My patch

Details of my patch in the Loxley Valley will appear here soon. A map, giving an indication of the routes I usually take and what you can see where, is here. Please note all footpaths are approximately marked.

NEW! See my Flickr Collection for photos from my patch.

21/06/08
Kingfisher at last near the Fisheries! Dipper and 2 x grey wagtails near Hepworth site. 1 x drake tufted duck on Old Wheel Dam.

20/06/08
Moorhen chick on lake by Loxley Park residential home.

19/06/08
Drake teal on lake near marquee hire centre.

16/06/08
Spotted Flycatcher near fisheries. 12 x lesser black backed gull in field at Old Wheel Farm, with one BHG among them. Old Wheel Dam - swan still present, 1 x drake tufted duck, 2 x lapwing overhead, coot still sitting! Fledgling wren at Fisheries; fledgling robin near ProRoll; two clutches of mallard ducklings at Fisheries and at least two at Stacey Bank.

14/06/08
Nuthatch at Stacey Lane. Kestrel sat on fence near Old Wheel Dam.
Damflask - at least 7 x GSWs.

09/06/08
Flock of 20 x swift over Old Wheel Farm. Swan still present (injury doesn’t seem to be present now), but teal seems to have gone. Coot still sitting on nest. Two GSWs by footbridge near Rowell Lane. Sparrowhawk overhead on path S of river.

04/06/08
Mute swan (which appears injured) and teal still present at Old Wheel Dam, with coot sitting on nest. GSW heard near Rowell Lane and on Black Lane. Bullfinches spotted on Loxley Road near house, on Black Lane, and on Old Wheel Farm. Moorhen chicks in nest on pool near ProRoll.

26/05/08
Garden warbler singing south of river. Mute swan and teal still present at Old Wheel Dam. Pied wagtail carrying food on Low Matlock Lane. No signs of lapwings.

20/05/08
Blackcap singing on Loxley Road

17/05/08
A reed bunting on Rowell Lane. The first I’ve seen on my patch this year. A 1st summer mute swan on Old Wheel Dam - the first I’ve ever seen there. Also a family of Canada geese goslings, and the usual drake teal. Lapwings still present at Old Wheel Farm, and a great spotted woodpecker and sparrowhawk nearby. Dippers on the river, at Loxley Fisheries and Stacey Bank, and a curlew on the way back down Loxley Road. Male GSW in garden.

15/05/08
Pair of lapwing at Old Wheel Farm, the male displaying.  Sparrowhawk over Old Wheel Dam area. Singing bullfinches heard at Old Wheel Dam. Male blackcap on the path between the bowling green and Rowell Bridge. Singing garden warbler (a year tick), blackcap, chiffchaff and willow warbler on path south of river, plus an agitated great spotted woodpecker.

 05/05/08
Spotted flycatcher, nuthatch and dipper at Rowell Bridge. Mallard ducklings and moorhen chicks at Old Wheel Dam, plus 3 x tufted duck and 1 x drake teal. Pair of bullfinch south of river, 9 swift circling above. Swallow collecting mud on Low Matlock Lane.

03/05/08
Common sandpiper on Damflask overflow pool at bottom of Stacey Lane! 1 x common whitethroat and 2 x lesser whitethroat singing on path south of river, not far from Rowell Lane. Green Woodpecker yaffling near Old Wheel Dam. 2 x screaming swifts, usual tree sparrows on Stacey Lane.

02/05/08
2 x swift over garden.

28/04/08
3 x swift over Rowell Lane.

26/04/08
Escaped falconer’s buzzard on wooded path south of river!  Male blackcap, a few swallows, six linnets, two curlews and the little owls at Old Wheel Farm again. Common toad at Old Wheel Dam.

22/04/08
AM - Swallow over Loxley Park, house sparrow and blue tit collecting nest material in same area.
PM - Dipper on river behind Loxley Park. Pipistrelle seen from living room window.

21/04/08
5 x willow warbler singing near fisheries and on paths behind former Hepworth site. 10 x swallow, at Old Wheel Dam and Hepworth site. Little owl at the same spot at Old Wheel Farm, several chiffchaffs, treecreepers, jays, long-tailed tits, goldcrests and all the usual suspects. Brown hare in fields behind the Hepworth site, a kestrel flying over, singing stock doves on Low Matlock Lane.

19/04/08
Male blackcap in garden.

16/04/08
Damflask: Singing willow warbler, chiffchaff x 5, 2 x heron nests.
Loxley Valley: 3 x tree sparrow on Stacaey Lane. Green woodpecker heard near Rowel Bridge. Trilling nuthatches on Low Matlock Lane. 8 x chiffchaff heard or seen along route. Nesting coots and moorhen seen.

15/04/08
Two little owls at Old Wheel Farm, and two swallows skimming Old Wheel Dam. 2 x pied wagtails scrapping, 3 x meadow pipits, all at Old Wheel Farm. Kestrel overhead on Loxley Road.

13/04/08
A bullfinch and two goldfinches in garden.

08/04/08
Morning - GSW on Loxley Road. Walk after work - heron at fisheries. Lots of chiffchaffs throughout (sorry for vague numbers!). Little owl and brown hare on Rowel Lane at around 7:45pm. Tawny owls hooting outside house.

04/04/08
Walk after work - 2 fighting male pheasants going at it near Rowel Bridge. A heron in a tree, presumably nesting, next to the weir near Rowel Bridge. A kestrel on Stacey Lane. A nuthatch feeding on a feeder in a garden on Stacey Lane. Various chiffchaffs.

