April is the second most productive month of the year in the number of species seen. At least one individual of 185 species have been recorded in April. A month when the last of the “winter” birds depart and most “summer” birds arrive. Birds to expect are at least four Tern species, Skuas, “ sylvia” Warblers, Common Redstarts, Whinchats, Yellow Wagtails with the chance of Pied Flycatcher, Grasshopper Warbler, Wood Warbler and Hobby. Rarer sightings include; Slavonian Grebe (1989, 2000), Ring-necked Duck (1988), Sabine’s Gull (1990, 1992), Red-rumped Swallow (1988), Willow Tit (1988) and Mealy Redpoll (2004).
April 2005
April 30th
A dark morph Arctic Skua, 5 “Commic Terns”, 5 Bar-tailed Godwits, 3 Sanderling, just 3 Dunlin, 8 Wheatears, a fly over Tree Pipit, 3 White Wagtails and 2 Lesser Whitethroats with a small influx of Blackcaps and Common Whitethroats were seen at Severn Beach. At least 50 Whimbrel remained on Northwick Warth with 3 Canada Geese, 6 Wheatears, a Cuckoo and a Lesser Whitethroat. A Common Sandpiper was seen at New Passage. There were 3 Wheatears and 2 Reed Warblers at Aust Warth. Another 5 Wheatears, 2 Reed Warblers and a Sedge Warbler were present at Chittening Warth.
April 29th
A fine warm day with very few new migrants. The flock of 60 Whimbrel remained on Northwick Warth with 2 Little Ringed Plovers, 2 Canada Geese, 4 Wheatears, 3 Lesser Whitethroats, single Raven and White Wagtail also present here. There were at least 40 Oystercatchers and 40 Dunlin at New Passage. Another 2 Lesser Whitethroats, a Wheatear and a Sedge Warbler were found at Severn Beach.
April 28th
An impressive flock of 60 Whimbrel were present on Northwick Warth this evening. Other birds seen here today included a Greenshank, 2 Little Ringed Plovers, a Bar-tailed Godwit, 10 Curlew, 2 Canada Geese, 100 Shelduck, 13 Wheatears, a male Whinchat, single Yellow Wagtail and Lesser Whitethroat. Another 3 Whimbrel, 37 Dunlin, 16 Ringed Plovers, a Sanderling, 3 Wheatears, 6 Common Whitethroats and a Lesser Whitethroat were seen at Severn Beach.
April 27th
There were still 2 Little Ringed Plovers near puddles on Northwick Warth along with 44 Whimbrel and 5 Wheatears. A dark-bellied Brent Goose, 2 Canada Geese and 20 Ringed Plovers were seen at Severn Beach. A Hobby and Lesser Whitethroat were found at Aust Warth.
April 26th
A Grasshopper Warbler was seen and heard at Severn Beach early this morning. Other migrants here included a Tree Pipit, 15 Wheatears, 4 Common Whitethroats, single Whinchat, Sedge Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat, 8 Whimbrel, 14 Ringed Plovers and 7 Dunlin. A flock of 80 Kittiwakes were present here this evening moving up river in front of a thunderstorm. Another 30 Whimbrel, 2 Little Ringed Plovers, 6 Wheatears, 2 Canada Geese and a Yellow Wagtail were present on Northwick Warth. A visit to Aust Warth produced another 2 Whinchats, 4 Wheatears, 2 Yellow Wagtails, 2 Sedge Warblers and a Reed Warbler. Many Swallows with a few House Martins, Sand Martins and Swifts were seen heading North.
April 25th
An interesting day with good numbers of birds seen from Severn Beach including, 120 Arctic Terns, 100 “Commic” Terns, a Black Tern and 4 Little Gulls. Other migrants found here included a Little Egret, 54 Whimbrel, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits, 3 Common Sandpipers, 26 Dunlin, 20 Ringed Plovers, 30 Wheatears, a Whinchat, a steady passage of Swallows and at least 30 Swifts. Another 45 Whimbrel, 3 Bar-tailed Godwits, a Little Ringed Plover and 11 Wheatears were seen on Northwick Warth. The drake Ring-necked Duck and a Common Sandpiper were seen on the square roadside pool at Avonmouth Sewage Works.
