Wher to find Birds of Prey in Derbyshire?

snerkler · 14 May 2016

Hi,

Where can I find birds of prey, particularly owls, in Derbyshire or anywhere reasonably close to Chesterfield? I know of the sanctuaries etc but I want to find them in the wild but have no idea where to start.

Any help greatly appreciated.

den · 17 May 2016

Habitat is the key here,once you find the habitat you find the bird,once you find the bird its down to getting permission to go on the land ,study the subject and stick to the one subject,after that its down to what you want to get out of it ,quick snap shots or good close ups (this is obviously down to what equipment you have available ).
My main passion with wildlife in general as been owls ,i saw plenty on my walks around the moorlands and valleys but i was only armed with a small compact ,this is were i was seeing regular little owls dotted around my local walks ,i decided i wanted to know more about them ,and at the time there was not much info on them so i decided to find out myself ,i spent lots of hours watching them ,this led to knowing more about them which led to the more serious photography with them,

It realy is down to how much time you are prepared to put in,you realy do reap what you sow,i have spent hours sitting and waiting and coming home with nothing,then their are times i get shots within 20 mins,..back on to finding owls ,it is seasonal and some species are easier to capture during the day than others ,please feel free to contact me if you need any info

snerkler · 17 May 2016

den said:
Habitat is the key here,once you find the habitat you find the bird,once you find the bird its down to getting permission to go on the land ,study the subject and stick to the one subject,after that its down to what you want to get out of it ,quick snap shots or good close ups (this is obviously down to what equipment you have available ).
My main passion with wildlife in general as been owls ,i saw plenty on my walks around the moorlands and valleys but i was only armed with a small compact ,this is were i was seeing regular little owls dotted around my local walks ,i decided i wanted to know more about them ,and at the time there was not much info on them so i decided to find out myself ,i spent lots of hours watching them ,this led to knowing more about them which led to the more serious photography with them,

It realy is down to how much time you are prepared to put in,you realy do reap what you sow,i have spent hours sitting and waiting and coming home with nothing,then their are times i get shots within 20 mins,..back on to finding owls ,it is seasonal and some species are easier to capture during the day than others ,please feel free to contact me if you need any info

Hi Dennis, thanks for taking the time to respond and offer to contact you it's very much appreciated. I have actually PM'd you on AVF prior to this as was not aware (or maybe forgotten) that you were on this site too. As per my PM my first stumbling block is not knowing the habitat in which to find the birds, whether I need to look in open fields near farms, in woods, on moorlands (such as Beeley Moor which is close to me) etc etc? I have googled but find information quite lacking, or maybe I'm looking in the wrong places

My other query was regarding hides, whether these are just preferred or whether they're essential?

As for equipment for wildlife I have the D750 and 150-600mm Tamron, or do have the 70-200mm f2.8 if I can ever get close enough.

Any help would be much appreciated. I don't know whether you want to continue on here or respond to the PM on AVF?

Swanseajack · 17 May 2016

snerkler said:
Hi,

Where can I find birds of prey, particularly owls, in Derbyshire or anywhere reasonably close to Chesterfield? I know of the sanctuaries etc but I want to find them in the wild but have no idea where to start.

Any help greatly appreciated.

It's often mentioned on here to speak to local farmers, dog walkers etc........ if out in the countryside and looking for BOP. Have a look at the links below for similar advice. If Den is close to you, you won't find a better guide for Owls and other birds.

https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/advice-on-birding-wildlife-captures.621002/

https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/asking-land-owners-permission.622129/

snerkler · 17 May 2016

Swanseajack said:
It's often mentioned on here to speak to local farmers, dog walkers etc........ if out in the countryside and looking for BOP. Have a look at the links below for similar advice. If Den is close to you, you won't find a better guide for Owls.

https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/advice-on-birding-wildlife-captures.621002/

https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/asking-land-owners-permission.622129/

Thanks for this, I'll review these threads later.

I have no idea where Dennis is from tbh, just stumbled across his website his website a year or so ago (maybe longer, I lose track of time

) and have since seen him on AVF (and now here

).

The W · 17 May 2016

The Derbyshire Ornithological Society do an atlas / bird guide, that might help you spot trends of where to focus your efforts.

snerkler · 18 May 2016

The W said:
The Derbyshire Ornithological Society do an atlas / bird guide, that might help you spot trends of where to focus your efforts.

Thanks very much for this, I'll look into it. Sounds just the ticket

den · 18 May 2016

snerkler said:
Thanks for this, I'll review these threads later.

