April got off to a slow start, but soon became marked by the return of some old favourites. In addition, France was treated to an anticipated mega rarity. As always we conclude with the Crystal Ball and, by exception, also with a small tribute.

Overview

Azores

Long-staying birds at the Azores included Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Snowy Egret, and Great Blue Heron.

British Isles

The second Killdeer in a short time in England was seen from April 3–5 in Cornwall. British long-stayers included Stejneger’s Scoter and two White-winged Scoters in Scotland, the popular Hooded Merganser now near Birmingham, and Forster’s Tern along the south coast of England. On April 23 and 27–29, an Elegant Tern was present in the tern colony on Lob Island, Ireland. Irish long-stayers included Double-crested Cormorant, American Coot, two Northern Harriers, and the American Bittern. The Kamchatka Gull, seen in Ireland in March 2014, has been accepted as a new taxon for the Western Palearctic.

Northern Europe

On April 6, the seventh Black-browed Albatross for Denmark passed Gilleleje. Possibly the same Dalmatian Pelican that wandered through Scandinavia last year was seen in Latvia on April 18 and in Sweden on April 19–20.

The Netherlands

A Song Sparrow was found in an initially undisclosed location at the bridge over the Haringvliet on April 12l. The bird was reported belated and could not be relocated. If accepted, it will constitue te third record for The Netherlands. The fourth Audouin's Gull for The Netherlands flew by at the well-staffed migration watchpoint at Breskens, but was seen by just a single observer. Only one birder was keen enough to chase the bird by car and caught up with it a few miles further east.

Audouin's Gull Larus audouinii, Nummer Een, the Netherlands, 30 April (Michel Veldt)

As foreseen, April was the last month in which the Black-faced Bunting was recorded on Texel, with the bird last seen April 12.

Black-faced Bunting Emberiza spodocephala, Texel, the Netherlands, 1 April (Jannis Leistikow)

The seventh Dark-eyed Junco for the country stayed in the city of Schiedam April 25 to 27.

Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis, Schiedam, the Netherlands, 27 April (Matthijs Molenaar)

Central Europe

The undisputed star bird of the Western Palearctic this month was the White-winged Lark, seen from April 18–20 in the Camargue and widely twitched. This was not only the first record for France, but also the first in Europe outside Scandinavia since 1981. The species may have been hinted at earlier this year, given the large numbers around the Caspian Sea - hence the prediction in this column.

White-winged Lark Alauda leucoptera, Camargue, France, 18 April (Thomas Blanchon)

In central France, the Western Reef Heron returned on April 24 to the same site where it bred last year with a Little Egret. In the tern colonies of Brittany, the Bridled Tern returned in mid-April, along with two Elegant Terns at nearby Barbâtre. Along the French Meditaranean coast, possible Balearic Flycatchers were seen at two locations on April 30. This species has a high potential to turn up in northwestern Europe. Difficult to identify by plumage, but distinctive by song. On April 29–30, Austria experienced an influx of Lesser Kestrels, with no fewer than four individuals.

Eastern Europe

There were several records of Demoiselle Crane in Bulgaria and Romania, though unfortunately none farther west this spring. A Spur-winged Lapwing, however, did move farther west, with Poland’s second record on April 25 in Zarszyn, in the far southeast of the country. On April 21, Romania’s seventh Spur-winged Lapwing was seen in Sibiora.

Southern Europe

Spain also recorded Spur-winged Lapwings, on April 23 in Coto Donaña and on April 29 near Albacete. Greece once again showed a notable number of records west of the species’ regular breeding areas in the northeast. Back to Spain, where the Elegant Tern returned to El Pinet. From April 5, the first Brown Booby for Cyprus stayed near the eastern tip of the island and was widely twitched until at least April 28. The first two Cyprus Wheatears for Greece were seen on April 4 and 16 on Rhodes - the westernmost records ever for this species, which appears to have very limited vagrancy potential. A beautifully coloured Lesser Flamingo has been present on Lesbos since April 27, constituting Greece’s fourth record. To everyone’s surprise, the Pacific Swift returned to the Alpine village of Girlan from April 23–26, though it has not been seen since. Last year, the bird stayed from May 17 to July 23.

