Ellesmere - Tern fest

Wind and rain conspired to create conditions ideal for Tern passage today! Getting out and about, Tom Lowe found six Black Terns at The Mere, Ellesmere and after arriving mid afternoon, I managed to 'up' the count to nine! Thanks to John Martin for helping with ID of some of these, never easy!!

Here's a few pics of Black Terns, all except one juv were patchy adults taken at distance 100- 200m!

Here's the juv plus a couple of adults...

Teaming up with a couple of adult Common Terns...

A 1w Arctic joining in the fun...

Here's five Black Terns plus the juv Arctic...

Oh and a juv Common Tern!

A shame they didn't come closer but still a stunning spectacle!

Venus Pool - Arctic Terns

Two Arctic Terns spent late morning onwards at Venus Pool today! Not easy to photograph in the rain and poor light...

A few similar shots...

Perhaps the nearest pass?

Venus Pool - Arctic Tern

After having had distant views of the Mere Terns the previous seek, a refreshing change beckoned at Venus Pool with a rather showy single Arctic Tern...

Clear views of the clear-cut black training edge to the primaries 

Some lovely views of the upperwing whilst banking and no primary wedge as seen in Common. Long streamers to the tail...

Another insect about to be swallowed!

Just two brief rests on terra firma whilst I was there! Note the short legs and blood-red bill...

A nice close pass to end with!

Stunning bird as always!

On This Day (May 22nd)... 2010 Anglesey

One of my then 'annual trips to Anglesey a decade ago....

I always try and get a day on Anglesey during May to check out the popular sites, celebrate some overdue obligatory year ticks and generally have a good day’s birding! Yvonne thought it would be a good day out too…..

A late decision to take in ‘Worlds End’ got the day rolling with a good number of Black Grouse eventually on view, somewhat distant but the highlight – a group of nine males lekking made good viewing through the scopes.

First stop on Anglesey was Fedw Fawr – I don’t get lost anymore in this neck of the woods as I’ve invested in a new means of transport and travel in by sea!!






Not sure whether the two Black Guillemot seen here were impressed by this though……








South Stack was hard work, seabird numbers appeared ‘down’ to me and the higher crevices normally holding good numbers of Kittiwake and Fulmar were quite barren! Just two Puffin were found after a lot of seacrching from the lighthouse steps. The lower cliffs held 100's of Guillemot and Razorbill as ever though with a few Fulmar and Kittiwake on the wing plus Gannets out to see. Given the calm conditions, we didn’t expect to see Manxies and this proved to be the case! Chough put in a late appearance, just as we were beginning to wonder where they were hiding!!

We got to Cemlyn at about 2.00, it was stiff with Terns and at least 800 Sandwich Terns have been counted in with up to a hundred Arctic Tern and Common Tern. The blue skies and direct sun meant that Terns flying in from the sea gave the only possible angle for photography! Never mind, we eventually coped with the tricky light – here’s all three species….

Sandwich Tern, plenty of fish in the sea, small or large.....










Arctic Tern....










Common Tern.....










The time seemed to slip away like crazy and we suddenly realised at 6.00 that we still had a bit more travelling, back in North Wales, to do to catch up with one more species….. Little Tern at Gronant!

They were doing quite nicely too! A huge area of the beach has been roped off and 300 odd Little Terns were busy pairing up, dangling fish for all they were worth, trying to attract a partner! With the light fading, one or two record flight shots…..








A spat with the local Ringed Plovers provided useful comparison - just hown small Little Terns are!






Here's one very obliging Ringed Plover……






It certainly had terned out nice....

On this day (April 15th)... 2016, 2014 and 2012

No rarities today but April is a great month for Terns passing through Shropshire. Here's an Arctic Tern at Chelmarsh Reservoir in 2016...

Passage Terns are valued in Shropshire, as we seem to miss the main migration routes through the midlands. So it was nice to see an Arctic Tern flying about during my random visit to the reservoir!

Not a lot of variation to offer here - how about a few lazy wingbeats as it came 'relatively' close but never close enough!!

All red bill and nice distinct trailing edge to the (translucent) primaries....

Wingbeats speak louder than words....

Peak arrival for Summer visitors too, here's a showy Yellow Wagtail at Venus Pool in 2014

Whilst Summer visitors are not exactly pouring in, there is at least a steady trickle! My first Yellow Wagtail of the year, a cracking male was as obliging as one could ask for......

For once, the Gulls worked in my favour by flushing it off the mud and onto the grassy bank in front of the hide!

A clean background (the one and only chance)

Full frontal posing.....

Plus the rear view!

In search of insects -  and there were plenty!

Like this Hoverfly.....

Not to mention the odd Crane Fly!

The light was perfect and perhaps my best ever opportunity here?

A wader or two would be nice but I'm off to Devon for a week on the talk trail.....

And a male Common Redstart in 2012...

The smart male Common Redstart is still performing well along the hedgerow in the top field. Patience was rewarded with a few images, he doesn't take kindly to being approached, just sit and wait......







In the last remnants of blossom....



Pick of the bunch, posing nicely



Not a lot happening with the LRPs, one in reflective pose....