My only trip of any distance in the first week of April was to Richmond Park in West London on the 2nd, for a walk with my partner. I was hoping that an interesting migrant or two might have turned up there, but had to settle for close views of the resident Mandarin Ducks in the Isabella Plantation.
Mandarin Duck Pair, Richmond Park, London, 2 April
On the 7th (Good Friday) I paid a morning visit to Santon Downham (looking for but failing to see Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers) and Lackford Lakes. The weather was glorious, making up for a lack of excitement on the bird watching front. However, I witnessed some interesting Great Crested Grebe behaviour at Lackford. Firstly, one bird (I'm guessing the male) picked up some weed and waved it in front of the other, which faced it but didn't respond. Having done this a couple more times, the 'weedy' bird swam over to the nest and placed the weed on top. There was a slight hiatus and then the female climbed on to the nest and the birds mated. Several butterflies were active, but only three species (Peacock, Brimstone and Comma) were seen - I still hadn't seen any Red Admirals (hibernators didn't survive the winter??) or Small Tortoiseshells anywhere.
Peacock Butterfly, Lackford Lakes, 7 April
On the 11th I drove down to Pagham Harbour (near Chichester in West Sussex) to do a 'recce' for a forthcoming RSPB coach trip that I would be leading. The journey took 3.5 hours each way due to congestion on the M25, but proved worthwhile as I was able to familiarise myself with an RSPB reserve that I hadn't visited for several years, and see some good birds before the rain arrived in mid-afternoon. Sedge Warblers were seen and a Reed Warbler was heard, and around 100 Sandwich Terns had taken up residence at Church Norton, which is a couple of miles' walk from the reserve. Spectacular numbers of waders were feeding on the mud flats, including flocks of 50+ Grey Plovers and 100+ Black-tailed Godwits. A possible Nightingale was seen near the Church Norton church, but for me the star bird was a Spotted Redshank, just developing its summer plumage, which was seen in a channel close to the Ferry Hide, where it is possible to view birds on and around Ferry Pool, on the other side of the main (A2145) road to Selsey Bill. Before driving home I popped down to Selsey Bill, where Great Northern Divers had recently been reported, but could only find gulls on the sea in deteriorating weather.
Spotted Redshank, Pagham Harbour, 11 April
Male Wheatear, Church Norton, 11 April
My first House Martins, Common Terns and Yellow Wagtail of the year were seen on a visit to the Tring Reservoirs on the 14th. Hundreds of hirundines were flying over Wilstone in dull and drizzly conditions, with Swallows, in particular, resting for short spells before resuming fly catching activities.
Common Tern in Flight, Wilstone Reservoir, 14 April
Resting Swallows, Wilstone Reservoir, 14 April
The RSPB coach trip to RSPB Pagham Harbour on the 16th was a success, with 41 people on the trip. The weather was good and we managed to record over 80 species between us. The highlight for me was a Whimbrel, whilst we all managed good views of the (apparently resident) Spotted Redshank (see above).
Avocets and Black-tailed Godwits, Ferry Pool, Pagham Harbour, 16 April
Grey Plovers in Flight, Pagham Harbour, 16 April
My annual photography trip to RSPB Bempton Cliffs on the 20th produced the usual mixture of auks, gulls, Gannets and a Peregrine. The unbroken sunshine was great, but the 25mph wind coming straight in off the sea was hardly seasonal and certainly didn't help with my photography!
Gannet, RSPB Bempton Cliffs, 20 April
Having failed to see Ring Ouzels on my local patch, I paid a visit to the Pegsdon Hills (Bedfordshire) on the evening of the 22nd, where up to four birds had been reported. I found the birds (two males, two females, possibly more) near the top of 'Chack Valley'.
Male Ring Ouzel, Pegsdon Hills, 22 April
On the 28th I went on my first 'twitch' of the year, to see three Night Herons at a nature reserve on the northern outskirts of Leicester. Although Night Herons are rare visitors to the UK, these nocturnally active herons can be difficult to see, often roosting out of sight during the day. This was my first UK sighting of Night Heron. The birds were all visible when I first arrived, although one subsequently hid itself behind thick foliage.
Roosting Night Heron, Leicester, 28 April
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