**** ATTENTION ALL MEMBERS — IT’S ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION TIME! ****
Apologies for the strap-line above to all those members – now the large majority – that have already renewed their 2026 memberships, but it IS that time of year and these days I’m being whipped by our super-efficient membership secretary Dave Horsley to get the message out to those few that have yet to make up their minds … or simply to realise another year has whizzed by!
Yes, another year has indeed begun, and again it’s been a cool, dark and very damp start. Birding opportunities, except for those ultra-dedicated types, have been few and far between as almost constant rain keeps most of us off the slithery paths and out from under the dripping trees.
We are planning a trip early next month, however, where the weather won’t be such a hindrance as Old Moor (see below) has plenty of hides, a large visitor centre and cafe and toilets. Do come along on 7th March if you want to get a few extra species onto your year-lists, particularly if yours – like mine – is a bit threadbare.
The indoor meetings have been staged as usual … no snow or ice cancellations this season thus far. And jolly entertaining they have been; see Chris Lamb’s article later detailing these.
A few things at the reservoir have changed that you may not be aware of. The watersports centre (always busy with waterborne, fishing and cycling activities) has closed and awaits interest from a new tenant. Lane End hide was closed for refurbishment, but thankfully is now open again, and there are plans to remove the small Janet Ede hide that was often subject to flooding and was considered to be located too close and low down to the shoreline whenever the reservoir was full.
Having said that the drastically low water levels that existed for much of the second half of last year, have risen to 90 per cent plus in the early part of 2026, which may attract more and different birds onto site (though the disappearance of the exposed mud may disappoint a few!). You will find details of sightings over the past three months in the usual reservoir report on page two.
There is news of efforts to improve knowledge about and, therefore, the future conservation of Swifts in the Derbyshire Dales. Halfway through a Lottery-funded two-year project, the focus in 2026 will include an effort to recruit volunteers to undertake surveys at locations in Ashbourne and Matlock – and there are contact details should any of our members wish to be involved.
Gary Atkins
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY …
7 March – trip to Old Moor, the prolific RSPB reserve in South Yorkshire, near Barnsley (see mention in the article on page 3 for more background). Meet at the reserve car park 10.30am.
17 March – talk by Katie Thorpe on ‘Bringing a boom to Middleton Lakes’ (do note that this talk will be preceded, at 7pm, by our AGM)
10 May – Spring Birdsong Walk at Carsington Water, led by Simon Roddis (meet 9am, Visitor Centre)
‘OUR DIVER’ GOES MISSING … BUT PLENTY MORE TO KEEP US INTERESTED
As we drifted into 2026, our regular recorders became increasingly worried that the Great Northern Diver that had faithfully returned for winter duties at the reservoir for a decade and a half had not shown up – and their concerns were borne out when it slipped well past its latest previous date. A juvenile bird had arrived in December and remained for the first two days in January, but since we have been Diver-less.
But there were still plenty of great sights and surprises to come over the winter period – paramount being a Bittern, which is a first for the site. It was seen as recently as 17 Ferbuary, and the precise circumstances (location, etc) are still being investigated, but an accompanying photograph was proof positive.
A Little Owl that had emerged earlier in the year – the first on site for seven years – was seen on three consecutive days in November, then on occasional days until 5 January. Another October find, a Firecrest was seen again in November and January, two Twite (as species not seen at the reservoir for 22 years) were identified in November, and of all the species totally unexpected in December was a very tardy Swallow, vainly trying to catch up with its much earlier counterparts heading south.
December was also the month that our first-ever Ring-necked Parakeet was observed; the arrival of this noisy parrot, albeit brief, is not altogether surprising as it seems to be another species, having populated the home counties, is now moving north. It tends to prefer urban environments but a few more are now being seen in the countryside of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.
An impressive group of 16 Whooper Swans were seen on 17 November, which proved a good date for water birds as 150 Pink-footed Geese flew over, and two scarce Red-breasted Mergansers turned up. Teal numbers topped out at 936, noted during the January WeBS count which also noted three-figure counts of Wigeon, Gadwall, Pochard and Mallard, and Canada and Greylag Geese. Up to 34 Barnacle Geese (our usual peripatetic flock) have been seen, while two of the much scarcer White-fronted Geese were identified on 5 January … though this is scant return for the large number of White-fronts entering UK airspace, with quite a number being logged in Derbyshire.
Coot, normally in four figures during the winter, had inexplicably slipped to single digit counts with the water at lower levels but had slowly risen, along with the water, to 145 in January. Goosander, Goldeneye, Pintail, Common Scoter and Red-crested Pochard have been among the scarcer duck species around the site.
Autumn and winter is also a time to keep eyes skyward for large flocks of birds migrating. Woodpigeons are often moving in huge numbers, and 20,000 were counted in just a few hours on 17 November, 1,000-plus Starlings have been counted more than once, and corvids, particularly Jackdaws, have often been seen in sizeable flocks. The arrival of winter thrushes included a count, in December, of 1,680 Redwings and the gull roost contained large numbers, too, with up to 5,000 Black-headed Gulls, 2,500 Common and 1,500 Lesser Black-backs.
A Kittiwake was evident on 16 November, and an increasingly regular Caspian Gull called in on several days that month and during December and January. A single Mediterranean Gull was recorded on seven dates in November, when a Little Gull was also logged on the 17th.
Wader species totals have not reached double-figures yet, but rather satisfyingly, Golden Plover have been on the recorded list in November, December and January, when a good flock of 20 were seen on the 16th. The first returning Oystercatcher was back by mid January. Small numbers of Woodcock have also appeared every month over the winter, often at Hopton End, with three spotted as recently as 17 February.