April 24th
A dry start to the day with a cold North East wind. A good selection of birds were seen at Severn Beach today including a dark morph Arctic Skua, 20 Whimbrel, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits, 34 Shelduck, 17 Dunlin, 14 Ringed Plover, a Sanderling, 2 Little Ringed Plovers flying into the wind, 2 Canada Geese, a Yellow Wagtail, 2 Wheatears, at least 2 Tree Pipits, a Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Swifts and many Swallows, House Martins with some Sand Martins. Another Little Ringed Plover, 35 Whimbrel, 3 Bar-tailed Godwits, 7 Black-tailed Godwits, 92 Shelduck and 4 Redpolls were seen from New Passage. Chittening Warth produced a Cuckoo, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 4 Common Whitethroats, single Reed Warbler and Sedge Warbler.
Sanderling, Severn Beach © John Martin 24.4.5
April 23rd
A damp cold start to the day. At least 95 “Commic” Terns, 2 Common Terns, 2 Sanderling, 60 Whimbrel, a Bar-tailed Godwit, 7 Ringed Plover, 6 Dunlin, 2 Lapwing 4 Common Whitethroats, 3 Willow Warblers, 5 Swifts, single Lesser Whitethroat, Tree Pipit and White Wagtail were all seen at Severn Beach. Another 38 Whimbrel, 8 Black-tailed Godwits, 30 Dunlin, 2 Ringed Plover, 2 Common Sandpipers, a Tree Pipit and Lesser Whitethroat were present at Northwick Warth. Another 2 Swifts and a Merlin were seen at Chittening Warth. Hundreds of Swallows, many House Martins and some Sand Martins were seen heading North into the wind all day. The only Wheatear was seen at New Passage.
April 22nd
Little to report today. A feeding flock of 12 Whimbrel were seen on Northwick Warth this morning. There were 2 Bar-tailed Godwits with another 8 Whimbrel and 2 Wheatears at Severn Beach this evening. A steady passage of Swallows with a few House Martins and Sand Martins was seen. There was an increase in the number of Common Whitethroats in the area.
April 21st
A warm settled day with the hint of migration starting again. There were 4 fly over Tree Pipits at New Passage early this morning. Northwick Warth produced a Yellow Wagtail, at least 8 Wheatears, 21 Whimbrel, 12 Black-tailed Godwits and 2 Canada Geese. There were 40 Teal, 3 Dunlin and 3 Ringed Plovers at New Passage. The first Reed Warbler of the year was found below Aust Cliff. Another 4 Wheatears were seen at Severn Beach where a Hobby, 7 “Commic” Terns and another 7 Whimbrel were seen early evening.
Yellow Wagtail and Whimbrel, Northwick Warth 21.4.5
April 20th
The number of new migrants remained low. A female Common Redstart was found at New Passage early this morning along with 12 Whimbrel, a Common Sanpiper and a trickle of Meadow Pipits, Linnets and Goldfinches moving over head. A female Merlin and 3 Wheatears were present on Northwick Warth. There were just 8 Ringed Plovers at Severn Beach at high tide.
April 19th
An early morning visit to New Passage produced 3 Common Terns, 3 Common Sandpipers and a Tree Pipit. The usual 11 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Canada Geese, 80 Oystercatchers and 55 Teal remained at Northwick Warth. An evening visit to Severn Beach foreshore produced 5 adult Little Gulls, a Great Crested Grebe, 7 Whimbrel, 18 Ringed Plover, 4 Dunlin, 2 Yellow Wagtails and a Common Whitethroat. There were 5 singing Willow Warblers and another 3 Common Whitethroats elsewhere in the area today.
April 18th
A flock of 90 Kittiwakes and the first Sedge Warbler of the year were found at Severn Beach this evening. There were also 2 Common Whitethroats here today. A group of 11 Black-tailed Godwits, 3 Canada Geese, 52 Teal, 80 Oystercatchers and 3 Ringed Plovers were seen at Northwick Warth. A few Swallows and House Martins passed through today and 2 Willow Warblers were present at the Sea Bank Pools, Chittening Warth.
