Hello
Today I took a drive up to the moorland west of Sheffield to try and see the Lammergeier (or Bearded Vulture if you prefer). This young individual has been tracked in mainland Europe including Belgium and was seen flying north over the West Midlands and then over Derbyshire air space subsequently. Local naturalists then discovered the bird in the Peak District National Park and it appears to be lingering around a large section of moorland and tors between Sheffield and Manchester.
I walked for about two hours and was fortunate to encounter the bird flying in a gully below where I was standing and it slowly flew away, arched around over moorland and eventually away to the far distance, some of the time being accompanied by escorting Ravens. The rain and the distance made photographic opportunities virtually nil. Seeing this dramatic and majestic bird in the UK was still quite a thrill! There is a strong likelihood that this bird originates from a European breeding and release scheme (similar to the White-tailed Eagles on the Isle of Wight) but it doesn't carry a transmitter and I don't know if anyone has seen a ring on its leg or not - a large proportion of the Pyrenees breeding Lammergeiers are ringed as chicks in the wild by intrepid French and Spanish ornithologists.
The bird is flying around managed moors for Red Grouse and other birds were very limited in number but included small numbers of Meadow Pipits, Wheatears, several Kestrels, a couple of Common Buzzards, Red Grouse and calling Golden Plover and Curlew.
Back in the county and birds at Sywell Country Park today included a juvenile Cuckoo, a family party of Spotted Flycatchers (in trees below the dam) and several Grey Wagtails.
At Harrington Airfield a single Common Redstart was seen and an Osprey flew over there this afternoon. Hollowell Reservoir boasted three different Ospreys passing over this afternoon and the Earls Barton complex hosted three Great White Egrets, a Green Sandpiper and three 'reeling' Grasshopper Warblers. A post-breeding gathering of sixteen Yellow-legged Gulls was noted at Stanwick Pits and Adrian had a fly-over Crossbill at Eastfield Park, Wellingborough early this morning.
Chris Payne committed to some more ringing near Greens Norton today catching and processing twenty-two birds which included seven Goldcrests, four Chiffchaffs and two Blackcaps.
Regards
Neil M
Today I took a drive up to the moorland west of Sheffield to try and see the Lammergeier (or Bearded Vulture if you prefer). This young individual has been tracked in mainland Europe including Belgium and was seen flying north over the West Midlands and then over Derbyshire air space subsequently. Local naturalists then discovered the bird in the Peak District National Park and it appears to be lingering around a large section of moorland and tors between Sheffield and Manchester.
I walked for about two hours and was fortunate to encounter the bird flying in a gully below where I was standing and it slowly flew away, arched around over moorland and eventually away to the far distance, some of the time being accompanied by escorting Ravens. The rain and the distance made photographic opportunities virtually nil. Seeing this dramatic and majestic bird in the UK was still quite a thrill! There is a strong likelihood that this bird originates from a European breeding and release scheme (similar to the White-tailed Eagles on the Isle of Wight) but it doesn't carry a transmitter and I don't know if anyone has seen a ring on its leg or not - a large proportion of the Pyrenees breeding Lammergeiers are ringed as chicks in the wild by intrepid French and Spanish ornithologists.
The bird is flying around managed moors for Red Grouse and other birds were very limited in number but included small numbers of Meadow Pipits, Wheatears, several Kestrels, a couple of Common Buzzards, Red Grouse and calling Golden Plover and Curlew.
Back in the county and birds at Sywell Country Park today included a juvenile Cuckoo, a family party of Spotted Flycatchers (in trees below the dam) and several Grey Wagtails.
At Harrington Airfield a single Common Redstart was seen and an Osprey flew over there this afternoon. Hollowell Reservoir boasted three different Ospreys passing over this afternoon and the Earls Barton complex hosted three Great White Egrets, a Green Sandpiper and three 'reeling' Grasshopper Warblers. A post-breeding gathering of sixteen Yellow-legged Gulls was noted at Stanwick Pits and Adrian had a fly-over Crossbill at Eastfield Park, Wellingborough early this morning.
Chris Payne committed to some more ringing near Greens Norton today catching and processing twenty-two birds which included seven Goldcrests, four Chiffchaffs and two Blackcaps.
Regards
Neil M
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| Juvenile Moorhen in the rain! |
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| Peacock butterfly. |
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| Pochard. |
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| Southern Hawker. All above images from recent forays to Pitsford Reservoir. |
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| Goldcrest. |
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| A selection of Goldcrest crown colours. |
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| Juvenile Wren. Above three images all provided by Chris Payne. |
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