MAY proved to be an excellent month for local birdwatchers. The weekend of the 4th and 5th was particularly productive with weather conditions ensuring a strong movement of migrant birds through the area.

Highlights were undoubtedly the first local records of two major rarities. The first was an American golden plover. The species has been recorded on less than 20 previous occasions in Yorkshire.

The bird was found at Ladybridge Lake, the gravel workings near Nosterfield village, on the early morning of 5th. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, a majority of local birdwatchers were able to get there in time to see this bird but it was a relatively short stayer and flew off strongly to the north-west before noon and there were no further sightings.

The second rarity had a more select audience. This was an adult night heron seen in a Brompton on Swale garden on the 5th. The family was treated to excellent views that evening as the bird caught goldfish in garden ponds!

One lucky Richmond birdwatcher also saw the bird at dawn the following morning but it had gone by 5.30am and unfortunately there were no further sightings.

The night heron has quite a cosmopolitan breeding range but most British records are assumed to come from the colonies which nest in southern Europe. The bird is fairly unmistakable, being a medium-sized stocky heron with a black cap and, at this time of year in its breeding finery, long white head plumes.

Other birds of interest which turned up that weekend included Temminck's stint, little gull, a flock of crossbill, sanderling and wood sandpiper at Nosterfield and another at Pepper Arden.

Mid-month was then relatively quiet, although there were a couple of sightings of hobby at Nosterfield and another hobby was watched chasing house martins along Lees Lane in Northallerton.

Dotterel were also on the move; these handsome plovers breed on Scottish mountain tops but small numbers pass through this area on their journey north. Virtually anywhere on the high ground might attract these birds and it is probably only the relative dearth of birdwatchers covering the high tops of the Dales which limits the sightings. Nonetheless three birds were seen near Grinton with a further three on Feldom.

This species is particularly popular with female birdwatchers as it is the smaller drab male which has sole responsibility for domestic duties including incubating the eggs and raising the young!

Towards the end of the month there was another flurry of activity, centred on Nosterfield, around the weekend of 24th-25th. Sightings at the reserve included a superb spoonbill, good numbers of waders including up to 70 dunlin, regular sightings of little stint and another Temminck's stint, black tern and marsh harrier.

Other sightings of note included a drake garganey at Pepper Arden, the long-staying blue-headed wagtail still around Catterick (and which looks to have paired up with a female yellow wagtail) and a quail heard calling near Romanby.