As well as the Little Owl (which hasn’t been seen since 5 January), Tawny Owls have revealed themselves rather more often, and a Barn Owl was observed hunting to the left of Sheepwash hide and in the process of doing so flushing the nearby ducks.
For those needing Willow Tit for their 2026 year list, up to two are seen and heard regularly in the vicinity of the Wildlife Centre. Stones Island is a good place to find healthy numbers of Linnets – up to 100 – and some of our less regular passerines that visit in the winter to join the residents have included Brambling, Crossbill, Redpoll and Siskin.
EVENTS PAST …
Looking back, regular visitors to our winter season of indoor meetings have been able to enjoy talks embracing a variety of topics. November’s presentation was from Tony Davison, who treated us to some fantastic photographs of the amazing birds and animals he encountered during a recent trip to India – including, of course, the iconic Bengal Tiger.
Birds and islands was the theme for our final talk of 2025 in December, with David Parkin explaining how many islands around the world – due to their remoteness and prolonged isolation – have evolved some very distinct and unusual birds.
Kicking off the new year at our January meeting, the highly entertaining Nick Martin described his quest to find 200 British birds in a calendar year. From climbing snowy mountains in search of Snow Buntings to taking a boat trip to see Puffins on our offshore islands, Nick travelled far and wide to successfully reach his target. February’s talk was by Mike Vickers and featured the birds of Jordan, a fascinating country which is on a major migration route between three continents and has a remarkable diversity of natural landscapes.
… AND FUTURE
Looking ahead, our final indoor meeting of the 2025-26 programme is on Tuesday 17 March. Katie Thorpe – site manager of the Middleton Lakes RSPB Reserve, a popular birding destination our members have enjoyed previously – will be telling us about the conservation work led by the RSPB to bring the distinctive booming call of the Bittern back to this wetland habitat. Please note that this meeting starts at the slightly earlier time of 7.00pm, with our club AGM taking place immediately prior to Katie’s talk.
For our first trip of the year we will be heading to the Old Moor RSPB Reserve near Barnsley (postcode S73 0YF) on Saturday 7th March. This is something of an old favourite as it invariably produces a good list of birds. Facilities on site include a visitor centre, café and toilets and there are a number of hides and viewing screens. There is also another good site very close nearby (and also with a hide) which, time permitting, is generally worth a short visit.
We aim to meet in the car park at Old Moor at 10.30am. Please let Chris Lamb know if you plan to attend by email at cflamb@yahoo.co.uk. For more information visit the RSPB website here:
https://www.rspb.org.uk/days-out/reserves/dearne-valley-old-moor
Our ever-popular annual Springtime Birdsong Walk at Carsington Water will this year take place on Sunday 10 May. The walk will once again be led by Simon Roddis, one of our very experienced bird recorders, who will help us to identify the birds we see – and, just as importantly, hear. The walk will last about two hours starting from outside the Carsington Water Visitor Centre at 9am.
COULD YOU HELP DERBYSHIRE’S SWIFT POPULATION?
Decreasing Swift numbers in the UK has been a worry for some time, and Derbyshire Dales is no different to many other regions, but a dedicated group in our area decided to do something about it, bid for a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and in 2024 was awarded funds covering a two-year project.
Initially, to fill in gaps in knowledge about Swift distribution across the county, the project sought to provide data to support decision-making, to conserve and increase nest site availability and develop a conservation model that can be upscaled.
During 2025, project members carried out 170 Swift surveys at 11 locations across the Dales and found 358 Swift nests at 238 properties. Those findings are shown here in the associated graphic (right). Furthermore, the surveys identified those nest sites that are high risk – located in buildings in need of repair, for example – which helped the project to plan nest box installations in target areas, those being in Darley Dale, Bradwell, Tideswell, Youlgreave and Wirksworth. If you live in one of these areas, you can register interest in a nest box by logging on to https://bit-ly/nestforswift
“In 2026, once the Swifts return in May, we will be carrying out a second survey season – to include three new locations, Ashbourne, Matlock and Hathersage, allowing us to extend our assessment of Swift populations to 14 locations,” informs the project’s Community Engagement Officer, Charly Crump.
“We are, therefore, now urgently looking for volunteer surveyors for those new towns. We’d love to hear from residents of Ashbourne, Matlock and Hathersage who would like to volunteer; full training is given and you can sign up at https://bit-ly/swiftvolunteer … or e-mail our project co-ordinator Clare at cmead@derbyshireswiftconservation.org “
Ahead of those beautiful birds arrival back in the UK, the project is kicking the new season off with a free celebration event for all ages at The Whitworth in Darley Dale. If you would like to come along, urges Charly, save your spot at https://bit-ly/homesforswifts
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KNOW YOUR COMMITTEE – Here are the club officials and their contact details…….. |
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Committee Post |
Name |
Telephone |
Email Address
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Chairman and Publicity |
Gary Atkins |
01335 370773 |
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Treasurer |
John Follett |
01332 834778 |
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Membership secretary |
Dave Horsley |
07900 597230 |
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Recorder |
Rob Chadwick |
07876 338912 |
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Events co-ordinator |
Chris Lamb |
07836 368037 |
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Secretary |
Louise Sykes |
01335 348544 |
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…..and the website address is: https://www.carsingtonbirdclub.co.uk |
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Webmaster |
Richard Pittam |
n/a |
Contact Richard via the website |
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