Pacific Swift Apus pacificus, Girlan, Italy, 26 April (Horand Maier)

North Africa

A Semipalmated Plover was present on Sal, Cape Verde, from April 23–24,the country’s 17th record. Also on Sal, a Black Heron was present on April 26–29, the 11th record for the islands.

Black Heron Egretta ardesiaca, Sal, Cape Verde, 26 april (Uwe Thom)

At the same location, no fewer than five Lesser Yellowlegs were seen in a single pool. Two Masked Boobies were still present near Brava.

Masked Booby Sula dactylatra, Brava, Cape Verde, 14 April (Tonny Kristiansen)

A Sykes’s Warbler was observed on Madeira from April 20–26; if accepted, this would be Portugal’s first record.

Sykes's Warbler Iduna rama, Madeira, Portugal, 13 April (Fokko Erhart en Annet Noorlander)

In the far south of Egypt, four major Western Palearctic rarities appear to have become regular since last year. In April, no fewer than 22 Crimson-rumped Waxbills were seen at Abu Simbel.

Crimson-rumped Waxbill Estrilda rhodopyga, Abu Simbel, Egypte, 14 april (Nick Bray)

At the same location, also four Village Weavers were present.

Village Weaver Ploceus cucullatus, Abu Simbel, Egypt, 14 April (Nick Bray)

Around 15 African Pied Wagtails were recorded in Abu Simbel and Aswan, and two Reed Cormorants were present in Aswan.

Middle East

On April 26, a Three-banded Plover was seen in Hatay, Turkey - likely the same bird recorded nearby on March 10.

Three-banded Plover Charadrius tricollaris, Hatay, Turkye, 26 April (Cevat Kopanoglu)

In the UAE, the two Black Drongos were still present on April 21 in Mushrif Park, Dubai.

Crystal Ball

Will the Least Tern return to Ireland for the sixth consecutive year? Last year, the bird arrived on May 17. Will a Crested Honey Buzzard turn up again in western Europe, as it did last year in Denmark? Might there be another seabird influx somewhere, like last year with Short-tailed Shearwaters in the Persian Gulf? Any displaying Wilson’s Snipes outside Scandinavia ? Last year’s highlights in May in the Western Palearctic included a Savannah Sparrow (Shetland), Hudsonian Godwit (England), Oriental Cuckoo (Finland), and a Lesser Striped Swallow (Kuwait). Looking further back, the only records of Yellow-eyed Pigeon (found dead in 1881, Russia), Brown-headed Gull (1985, Eilat), and Relict Gull (2000, on the Russia–Kazakhstan border) in the Western Palearctic have all occurred in May.

Yellow-eyed Pigeon Columbia eversmanii, Turanga Woods, Kazachstan, 2 mei (Eduard Sangster)

Yes, in May truly anything can happenand undoubtedly, several mega rarities will be discovered again this coming month. We are sure we would gladly sign up for a twitchable Pallas’s Sandgrouse or Amur Falcon.

Pallas' Sandgrouse Syrrhaptes paradoxus, Tsgaan Gol, Mongolia, 19 September 2023 (Eduard Sangster)

A genuinely wild Demoiselle Crane in western Europe would of course also be very welcome. May is also the best month for Bimaculated Lark and wandering Eastern Imperial Eagles. But of course, we’ll just as happily settle for a good look at a crisp summer plumage Black Guillemot.

Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle, Hólmavik, Iceland, 13 July 2025 (Eduard Sangster)

A small tribute to birds in times of crisis

In May, various countries commemorate the end of the Second World War. Sadly, war remains a current theme. Perhaps it is worthwhile, on this occasion, to pause and reflect on the role birds have played in (past) wars. Before the advent of modern communication, their role was quite significant. This almost always involved homing pigeons. Consider the role of G.I. Joe during WWII in Italy, saving around 1,000 lives, or Cher Ami in WWI. The stories of Paddy and Mary of Exeter are equally remarkable. To intercept these pigeons, opposing forces often deployed sparrowhawks or falcons, preventing messages from getting through. Well, after this said, we wish you a safe and bird-filled month of May!

We would like to thank all observers and photographers for their contributions to this report.

Eduard Sangster & Wim Wiegant