As the Waxwings were staying site faithful to Hassop Station, near Bakewell, I simply had to go back for a second time around. So I revisited the site on 15th January, and this time it was a week day, so wasn’t as busy as the first trip in late December. It was also a good excuse to get Waxwing on the year list for 2024, you never know if it will be another five year wait for an invasion year to come around again.
There were still good numbers on site, in excess of a hundred birds, and the weather was perfect, so it was fill-yer-boots time! A few Redwings were about and the odd Fieldfare. However, by the end of January it was a different story, and the birds were beginning to disperse, and by 24th January there were much smaller numbers at Hassop.
My wife and I spent our Christmas in North Norfolk. A few days away was just the tonic we both needed, and some good birds to finish off 2023. A detour was in order, via RSPB Frampton, for the very obliging Lesser Yellowlegs that seems to be over wintering at the site, and also gradually moulting into adult plumage. Also 3 Scaup were further highlights during a breakfast bacon “butty” in the Cafe.
Stopping via Cley Marshes for Avocet, Ruff, Great White Egret, Marsh Harrier and a Red Kite.
Christmas Eve morning was spent at RSPB Titchwell and I managed to find 3 Velvet Scoter amongst a large flock of Common Scoter just off shore. A few Red-breasted Merganser, 13 species of wader and several Water Pipit, my first of the year, and amazing views of the wintering Siberian Chiffchaff. In the afternoon a visit to Stiffkey Floods for the long staying Glossy Ibis.
On Boxing Day (26th Dec) we paid an early morning visit to Holkham, trying to beat the hoards of people that descended on the place as we were walking back to our car. A good move, as I managed to locate 7 Shore Lark in their favoured wintering area. The most significant spectacle however, was the sight of thousands of Pink-footed Geese in the flooded fields at Holkham Fresh Marsh, on several occasions taking to the air. There must have been the entire North Norfolk population on view, and the sound was incredible. Another Great White Egret, hundreds of Wigeon and Teal and several Marsh Harrier finished off the day. During our trip, I managed 80 species without a great deal of effort and time in the field. Three or four year ticks move my year list on to 232.
A friend paid me a visit on 16th December to drop off Christmas Cards, just before he left, he picked up a Waxwing perched on a high Conifer tree at the bottom of our road. The bird spent the rest of the late morning feeding in a neighbours secluded garden. My neighbours kindly allowed me access to their garden, and I was able to take a few photographs. It also spent time in the afternoon, perching on the tops of conifers and silver birch trees, covering a wide area, and using them as vantage points. It would then perform flying sorties after insects, it was a mild afternoon, before it disappeared, presumably to roost. It was a first winter male and was still around early morning on the 17th, when I saw it perched high up on what appeared to be its favoured conifer tree. After a brief fly-around it disappeared over houses and I never saw it again.
Such a privilege to have had one of these Scandinavian visitors right on my door step.
On 13th December 2023 I made one of my regular visits to Foremark Reservoir, and whilst scanning through the Great Crested Grebes, I found a diver. At first I thought it might be a Black-throated Diver, but it was along way off and I couldn’t at this stage rule out Red-throated Diver. I put out the news on the social media platforms, but then when I went to re-look at it, and it took me a further hour before I managed to relocate it. Fortunately it re-appeared just off the dam wall and I could confirm its identification as an immature Red-throated Diver. The first time I have self-found one in Derbyshire, and my second at Foremark Reservoir. Also seen, at least one first winter Shag, and a redhead Goosander of note.
This winter period UK birders are enjoying an invasion of Bohemian Waxwings from Scandinavia. The first big invasion for a number of years. I’ve been fortunate to have photographed these birds many times in the past, and despite wanting to chase after these stunning creatures, I’ve been eagerly waiting for them to arrive closer to home. The morning of 12th December, it happened. I found two birds perched in a large hawthorn tree at the end of my garden. Very thrilled to have found them, but disappointed they were a little distant for the camera, they didn’t hang around and were soon gone, despite plenty of berries nearby.
I’m sure there will be other opportunities during the winter, but always more pleasurable when you find your own.
Staunton Harold Reservoir, my local patch, in south Derbyshire, has had regular Great White Egrets since I found the first one for the site back on 7th August 2020. On 21st November 2023 I encountered an unprecedented 6 Great White Egrets, along with a minimum of 15 Little Egrets. I met up with a good local birder and friend, Mike Blavers, who had returned to the county for a few days. We had an amazing morning, not only with Great White Egret, but also a Red Kite, 2 Goosander, 2 Teal, a drake Pochard and a Raven. Then at nearby Foremark Reservoir, we found one of the two Shags still on site.
On the 22nd November, I decided to get up early and re-visit Staunton Harold and got very close to several Great White Egrets and managed some decent photos. More images elsewhere on my website.
