Red-throated Divers included 22 at Walney in March followed by 40 at Walney and 38 at Bowness-on-Solway in April. Numbers declined in May with the highest count being just 12 at Bowness-on-Solway. There were a number of reports of Great Northern and, more especially, Black-throated Divers at both Bowness-on-Solway and Skinburness in April and May, though, elsewhere, Black-throated Diver sightings were restricted to singles at Walney on 17th March and 6th to 12th April and there were no other reports of Great Northerns. A Red-necked Grebe was recorded at Bowness-on-Solway on 1st March. Also in March, Slavonian Grebes comprised two off Foulney Island on 6th and singles at Walney on 8th and Hodbarrow on 26th. Then in April a summer plumaged bird was off Walney on 11th and one still in winter dress was seen several times at Bowness-on-Solway from 17th to 20th. Gannets included 50 at Bowness-on-Solway in April and 120 at Walney in May. A single Shag was logged at Walney on two dates in March and several days in May, while up to three were seen there throughout April. More unusually, one was at Bowness-on-Solway on 21st May. The Bittern remained at Lantern Moss to at least 15th March. Cavendish Dock produced a Little Egret on 26th May with perhaps the same bird on nearby North Walney on 30th. Two White Storks (inevitably regarded as of unknown origin) flew low over Silloth airfield on 20th April.

Whooper Swans included 91 at Kirkbride and, in the south of the county, 38 on the Leven Estuary in March and 32 on the Kent Estuary in April. Millom Marsh hosted 1500 Pink-footed Geese in March. A White-fronted Goose was in the Eden Valley at Little Salkeld on 16th March. The regular Brent Goose flock at Foulney Island occasionally wandered to nearby Walney where 10 pale and 31 dark-bellied birds were seen in March. Two Egyptian Geese (hardly inspiring but rare in Cumbria) appeared at Whinfell Tarn on 10th April. In a similar vein, a drake Mandarin was on Bassenthwaite on 7th May. The drake Green-winged Teal lingered on the Esk Estuary near Ravenglass to 15th March. A pair of Garganey at Bassenthwaite on 19th April were followed in May by single drakes at Campfield on 5th and Silloth airfield on 7th. Scaup peaked at 760 off Bowness-on-Solway in March. Numbers dwindled in April but included 95 at Grune. A drake Lesser Scaup seen intermittently at Longtown Ponds from 21st April into June was presumably the bird present earlier in the winter at Talkin Tarn and other locations. Later in its stay it associated closely at times with a female Tufted Duck. Seven Long-tailed Ducks drifted past Bowness-on-Solway on 4th May; also in May a drake consorted with the Eiders at Walney for its fourth consecutive year and two more were noted there on 10th. Eight Velvet Scoters were logged at Walney in April including four on 19th, while in May records came from Bowness-on-Solway (five on 6th and one on 9th) and Silloth (two on 7th). The good numbers of Smew present earlier in the winter seemed to disperse rather early and just two - a drake on Tindale Tarn on 31st March and a redhead at Bassenthwaite from March to 4th April - were recorded. Other wildfowl counts in the period included 1207 Greylag Geese at Abbots Moss on 16th March, 550 Common Scoter at Walney on 27th April and 178 Goldeneye off Burgh Marsh on 23rd March.

A wing-tagged Red Kite flew southwest over Bowston, near Kendal on 23rd March, one passed over Askham Fell on 26th March and an untagged bird flew north along the cliffs at Parton on 20th April. An early Marsh Harrier passed through Campfield on 31st March but thereafter spring passage was poor with just singles at Bassenthwaite in April and May and the Rusland Valley on 3rd May. The Ospreys returned as hoped to Bassenthwaite in April with egg-laying occurring by 2nd May, two weeks earlier than last year: Elsewhere, few passage birds were noted with singles at Sunbiggin Tarn and Rusland in April and Rockcliffe, Walney and Cavendish Dock in May. The first Quail of the year called at The Green, near Millom on 30th May. A Common Crane frequented fields south of Biggar Village, Walney from 22nd to 31st May.