April 17th
A cold and very quiet day following a night temperature of 0°C then heavy rain for most of the afternoon. A Yellowhammer flew East over Northwick Warth. The only other birds worth a mention here were the 10 Black-tailed Godwits and a Peregrine. There were just 20 Redshank, 40 Turnstones and 6 Dunlin at New Passage. A visit to Chittening Warth produced 3 Willow Warblers and a Common Whitethroat. There were 6 Ringed Plover, single Dunlin and Whimbrel at Severn Beach.
April 16th
A visit to Severn Beach produced a Common Whitethroat, a fly over Yellow Wagtail, 5 Wheatears, 35 Ringed Plover, 3 Dunlin, a Whimbrel, at least 40 Swallows, 2 Sand Martins and 2 House Martins. Another 2 Wheatears were seen on Northwick Warth along with 10 Black-tailed Godwits, a female Merlin, a Raven, 2 Canada Geese, 125 Shelduck, 50 Teal, 2 Gadwall and a Lapwing. There were 5 Willow Warblers and another Common Whitethroat at Chittening Warth. The 3 Common Sandpipers remained in the Pill at New Passage. Another Yellow Wagtail and 6 Whimbrel were seen from Aust Warth.
April 15th
A male Common Redstart was found at Northwick Warth where other birds present included 11 Black-tailed Godwits, 70 Oystercatchers, 20 Redshank, 2 Canada Geese, 2 Gadwall and a Raven feeding on a Sheep carcass. Nearby at New Passage, there were 3 Common Sandpipers in the pill, a Wheatear and 3 House Martins flew North. A visit to Severn Beach produced 31 Ringed Plover, 5 Dunlin, 2 Wheatears and a few Swallows heading North. There were 3 Willow Warblers at Chittening Warth.
Common Redstart, Northwick Warth 15.4.5
April 14th
A better selection of birds today including the first Common Sandpiper of the year at Severn Beach where a Great Crested Grebe, 11 Kittiwakes, 17 Ringed Plover, 7 Dunlin and 4 Wheatears were also seen. A Little Egret, 3 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Canada Geese, 2 Shoveler, 2 Gadwall, a Grey Plover, 2 Dunlin and a Wheatear were seen at Northwick Warth. A small number of Swallows were seen heading North today.
April 13th
A quiet day with the first 2 House Martins of the year at New Passage early this morning. The 2 Canada Geese, single Black-tailed Godwit and Grey Plover remained at Northwick Warth. There were 20 Ringed Plover, 2 Dunlin and a Wheatear at Severn Beach.
April 12th
A dawn visit to New Passage produced a female Merlin, birds seen later in the day here included a Black-tailed Godwit, 70 Teal and 15 Redshank. A Little Ringed Plover was found this evening on a puddle near the second sentry box on Northwick Warth. Other birds on Northwick Warth included 2 Canada Geese, 100 Shelduck, 4 Wigeon, a Grey Plover, 12 Swallows and 2 Sand Martins.
Little Ringed Plover, Northwick Warth 12.4.5
April 11th
An early morning visit to New Passage produced the first Tree Pipit of the year and 5 Canada Geese. There were 90 Teal, 2 Black-tailed Godwits, 25 Redshank and a Grey Plover off Northwick Warth. A Willow Warbler was singing here and several Swallows and Sand Martins were seen heading North. There were 15 Ringed Plovers, 7 Dunlin and 2 Wheatears at Severn Beach.
April 10th
A Short-eared Owl was seen at Chittening Warth and a Snow Bunting flew north over here. A few more Willow Warblers were found today including 2 at the Sea Bank Pools and singles at Northwick Warth and Severn Beach. There were also 3 singing Blackcaps and 2 Wheatears at Severn Beach. An early Whimbrel was found on Northwick Warth with 90 Curlew, 35 Redshank, single Grey Plover and Lapwing. At least 8 Swallows were seen today and another Wheatear was seen at New Passage.
April 9th
Another cold morning following a night temperature of -1°C. A dawn visit to Severn Beach produced 3 singing Blackcaps, a Willow Warbler, 2 Swallows and 2 Redpolls. The 2 Canada Geese remained at New Passage where a Wheatear and 2 Swallows were seen. There were 2 Grey Plovers, 37 Turnstone, 35 Redshank, 90 Curelew, 40 Oystercatcher, just 2 Dunlin, 2 Shoveler, 2 Gadwall, 6 Swallows, another Wheatear and 2 Willow Warblers at Northwick Warth. A Willow Warbler, 18 Gadwall and a Raven were seen at Chittening Warth. The West wind had increased to a moderate strength by the evening, producing 50 Kittiwakes off Severn Beach.
