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On the 8th July:

1978

A visit to Chew Valley Lake seeing a Common Tern, a Common Sandpiper, a pair of Ruddy Ducks and 4 Tree Sparrows.

1995

Pete Frazer and I left the hotel in North Berwick and made a stop at Aberlady Bay on the way home, here there were a good selection of waders including Golden Plovers and Bar-tailed Godwits. We stopped again at Haweswater in the Lake District seeing 2 Peregrines, Wheatears, Spotted Flycatchers, a Common sandpiper, 5 Ravens and a Golden Eagle

1997

On a sound recording trip to the Picos de Europa Mountains in Northwest Spain.

2021

A long drive north-west to Anglesey, especially being routed along the A5 (lots of roadworks), the benefit was hearing Willow Warblers, Yellowhammers and a Grasshopper Warbler, just by the side of the road. Around 6 hours later I arrived at Cemlyn Bay, then walked long the shingle to view the colony of terns on islands in the inland side of the bay.

On the large island, amongst the Sandwich Tern colony was an adult Elegant Tern, a new world bird for me. The sound was amazing, mainly coming from the chicks of Sandwich, Arctic and Common Terns. The Elegant Tern did display to nearby Sandwich Terns, obviously nothing happened. It wound sit down in the vegetation at times, but, usually the upper part of the bird was on view. Seen in flight at one of the 'dreads' where it appeared to me very similar to a Royal Tern, slimmer bodied than other yellow/red billed terns.

I didn't see the Roseate Tern, although others claimed it, there were several Oystercatchers and I had a good view of a Black Guillemot on the sea. I return via the A55, longer, but, an hour quicker even with the slow traffic at times.

Elegant Tern 05, Cemlyn Bay, 8-7-21.jpeg
Elegant Tern 03, Cemlyn Bay, 8-7-21.jpeg
Elegant Tern 02, Cemlyn Bay, 8-7-21.jpeg
Elegant Tern 01, Cemlyn Bay, 8-7-21.jpeg

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