The prospects for today were awesome, low cloud and a fresh south easterly wind (after a week or more of northerlies) ... it looked as if a cracking Ternsday was looming?? Question was, where to go? Not for the first time I put my faith misguidedly in an early start at Venus Pool, but by 9.30, NOTHING! So I decided to head North and check the Meres. Colemere was my first destination and whilst literally 10 mins away...news came out from Rob Dowley... TWO Black Terns!
I joined him and spent the next few hours trying to do justice to these two beauties (not easy!)
Over white water they looked awful so I concentrated on getting them against the distant green background and it was manual focus all the way!
Here we go, with head on opportunities within 50m!
This individual looks like it's primaries have seen better days! Looks like it's in moult which (according to an old paper I've just read) does happen in 2cy birds which (rarely) replace all their primaries in May?
And seemingly getting most of my attention!
Here's the other, neater bird - just as obliging!
And perhaps my favourite moment - once in a while, banking and briefly hovering...
First Hobby of the year over the trees and a Common Tern had also passed through 9.30ish and another (or the same bird) was present until mid afternoon too! A few record shots to follow...