After the wretched weather in March it was a relief to see more sunshine and much less rain in the first week of April. Spring arrived at last! More insects started to appear, with a couple of male Hairy-footed Flower Bees, seen on their usual chalky bank at Hatchpen Farm, joining a variety of (Queen?) bumble bees on the wing on the 5th.
Male Hairy-footed Flower Bee, Hatchpen Farm, Reed, 5 April
I tend to keep fairly local in April, looking out for (hopefully rare) passage migrant birds on my local patch and elsewhere in Hertfordshire. This involves quite a lot of walking, as I hunt for passage birds such as Wheatear and Ring Ouzel, as well as welcoming returning summer visitors. April can be a really exciting time, but the first week passed quietly with only a single Swallow, heading rapidly north through Greys Farm on the 3rd, as a summer visitor to be added to my 'Local Patch' list. Chiffchaffs were singing everywhere now, and a decent number of male Blackcaps were also holding territory by the end of the week. The wintering gulls had gone by the start of the month, as had the Redwing and Fieldfare flocks, although a single Fieldfare did head over my garden on the 5th, going east. A pair of Ravens flew over the east end of The Heath on the 4th. Bird song was reaching a crescendo and I was pleased to hear more and more Greenfinches singing, whilst at least one pair were regularly visiting my garden feeders. The garden also provided the best local bird of the month, when a female Brambling dropped in for the afternoon on the 6th, feeding alongside the Chaffinches underneath the feeders. This was my second Brambling in a few days (following one at RSPB Titchwell), having failed to see one anywhere prior to that this year.
Female Brambling (front bird) with a Female Chaffinch, my Garden, 6 April
Male Yellowhammer along the Icknield Way, Therfield, 3 April
On the 3rd I ventured to Coopers Green gravel pits, where Little Ringed Plovers were regularly being reported. With help from others, I managed to see six birds on the New Workings, as well as four Mandarin Ducks (two pairs). As I was leaving I was lucky to see a migrating Osprey, flying low and passing very close to me. Of course, I hadn't brought my camera or the photograph would have been adorning these pages. Nevertheless, it was a great sighting. The new workings at Coopers Green have proved very attractive to interesting birds this year and I was back again on the evening of the 10th when Herts. Bird Club chairman Rupert Evershed (who always seems to be there when I visit) had (re)found an almost summer-plumaged Water Pipit and was good enough to show it to me.
Following the Easter weekend, when observers reported a male Redstart on The Heath (I was away and missed seeing it), the weather deteriorated again with strong winds, periods of rain and cooler conditions that restricted my insect sightings for the rest of the month, with quite a few days producing no sightings at all. On the rare occasions when the weather was warm enough for butterflies, Peacocks and Brimstones dominated. The warmest day of the year so far (the 17th) produced a single male Orange Tip butterfly, whilst my first identifiable Small White (19th) and a Red Admiral (27th) were the only other April additions to a rather small year list (a few Commas were also seen, but there was still no sign of Small Tortoiseshells).
A female Bullfinch, seen along the Icknield Way on the 17th, was my first local sighting of the year of this declining species. On the same day two Common Whitethroats, seen in bushes on the Old Rifle Range, were seen - a slightly early date for this common summer visitor. By the end of the month, several Whitethroats were singing across The Heath and elsewhere in the area and Lesser Whitethroat numbers were building. A Sedge Warbler on passage was singing along the Icknield Way on the 29th - not a particularly unusual observation at this time of year. Although Sedge Warblers are generally associated with wetland habitats, particularly in the south of England, they will also nest far from water if their remaining requirements are met.
Common Whitethroat, Therfield Heath, 25 April
A Little Owl, seen near the only local breeding site that I know of, was the star bird on my monthly walk around the villages on the 19th. A Willow Warbler (which I now regard as simply a passage bird) was singing at Reed End and five Corn Buntings were singing at Hatchpen Farm. In fact, there was quite a build up of Corn Buntings and Yellowhammers at Hatchpen, with at least 28 of the former (image) and 40 of the latter seen on a walk on the 26th. There was no sign of Wheatears or Ring Ouzels and this remained the case, despite strenuous attempts to locate these formerly regular passage birds on many walks in the second half of the month. At Phillup's Lake only four Coots (one nesting pair), a pair of Canada Geese and an unknown number of very secretive Little Grebes (one seen) remained. Chiffchaffs were very common, but singing decreased towards the end of the month as birds paired up and started nesting. Blackcap numbers continued to increase during the month and I saw one more singing Willow Warbler not far from the house. A handful of Swallows were around, but the sight of two birds flying rapidly south (!) over Royston town centre in the cold and rain on the 27th was not unexpected! Meanwhile, the resident birds were getting on with nesting. Blackbirds, in particular, were obviously feeding young and I saw my first fledgeling (a Robin) on the 24th.
Some of at least 28 Corn Buntings seen at Hatchpen Farm (Reed) on 26 April.
