Skirr Cottage Diary.

Lovely walk from Churnet Valley  Station near Cheddleton, with friend Steve, following the canal and river as far as the Black Lion. The day before saw the remnants of hurricane Imogen lashing the trees and sending a forceful torrent down the hill where I live. To wake up to sunshine and a still day with a song thrush singing in the sycamore was a much needed tonic. Although the canal tow path was very muddy in places the wildlife certainly made up for it. Buzzards quickly made their presence felt circling over the trees on the hillside. It proved a rare event not to spot a buzzard every fifteen minutes or so. While watching these birds an even more exciting bird of prey flew among them; a peregrine falcon with its familiar anchor shape came into view. We watched it stoop rather half heartedly, possibly scaring the wood pigeons, then rise up from a shallow valley, circle round a few times then disappear over the tree-lined hillside. On route we watched treecreepers inspecting the alders, circling round the trunks like little acrobats. A grey wagtail was seen and a fine male bullfinch both new birds for the year.  Goldfinch, song thrush and long-tailed tits and other members of the tit tribe abounded. It was good to be on the tow path during the week because it was almost deserted and we seemed to have it all to ourselves: that is when we spotted a very lithe mammal on the opposite bank among the alders, birch and crumpled reeds. The creature was light brown and grey with a rather indistinct bandit mask. We had good views of the creature through binoculars as it made its way very unconcerned or totally oblivious of our presence down the far bank, finally disappearing into the thicket of tired grasses and reeds. In our excitement we thought we had seen a polecat, but on study of the web once back home I would say it a polecat-ferret (mustela putorius), a great sighting nonetheless.