Peter Moore's Wildlife Blog: A look back at April's year-listing by bike

Sunday 19 June 2022

A look back at April's year-listing by bike

Last year, April was the second most productive month (after January) for additions to my non-motorised year list (30 species) - so I had high hopes as the same month approached in 2022. At the start of the month I reprised the previous year's trip to St Aldhelm's Head with Phil Saunders, again meeting him at the Renscombe car park early doors in the hope of seeing a Grey Partridge or two.

Peregrine, St Aldhelm's Head, 2nd April

Sure enough, after a walk to the Head this species had been duly noted, along with a Wheatear on the way there and a Gannet before the journey back. We couldn't repeat last year's success with an 'in-off' Red-rumped Swallow, but Phil again delivered some quality picking up a migrant Osprey heading inland, phoning the news through to me just after we had parted company. Greenshank was added the following day at Middlebere to get the first weekend of the month off to a decent start.

Male Black Redstart, St Aldhelm's Head, 2nd April

Female Black Redstart, St Aldhelm's Head, 2nd April

Male Black Redstart, St Aldhelm's Head, 2nd April

Mid-week offered the opportunity to catch-up with the first minor rarity of the year - a Green-winged Teal at Lytchett Fields, which I saw at the second attempt having eventually timed an evening visit to coincide with the rising tide thanks to advice from Ian Ballam. After a Yellow-browed Warbler in March, this became only the second bird added to the 2022 year list which I had not seen in 2021. The Friday after this saw me take another evening walk to Swineham where a few Sandwich Terns were my first of the year - but the stars of the show were a couple of Bearded Tit, sightings of which have become scarce there in recent years.

Yellowhammer, St Aldhelm's Head, 2nd April

Skylark, St Aldhelm's Head, 2nd April

Linnet, St Aldhelm's Head, 2nd April

I had hatched a plan for the following day, 10th April, to make my first trip of the year by bike to Portland, where I hoped a Ring Ouzel would stick around as this was another species which remained stubbornly absent from my 'own steam' list in 2021. Leaving home in the dark, the 27 mile journey was trying to say the least, and on arrival I elected to leave the bike in safe hands at the Obs so I could travel light around the southern tip of Portland.

Green-winged Teal (drake), Lytchett Fields, 5th April

Sibe-y looking Chiffchaff at Swineham, 7th April

Curlew, Swineham, 9th April

I had anticipated a minimum of 5 new birds for the year from the trip and in the end managed 7 for the day - starting with the Ring Ouzel, which had indeed stayed overnight for me to view it distantly in the strips above the Obs; Willow Warbler; Little Owl; and a brief but productive seawatch adding Great Skua, Arctic Skua, Kittiwake and Manx Shearwater.

Red Kite low over Swineham, 9th April

Goldfinch, Swineham, 9th April

Egyptian Goose, Swineham, 9th April

A two week Easter break in Scotland (more on which in a later post) offered some respite from the rigours of year-listing by bike, but saw me fall badly behind the East Anglian birding velo-mafia in the Bubo non-motorised mini-league. This spurred me on to greater efforts to close the gap, adding Whimbrel, Reed Warbler and Cuckoo on my first visit to Swineham after returning home, then a few dashes of colour with a Frome Valley Mandarin and a Dancing Ledge Puffin on an evening jaunt with Steve Smith. A pair of roadside Tawny Owl on the way home from the latter were my first sight record of this species for 2022.

Ring Ouzel, Portland Bill, 10th April

Little Owl, Portland, 10th April

Great Skua, Portland Bill, 10th April

My first Sedge Warbler of 2021 appeared at Swineham on the final day of March: this year it was a whole month later on the final day of April, fitting the general pattern of migration feeling 'late' this spring'. Or perhaps 'normal', and only late by comparison to what we've come to expect in recent years.

Wheatear, Stoborough Heath, 26th April

Firecrest, Holme Lane, 26th April

Puffin, Dancing Ledge, 29th April

The final day of the month presented a dilemma when a Black Kite was reported just 4 miles away at Corfe Castle. This species is pretty rare in Dorset and tends not to hang around - could I make it by bike? I loaded the panniers, then realised there was a good chance I would not see it at all and switched to the car for the short drive to add it to my Dorset list - a 'brown' county tick, but still a good one. I later calculated that I might just have made it by bike - but the bird would have been spiralling much higher than it was when I saw it. So by the month's end the year list stood at 168 - just 2 short of the 170 I had reached by the last day of April in 2021. Just under 200 miles had been clocked up - respectable given the 2 week holiday away from home at Easter but a big year would require a good total in May. Come back soon to find out how that went...