All Targets missed

A localish afternoons birding with Jeff to try and get some early migrants. Goyt valley and Danebower on the Cheshire Derbyshire border is a reliable area for a few species that would be good to get in early spring. Cuckoo, Tree Pipit, Common Redstart, Pied Flycatcher and Ring Ouzel.

 

Danebower

 

 

We started at Danebower which would have only given us the Ring Ouzel... unfortunately it didn’t. Meadow Pipit and Northern Wheatear were the best we could do.

                                       Northern Wheatear

A short drive to the Goyt valley is the area to pick up the rest of the targets. Cuckoo is a bit of a lottery at the best of times and although there have been a few calling Cuckoos in the county during the last week it is in reality still a little too early. The reliable spot for Pied Flycatcher and Common Redstart was extremely quiet of most bird life, again sightings in the county have started to come in, so it will only be a matter of days rather than weeks. Along with a Common Sandpiper this Treecreeper was the best we could muster.

  

A stop at Sparbent on the Danebower road to see if Ring Ouzel were there also failed but it was nice to get a year tick with 8 Golden Plover that were flighty and too distant to photograph. A single Lapwing and Red Grouse were a nice compliment to the day as were plenty of Curlew coming into roost. 

Northern Lapwing

Red Grouse

 

I finished off with a drop down to Wildboarclough to see the resident Dipper. Luckily a pair were very active collecting food, probably for the newly born They look to have Mayfly.

As the post title suggests all the target birds were missed as was the planned pint as Covid has shut the local pub. Fresh air, good weather, a catch up with a pal and a few good birds ensured the afternoon wasn't a complete let down.