Wing Tips: What to see in April

April’s here, and we’ve got five birdy reasons why we’re wild about spring. It’s a great time to get your eyes on the skies and look out for returning migrant birds. These long-distance athletes have travelled sometimes thousands of miles to get here – so let’s give them a big spring welcome. If you’re lucky, you might hear the unmistakable sound of a Cuckoo at this time of year, too. 

There are also two big days this month. April boasts both World Puffin Day and World Curlew Day, so we’re taking the opportunity to celebrate these two wonderful species. 

Swallows are one of our long-distance avian athletes, and April’s the month when they’re starting to arrive from their wintering grounds in South Africa. Migrating Swallows cover more than 200 miles a day, mainly during daylight, at speeds of 17–22 miles per hour! They might look like Swifts, but their big giveaway is their long tail streamers. Also, a Swallow’s call is more of a twitter than a scream.  

And tail streamers are quite the talk of Swallow-town – female Swallows prefer to mate with males with longer streamers as it’s believed they will pass on better genes to their offspring!  

They’re greyish birds, and only the males have a black head, but that unremarkable appearance hides a big secret. The best thing about Blackcaps is their wonderful warbling song, which even gives the Nightingale a run for its money. 

They used to be a traditional summer migrant, arriving in our shores from this month onwards. But things are changing! You can increasingly see them here in winter, too. The ones that breed here over the summer tend to head back to the Mediterranean to spend the winter. And the Blackcaps that winter here are generally from a central European population, especially from Germany. That group comes here to feast on autumn berries and fruits. But don’t cross them – they’ve got a bit of a reputation for getting in a bit of a strop when it comes to food, and will happily shoo other birds away from feeders! 

Cuckoos are famous for two things. The first is their “Cuck-oo” which is completely unmistakable. But did you know that’s it’s only the male birds that make the “Cuck-oo” sounds? The female’s call is more of a bubbling song.  

They’re also known for their nesting behaviour. Cuckoos are what are known as ‘brood parasites,’ which means they don’t build their own nests. Instead, the female Cuckoo lays her eggs in the nests of other species. Meadow Pipits are one of the favoured species –and they’ll often opt for the same species of bird as the one that reared them. 

They might lay between 12 and 22 eggs, all in different nests, and once the Cuckoos are ready to leave the nest, they’re much larger than the host bird.  

On 14 April, we’re celebrating World Puffin Day, which raises awareness of these wonderful charismatic little seabirds, known as ‘clowns of the sea’. But outside of the breeding season, they don’t need to dress to impress, and their colourful bills turn to shades of grey. 

They tend to mate with the same partner year after year, and they’re also faithful to their breeding sites, which are either an underground burrow, or a cosy crevice on a cliff.  

They’re expert hunters of small fish, and they particularly enjoy feasting on sandeels. Their bills have serrated edges to keep hold of them, and one particularly adventurous Puffin was recorded carrying an amazing 83 sandeels at once! 

World Curlew Day takes place on 21 April each year, and it’s the chance to celebrate these wonderful birds and draw attention to the fact they’re in serious trouble. The date is the feast day of St Beuno, the patron saint of Curlews.  

Curlews are the UK’s largest wading bird, The UK breeding population of Curlews is of international importance, and around 30% of the west European population spend winter in the UK.  

When it comes to attracting a mate, Curlews really put the effort in. Male Curlews will perform display flights – a parachuting descent accompanied by a bubbling song.   

We hope you feel inspired to try and see some of these birds this month. We’d love to hear how you get on. You can share your photos with us at NotesonNature@rspb.org.uk. We’ll share some of the best in a future issue of Notes on Nature.