A trip to the Peak and my first Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

Siskins enjoying the cafe almost as much as the visitors.

Saturday involved a trip to the National Trust's Longshaw Estate in the Peak District. The Peak is a cracking place if you just want to get away from it all and experience the wild. Its a place for terrific views, great experiences and, if your lucky, some top birds.  

The cafe and visitor centre are not to be missed as it offers a great chance to enjoy a range of birds which flock to the feeders and are almost guaranteed to have Siskin on them. Two Lesser Redpoll also visited as well as the usual suspects which were all present - Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Robin, Blue and Great Tit etc.                                           

A walk down into Padley Gorge followed, in search of the cafe (yes, I'm a big fan of cafe's when it comes to birding and walking) at the bottom. My family had heard that this mythical place did chip butty's the size of dinner plates and the proof that this was more reality than myth has made it a ritual stop whenever we visit the area. The ground was still covered in snow (pretty deep at times) from a couple of weeks ago but only seemed to add to the beauty of the woodland and moors.

 I came across the first nest of wood ants I've ever found on the way to the gorge after I took a handful of the leaves and soil from the surface of a mound which I thought looked ant nesty. Before I knew it ants were exploding from the nest, covering the entire surface in seconds and leaving me to furiously brush them off my clothes as I was attacked by the insect onslaught.  

After escaping the fury of the ant army it wasn't long before we were walking through Padley Gorge. Its made up of a cascading stream flanked by woodland. One side of the stream is mixed woodland, comprising of conifers and broadleaf trees whilst the other side is pristine ancient oak woodland. In the summer it teams with Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler but is most notable for it's healthy populations of Redstart and Pied Flycatcher which use the nest boxes provided. Ring Ouzel can also be found on the moors above the gorge in the summer, but I've yet to find anyone who'd be convinced to look for them with me, so for now that box remains unticked. On Saturday the wood was mostly quiet. A Treecreeper was the only bird of note and whilst I looked for Dipper which can be seen along the stream, my quest ultimately failed. But at least there was a bacon cob to cheer me up at the end.

Sunday was bird ringing day and began with my alarm going off at half 5 in the morning. For a twenty year old student that should be an illegal offence. I was joining up with a group of ringers by a pond owned by the Sitwell family of Renishaw Hall. As soon as we got down there the air was already filled with bird song, enabling me to bag my first hear of a Chiffchaff this year. Whilst waiting for our trainer, the drumming of woodpeckers started loudly all around us (this is used like song is in other birds as a means of establishing territories). I assumed they were Great Spotted Woodpecker and was content with listening to them drum at each other from across the pond. Then I was told that at least one of the birds drumming was a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (the drumming of a Lesser doesn't taper off and is longer than a Great Spotted), which would represent a lifer for me if I managed to lay my eyes on it. I began regretting not bringing my binoculars, consigning myself to the fact that hearing it would be the closest I'd get to this infamous bird.

 My sole experience of a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker beforehand was furiously trying to pick one out in a leaf covered tree on a bird walk. It was one of those typical group birding scenarios, everyone can see it except you. There was great excitement within the group at seeing this increasingly rare bird but in the end I left empty handed. But at least now I'd heard one.

We then set about putting the nets up along a shrub thicket dripping in bird feeders, with the woodpecker's drumming getting ever closer. It had moved into a Larch tree behind us and was moving about at the very top and now it was getting lighter. I eventually located it, finding a small bird, about Greenfinch size, moving woodpecker style up a small branch. I couldn't see any colour or detail but I had finally seen a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. But the show wasn't over there.

Blackbird with unusual plumage pattern

   The nets we set up ran below a small tree with various hollow branches. We were stood right under this tree when the bird flew down into this tree and began drumming about 15 feet away. I hadn't needed my binoculars after all! I soon learned that Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers had been in this area for at least 60 years and that this bird frequently used the small tree's hollow branches to project it's drumming. It had been tormenting the ringers here for months, spending long periods only metres away from the net and once even sitting on the top of it yet has still avoided capture.

The ringing itself didn't turn up anything special (but was still enjoyable as always) with a pair of Bullfinches being the highlight of the morning as well as a first year Blackbird with unusual plumage patterns on its body. 

Come Tuesday I had decided to go back for the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker with my binoculars and a camera to try and get a better view. By quarter past 8 that morning I had arrived with my Grandad (who also wanted to see the bird) to find it drumming in exactly the same small tree as it had been on Sunday morning. The perfect twitch. We watched it and took photos before going to explore the area further. We both got our first views of a Chiffchaff for this year and watched the Pterodactyl-esque Grey Herons flying around, and displaying on, an island Heronry. 

                                                                                   

All in all a great way to spend a Tuesday morning, and a terrific way of rounding off a wild few days.