BIRDS 



[Iceland Falcon. Falco is/andus, ]. F. 

 Gmelin. 



There is some reason to believe that Pil- 

 kington's description of a 'spotted falcon,' 

 which he was unable to identify, applies to 

 this species, especially as he was familiar 

 with most of our larger birds of prey and 

 obviously was interested in ornithology. The 

 description of the plumage is quoted in the 

 Birds of Derbyshire, p. 139.] 



114. Peregrine Falcon. 

 Tunstall. 



Falco peregrinus, 



Although absolute proof of the fact is 

 wanting there is but little doubt that for- 

 merly this fine bird bred in many parts of 

 the county. At the present time it is an 

 occasional visitor to the moors, especially in 

 the autumn and winter months, and has also 

 been noticed several times in the Trent 

 valley. Omitting those cases in which the 

 birds are known to have escaped from 

 captivity, about a dozen instances are re- 

 corded in the Birds of Derbyshire in which 

 the peregrine has been seen or shot. To 

 these may be added an immature male shot 

 at Drakelow in January, 1846, by Mr. 

 Granger and now in the Rolleston Hall 

 Museum. 



115. Hobby. Falco subbuteo, Linn. 



A rare visitor, but has been known to 

 breed with us. Mr. J. J. Briggs met with 

 hobbies in the month of April, May, August 

 and October, and was satisfied that they bred 

 on rare occasions in the vicinity of Mel- 

 bourne, but does not appear to have found 

 the nest. On July 4, 1891, a hen was shot 

 on Howden Moor by a keeper and sent to 

 Mr. E. D. Doncaster, who after dissecting 

 her was convinced that she had recently bred. 

 A nest with eggs was found in June, 1 894, 

 near Goyt's Bridge, Buxton, by Mr. P. Shaw 

 (Coward and Oldham, Birds of Cheshire, p. 2 5 5). 

 A male bird in the Rolleston Hall Museum 

 was killed in June, 1890, and probably had a 

 mate somewhere in the neighbourhood. 



1 1 6. Merlin. Falco <esalon, Tunstall. 



A few pairs still breed on the moorlands, 

 but the old birds are usually trapped or shot 

 at the nest, so that the final disappearance of 

 this species from our list of breeding birds 

 cannot be long delayed. To other parts of 

 the county it is only an occasional visitor, 

 generally in the winter months. Most of 

 these appearances are recorded from the 

 Trent valley. The nest is a mere hollow, 

 with a few bits of broken ling round the 

 sides, and is placed in a bare patch among 



tall heather on some steep hillside. The 

 eggs are laid early in May not at the end 

 of the month as stated by Seebohm. Certain 

 parts of the moors seem to have a great 

 attraction for these pretty little hawks, and 

 are resorted to for breeding purposes again 

 and again even after both parents have been 

 destroyed. 



117. Kestrel. Falco tinnunculus, Linn. 



Still fairly common in most parts of Derby- 

 shire, breeding in the wooded districts in old 

 magpies' or crows' nests and in the rocky 

 parts on ledges or crevices of the cliffs. 

 Although nominally protected, very many 

 are shot annually by keepers in districts 

 where game preservation is carried on. A 

 favourite haunt of this species is the valley 

 of the Dove from Beresford Dale to Dove- 

 dale, the limestone cliffs presenting numerous 

 suitable breeding places. 



1 1 8. Osprey. Pandton ha/iae'tus (Linn.). 

 Formerly a not uncommon visitor on migra- 

 tion, especially to the Trent valley, but occur- 

 rences of late years have been few and far 

 between. Some fourteen instances are men- 

 tioned by F. B. Whitlock in which these 

 birds have been killed. The earliest of these 

 is that in which the Rev. F. Gisborne shot 

 one at Staveley on May 28, 1779, while 

 perched on a gatepost. Five are said to have 

 been killed on different occasions at Mel- 

 bourne Pool, and certain reaches of the 

 Trent, such as Weston Cliff", have been 

 frequently haunted by these birds. The 

 latest instance took place in November, 

 1890. To the instances recorded in the 

 Birds of Derbyshire (p. 148) may be added 

 the following : One seen flying over the 

 Trent near Burton in the summer of 1860 

 and afterwards shot lower down the river 

 (E. Brown, addenda to Nat. Hist, of Tutbury, 

 p. 227). Another was shot at Stony Middle- 

 ton, and is now in the possession of Mr. D. 

 Peat (W. Boulsover). 



119. Common Cormorant. Phalacrocorax 



carbo (Linn.). 



An occasional visitor to the Trent at 

 irregular intervals. Pilkington notes its 

 occasional appearance, but does not give 

 details. About 1820-30 Sir O. Mosley 

 saw one on the Dove, and Mr. E. Brown 

 records one shot from a tree overhanging the 

 Trent, opposite Burton, about 1838. A third 

 was killed at Burton about December, 1885, 

 and in May, 1898, another was shot on the 

 sewage farm at Egginton (Journ. Derb. Arch, 

 and Nat. Hist. Soc. 1899, p. 2O.). 



137 



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