30/03/08
Chiffchaffs - all the same locations as yesterday, plus one singing near the end of the path that runs from Low Matlock Lane to near the Post Office on Loxley Road. One singing at the fisheries. A sparrowhawk being mobbed by a carrion crow near Old Wheel Farm. A brown hare galloping across fields and across the road at Rowell Lane. 

29/03/08
Chiffchaffs - 1 heard singing on path near house. 2 seen well (but not singing) at Loxley Fisheries. Another heard singing near end of Black Lane. 2 x dippers at Loxley Fisheries. One was ringed female seen previously, the other took flight before I could check for rings. 2 x grey wagtails at bridge near marquee place at end of Black Lane, and another at fisheries. 2 x treecreeper among long-tailed tits and coal tits near the fisheries. Pair of tufted duck only bird of note at Old Wheel Dam. A sparrowhawk over house earlier in the morning.

27/03/08
Two chiffchaffs heard between the house and the bottom of Loxley Road.

21/03/08
A tree sparrow on Loxley Road, near Stacey Lane. A redwing by the side of Loxley Road near Damflask. Two curlew flying over Damflask, near Bradfield. Two also seen later feeding in a field on Loxley Road, near Storrs Bridge Lane - the same ones? A GSW calling by the cafe at Bradfield. A flock of around 10 meadow pipits in a field near Loxley Road. 2 x tufted duck and 1 x greylag at Old Wheel Dam - no signs of goldeneye.

08/03/08
The usual at Old Wheel Dam - 1 greylag goose, 3 tufted duck and the usual 2 goldeneye. A few grey wagtails on the river at various points. A dipper at Loxley Fisheries. It was in flight, so I didn’t get chance to see any rings. A couple of treecreeper on Stacey Lane.

01/03/08
Meadow pipit on Low Matlock Lane. 2 x goldeneye, 5 x tufted duck, 1 x greylag on Old Wheel Dam. Grey heron, GSW and colour-ringed dipper at Loxley Fisheries . Goldcrest showing well and teal tagging along with a pair of mallards on path east of Rowel Bridge. Two nuthatches showing well on Low Matlock Lane on way back, where path forks off to Pro Roll.

23/02/08
Sparrowhawk over Old Wheel Farm, Kestrel a few minutes later over Old Wheel Dam. 2 goldeneye on Old Wheel Dam - 1 female, one 1st winter male (I suspect I’ve been mistaking this for a female on previous visits). Also six tufted ducks, and a greylag in adjacent fields. Bullfinches calling by entrance to footpath near house.

20/02/08
Male tawny owl hooting heard from front of house at about 6.15pm 

18/02/08
Pair of bullfinches in garden. 

16/02/08
Only visited Damflask - 2 cormorants, 5 tufted ducks, 1 greylag with feral geese, GSW drumming.

09/02/08
Many dunnocks and song thrushes singing. 2 tree sparrows on Stacey Lane, plus c. 10 long-tailed tits and 2 tree sparrows. Cormorant and little gull at Damflask. 

05/02/08
Sparrowhawk being harrassed by a carrion crow (seen from bedroom window).

02/02/08
Thick blanket of snow! Seven siskins at Old Wheel Dam. 2 goldeneye, 5 tufted ducks, 5 coots, 2 moorhens, 1 heron on Old Wheel Dam. 16 stock doves and 1 meadow pipit in fields near Old Wheel Farm. 4 bullfinches and 2 goldcrests on footpath over bridge from fisheries. c. 2o long-tailed tits and treecreeper on Stacey Lane.

27/01/08
c. 60 redwing in field by Old Wheel Farm. Great spotted woodpecker over fisheries. First winter common gull among flock of black-headed gulls. Nuthatches calling at end of Low Matlock Lane.

13/01/08
Pair of female goldeneye still on Old Wheel Dam; also a pair of tufted duck. Goldcrest singing and showing well on Low Matlock Lane.

01/01/08
Pair of female goldeneye on Old Wheel Dam. Flock of around 40 fieldfare on farmland near Stacey Lane.

List of animals I’ve personally heard or seen:

Birds (75)
Mute Swan
Canada Goose
Greylag Goose
Mallard
Teal
Goldeneye
Tufted Duck
Pheasant
Great Crested Grebe*
Cormorant*
Grey Heron
Sparrowhawk
Kestrel
Moorhen
Coot
Lapwing
Common Sandpiper
Curlew
Black-headed Gull
Common Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Little Gull*
Feral Pigeon
Woodpigeon
Stock Dove
Collared Dove
Tawny Owl
Little Owl
Swift
Kingfisher
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Green Woodpecker
Swallow
House Martin
Pied Wagtail
Grey Wagtail
Meadow Pipit
Dipper
Wren
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
Mistle Thrush
Song Thrush
Fieldfare
Redwing
Blackcap
Whitethroat
Lesser Whitethroat
Garden Warbler
Chiffchaff
Willow Warbler
Goldcrest
Spotted Flycatcher
Long-tailed Tit
Blue Tit
Coal Tit
Great Tit
Nuthatch
Treecreeper
Jay
Magpie
Jackdaw
Carrion Crow
Rook
Starling
House Sparrow
Tree Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Siskin
Greenfinch
Bullfinch
Linnet
Reed Bunting

Mammals
Badger
Common Shrew
Mole
Wood Mouse
Common Rat
Grey Squirrel
Common Rabbit
Brown Hare

Amphibians
Common Frog
Common Toad

*Only at Damflask