The well-watched Peak District NP Lammergeier was finally seen over the Barnsley recording area on Tuesday 14th July. Carl Dixon was on Dukes Road (the western section out of the BBSG area) early morning and reported the bird circling over his head around Margery Hill. I was already approaching this area from the Langsett side, heading up above Mickleden Beck towards Cut Gate and Margery Hill and a phone call to Carl indicated the vulture remained on the western side of the Hill and never entered Barnsley airspace. Margery Hill lies on the BBSG recording area border, the boundary line follows the footpath that runs northwards from Middle Moss/Featherbed Moss over the summit of Margery Hill and then north-west to Outer Edge.
An hour or so later I got a text from Carl, the Lammergeier was flying again, heading away towards Derwent, quickly followed by another text, 'just south of Margery Hill. Its just altered course and going back towards Margery'.
I was now above Cut Gate looking directly at Margery Hill - no sign, so I scanned around.
And there circling above the Ewden Valley on Broomhead Moor was the Lammergeier being mobbed by 3 Ravens. I phoned Carl, he was still watching it from Dukes Road, there was no doubt the bird was over Barnsley airspace and between us we guessed it was directly above the shooting cabin on Broomhead Moor. And from there it drifted off south-west back towards Howden Moors, its favoured area.
Later in the morning I was near the summit of Margery Hill and the Lammergeier glided towards me from the Featherbed Moss area and landed on some rocks/scree on the western side of Margery Hill just below the footpath. It was eating something (couldn't tell what) and I watched it here for the next 45 minutes until some hikers approached on the footpath just above it and off it flew back towards Howden Moors.
I had made the journey up here on mountain bike, I probably had to push it 60% of the way up (I now know why they're called pushbikes) and rattled my bones on the rocky trail back down. Next time I will probably walk!
This juvenile Lammergeier was first seen in the Channel Islands on 20-21 May, The Netherlands on 30 May, 11 & 13 June, Belgium on 18-20 June and then in the UK at Balsall Common in the West Midlands on 26 June and reported from the Derbyshire Peak District NP later in the day. It was seen in the Peak near Edale again on 30 June before 'disappearing' until 6 July when it was found on the Howden Moors. On 8 July it was photographed 'around Margery Hill' and on the 10th its roosting site in the Upper Derwent at Abbey Brook was discovered. This roosting site is about 11/2 miles from the BBSG border and 2 miles from Margery Hill.
It is a juvenile in its second year (it's one year old) and is probably an offspring of the introduced Alpine population that's currently considered not yet self-sustaining. Released birds are fitted with transmitters and have some feathers bleached so they can be identified individually. This has neither which suggests a wild bred bird.
The reason its tail is badly damaged and mostly missing? Well it still had a full tail from photos on the Channel Islands in May and the 'experts' suggest it has probably experienced and survived an attack from a Fox or maybe a Wolf!
If you have the opportunity, go and look for this bird, it is awesome!
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