Black Tern - NDC 150!!!

Today was a special day for yours truly, a very special day...eventually. If you have a "local patch" and toil faithfully year after year to add species to your list, you'll be able to relate to how I feel this evening. Maybe you can anyway?

 

As already stated I'd made the journey to the old site on Friday to try and add Black Tern to my NDC Life list which stood at 149.

 

It's been an exceptional passage this May. This coupled with my enforced free time gives me NO excuses not to give it ALL I've got (granted not as much as I used to have!).

 

I started today at the cliff hoping for Terns...any Terns. News was coming through from down the road of an excellent movement of Arctic and Black Terns. I gave it 2 hours and managed a modest 10 Arctics...but no Black. IMHO the Blacks were re-orientating out of the Humber after the east winds and carried on East. Either that or I can't see Black Terns!

 

I went back for Louise at 10 and we took Bud on the beach for an hour.

 

Then...it was time for a second attempt, especially as BT were still being reported in good numbers in Yorks.

 

I arrived with moderate hope at 2.30 to an empty hide. I set my stall out and had a quick look in the sightings book. I usually don't do this for a while but today I just...did?

 

6 Black Terns at 2pm

 

Fingers and thumbs ensued.

 

Then there they were. All six, floating over "my" reserve. A species MADE for it, like the finishing touch to a masterpiece! 30 Springs have come and gone and FINALLY I've connected and my 150 to boot. Couldn't think of a more fitting species.

 

The photos are horrendous. In my defence they were at least 800 yds away in the heat haze. Anyway for the record...

 

 

No big deal in the grand scheme of things...except for me of course!