The first of the Sand Martins arrived on the 17/3/10 with 4 at Cummersdale near Carlisle, Swallows were not for behind with one over the river at langwathby on the 20/3 quite early. Swifts had to wait a while longer to arrive but were still early with 3 in Stanwix, Carlisle on the 23/4 and good numbers in by the 29/4 again this was early.
Our other expected March Migrant the Chiffchaff arrived in small numbers on the 20/3 with the Willow Warbler early to arrive on the 6/4/10. Blackcaps in contrast seem to sneak in almost unnoticed.
The rest of the migrants waited until April though in the case of Common Sandpiper only just with one at Carr beds on the 1/4 with the first of the passage Greenshanks there on the 23/4.
Whimbrel appeared in small numbers on the same day with 15 at Longtown on the Esk and continued to be reported in good numbers with 130 near Port Carlisle on the 30/4. A Green Sandpiper reappeared at CArr beds on the 11/4 and was seen regularly until the last week of the month.
Yellow Wagtail reappeared fairly early on the 10/4 with a male on the Esk and a good count of 5 males there on the 28/4. While counts of 14 White Wagtails at Carr Beds and 10 at Longtoown in the last week of April seemed large to me.
Pied Flycatcher was also in by the 12/4 in Lower Gelt woods and Grasshopper Warbler made it this far north by the 18/4. Whitethroat was first reported near Carlisle on the 21/4 and the first Lesser Whitethroats were at Bowness NR and North Plain on the 23/4.
The Bass lake Ospreys had returned by the 1/4 and settled into nest building straight away. While passage Ospreys were reported in big numbers with 8 through the Carr Beds/Rockliffe area in the week of the 17-24th April and 3 reported in an hour from the Dalston area on the 21/4, one through tindale tarn on the 27/4 and one over the M6 Eden bridge on the 23/4. Here is one of the Carr Beds birds flying overhead.
Other passage waders this April included Spotted Redshank in Port Carlisle harbour on the 12/4. Curlew sandpiper a summer plumage bird on 28/4 Bowness Railings and 2 different Little Stints, one on 26/4 one on the 28/4 both at Bowness railings with the big Dunlin flock.
Also on the move and taking advantage of the good soaring weather were a Crane on the 10/4 over Lanercost and a White Stork over Carlisle/Wigton on the 11/4.
Whooper Swans moved out at the end of the first week of April with 28 still reported at Lessonhall, while good numbers of Pinkfeet and some Barnacle Geese remained to the end of the month. 2 excellent geese records of Snow Goose and Greenland White Front in with c200 Pinks in field to the north of the road at Longcroft came on the 9/4/10. While a Bean Goose was at Whiterigg on the 4/4.
A Garganey was at Easton on a small flash on the 15/4 and remained a few days, then a pair of Gargeney were at North Plain from the 29/4 though hard to see in the long reeds. Also at North Plain were up to 70 black Tailed Godwits some in lovely summer dress and a Little Egret on the 11/4 while a Marsh Harrier was reported on the 23/3.
Last but not least came the Skua Passage. It started for me with a Bonxie on the 5/4 the the Pomarine Skuas began on the 16/4 with 2 past the Viaduct. Then a run of moderate SW winds brought 6 Pomarine Skua past Bowness on the 26/4 with 1 each of Artic and Great Skua and a bonus of 3 Little Gulls and c90 Scoter. The 27/4 saw 2 Pomarines past and the 28/4 5 poms with another Great and Another Artic skua past. The 29/4 and the 30/4 both produced a single pomarine Skua with another Great Skua on the latter date. The wind then swang swung northerly and the passage ceased.
It also sees the start of the butterflies hatching this month and I had my first Orange Tip on the 19/4, Large White on the 17/4 and this lovely green Hairsteak on the 21/4.
