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I had a couple of hours free this afternoon so I thought I’d make my first visit of the year down the Lower Derwent Valley, after a quick look at Hagg Bridge as I was passing that didn't produce anything more than a few Teal and Wigeon I made my way to Ellerton, there was a good selection of Wildfowl here including quite a few Shelducks and a handful of Whooper Swans but the best birds were a Barn Owl out hunting behind the church, it few quite close at one point, and a familiar trilling alerted me to a single Waxwing that flew from the church and over my head heading off towards Aughton. I headed round to North Duffield next which is still very flooded and the birds were spread out over a wide area, still a good few Pochard out on Bubwith Ings but after being given a snippet of information from Andy, awbirder.blogspot.com, I headed back towards Aughton and in a field half way between Bubwith and the Aughton turn off there was a small group of Whooper Swans with a single Bewick's, a good end to a pleasant afternoon.

Barn Owl behind Ellerton Church

A few Whoopers between Bubwith and Aughton

with a single Bewick's