Autumn was ling since over and I've recently had far more pressing issues to deal with than birding, so I personally was fairly happy that there would be nothing to chase for the rest of 2018. However, birding being as it is, that didn't happen. Thankfully this one was about as easy as it gets.
News of an orange billed tern on Anglesey on Monday 10th immediately seemed likely to be the not unanticipated appearance of the Guernsey then Sussex Royal Tern. Perhaps I was being over hopeful, but after the dip disaster of summer it would be nice for that to be the case. Within the hour the identification was confirmed, along with the presence of a metal ring on the bird's right leg, precisely as the Guernsey bird. A chance to rapidly ease the pain, and not too far from home either. Twitch on tomorrow, happy days. Arrangements for a dawn raid then a return to work were made, then rapidly unmade as I realised I had to wait in for deliveries. Flip.
In the end I needn't have worried. I was on the road by 9.15, arriving at Traeth Lligwy beach around 11. The bird had been seen earlier and most folk had already departed, but it had then disappeared north along the coast about 45 minutes ago. I set up my scope and immediately latched onto a very distant large tern heading towards us, clearly the American Royal Tern. After putting everyone onto it, we watched as it flew steadily towards us, pausing to fish a couple of times, before landing on the sand bar just in front of us. Awesome. Unfortunately it didn't linger and immediately flew, lingering to forage in front of us for the next 10 minutes or so before disappearing round the headland towards Moelfre. I decided to stay around in the hope it would reappear and land long enough to photograph, but it wasn't to be. When it did reappear it again continued to forage, then appeared to head into the nearby Traeth Dulas estuary. In the hope it would settle there I sped around just in time - the bird gave stunning flight views as it cruised up the estuary and practically over the heads of me and the one other observer present. If only I was an actual photographer! I played cat and mouse with it for the rest of the day, but never managed prolonged or close views of it sat.
Still it was a splendid beast. All terns are superb, but the orange billed types are just crippling and this species has that added sentimental value of a Cape May connection.
From a pure listing perspective this was really an insurance bird for now. Unlike many, I was fortunate to see the June 2009 Royal Tern at Black Rock Sands, just across the Menai Straights (my 500th UK species at the time). However nothing is ever constant and it transpires that Royal Tern is currently a recommended ICO split into American Royal Tern and African Royal Tern. The 2009 one was widely thought to be an African, possibly the first UK record, but never submitted as such. So it was a listing requirement to see an individual confirmed to species level, but why wouldn't I go and see a local Royal Tern anyway? With luck, in time there will eventually be sufficient information to accept the earlier bird as African too.
The attraction of North East Wales, particularly Anglesey, for terns is amazing. Within perhaps 30 miles, aside from the two different Royals I've also seen Elegant Tern (Porthmadog, 2002), Bridled Tern (Cemlyn, July 1988), Sooty Tern (Skerries and again on Cemlyn, July 2005) and Forster's Tern (multiple occasions in the late 80s), as well as a possible Cabot's Tern (Cemlyn, June 2006). And I could have added Whiskered to that list had I made the effort. Amazing.
Still it was a splendid beast. All terns are superb, but the orange billed types are just crippling and this species has that added sentimental value of a Cape May connection.
From a pure listing perspective this was really an insurance bird for now. Unlike many, I was fortunate to see the June 2009 Royal Tern at Black Rock Sands, just across the Menai Straights (my 500th UK species at the time). However nothing is ever constant and it transpires that Royal Tern is currently a recommended ICO split into American Royal Tern and African Royal Tern. The 2009 one was widely thought to be an African, possibly the first UK record, but never submitted as such. So it was a listing requirement to see an individual confirmed to species level, but why wouldn't I go and see a local Royal Tern anyway? With luck, in time there will eventually be sufficient information to accept the earlier bird as African too.
The attraction of North East Wales, particularly Anglesey, for terns is amazing. Within perhaps 30 miles, aside from the two different Royals I've also seen Elegant Tern (Porthmadog, 2002), Bridled Tern (Cemlyn, July 1988), Sooty Tern (Skerries and again on Cemlyn, July 2005) and Forster's Tern (multiple occasions in the late 80s), as well as a possible Cabot's Tern (Cemlyn, June 2006). And I could have added Whiskered to that list had I made the effort. Amazing.
In the absence of my own photos, here are a few blatantly nabbed from Twitter....
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| By Stephen Culley, presumably the other bloke at the estuary as it cruised by just two of us! |
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| Andrew Jordan - @jordanwildlife |
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| @jordanwildlife |
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| @jordanwildlife |
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| @jordanwildlife |
This was a new part of Anglesey for me, and very lovely it is too. I must return at some point!
Over the course of the day there was plenty else to look at - the calm sea held Great Northern Diver, Red-throated Diver, a Black Guillemot, Razorbills, Guillemots and distant flocks of Common Scoter, as well as Kittiwakes and Fulmars. On the beach a roosting flock of Ringed Plover, Dunlin and Sanderling remained on the sandbar until the tide beat them, and in the estuary there were plenty of waders and a couple of Little Egrets. All very pleasant and social too.
Back in time for the first patch birders curry night out too. A good day.
