As far as birds are concerned the month of April is the start of comings and goings as birds leave for their summer areas and others come back from their winter retreats. Some of the birds are sometimes associated with long distance movements that are spectacular. Who could fail to see the great skeins of geese, mainly greylag and pinkfeets, heading north? Their goal is the vast breeding grounds of the northern countries such as Iceland, Greenland and northern Scandinavia and beyond. In lesser numbers, but no less dramatic, are the whooper swans heading mainly for Iceland Some whoopers will have stayed in Scotland for the winter but others go further east to Ireland.
Some of the migrants are really long distance travellers such as one of the most epic adventurers, the arctic tern. These small seabirds pass along the Highland coastlines and whilst some may stay to breed the others are bound for northern breeding grounds as far as the Arctic. They may have over-wintered as far south as off the pack ice of the Antarctic. One of the first of the larger birds to come back from Africa is the osprey that is one of the most iconic birds in the Highlands and beyond. By the beginning of the month the first ospreys will be back at the famous site at Loch Garten. With so many ospreys ringed or marked in some way the individuals are often known and even given names and it adds that extra thrill of recording.
For me this time of year is epitomised by much smaller birds that are easily overlooked. There is always that magic at this time of the year to suddenly find that after their absence in the winter months the warblers appear. One day there is no sign of them and the next morning the willow warblers will be singing from the edge of woodland or even in larger gardens. What stories they could tell of their long annual flights to and from the wintering areas in West Africa. The weather is often against them and there are many predators but even so each spring they arrive back and things seem almost normal once again. The first week in the month is often marked by the sudden appearance of another small bird, the wheatear. It seems at home in open fields or rough ground but these early birds may not be all they appear at first sight. Some seem slightly larger and better marked than others and they hold a secret. They may well be what is called the Greenland wheatear because, as their name suggests, they will head even further north to breed.
To many birdwatchers, including myself, the epitome of these changing scenes are the members of the swallow family. The first of these is the sand martins and swallows and their need for a plentiful supply of insect food is a guide as to where the first birds to arrive back can be found. Whilst the warblers may seek insects on the first blossoms of willows the swallows resort to water where their insect food can be found even at this time of the year. Loch Flemington to the east of Inverness is one of first places I visit each spring. If not, then the loch on the side of the road and canal at Dochfour is a good place. The other member of the swallow family, the house martin, is often later than the other two and does not arrive until later in April. So now is the time to get out into the countryside and look for these first migrants and just enjoy them and wonder at what they have achieved.