APRIL proved to be a distinctly cool and wet month and not surprisingly this impacted on the arrival of summer breeders.

The earliest Swallows were seen at Streetlam in the first week but they remained relatively scarce until almost the month end. Both House Martin and Yellow Wagtail were first reported on 10th but again there were few other sightings until the last week of April. The milder weather towards the end of the month then seemed to accelerate things with an early Swift at Morton-on- Swale on 26th, A Redstart in my garden on the 22nd, Whitethroat at Ainderby Steeple on 24th and a report of an exceptionally early Nightjar seen and heard in Over Silton forest on the 23rd. This was the earliest Nightjar reported in the whole of the UK. In contrast I hadn't received any reports of Cuckoo by the month end.

A feature of April in recent years has been a strong passage of Black-tailed Godwits and 2008 was no exception with a fine flock of 44 birds at Nosterfield. Up to a dozen birds were reported at three other waters.

These were Icelandic breeding birds and were a very striking sight in their brick-red breeding plumage. These birds arrived in the heavy rain of the 27th and the conditions on that day brought an excellent selection of species to Nosterfield including two Garganey, four Black Terns, seven Whimbrel, Turnstone, Sanderling, 40 Dunlin and two Grey Plovers.

Other April sightings in the Nosterfield area included Goshawk, Water Rail, Greenland Wheatear, 12 White Wagtails and, pick of the bunch, two Avocets.

This former rarity is now a scarce but annual visitor to the area and there must be a reasonable chance of the species breeding in the near future. What were possibly the same birds were also reported from Newsham ponds.

One of the most intriguing reports was of a small unidentified warbler seen in a Northallerton garden. From the description it sounded like a Pallas's Warbler, a rare Siberian species never before recorded in the area.

There has been an unprecedented number of Pallas's Warblers in England this winter so it's not beyond possibility that it was this species. However with no further evidence it will have to join the long list of ornithological might-have-beens. This is a good reminder that if you do come across an unusual species it's always worth trying to take a picture, even a poor photo will often show enough to confirm identification.

Other sightings of note in April included a pair of Hen Harriers just north of Northallerton and another bird passing over the Siltons, at Bolton-on-Swale there was a Sandwich Tern and a Blueheaded Wagtail was found amongst a flock of 30 Yellows.

Nearby, Catterick Racecourse attracted a White Stork. Local sightings of storks are always clouded by the wide-ranging birds from the collection at Harewood House but this bird appeared at the time of a small influx of the species to northern England so has better credentials than most for being a genuine wild bird.