Whiskered Tern in Berks (1 Viewer)

[kevster43]

Having decided not to go birding yesterday and instead have a lay-in, get up late and watch the football I rather happily logged onto a website at about 9pm that has local bird news. With 5 great pens still in mind I gazed at the news. Noooooooooo. A Whiskered Tern at my local lakes. After a restless night (sending bird vibes out- stay till I get there, stay till I get there), I got up at 6 to have a look. Couldn’t park as close as normal, due to mass interest, so after a bit of a route-march I sat down in the hide slightly hot and bothered. “There it is”, says another birder and I’m trying to pick out this Tern from 40 commons and about 50 B.H Gulls through my steamed up bins. What am I looking for. I know It’s called a Whiskered Tern but what’s that mean. Has it got a Tom Selleck type tash or is it more of a Saddam Hussein? And then there it is, unmistakeable even though it appears to have shaved during the night. At one stage it trying to catch fish no more than 10 meters away! Good to see most of the local faces are there now, the birders who work this site all year round week in, week out. Great bird. Also manage Redshank, Greenshank and Dunlin before I leave, so all in all not a bad morning.

 

[Richard W]

was down your way (in the rain) watching one at Tundry Pond yesterday, same bird?

 

[kevster43]

It could be the same one. I heard this morning that it may also have been over at Fleet Pond for a while. I was at Moor Green Lakes myself, which isnt far from either.