April 8th
A cold North wind made finding any new migrants difficult. There were 2 Canada Geese and a Grey Plover on Northwick Warth. There were 4 Wheatears today; 2 at New Passage and 2 at Severn Beach.
April 7th
The strong wind continued overnight producing 12 Gannets, 5 Kittiwakes and a Fulmar this morning at Severn Beach. There were 3 Ringed Plovers on the beach here at high tide. A visit to New Passage produced a Ruff, 65 Redshank, 55 Turnstones, a White Wagtail and a Wheatear. There were 3 Black-tailed Godwits, a Grey Plover, a Bar-Tailed Godwit, 8 Swallows, 2 singing Willow Warblers and another 2 Wheatears at Northwick Warth.
White Wagtail, New Passage 7.4.5
April 6th
At least 60 Kittiwakes, 3 Common Scoter and a single Knot were seen from Severn Beach this evening in a moderate strength South West wind.
April 5th
A quiet day in a South West breeze. There were 5 Black-tailed Godwits, 25 Redshank, single Grey Plover, Knot and Bar-tailed Godwit on Northwick Warth and 3 Swallows flew past. A Siskin and a Peregrine were seen at New Passage. There was a Willow Warbler at the Orchard Pools, Severn Beach and 13 Turnstone were seen on the foreshore.
April 4th
A flock of at least 200 Kittiwakes were seen from Severn Beach along with 13 dark-bellied Brent Geese, 100 Wigeon and 4 Shoveler. A visit to Northwick Warth produced 2 Great Crested Grebes, 8 Black-tailed Godwits, 45 Redshank, single Bar-tailed Godwit and Grey Plover, 4 Shoveler, 2 Wheatears and 4 Swallows. The presumed escaped Ruddy Shelduck was seen in flight at Chittening Warth.
April 3rd
The wind direction changed to a Southerly today. The Ruff remained at New Passage with 30 Redshank and 3 Redpolls flew over here. There were 10 Black-tailed Godwits, 4 Shoveler, a Grey Plover and a Wheatear at Northwick Warth. Single Raven, Willow Warbler and White Wagtail were seen at Aust Warth. Another Wheatear and Willow Warbler were found at Chittening Warth. A dark-bellied Brent Goose and a Grey Plover were the only birds of note at Severn Beach. Singing Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps were heard throughout the area and there was a smaller passage of Swallows and Sand Martins today.
Ring Ouzel, New Passage 2.4.5 © John Martin
April 2nd
An East wind produced a fine male Ring Ouzel in a garden at New Passage this morning. Migrants at Severn Beach included 5 singing Chiffchaffs, single Blackcap, Wheatear, Willow Warbler and 2 White Wagtails. There were 6 Shoveler, 5 Ringed Plovers, single Grey Plover and Knot on the foreshore here. A Ruff, 3 Bar-tailed Godwits, 50 Redshank and a Grey Plover were seen at Northwick Warth. Migrants at Chittening Warth included a Yellow Wagtail, 6 Blackcaps and 2 Willow Warblers. A steady movement of Swallows, Sand Martins, Meadow Pipits, Linnets, Greenfinches and Goldfinches flying North East was observed.
Brent Geese, Severn Beach 1.4.5
April 1st
A warm settled start to the month with an excellent variety of birds. The best of the day were 4 Garganey (3 drakes) settled off Severn Beach at high tide amongst 46 dark-bellied Brent Geese and 20 Wigeon. A total of 23 Kittiwakes were also seen here late morning. Other migrants at Severn Beach included a Swallow, singing Willow Warbler and Blackcap. A total of 30 Common Scoter were seen off Northwick Warth over the midday high tide. Other birds seen here included a male Merlin, 9 Bar-tailed Godwits, 10 Black-tailed Godwits, 14 Knot, 4 Shoveler, 2 Gadwall, 3 Wheatears, single Grey Plover, Ringed Plover and Swallow. Another Wheatear and Swallow were seen at New Passage where a Ruff was found late afternoon amongst Redshank.