During the late autumn, a large number of Short-eared Owls arrived into Britain from Northern Europe. They appeared to be pushed across by unprecedented storms and probably a shortage of rodents in Scandinavia. Short-eared Owls are a regular winter visitor to our shores, but some large numbers were counted, especially in Norfolk, as they arrived along the east coast.
They have now taken up territories at various traditional wintering sites around the country, and I visited one along the Humber Bank in mid November. We had 7 birds, as well as at least 3 Hen Harrier, a distant Barn Owl and a distant Marsh Harrier during the morning. In the same fields there were small numbers of Stonechat. The owls put on a fantastic display for us, as we watched them from a lay-by pull in, standing and using the car as a semi-hide. They were not perturbed by our presence at all, even flying along the lane, right in front of us on occasions.
On 31st October I found 4 juvenile Shags at Foremark Reservoir. Part of an inland influx after the recent storms and the first record in the county since 2020. One bird was colour ringed with a blue DARVIC ring. I managed to discover that it was from a ringing scheme in Scotland. Unfortunately the bird was always too distant to read the number. One bird was still present on 21st November and the corpse of one bird could be seen on the top of the draw-out Water Tower. No idea what happened there. Also on 31st October I found 3 Redhead Goldeneye at Staunton Harold Reservoir, the first ones of the year.
On 5th November a Glossy Ibis graced the flood waters at Swarkestone Causeway and could be viewed from Stanton-by-Bridge. The first since 2021. It was present several days until the flood waters receded, it then moved on.
On 21st November I met up with a birder friend who I had not seen for a number of years. Mike had moved down to Devon and was re-visiting family, so we met up for a morning’s birding. We discovered 6 Great White Egrets, a record count at Staunton Harold Reservoir, along with at least 15 Little Egrets, 141 Lesser Black-backed Gull, a Red Kite, a Kingfisher and a drake Pochard as other highlights. On 22nd November, I could only find 3 Great White Egret, along with a drake Goldeneye and 2 fly-over Wigeon.
By the end of November, Waxwings had finally started to arrive into Derbyshire. A flock had been present for a couple of days at Matlock and on 29th I had around 12 at Bull Lane, Matlock, very briefly before flying off and despite searching, they couldn’t be re-located.
A first winter male Red-headed Bunting had been present at Flamborough Head, Yorkshire, for a number of days in mid October, tempting me to go and see it, having been found and tentatively identified on 21st October 2023. This species is super rare, and despite previously being recorded in Britain, the species is currently classed as Category D, due to many of the older records relating to adult males, at spasmodic times of the year. However, recently records have been reassessed since the cage bird trade was banned during the 80’s. All records post 1990 are being reviewed, as since the ban, the bird has become exceedingly rare, so there’s a good possibility that this bird is a genuine vagrant. It arrived with a good supporting cast, Siberian Stonechat and Little Bunting in the same hedge for example. Also other vagrants from Euro-Asia were around, Two-barred Greenish Warbler and Pallas’s Warbler on the day of my arrival, 30th October. So plenty of eastern migrants, to hopefully support its credibility. A DNA sample had been sent off for analysis, and a few days ago it was confirmed that this bird was in deed a Red-headed Bunting. (early November)
I also read recently with interest, that Red-headed Bunting moults on arrival on its wintering grounds. This bird apparently, started to moult a few days after its arrival and was still present on 2nd November in severe moult. The past few days it has been extremely elusive, with no reports since the 2nd November.
During my visit on 30th October, I managed to find the bird in the morning, much to the relief of the gathered crowd, as there had been no news on the bird prior to my arrival. I also saw 7 Waxwings, flying over the golf course heading north, and although distant, I had good views of the Two-barred Greenish Warbler, but failed to see the Pallas’s Warbler. There was also a large flock of Pink-footed Geese (Pinkies) feeding in nearby fields, and numerous and very obliging Goldcrests, these were my “Sprites” of the day!
I would like to thank Jack Bucknall for allowing me to use his excellent image, in this Blog, of the Two-barred Greenish Warbler. The picture portraits the bird just how I saw it, as it was feeding in distant vegetation. Unfortunately I was never able to get my camera on the bird, so this photo is a great memory.
A juvenile Red-throated Diver was discovered on Butterley Reservoir, near Ripley on 23rd October 2023. Divers are always worth going for in the county, and Red-throated and Black-throated Divers have been scarce in Derbyshire in recent years. Butterley Reservoir is a relatively small body of water, so I was hoping that the diver would be showing reasonably well for the camera. I saw the bird on 25th October during the morning, and it took a while before it drifted over to my side of the reservoir and showed really well, but in the afternoon it was reported to have been scared off by an anglers bait boat and wasn’t seen again.
