In line with the regional trend atm, 2 ARCTIC TERN flew through Sheepwash today, an adult lingered on the Chemical (albright and wilson) pool for around 5 mins from 3:18- 3:24 where it flew north!
Later around 4:50 a Juv dropped in from nowhere on the Pumphouse Pool, where it dip fed untill around 5:10 Where it flew off in an East (ish) direction.
Both Terns were viciously mobbed by BHG and LBBG quite a few times while they were there, prehaps the reason for their premature departure.
However, the highlight of the day goes to a stunning SPOTTED FLYCATCHER that perched, at its closest, 3 metres from us, we had just walked through the tunnel from the Mound side and had a quick check of the small marshy pools (name??), nothing there so we walked towards the tame bridge and the flycatcher flew across in front of us, and perched on a dead tree about 20ft away, for the next 10 mins it gave stunning views as it perched on trees next to where we were standing, then dissapeared for quite some time, after a few dog walkers had gone through, long enough that we presumed it wouldnt come back, so we were about to leave, when i looked back, and the flycatcher was perched on a birch tree next to the river, out comes the camera, and i got a vid and pics that will apear on the blog (eventually).
One of the pics (against Blue sky) was when we first found it, the 2nd when we walked away and it reapeared.
a 3rd of the adult arctic tern
MB
