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April 2008
April means spring has arrived and with it a chance to push that year-list towards respectability. But whilst your bagging those commoner migrants, keep an eye and ear out for rarer species.
Early March overshoots continue to trickle through in April with Little Bittern, Night Heron, Black-winged Stilts and Alpine Swifts likely to put in multiple appearances during the month. The southerly air flows will also bring further reports of Subalpine Warblers, with the possibility of a Sardinian Warbler and/or Bonnelli's Warbler.
Black Kites might drift across the Channel, a Black Stork might just make it too - less likely but much appreciated would be a long-staying Black-eared Wheatear. A few Red-rumped Swallows will probably arrive with returning "barnies". A "red-throated" Red-throated Pipit could put in an appearance to those up early.
But amongst all the spring overshoots, April has a reputation for nearctic sparrows - with Song Sparrow, Savannah and White-throated Sparrow, plus Dark-eyed Junco all having crossed the pond in April. Now is the time to check those little brown jobs inhabiting those headland hedges.
As the month draws on, rare terns start appearing with Gull-billed, Whiskered and Caspian Tern all likely. Back on land, Calandra Larks like April. But surely we can't expect one two years running?
But whatever you're doing keep the pager switched on and the tank full on the 24th. With Eastern Phoebe, Moussier's Redstart and Brown-headed Cowbird all turning up on this date, past performance really is a guide to the future!
April 2007: Many birders were left wondering when their luck would change as April brought a host of short-staying top-notch rarities. Best of the bunch were Egyptian Vulture in Norfolk, Glaucous-winged Gull in Surrey and two Blue Rock Thrushes, in Wales and Sussex. An unprecedented invasion of Glossy Ibises including a single flock of seventeen individuals that settled in Gloucestershire was a sight to behold. Other great April birds included a singing Iberian Chiffchaff in Norfolk and a Black-eared Wheatear in Argyll.
April 2006: A handsome drake Hooded Merganser was the month's highlight for birders prepared to trek north to Shetland. Elsewhere a drake Blue-winged Teal in North Yorkshire and then Northumberland was equally attractive. Norfolk's second Killdeer probably drew the largest crowds however. Summer migrants began to arrive in force during April with a showy Western Subalpine Warbler in Dorset popular amongst digiscopers. Up to 20 Alpine Swifts were seen with atypically long-stayers including three birds together in Devon and a single bird in London.
April 2005: Belted Kingfisher on the 1st April. Surely an April fool. Not at all. Undoubtedly the bird of the year if not the millenium, first found in Staffordshire it was amazingly relocated in Aberdeenshire to the delight of thousands of birders who made the long trek north. An Amur Wagtail in County Durham would have been equally popular had it stayed longer. A Short-toed Treecreeper in Essex and a Great Spotted Cuckoo in Sussex offered compensation for south coast birders. Other rarities included a White's Thrush in Shetland and another Killdeer in Ireland. By the end of the month lesser rarities were streaming through including a Great Reed Warbler in Surrey and a Citrine Wagtail on Scilly.
April 2004: early summer migrants included a record invasion of some 40 Red-rumped Swallows, whilst crowd-pullers included an Iberian Chiffchaff in Northumberland, a one-day Alpine Accentor in Norfolk and a smart drake Bufflehead initially found in Greater Manchester before moving to West Yorkshire. A fly-by male Pallid Harrier in North Yorkshire and a Song Sparrow reported from Devon will have caused some nervous twitches. Lesser rarities included summer plumaged Whiskered and White-winged Black Terns in the south whilst almost 50 Hoopoes left birders in no doubt that spring migration was in full flow.
April 2003: Bird of the month was a male Taiga Flycatcher in East Yorkshire - a first for Britain. The county also scored with a male Pallid Harrier on the 1st. Quality birds elsewhere included a Little Swift over the Isles of Scilly, a Crag Martin in Sussex and a White-headed Duck in Buckinghamshire. Good numbers of Alpine Swifts, Red-rumped Swallows and Black Kites put winter firmly behind us.
April 2002: Typical spring overshoots included a dozen Red-rumped Swallows around Britian, thirty-plus Hoopoes, a Whiskered Tern in Wiltshire, a Great Spotted Cuckoo in Ireland and a pair of Black-winged Stilts in Hampshire. Scotland scored with a Two-barred Crossbill in Abernethy Forest and a Whistling Swan in Dunbartonshire. Pity the latter enjoyed bread from the hand !
April 2001: Kent produced the best bird for the second month running with Iberian Chifchaff. A second bird followed closely on the heels of Kent's first - this one on Bardsey and alongside a Pine Bunting. Outer islands generally had the best of the rarities with Black-throated Thrush on Fair Isle mid-month and a Spanish Sparrow on Skokholm also mid-month.
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