Tuesday 2 July 2013

Farne Islands tern continues run of megas

News of a Bridled Tern on the Farne Islands was almost unbelievable when it came through; this year has been unreal for the number of megas arriving that haven't been twitchable in Britain for decades. Plans were soon hatched and I headed north yesterday evening with John Pegdon, Josh Jones, Richard Bonser and Will Soar, getting the boat at 6.00am this morning to Inner Farne. We were instantly put onto the BRIDLED TERN by the very hospitable wardens and it showed spectacularly, sitting on the rocks and flying around us, calling occasionally. Absolutely mental! I'm so pleased that I've had such an incredibly successful year in twitching terms, with every long distance trip working as planned and my shorter-haul expeditions having an almost as incredible hit rate. I must be due a horrific dip! The Farnes have always been on my list of places to visit, anyway, because of the seabirds and the Bridled Tern was an excellent excuse to stand there and soak in the sights, sounds and smells of the seabird city. Arctic, Common and Sandwich Terns created the main soundtrack and were constantly on view in amazing numbers (primarily comprised of Arctics), while I enjoyed my best ever views of Puffins plus the Guillemots, Shags and Kittiwakes. Smiles all round and a pleasant journey home made for a great day. Thanks guys for taking me.