It’s fair to say that we will be look back on 2021 as a year of challenges – both for us humans, with lockdowns and a seemingly never-ending string of Covid waves, and for our wildlife that endured yet another cold and wet Spring in the UK and raging wildfires elsewhere in the world on top of the normal struggle to feed, reproduce and survive!
Despite this we have had a great year for spotting wildlife in the Derbyshire and Peaks as well as ‘slightly’ further afield, so here is a brief Top 5 of our favourite nature encounters of 2021!
5) Seeing Red(starts)
A male Redstart showing well
The Common Redstart is an absolute cracker and what a year it’s been for encounters with this stunning migrant chat. I don’t think any walk in the Dales or Moorland fringe from late April to July was complete without at least a couple of sightings of this beauty and we had some fantastic double figure counts in places like Biggin Dale and Lathkill Dale. Always a favourite with our clients as well as the Natural Derbyshire Tours team, their underrated scratchy warble was the soundtrack to our Spring!
2) Silver suprise!
Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia). Dereköy, Kırklareli – Turkey. Date 9 June 2013, 09:50:24 Author Zeynel Cebeci
I managed to encounter two new species of butterfly this year, the first was a fairly dowdy and worn looking Dingy Skipper making its way up Biggin Dale on a chilly early May day but it’s the second species that makes the top five with a memorable encounter with a Silver-washed Fritillary. This big, beautiful butterfly was patrolling its territory in a sunny dappled glade at the wonderful DWT Rose End Meadows in Cromford, flying circuits and regularly perching up just a few feet away – even better was the fact that I got to enjoy this ‘first’ in the company of two delighted clients!
3) Orchids galore
Frog Orchid – understated yet fantastic!
As a novice Orchid fan – my ‘list’ of UK species is still in its infancy but 2021 saw me add a further six species during my rambles with four of these seen in Derbyshire. A busy couple of weeks in May and June saw me track down (with help – big thanks to Gary Roots in particular) the stunning Burnt tip Orchid and then a local hotspot produced both Fly and, my new personal favourite, Frog Orchid! The pretty and feminine Pyramidal Orchid followed in early Summer (without having to leave Derby) and the only out of County plants were a short cross border twitch to see the Leicestershire Lizard Orchid – what a beast! – and an equally local trip to see the stunning Greater Butterfly Orchids that grace the meadow outside the visitors centre at RSPB Coombes Valley.
2) Finding Flycatchers
Spotted Flycatcher Date 23 June 2021, 10:46:04, Author RJ Photos UK
The monochrome Pied Flycatcher is one of iconic birds of the upland woods of Western Britain. The Derbyshire Peak District has several wonderful, regular spots in which you can encounter this charismatic insectivore after it arrives in late April/early May but we also host it’s less flashy lowland cousin the Spotted Flycatcher.
I’ve always found the Spotted Flycatcher a hard bird to track down but this year will hopefully prove to be a turning point! A wonderful wander down Biggin Dale guiding an amazing couple saw our first encounter of the year – a pair of birds chasing around with the male giving it’s quiet, unremarkable ‘squeaking wheel’ song.
This was the first time I’ve really been able to stand, listen and absorb that sound and it was to stand me in good stead as that same week I picked up birds (by ear first) in an urban park in Derby and on my local patch at Locko Park where a male sang for a week and two birds were seen giving hopes of successful breeding! A good year for a difficult species.
1) A Whale of a time
Of course it had to be at No.1! 2021 proved to be the year I finally fulfilled my ambition of seeing a Minke Whale in the UK. After several enjoyable attempts over the years where I had some amazing encounters with Common and Bottlenose Dolphins, Harbour Porpoises and some amazing sea birds (Storm Petrels, a Sooty Shearwater, Great Skuas, Sea Eagles, a dark morph Arctic Skua, Black Throated Divers as well as hosts of Manxies, Gannets, Auks, Fulmars and Kittiwakes) I would eventually track my quarry down off the East Yorkshire coast and it was quite an emotional moment when one finally gave itself up. A sight I will always remember and one you can read all about in an earlier blog post!
Wishing everyone a happy and wildlife filled New Year in 2022!
