This a monthly summary, so if you want more recent nature sightings, please click on the recent sightings tag on the RSPB Middleton Lakes web page.
The month started cold, so this was the new spring, warmth came with no wind and temperatures of 12C, cloudy days and some drizzle. No heavy April showers – just a few drops of rain. There were a few warm days with temperatures to 20C
Construction is continuing with sometimes 5 diggers, weekdays and weekends, as the completion date gets closer. It's going to be mid-May now. Areas of the new central wetlands were finished and there was some wild grass sowing done. The few spells of rain helped to keep the seeds moist for germination. Our fingers are crossed. There are some penstock sluices to go in. The new north-end lookout hut in being constructed. The Environmental Agency (mini hill) bund area has been cleared ready for the flood protection embankment creation.
Heronry: birds flying about, sentinels on top of the trees, one or two with hesitant flying, losing balance on the branch ends. Were these early young – they were all grey, no dark patches, perhaps first breeding seasoners, or last year young watching for a few tips,
2 adults in nest – parents and young being fed, sounds of young calling.
Our volunteer heron surveyors have counted 30 active nests, but the cold weather and snow-frozen waters has caused a number of casualties with active nest numbers (down to 20-25) and chicks. However, we are optimistic that there maybe second brood attempts in the current warmer weather. We have been seeing birds with nesting material and hearing a few begging chicks.
Several adults birds were seen in and around the silt pool, others searching around the play meadow pools and even in the horse grazing field ditches.
Elsewhere
The highlights were the bearded tit and black-necked grebe at Dosthill for a few days.
There were chiffchaff calling, chaffinch chasing, dunnock arguing, mallard under the feeders, first blackcap heard on the 12th and a cuckoo heard on the 20th.
Great crested grebe pairs were mooching about, their courtship done.
Wetland trail also had arctic tern, avocet, bearded tit (Dosthill), common sandpiper (north-end and Dosthill), bittern, blackcap, black-necked grebe (Dosthill), black-tailed godwit, cormorant, dunlin, gadwall, goldeneye, goosander, grasshopper warbler (19th), green sandpiper, grey partridge, hen harrier, house martin, herring gull, jack snipe, kestrel, kingfisher, lapwing, lesser whitethroat (by the stone bridge on the way to the cow meadow), little egret, little ringed plover, long-tailed duck (Dosthill), marsh harrier, meadow pipit, oystercatcher, pied wagtail, red kite, redshank, reed bunting, reed warbler (19th), ringed plover, sand martin, sedge warbler (17th), shelduck, shoveler, snipe, swallow (8th), swift (26th), teal, wheatear, whimbrel, woodcock, yellow wagtail.
Meadow trail had green woodpecker, linnet, redwing, skylark, snipe.
Play meadow, car park, woodland edge trail (and canal) had blackbird, blackcap (first heard on the 12th), bullfinch, buzzard, Cetti's warbler (around the bridleway silt pool), chiffchaff, cuckoo (on the 20th), dunnock, goldcrest, great spotted woodpecker, green woodpecker, jay (feeding along the bridleway), little egret (in the heronry), long-tailed tit, mallard (with young on the brook), redpoll, redwing, song thrush, sparrowhawk, water rail (under the feeders), whitethroat, willow warbler, wren.
Amphibians: Frogs, toads were making the most of the warmer days and meeting by the pond dipping area (play meadow) or the living willow screen (Fishers Mill lake). There were common newts under the refugia mats.
Butterflies: brimstone, comma, green-veined white, orange tip, peacock, small white.
Mammals: Muntjac, fox and hare were seen.
Flowers, trees and shrubs: Trees in bud: ash, birch, hazel, horse chestnut, oak, sycamore, willow (sallow). Blackthorn in flower and hawthorn in leaf. Bluebells (24th) and cuckooflower came into flower at the end of month. Colt's-foot, greater stitchwort, lesser celandine, sweet violet, white dead nettle, wood anenome were in flower.
With a great thank you to everyone for your nature sightings – keep them coming in. You can use the car-park sightings board, phone or email. Contact details are on the maps – a copy of which can be downloaded from the RSPB Middleton Lakes internet page and also available in the car-park.
Compiled by Nigel Palmer