – Tony Davison© – The King of
