April 2009

Highlights: A Great Grey Shrike appeared at Alston Moor (5th-14th).

 Bassenthwaite Lake: The Ospreys, having returned on their earliest ever date, laid their first egg (17th) and incubation continued smoothly after completion of a full clutch.

 Furness: Foulney Island hosted three Long-tailed Ducks and a female Velvet Scoter (11th) while up to three Green Sandpipers and six Gadwall were at Standing Tarn and a drake Garganey appeared on nearby floodwater (18th). Another Green Sandpiper was at Mere Tarn and a Mealy Redpoll lingered for several days at a garden feeding station in Gleaston.

 Hodbarrow: Pick of the waders were 300 Sanderling, a Spotted Redshank and seven Black-tailed Godwits. A first-summer Mediterranean Gull was seen (5th). White Wagtails headed north (max. 15). Sightings at nearby locations included up to 32 Red-throated Divers off Silecroft, a Little Egret at Borwick Rails, a Mediterranean Gull past Selker and a passage Wood Warbler at Kirksanton (18th).

 Inner Solway: Pink-footed Goose numbers dwindled as the month progressed and a Snow Goose of unknown origin was at Silloth Airfield (29th). Three Garganey, two drakes and a duck, appeared at North Plain (9th-17th). Waders included a Little Ringed Plover (17th) and four Ruff (22nd) at Wedholme Flow, Black-tailed Godwits (max. 34 at North Plain) and small numbers of Whimbrel. Skua passage, delayed by strong easterly winds, finally got underway but, by the month end, totals of just eight Pomarine and one Great had been logged. Meanwhile, Bowness-on-Solway also produced Red-throated Divers (max. 36), Gannets (max. seven), two Velvet Scoters (19th), an adult Little Gull (22nd) and three Puffins (19th) plus small numbers of Fulmats, Common Scoters Kittiwakes and Eiders. The juvenile Iceland Gull continued to commute between Carlisle and Old Sandsfield (to 15th). White Wagtail passage included 40 at Wedholme Flow (22nd).

Kent Estuary: At least five Little Egrets remained. Wildfowl included 48 passage Whooper Swans (1st) and an Egyptian Goose at Haverbrack Pond (1st) while pick of the waders was a Greenshank at Halforth (17th). Ospreys headed north (1st & 3rd) and there was a light passage of White Wagtails (max. eight at Halforth).

 Outer Solway: Two Garganey, a drake and a duck, were on the sea off Nethertown (12th). A juvenile Iceland Gull at Dearham (4th) may have been the long-staying Maryport bird. Mediterranean Gulls were restricted to a first-winter at Soddy Gap where 31 Whimbrel were logged (24th). A Hooded Crow was at St Bees Head (13th & 25th) where the small flock of Twite continued to include the bird previously colour-ringed on the Duddon Estuary and a fall produced 80 Wheatears and two Whinchats (25th). A Mealy Redpoll appeared at Soddy Gap (18th).

 Walney Bird Observatory: Offshore highlights were limited to a Great Northern Diver (18th), Goosander (25th), Puffin (29th) and totals of 201 Red-throated Divers, 16 Arctic Skuas, eight Little Gulls and three Shags. Also seen were good numbers of Sandwich Terns (max. 850 on 25th), Common Scoters (max. 405 on 11th), Razorbills (max. 265 on 4th), Kittiwakes (max. 105 on 8th) and Gannets (max. 110 on 4th) with lesser numbers of Manx Shearwaters, Fulmars, Guillemots, Arctic Terns (from 15th) and Little Terns (from 22nd). The last few Whooper Swans and Pink-footed Geese headed north and up to 60 pale-bellied and three dark-bellied Brent Geese were logged along with five Scaup and four Gadwall. Waders included 7500 Knot, 30 Purple Sandpipers, 28 Whimbrel (from 18th), eight Black-tailed Godwits, two Greenshank and several Common Sandpipers (from 21st). Up to eight Little Egrets remained and a Water Rail was seen in potential breeding habitat, perhaps five different Short-eared Owls were seen while Merlin and Peregrine continued to be regularly recorded. Ospreys flew through (7th and 14th), a Common Buzzard (28th) and Tawny Owl (16th) were unusual and three migrant Great Spotted Woodpeckers were logged. Up to four Water Pipits (to 16th) and a Black Redstart (to 1st) lingered, a Ring Ouzel (25th-26th) and single Hooded Crow were seen (20th and 28th). The last Redwing (1st) and Fieldfare (6th) departed. However, despite some of the earliest arrival dates ever recorded on the island and although Wheatears finally arrived in force (max. 105 on 25th and 70 on 26th) and 15 Lesser Whitethroats and five Grasshopper Warblers were logged, numbers in general proved to be spectacularly disappointing.

 Migrant Arrivals: Earliest reported arrival dates consisted of Blackcap at Levens Bridge (1st), House Martin at Staveley (5th), Common Sandpiper on the Eden at Low House (8th), Sedge Warbler at Hodbarrow (8th), Tree Pipit at Torver (10th), Redstart at Torver (10th), Yellow Wagtail at Longtown (12th), Grasshopper Warbler at Walney (13th), Lesser Whitethroat at Walney (13th), Arctic Tern at Walney (15th), Common Tern at Hodbarrow (18th), Swift at Carlisle (18th), Garden Warbler at Soddy Gap (18th), Whitethroat at Kirksanton (18th), Wood Warbler at Kirksanton (18th), Whinchat at Barbondale (19th), Pied Flycatcher at Lowes Water (19th), Reed Warbler at Siddick Pond (22nd).

 Other sites: A Red-throated Diver appeared inland on Windermere (4th). The drake Smew remained on Tindale Tarn (to 4th). Northbound Ospreys were seen at Geltsdale (4th & 12th), near Sedbergh (4th), Dalston (8th), Muncaster (15th) and Wetheral (17th). A second-summer Mediterranean Gull was at Eskmeals (5th). Up to five Hawfinches continued to be seen at Sizergh Castle.