derbyshire life article and photos

7/30/2019 Derbyshire Life article and photos

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Enjoying the countyscolourful spring chorus!

Springtime sees thousandsof migrant birds arrive in our county tofeed and to breed.James Butlerpicks

out the stars andJames andAlistairHood capture them on camera.

SPRING HAS nally

arrived, and the cold

clutch o winter is at

last a distant memory. The

rst signs o the summer sun

breathe lie into Derbyshires

woodlands, carpeting

their foors in vast seas o

Below: Derbyshireis home to a range

o birds o prey,including theimpressive

kestrel.

The Red Grouseis commonplaceon Derbyshiresmoorlands.

nightjars and ospreys all

passing through on their way

to their breeding grounds

urther north. Other birds

wintering elsewhere in the

UK such as short-eared

owls, curlews and the

humble meadow

pipit

choose

Derbyshire as a place to

raise their young over the

spring and summer.

The meadow pipit is a much

overlooked summer resident

ound on Derbyshire moorland.

In the winter time, some travel

as ar as Spain to escape

our oten cruel winters, but

return to the same patch o

heather year in, year out. They

bluebells and giving wake to

slumbering trees. My avourite

part o spring however, has

to be the dawn chorus; a

cacophony o Britains most

beautiul songbirds which

climaxes at this time o year.

This wonderul spectacle

is not without reason

though; the birds use their

songs as a means o out

competing their neighbours

or the best emales.

Winter migrants such as

thrushes, waxwings and

bramblings may be leaving or

colder climes but the prospect

o ood brings many

migrants to the UK

during springtime

including

wheatears,

swallows, ring

ouzels, pied

fy-catchers,

sedge warblers,

arctic terns,

This nuthatch has hislunch on the go in a

Derbyshire wood!

Derbyshires mix o evergreenand deiciduous woodland isthe avourite habitat o thegreat spotted woodpecker.

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are most obvious in spring

when the males parachute

display is a visible and audible

to many a hilltop walker.

A bird well known or its song

and very much entwined with

British culture is the robin.

These striking little birds are

best seen at this time o year,

oten singing rom the top

branches in parks and gardens.

Robins are very territorial,

especially during spring, and

will ruthlessly guard any

territory they preside over.

Their breeding season begins

in March and a pair will tend

to lay between our and six

eggs with incubation lasting

or about 13 days. The young

are much more drab than the

adults, lacking the striking

red breast which, o course,

provides the youngster with

camoufage as the red breast is

not needed until later lie. Early

May is a great time to look

out or them as upon leaving

the nest they will still seek

ood rom their parents. Many

species o small song bird will

have young at this time o

year as the summer provides

large numbers o insects to

prepare them or the winter.

Swallows are synonymous with

summer in the UK. Stunning

little birds with glossy blue and

black backs, a bright red throat

and ornate V-shaped tails, they

are brilliantly aerodynamic,

spending almost all their lives

on the wing. Swallows migrate

all the way up rom South

Arica, crossing the Sahara

Desert on a 200-mile a day

journey beore ending up in

Britain. These agile birds can

be ound all across Derbyshire,

they are especially numerous

around bodies o water which

provide large numbers o

insects or them to east upon.

Their breeding has now started,

with the swallows tending to

avour arm buildings - and the

almost never-ending supply

we have o those here in

A scare butbeautiul summerbreeder in thecounty . theshort-eared owl.

The brambling is anotherspecies to spend the

winter in Derbyshire.

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You dont have to travel far to havea great wildlife encounter


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Derbyshire makes the county

the ideal summer residence!

The arctic tern is oten thought

o as a coastal bird - but they

too can be seen over large

bodies o water in Derbyshire

at this time o year as they

cross England as part o

their annual migration. This

migration is the longest

undertaken by any bird in the

world, beginning in Antarctica

and ending on British coasts.

They are almost completely

white with a black cap on their

head. They are very agile fiers

and brilliant birds to watch. It

is also worth keeping an eye

out or sandwich, little, black

and common terns, all o which

can be seen around Derbyshire

at this time o year, especially

around our larger reservoirs.

There is no bettertime than now to

venture out of your

front door and enjoythe great variety ofbird life Derbyshire

has to offer.

A colourul addition tothe Derbyshire summerthats the goldfnch.

The sedge warbler one othe summer migrants passingthrough Derbyshire on their

way north.

The unmistakable swallowsimply loves Derbyshiresmany arm buildings!

The colourul jay you might even belucky enough to seeone in your backgarden this spring!

The waxwing one o our winter

visitors nowleaving us orcolder climes.

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There is no better time than

now to venture out o your

ront door and enjoy the great

variety o bird lie Derbyshire

has to oer. You dont have

to travel ar to have a great

wildlie encounter, as beautiul

species such as goldnches and

jays can sometimes be seen

in back gardens. Derbyshires

stunning moorland is home

to species such as red grouse

and curlew while, lower down,

the mixture o conierous and

deciduous woodland provides

great habitat or numerous

species o woodpecker and

a whole host o tits and

nches, as well as birds o

prey such as the goshawk. So

get out there and enjoy!

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They may winter in sunnySpain but the meadowpipits return to thesame patch o Debyshireheather every summer!

Right: Largenumbers o arcticterns all the way

rom Antarctica can be spotted

around ourreservoirs at this

time o year

Let: Minusthe redbreast or now is

a young robin.

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