Royston Wildlife Blog: UK Wildlife Sightings, April 2024

Despite a viral infection, I got out to RSPB Titchwell Marsh on the 3rd and managed to walk along the beach to Thornham Point and back. The weather was pretty poor (worse than it had been forecast to be), but I saw 62 species in an afternoon and early evening, including my first Mediterranean Gulls and Tawny Owl (a roosting bird) of the year.

Mediterranean Gulls, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 3 April

On the 8th I visited Kingfisher's Bridge nature reserve, near Stretham in Cambridgeshire, on a reconnaissance trip for an RSPB Local Group walk that I was leading on the 11th. Of particular interest here was a Black Tern, present since the 6th, which showed distantly but well on the main lake. I have never seen a UK Black Tern so early in the year before. A visit to Dernford Farm Reservoir on the following day produced my first House Martins of the year, together with a few Swallows.

'Record Shot' of Black Tern, Kingfisher's Bridge LNR, 8 April

'Record Shot' of Black Tern, Kingfishers Bridge LNR, 8 April

The RSPB trip to Kingfisher's Bridge on the 11th went very well on a very pleasant, sunny day (easily the best weather of the year, but sadly not a foretaste of things to come), with Sedge Warblers, Sand Martins and Common Whitethroats being seen. However, the bird of the day was a Little Gull (1st winter / 1st summer), which apparently arrived on the main lake during the late morning and was seen by those of us who stayed on into the afternoon. Butterflies were very active, with several species (including Orange Tip) being seen. With the good weather holding until the following day, I paid another visit to RSPB Frampton Marsh. Strangely, both Black Tern and Little Gulls (an adult and 1st winter bird), the star species seen on my visits to Kingfisher's Bridge, were seen here too, showing well from the Reedbed Hide. Whilst I had been travelling to Frampton a Red-breasted Goose had been found here, and I was lucky to see this rare winter visitor in amongst a load of Brent Geese (a 'carrier species' for Red-breasted Goose). Oddly, I didn't see the female Black-winged Stilt that had been my main target species when I set out, nor the long-staying Lesser Yellowlegs.

Little Gull (1st Winter/Summer), RSPB Frampton Marsh, 12 April

Red-breasted Goose (Top Left) with Brent Geese, RSPB Frampton Marsh, 12 April

Male Ruff coming into Summer Plumage, RSPB Frampton Marsh, 12 April

My next trip outside Hertfordshire came on the 19th, when I visited Fingringhoe Wick Nature Reserve on the Colne Estuary (Essex), as preparation for leading an RSPB Local Group trip there on the 28th. By now the weather had deteriorated significantly, becoming much cooler and with heavy rain in the morning. Nightingales were singing loudly in the morning (always a joy to hear), but were much quieter in the afternoon - I failed to see any. At least three Lesser Redpolls were present in the woodland (a bit of a surprise), whilst Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, Whitethroats, Lesser Whitethroats and Cetti's Warblers were common. However, I failed to record any Willow Warblers (an increasingly rare species in the south of England). Out on the estuary eight wader species were recorded, including good numbers of Grey Plover and Knot.

Male Blackcap, Fingringhoe Wick NR, 19 April

Gulls, Shelduck and Waders on the Estuary, Fingringhoe Wick NR, 19 April

I normally make my annual visit to see the Rutland Water Ospreys later in the year but, with little happening locally and the weather too cold for insect activity, I decided to visit on the 23rd. When I arrived at the viewing hide (Lyndon Reserve) the male was sitting on the three eggs in the nest - a somewhat unusual situation as I have been used to seeing the female doing all the incubation and feeding the young with fish brought in by the male. However, I've never been so early in the year before! Anyway, they soon swapped over and the male proceeded to take several dips in the water, perhaps cleaning himself or practicing his landings and take-offs ready for catching fish to feed his family. I saw my first Swifts of the year here, presumably on migration to Scandinavia?

Female Osprey ('Maya'), Lyndon Reserve, Rutland Water, 23 April

Male Osprey Taking Off from the water, Lyndon Reserve, Rutland Water, 23 April

The RSPB trip to Fingringhoe Wick on the 28th went off well, despite the ground being boggy after heavy overnight rain, with lots of Nightingales singing and most of us at least getting glimpses of them through the lush foliage. Whimbrel were also seen here, as well as lots of Dunlin and Grey Plovers on the Colne Estuary. As the tide rose in the afternoon the waders were forced to move to higher ground, with many cramped on small sandbanks before having to move off again as the tide rose further. A group of orchids with different shapes and colours posed an identification problem: surely they must be different species? Not so! As the visitor centre confirmed, these were all Green-winged Orchids, identified by the thin stripes on the petals (see image below). A highly satisfactory trip list of 84 bird species recorded was produced, although in the continuing cold weather no Adders and hardly any insects were seen.

Two very different looking Green-winged Orchids, Fingringhoe Wick EWT, 28 April

Grey Plovers and Dunlin in Flight, Fingringhoe Wick EWT, 28 April

I rarely get to add to my lifetime UK bird list these days, so the appearance on the 28th of an Eastern Subalpine Warbler near the entrance to the Holme NOA reserve motivated me to head to the Norfolk coast on the 29th. I joined the assembled throng and was lucky to get decent views of the bird as it appeared from time to time from amongst dense scrub. I managed to get one or two poor photos of the back of the bird: they are not worthy of publication, but I've included one anyway. This bird (which was gone the following day) is the 369th species on my list. At the current rate of finding new birds (one per year) I'll get to my target of 400 in my 100th year! I had rather more success photographing the birds at Thornham Harbour and RSPB Titchwell Marsh, which I visited on the same day.