I have no idea where Dennis is from tbh, just stumbled across his website his website a year or so ago (maybe longer, I lose track of time ) and have since seen him on AVF (and now here ).

Rossendale ....

rpsmith79 · 18 May 2016

Shillito Woods and surrounding areas are apparently good for Little Owls, as is Beeley Moor

Still not got round to visiting these places myself, but have seen a fair few shots of owls from these 2 locations via local Facebook Wildlife Groups

snerkler · 18 May 2016

rpsmith79 said:
Shillito Woods and surrounding areas are apparently good for Little Owls, as is Beeley Moor

Still not got round to visiting these places myself, but have seen a fair few shots of owls from these 2 locations via local Facebook Wildlife Groups

Thanks for this. Been up to Shillito woods, great for birds although not seen any Owls or BOP. It's only 5 mins from my house yet only heard about it 2 weeks ago

Saw my first ever Woodpecker, and redpoll

I've not been up there in an evening yet though so maybe BOP are more active then?

I was actually thinking of recceing Beeley this afternoon

Alastair · 18 May 2016

Habitat and time of day, both are critical.

Damp meadows just before sunset is the prime location and time for barn owls (at least round here). Particularly if it's the first dry evening after several nights of rain. But if you go in the middle of the afternoon you're on a hiding to nothing, regardless of how good the habitat is. There is a *lot* of information about individual species and their habits online. I suggest picking one species (e.g. barn owl) and spending several evenings reading.

As to other birds of prey, kestrels and buzzards are fairly common if you keep your eyes open..

snerkler · 18 May 2016

Alastair said:
Habitat and time of day, both are critical.

Damp meadows just before sunset is the prime location and time for barn owls (at least round here). Particularly if it's the first dry evening after several nights of rain. But if you go in the middle of the afternoon you're on a hiding to nothing, regardless of how good the habitat is. There is a *lot* of information about individual species and their habits online. I suggest picking one species (e.g. barn owl) and spending several evenings reading.

As to other birds of prey, kestrels and buzzards are fairly common if you keep your eyes open..

Thanks for this, useful. So late evening's is the best time, is there a best time of year? I will do my own reading up, but any other help is always appreciated

rpsmith79 · 18 May 2016

snerkler said:
Thanks for this. Been up to Shillito woods, great for birds although not seen any Owls or BOP. It's only 5 mins from my house yet only heard about it 2 weeks ago Saw my first ever Woodpecker, and redpoll I've not been up there in an evening yet though so maybe BOP are more active then?

I was actually thinking of recceing Beeley this afternoon

I believe some people call the wider area Shillito Woods too, as to me the Woods are just the area surrounding the carpark, but i think some people call the moorland across the road the same thing (incorrectly IMO), i have had a walk through there a few times, but not seen anything more exotic than a Kestrel

Again with Beeley, i'm not sure exactly which bit of Beeley as its a fairly large expanse

I really need to get out more this year, been tied up for the past couple of months looking after 5 kittens, you don't realise how much hard work they are, lol

I'm generally only free on evenings and weekends, but happy to tag along if you fancy it, i'm only in Newbold

snerkler · 18 May 2016

rpsmith79 said:
I believe some people call the wider area Shillito Woods too, as to me the Woods are just the area surrounding the carpark, but i think some people call the moorland across the road the same thing (incorrectly IMO), i have had a walk through there a few times, but not seen anything more exotic than a Kestrel

Again with Beeley, i'm not sure exactly which bit of Beeley as its a fairly large expanse

I really need to get out more this year, been tied up for the past couple of months looking after 5 kittens, you don't realise how much hard work they are, lol

I'm generally only free on evenings and weekends, but happy to tag along if you fancy it, i'm only in Newbold

Thanks, that sounds really good ta, always useful to pick someone else's brain and pick up some tips. I'm in Newbold too (Upper Newbold) so we're kind of neighbours

I've just found my dad's old minolta 10x25 binoculars so they should help with spotting

Yes Kittens are hard work, was bad enough with just one

rpsmith79 · 18 May 2016

snerkler said:
Thanks, that sounds really good ta, always useful to pick someone else's brain and pick up some tips. I'm in Newbold too (Upper Newbold) so we're kind of neighbours I've just found my dad's old minolta 10x25 binoculars so they should help with spotting

Yes Kittens are hard work, was bad enough with just one

Well we've already got 4 cats, plus 5 kittens....................

Luckily most of them have gone to their forever homes now, but we are keeping one of them, should be a lot less work with just one....................... at least i hope so