Two Avocets graced the Kent Estuary at Halforth from 26th to 28th April. A Little Ringed Plover called in at Mere Tarn on 15th April, with it or another at nearby Standing Tarn on 16th May. Two Dotterel found near Buttermere were the only birds reported in April while five at Askham Fell provided the only record for May. A Little Stint at Sellafield on 17th May was the only one of the spring as was a Curlew Sandpiper at Bowness Railings from 27th to 30th April. In common with many passage waders, Ruff were in short supply with just two at Campfield and one at Carr Beds. Black-tailed Godwits included 62 at Campfield, 25 at Walney and five inland at Longtown. Flocks of passage Whimbrel included 57 at Carr Beds 26 at Bowness-on-Solway, 20 at Grune Point and a disappointing maximum of 19 at Walney. The overwintering Spotted Redshank remained at Cavendish Dock well into April. Up to four Greenshank were present at Walney in March while passage birds were noted at Halforth, Campfield, Carr Beds, Anthorn and Whitrigg. An early Wood Sandpiper at Burgh Marsh on 4th April was followed, in May, by singles at Old Sandsfield on 7th and 15th. Green Sandpipers were seen at several sites, by far the most being six at Carr Beds in April.

Solway skua passage began on 13th April and by the end of May 537 Pomarines (max 84 on 8th May), 116 Arctics (max 11 on 18th May), 29 Bonxies and five Long-taileds had been logged. In the same period, four Pomarines, 24 Arctics and two Bonxies were recorded at Walney. Elsewhere, two Pomarine Skuas passed Lowca on 27th April and four were reported from Baycliff, near Ulverston, on 5th May. Mediterranean Gulls consisted of two, an adult and a second-summer, at Hodbarrow in March; an adult at Ravenglass on 2nd March; an adult at Allonby on 21st April; and a German-ringed first-summer at Bowness-on-Solway on 8th May. Little Gull passage was unremarkable with singles at Walney and Silecroft in March, maxima of three at Bowness-on-Solway and Walney in April and two at Hodbarrow in May. At the former hotspot on the River Esk at Longtown the maximum reported was six in May. Two adult Yellow-legged Gulls were reported at Grune Point on 18th April. White-winged gulls made a belated appearance though all were Glaucous Gulls, with two, a first-winter and a second-winter, at Whitehaven on 4th March, a first-winter at Workington on 9th and 22nd March, a first-summer at Hodbarrow from 6th to 20th April and a first -winter at Sellafield from 7th to 15th April. Kittiwakes included 780 past Bowness-on-Solway on 9th March; 631 past Bowness-on-Solway and 390 past Walney on 27th April; an inland bird at Killington on 11th April; and 622 past Bowness-on-Solway on 5th May. Away from the only breeding colony at Hodbarrow, Sandwich Terns included 525 at Walney on 18th April while Arctic Terns included 150 past Bowness-on-Solway on 20th April and 100 past Walney on 26th April. In what was generally a very poor spring for Black Terns, without a single inland record, the Solway bucked the trend with a number of reports at Bowness-on-Solway in April (including five on 19th) and at Skinburness in May (including an amazing 17 on 4th). Elsewhere, two past Walney on 27th April were the only ones reported. A maximum 160 Guillemots passed Walney on 8th May. Away from St Bees Head, Black Guillemots were restricted to Walney where up to two birds appeared intermittently throughout the period. Single Puffins were recorded at Bowness-on-Solway on 19th April and Walney on 30th.

Two Bee-eaters lingered at Seathwaite in Borrowdale on at least 6th and 7th May. A Hoopoe was at Armathwaite in the Eden Valley in late April. A Rock Pipit showing characteristics of the Scandinavian race littoralis was found at Roa Island on 5th March; surprisingly perhaps, this would, it appears, be a county first if accepted. A Water Pipit at Campfield from 10th to 13th March was followed by three birds at the same site from 23rd to 30th, while yet another visited Carr Beds on 13th April. White Wagtail passage was unspectacular with no sizeable flocks reported. In March, Waxwings included 11 in Keswick, four at Carus Green near Kendal and two in Burneside, Kendal and Cleator Moor: no late birds were reported despite decent numbers elsewhere in the country into May. Passerine activity at Walney remained generally light throughout, typified by the paltry six Willow Warblers logged in May. A cracking male Red-backed Shrike found at North Plain Farm on 29th May unfortunately failed to linger. Hooded Crows were seen at Ravenglass in April and Walney and Workington in May. Plenty of Bramblings lingered into March, including 500 at Dallam Park, near Milnthorpe and up to 200 in Kendal. Twite flocks began to disperse in March but still included 170 at Walney and 30 at Millom Marsh. Crossbill reports included 80 at Catlowdy Forest, 25 at Coniston, 20 at Lords Seat and 15 at Helsington Barrows. Up to 12 Hawfinches fed in the car park at Sizergh Castle in March and April, though one visiting the bird-table at North Plain Farm from 25th to 27th April was rather more unusual and constituted the first record for the reserve.

American Wigeon (2), Hodbarrow, 17th September 2001 - Not accepted.