Wyver Lane- Belper

The weather was overcast with a cooling breeze about, though not quite as cold as recent mornings have been.

As we gathered in the River Gardens car park, before setting off, we could see a peregrine falcon high up on the mill edifice, a good start to our walk. The numerous feral pigeons nearby seemed oblivious to its presence. We walked on through the gardens spotting a number of mallard and a few Canada geese. A large number of black headed gulls were gathered on the open water above the mill pond weir. Tufted duck and mute swans were amongst them, including a lone great black-blacked gull.

Peregrine falcon

We carried on around the weir and passed over the bridge and onto Wyver Lane. By now the sun was breaking through and we were much more sheltered from the breeze. As we walked on up the lane a number of birds were spotted in the cottage gardens, crow, chaffinch, blue tit, blackbird and great tit. We could hear a melodious song thrush, but try as we could, we did not actually see it.

We walked on further up the lane along the avenue of trees. We spotted wood pigeon, magpie, long tailed tit and even had a fleeting glimpse of a great spotted woodpecker. Eventually we arrived at the hide overlooking the small lake on the reserve.

A large number of Canada geese were present, some were feeding on the grassy banks. There were also a few greylag geese, teal, goosander, pochard, lapwing, coot, common buzzard, and shoveler. 

A feeder station near the hide was busy with, coal tit, robin, blue tit, great tit, reed bunting  and dunnock.

Reed bunting- male

Reed bunting- female

Greylag geese

Pochard

We continued on up the lane to the viewing screen and beyond. Then we returned back down the lane, hoping to spot a house sparrow in the cotoneaster clad cottages. We heard them on the way up but none made an appearance. We were rewarded with a brief view of a male as it popped out of the thick foliage.

House sparrow

We then made our way back towards the car park, stopping off for a coffee and a bite to eat at Chucklebutties, before going home.

The tally: 31 species

Peregrine falcon, feral pigeons, black-headed gull, Canada goose, mallard, moorhen, dunnock, robin, tufted duck, mute swan, great black-backed gull, wood pigeon, crow, chaffinch, blue tit, blackbird, magpie, great tit, great spotted woodpecker, long tailed tit, greylag goose, lapwing, teal, coot, common buzzard, shoveler, reed bunting, pochard, goosander, coal tit and house sparrow.