3/4/22
5/4/22 Early Grey in the trap on Tuesday morning. Again an expected moth at this time of the year.
Finally had my first ‘migrant’ Blackcap this morning singing by the path north of Millbeck Wildlife Area.
6/4/22
I had a walk along Wood Lane early Wednesday evening. A few Blackcap had been heard by a friend on Saturday but not for me. I had a probable White Wagtail at Carr Farm and a pair of Wigeon.
7/4/22 I had a male Blackcap in Millbeck Wildlife Area Thursday morning. In 2020/1 a flash at Lawns Farm had persisted well into the summer attracting Little Ringed Plover, Green Sandpiper and Yellow Wagtail but this year it is dry. However in recent days I’ve had decent flocks of Yellowhammer and Linnet. Today I had a Wheatear but disappeared when I went for my camera and as the weather was going off didn’t hang around. Had a few Redwing in Millbeck Wildlife Area, possibly migrants forced down by the storm I’d just walked through. These could be my last this end of the year.
9/4/22 After several inconclusive sightings in the Poplar/Wanlass Farm area finally on Saturday morning I had a good view of two Grey Partridge at Lawns Farm. No sign of the Wheatear and the Linnet and Yellowhammer flocks seemed to have dispersed.
10/4/22 With the return to more spring-like conditions on Sunday morning I had several Small Tortoiseshell and Brimstone butterflies on Willerby Carr as well as my first Speckled Wood for 2022 on Wood Lane.
Early evening I walked Park Lane. I had a female Brambling briefly in the field opposite White House then saw it again in flight showing a white rump so I could exclude an odd female Chaffinch. Settled in to photographing the other more cooperative finches until I relocated it much further away but at least settled.
Further up I had the pair of Oystercatcher again feeding in the paddock opposite Swallow Croft. Likely to nest in the same area as 2020.
Successfully added the Burn Park Farm Little Owls to the April List.
11/4/22 Had my a Blackcap singing in Millbeck Wildlife Area on Monday morning and a good number of Tawny Mining Bees between there and Creykebeck.
12/4/22 Finally heard a Blackcap on the Willerby Carr Patch along Wood Lane early Tuesday evening.
13/4/22 Had my first Swallow of the year Wednesday morning appropriately at Swallow Croft, Park Lane. Also several Blackcap singing in the area.
14/4/22 Had my first decent moth trapping Thursday morning with Common Plume, Double-striped Pug, Light Brown Apple Moth, Early Thorn, Hebrew Character and Twenty-plumed Moth.
I had my first Willow Warbler this year singing on Middledyke Fields early afternoon. Pete Scot had Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat on Willerby Carr so looks like migrants are at last arriving in numbers. Willow Warbler used to be more common locally than Chiffchaff but in very recent years they have become rare in my “green birding” area.
Two Ruddy Shelduck were found on Priory Road early evening by Harry Witts. I was walking back from Creykebeck at the time but even if I’d been at home I couldn’t have got there before they flew west. Likely the same birds seen at Noddle Hill recently and subsequently at North Cave Wetlands YWT and on the Humber off Hull. Currently not on the official British List but they are being reassessed by the BOURC, however these two are likely not truly wild or from a Continental self-sustaining population. I have a recent blog post covering Ruddy Shelduck and other wildfowl also under consideration for addition to Cat A or C [wild or from an established feral population.] Had a look mid evening with Roy on Priory Road then Carr Farm, Willerby.
15/4/22 As others had already looked for the Ruddy Shelduck on Friday morning I decided to walk up to Lawns Farm.
18/4/22
19/4/22
20/4/22 Had my first Orange-tip Butterfly of the year near Creykebeck on Wednesday but too mobile to photograph.
21/4/22 Only one moth in the trap on Thursday morning, Shuttle-shaped Dart, but still on first fro the year.
Had my first House Martin of the year already at last years nest on Northgate..,
22/4/22 Latest update on Tophill Low NR access https://tophilllow.blogspot.com/2022/04/tophill-tours-limited-access-to-reserve.html?m=1&fbclid=IwAR26uAywHpzFb35rnSk2zqN8dwoZl7PZ6wg40nGg1g6ISCYjIVviCYU8aqY Basically no general access but booked escorted tours. I took one on Friday. Check here for the account.
25/4/22 A walked on Willerby Carr on Monday morning added three species to the patch year list with Lesser Whitethroat at Southwood Farm, Sedge Warbler singing by the flood prevention scheme and Swallow over Priory Road.
A pair of Oystercatcher on Priory Road on Monday were presumably the same as those at Carr Farm on Friday.
26/4/22
28/4/22
30/4/22
Moth numbers remain low with nothing new recently but a Dor Beetle was trapped on the last day of April.
This post is a bit nebulous largely due to the lack of anything too interesting to provoke me to write anything earlier but by covering most of April I have covered the arrival of most migrant birds and the early butterflies. This spring has been slow with most migrants late but now most of the regular birds are now present in good numbers and starting to breed. What is missing so far is Swift, which I usually get by the end of April but my first in 2021 was very late on the 13th of May. Also not seen Yellow Wagtail, Little Ringed Plover or Green Sandpiper in the area which usually turn up either on passage or as with the first as a rare breeder.
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