April, if lacking in major rarities, nevertheless provided much of interest for local birders. The cold weather early in the month tended to hold up what had been some very early arrival dates in March but as soon as the milder conditions prevailed summer migrants arrived en masse and many of these were still earlier than average.

The earliest Cuckoo I've heard of was near West Tanfield on April 17 but apart from single birds on the moorland edge near Richmond and one at Bolton-on-Swale I've heard of very few others. This continues a striking decline in numbers over recent years and I now rarely hear them in the lowland areas of the Vale.

The first Swift was over Nosterfield on the 24th but there were widespread reports of them by the month end, a good week earlier than the average arrival through the 1990s.

Other early dates included Blackcap at Easby on the 2nd , Common Sandpiper at Bolton on the 5th , and Willow Warbler at Richmond on the 10th.

One of the most notable ornithological events of April was a large arrival of Rock Pipits at Nosterfield on the 10th. Thirteen birds were counted, by far the largest number ever seen in this area, and all appeared to be of the Scandinavian form. Incredibly this flock also included three Water Pipits, an even rarer visitor with only a couple of previous local records.

Small numbers of White Wagtails were associating with this flock and up to three birds were also seen at Newsham ponds and at Bolton-on-Swale.

Yellow Wagtails were much scarcer with no flock of more than ten birds reported and I fear this reflects its rapidly declining status as a breeding species. Some compensation was a fine male Blue-headed Wagtail which spent a couple of days on the gravel pits at Catterick.

Waders were also on the move, and for the third year in succession, there was a very marked passage of Black-tailed Godwits through the local waters. This brought peak counts of 58 birds to Nosterfield, 50 to Newsham ponds and up to 10 birds at four other waters. These were again of the darker rust-red form that breeds in Iceland and the northern isles.

Other wader records included, at Nosterfield, Whimbrel, Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper, Sanderling and Knot. Bar-tailed Godwit, Green Sandpiper and Whimbrel were seen at Bolton-on-Swale.

Pinkfooted Geese too were passing through the area with 67 birds on the water at Scorton and a skein of 56 seen flying north over Nosterfield. Smaller numbers dropped in at the latter site and one flock included a pale-bellied Brent Goose.

Finally other records of note included two Scaup, two Arctic Terns, a Mediterranean Gull and Little Gull at Nosterfield, Another Mediterranean Gull at Newsham, six (three pairs) of Common Scoter and a Ruddy Shelduck at Bolton-on-Swale. Short-eared Owls at both Nosterfield and Bolton-on-Swale and a small flock of Waxwings near Northallerton.