On Sunday I went back to Cromford for the second day running in the hope of viewing the hawfinch (
Coccothraustes coccothraustes)
that appear there every year. The hawfinch is a shy bird and is often seen feeding off the surrounding trees around the church yard and up to Willesley Castle, so I knew where to look. With little success I joined a few other birdwatchers and walked along the river to see what was about. I saw a fleeting glimpse of a kingfisher (
Alcedo atthis), a grey wagtail (
Motacilla cinerea), a wren (
Troglodytes troglodytes) and several dippers (
Cinclus cinclus). I managed to get a photograph of the wren, and then the dipper. The dipper didn't seem at all concerned or threatened by my presence, it was a privilege to share the river for a short time with such a wonderful bird.
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| Wren |
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| Dipper |
The birdwatchers I'd spent the past half hour or so with were in Derbyshire for the day and they wished to see the bramblings (
Fringilla montifringilla) at Bumper Castle but were not too sure how to get there. They followed my dad and I there and we got a few fleeting glimpses of them. Alongside the bramblings, we all got fantastic views of treecreepers (
Certhia familiaris) and nuthatches (
Sitta europaea).
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| Treecreeper |
