In early March it looked as though spring was going to be arriving several weeks early this year, but by the end of April most things had slowed right down and in fact many flowers and trees were several weeks later than usual. This was the same with bird migration, with only modest numbers of summer migrants arriving into the UK through April.
There was one star bird for the Ponds though, with the very exciting discovery of a Hoopoe on 28th. It stayed in the area for a couple of days, but has since moved on which is to be expected for this rare visitor.
Hoopoes are a common sight in much of the world, but the UK is just a little too far north for them to thrive.The birds we do occasionally get in the UK often originate from Spain or France, and arrive here having overshot their planned destination during their northward spring migration from Africa.
Lastly, a special mention to Kerrie Ann Gardner who found herself in exactly the right place at the right time to take this stunning photo of the resident male Mute Swan ‘DJO’…
