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Carsington Water (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter thebeard
- Start date
Know nothing of the site but as with all large bodies of water at this time of year - you never know what will turn up.
If it's not too far from you then I'd go and have a scout round .... sort of get my bearings type thing.
If it's not too far from you then I'd go and have a scout round .... sort of get my bearings type thing.
simmojunior
Well-known member
Carsington is a very nice sight for waterbirds but the definite highlights are the resident Willow Tits and Tree Sparrows. Parking to dodge the charges at Sheepwash and walk to the wildlife centre and back stopping at all 4 hides is what I would recommend. It is worth checking the gulls for Yellow Legged or Med and Great Northern Diver comes most winters.
DaveN
Derwent Valley Birder
Hi Tom. I was at Carsington today and if it floats your boat then the Gull roost is building up quite nicely. Several Yellow-legged Gulls and a couple of Med Gulls have been seen in the past week. Now is the time that the now annual Ring-billed Gull tends to arrive. Hopefully the Great Northern Divers will also return this winter. Also seen today was Pintail, 6 Buzzards, Raven, 10 Skylark and other bits and bobs. Check out these two links. One is Carsington's own website and the other is the Derbyshire thread here on BF where you can get up to date with what's being seen.
http://www.carsingtonbirdclub.co.uk/cbc/asp/ListSightings.asp
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=1970374#post1970374
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Clive A
Well-known member
Hi Tom,you can expect a wide variety of widfowl,Mallard, Wigeon, Pochard, Gadwall, Teal, Tufted Duck,Goldeneye,Pintail,Ruddy Duck should all be on show, along with up to two thousand Coots. Tree Sparrows are a speciality, as are Willow Tit. Raptors can aften be seen over the wooded areas to the east, Buzzard, Kestrel,Sparrowhawk and Peregrine are common, with the occassional Merlin also a possibility.
Rare Grebes, such as Black-necked and red-necked are a possibility in the winter months along with the now almost annual Great Northern Divers.Winter Swans are also on the cards at this time of year, with Whooper's seen annualy.
The Gull roost contains several thousand LBBG, and BHG, but Med Gull is regular at the moment, and the returning Ring billed Gull is expected anytime soon.
Rare Grebes, such as Black-necked and red-necked are a possibility in the winter months along with the now almost annual Great Northern Divers.Winter Swans are also on the cards at this time of year, with Whooper's seen annualy.
The Gull roost contains several thousand LBBG, and BHG, but Med Gull is regular at the moment, and the returning Ring billed Gull is expected anytime soon.
nice one folks. i dont drive but was thinking of getting a train and then biking over - thats my usual mode of transport!!! it sounds like the site is pretty similar to hoveringham in notts, which also gets its GND and gull sightings. i'll keep an eye on whats happening and hopefully willl be able to make it across when its not hammering it down!
Clive A
Well-known member
That sounds like a fairly time consuming trip, espescially at this time of year with limited daylight.What would be your route, Nottingham-Derby-Cromford? If so be aware you face a very steep climb from Cromford to Middleton top.
it is rather yes... just an idea, but as i've found with such trips, there are often surprises (such as 'steep climbs'!) i'll obviously have to look into it properly but if it seems too tight a schedule i guess i'll have to wait til spring!
i went to see the great white egret at clumber in the summer - train to worksop and biked to clumber - a lot further and a lot more tiring than i thought! didnt even see the egret!!!
i went to see the great white egret at clumber in the summer - train to worksop and biked to clumber - a lot further and a lot more tiring than i thought! didnt even see the egret!!!
James_Owen
Well-known member
I really don't want to pour water on the idea, but I've done them both and you'll probably find a ride in from Matlock/Cromford a bit harder than the Clumber ride, on the direct route there's a particular stinker coming up through Cromford that makes any level of cyclist drop down into the granny gears. The buses that run right into Carsington might be an option to look at, and then if you want a ride there's the bike hire.
Still whatever you choose I like what you're doing, hope you're keeping a carbon neutral list.
You know if you come on a weekend or a Tuesday the RSPB will have the scopes up in the wildlife centre, help us pick a few things out. This time of year we average about 40 species a day from there (and you'll see more than that elsewhere on site).
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