The rest of Yorkshire.......

Other odds and ends from a cool and fairly cloudy N Yorks coast were a pair of Red Grouse, a couple of Curlews (which were less common than I expected) and lots of Meadow Pipits and Skylarks. Yellowhammers and Whitethroats were common, along with Oystercatchers along the coast. Bonus birds at Bempton were Peregrine and a daylight-hunting Barn Owl.

Seabird city, Bempton.........

27 April - An evening visit to Bempton with the showery weather generating dramatic cloudscapes. A cacophony of calling seabirds on the towering cliffs and in the air. The Gannets looked huge at close quarters, and some were carrying beakfuls of vegetation to line their ledges. Kittiwakes were calling and cruising around with the Fulmars, but the greatest numbers of birds were the Auks - good numbers of Guillemots, with a reasonable showing of the smart black Razorbills with their striking bills, and smaller numbers of Puffins including several close individuals with their comical, trusting expressions as always. As usual with seabirds, lots of photographic opportunities, but a challenge to get good flight shots.

Round and about the Severn

25 April - An early visit to Goldcliff just over the Bridge (toll-free now......) and very successful - the male Red-necked Phalarope was still spinning away on the lagoons, and the Spoonbill as loafing around on the bank. The rising tide beyond the sea wall was productive with a group of Whimbrels present, flighty and calling as well as feeding on the sea edge, and a migrant flock of Bar-tailed Godwits was also present, including 2 birds in rich chestnut summer plumage. Slimbridge on the way home was not especially productive, but good numbers of Blackwits here too are now in summer plumage - and 4 Med Gulls were present including 2 full adults that were displaying. Is this the year that they will finally breed here ?? Back at CWP, a check on the field by Pit 83 produced 2 Whimbrel feeding! This used to be a traditional site for them, but I’ve not seen any here since 2016, so a welcome sight indeed.

CWP recently

24 April - I’ve been keeping an eye recently on CWP with spring migration getting under way ........waders seen in the last few days include Greenshank and Wood Sandpiper at Eysey, and the usual scatter of LRPs. Redshanks and Oystercatchers are being seen regularly. The first Hobby of the year was seen on 22nd feeding over the scrape at pit 74. I heard the singing Grasshopper Warbler at Pit 200 at dusk, also on 22nd. On 21st I had views of no less than 5 Wheatears at Blakehill, with this one female being especially confiding for the camera. No Whinchats yet though! A par of Swallows have returned to the neighbur’s stables, and Cuckoos are singing in CWP, so it is officially spring.......

Scotland at Easter

18-20 April - My first Scottish trip of the year, at the end of a fine warm spell - Munros in the Glen Carron area. Meadow Pipits and a few Wheatears were back on the moors. Loch Carron held 3 fishing, summer-plumaged Red-throated Divers. 2 distant Golden Eagles were seen soaring from Lurg Mhor to the south of Loch Monar, and I heard my first Cuckoo of the year from Lochcarron on 19th. I had time on the last morning to call in at Udale Bay on the Black Isle - a variety of waders here on the rising tide including Bar-tailed Godwits and Redshank, Oystercatcher and Ringed Plover - and also good numbers of Pink-footed Geese stopping off on their spring journey back to Iceland.

Winter merging into Spring.......

10 April - A half day of birding at several sites. Calling in at Liddington Hill was a good plan - several Ring Ouzels were seen the previous day, and a couple of other people were searching - I had several flight views of both male and female as they darted between the hawthorns and ivy-covered trees, then the male perched up and gave good, though distant, scope views. I decided to go to Blashford Lakes past Salisbury, as there have been good numbers of Bramblings feeding close to the hide, now moulting into summer plumage and giving photographic opportunities. Numbers had dropped, as the recent fine weather has presumably allowed some birds to start their migration, but there were half a dozen or so birds feeding by the woodland hide, including a couple of males with almost black heads, looking very striking. Unfortunately most of the hide windows have fixed glass, and the birds were not appearing regularly in front of the open window, but I tried my best with the camera, with reasonable results. Finally, a walk on Hampton Ridge initially only revealed Stonechats and Meadow Pipits, but after quite a bit of searching I found a pair of Dartford Warblers which showed quite well in the gorse and heather. A pair of Curlews were displayinhg over a boggy hollow, but I'm not sure they have much chance of breeding successfully with the recreational dog walking and running that now increasingly occurs throughout the area. Most surprising - a Cuckoo calling very loudly, presumably newly-arrived - my earliest ever spring bird.

A day of migration

8 April - misty weather with an easterly drift is usually quite good in spring so I called in at Farmoor looking for Little Gulls (which are very regular here in the right conditions) and hopefully an early Yellow Wagtail. I was successful on both counts, with a bright male Yellow Wag along the causeway and 3 or 4 Little Gulls feeding distantly over F2, including a couple of adults with hoods, very smart with their pinkish wash to the underparts and their dark underwings. The real bonus was over very quickly, there was a short burst of rain and a dark rakish bird suddenly appeared low over F2 heading north, mobbed by Gulls - an Arctic Skua! a dark-phase bird, very raptor-like. It was in view for all of 10 secs or so, I managed a couple of record shots before it vanished into the mist and cloud to the north. I was the only one to see it, although it flew over the heads of 2 other birders on the causeway! A rarity both at Farmoor and in Oxon, with only a few previous records. Also a huge number of hirundines feeding over the reservoir, mostly Sand Martins, a few White Wagtails, and a Common Tern along with a flighty party of 3 Ringed Plovers. The influx of Little Gulls nationwide included CWP - there were 3 birds seen briefly in the afternoon, then a bird that lingered on pit 16 into the evening, an adult moulting into summer plumage.

A good day.........

3 April - A productive day. An early visit a sunny Cleeve Hill before the predicted showers, I couldn’t find any Ring Ouzels ( they were seen later) but a burst of song alerted me to a first-year Black Redstart near the masts. Then a further stop at Farmoor before my Oxford appointment gave views of 500+ Sand Martins, and a very smart summer plumaged Med Gull that I initially picked up by call, a few black primary tips indicating a near-adult rather than fully adult bird. Best of all, a stop at Twitcher’s Gate had me scanning the sky as per usual habit in the idle hope that a migrant Osprey might pass through, initially a pale Buzzard mobbed by Gulls caused a false alarm, then further mobbing calls caused me to look up again and there it was! An Osprey passing over fairly high, no stunning photos as I didn’t pick the bird up til it was flying away but it turned in the distance allowing one or two record shots. One of those adrenaline moments that makes all the time put in so worthwhile. Fortunately Pete Adams had just arrived and also saw the bird. To top things off, the male Garganey then appeared and gave good scope views on the scrape. A good day, and Cleeve will need another visit later in the month!

CWP wader fest

1 April - A quick look around this morning on a beautiful, sunny spring day ........ no less than 10 species of wader logged - Ruff, and Redshank, at both Eysey and Twitcher's Gate, a Dunlin at Eysey, also there Snipe and Oystercatcher plus displaying Lapwings - the Ringed Plover on pit 200 and a Curlew on the scrape at pit 74. LRP and Green Sandpiper also seen. Not very often the wader species log gets into double figures in the Water Park ! ALso a lots of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs singing. A post-work look at 74 scrape finally gave me good ‘scope views of the pair of Garganey that have been present for a week or so, feeding along the edge of the reeds.....the drake in particular looking very smart in the evening sun.