Black Terns at last

It's been a lean few years for Black Tern passage, with my patch at Baston averaging a couple of records per spring since I moved back to the area in 2020.

And 2023 was shaping up to be the leanest of all, until there was a sudden, strong push of birds through the usual overland flyways in the final few days of May. On 31st, no fewer than 10 congregated at Wader Pit, with numbers gradually swelling through the afternoon after the first couple of birds arrived at lunchtime.

This is the highest count of the species I have had here for many years and it was a joy to watch them dancing together over the water-crowfoot, executing delightful aerobatics and picking insects from the water surface.

Black Terns, Baston & Langtoft Pits, 31 May 2023