Cliffe Pools - April

April is the first real of month of spring at Cliffe typified by a build up of summer migrants and breeding activity.

From the beginning of the month summer migrants become ever more apparent with passerine species like whitethroat, reed and sedge warbler, blackcap and nightingale setting up territory in the reserves scrub and reed. Meanwhile over the reserves pools and grassland the displays of redshank and lapwing join those of skylarks all adding to the general early breeding season hullabaloo!

This is also a good time of year for non breeding migrants, passage black-tailed godwit number in the hundreds, whimbrel stop off through the month on the fields on the to the reserves north and other waders such as ruff and spotted redshank can be seen on the reserves fresh pools. April also see's flocks of hundreds of shelduck and avocet building up prior to breeding.

This is a time of increased flower and insect activity, look for cow parsley, flowering blackthorn, dandelions (& other yellow composite species) butterflies such as speckled wood and orange tip and queen bumble-bees setting up nest.

Latest sightings.

4/4.   1 nightingale.

13/4   3 spotted redshank, 2 sedge warbler, 2 yellow wagtail, 1 nightingale

14/4   1 snipe, c.355 black-tailed godwit, c.90 avocet 1 greenshank, 3 common tern, 3 whitethroat, 2 blackcap.

21/4  170 shelduck, 21 whimbrel, 1 whinchat

22/4  2 mediterranean gull, 16 whimbrel, good numbers of singing whitethroat, sedge warbler and blackcap