Slack, Derbyshire

Its been some years since I saw my one and only Dotterel on Soil Hill. So when one turned up in Derbyshire that was easily doable from Sheffield I decided it would be worth a punt. I decided not to go on the first day, but when it was still present this morning I made my move and was on site late morning. It was a largely sunny day with infrequent clouds drifting over.

I arrived on site to see the bird still present. It showed well, if distant, and the heat haze made everything substantially more difficult. Thats why all the photos I decided to include are under cloud cover, if anyone was wondering. Dotterels are really smart birds, and theres not much left for me to say, so please enjoy what attempts at record shots.

-Dotterel

Obviously just being upland fields there was not a plentiful supply of other species, but there were bits and pieces. The highlight was undoubtedly the fantastic views I got of a male Yellowhammer, although it moved too quick for a photo. Smashing views of a Raven pair getting mobbed by a Carrion Crow was pretty neat too. All in all, a fantastic morning out.

Species List:

Slack, Derbyshire: Yellowhammer, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Dotterel, Robin, Swallow, Sand Martin, Carrion Crow, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Common Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Grey Heron, Wheatear, Kestrel, Linnet, Raven,