Upper Goyt Valley and Danebower Quarry 23 May 2023

The upper Goyt valley is always one of my favourite birding group days out as there are very good chances of seeing Spotted and Pied Flycatchers, Redstarts and Tree Pipits. This visit was no different.

As soon as we got out of the car, we could hear Chiffchaff and Willow Warblers singing. As we walked down the road we could also hear several Blackcaps. Down by the nestboxes it wasn’t long before before we got fisrst, a male Pied Flycatcher, then, shortly after, a pair who were using one of the boxes. This was the tone of the day as we kept seeing Pied Flycatcher; maybe there were five or six.

Still on the road, on the opposite side to the reservoir, a Redstart perched atop a bare branch for so long that we eventually left it to its own devices. On the river that feeds the reservoir there were Mallard, Canada Goose and several Mandarin Ducks. One of the group thought theysaw a Dipper, but most of us missed it. A Nuthatch was added for good measure.

We walked down to the bottom of the river path, getting more Pied Flycatcher on the way. Another member of the group and I, retraced our steps while the others walked up the steep path to the top road. On our way back, we again got a Pied Flycthcer but probaly the same one we saw on the way down. What detained us most was the loud sound of a Cuckoo calling, really near to us. We stopped at a bench and tried our hardest to find the bird but to no avail. Whilst we waited, at least two Cuckoos were calling but elusive.

I walked back up the top path and managed to get very good views of a Tree Pipit, exactly where you would expect – on the tallest tree on the horizon at the very top on an exposed branch. I got it clearly in the scope and it was singing but the sound did not travel far enough for me to hear it.

We left the car park and drove to Danebower Quarry (adding a Buzzard en route) where we had failed to see any Ring Ouzel the previous year. This time Anne took less that five minutes to find a male on the grassy slope on our side of the small river that runs at the foot of the quarry. We also got Wheaters and whilst looking for other small birds we were surprised when a ringtail Hen Harrier flew nearly over our heads. It flew parallel with the valley giving us very good views. As it flew over Crows mobbed it and Curlew’s were alarm calling. It eventually flew ove the back of the hill but, on my way back to the car, I spotted it again and it dropped down to the ground and then two Harriers rose up – both “ringtails”.

On our drive home, we got another Hen Harrier quartering over the moors; this made three HEn Harriers in one day!

So, over the few hours, we did not see that many species – about 20 in all- but of this small group, eight were year ticks!

Bird Sightings : Upper Goyt Valley and Danebower Quarry