Reaching a milestone

For a couple of hours this afternoon it looked like I was going to suffer my second tern-related dip in four days. I'd got into work early (1st in for the 2nd time ever), had done what I needed to do, and then headed for Rudyard Lake in Staffs to see the Caspian Tern - something I couldn't face doing on saturday after my big dip on friday. I was almost there, when news came through that the bird had flown north some time earlier. I continued on and had a look at the mud at the northern end of the lake, but no tern. And it wasn't being reported from its roost site in Cheshire.

After a bit of faffing I decided to continue on to Acre Nook Sand Quarry, only 30 minutes away, despite the lack of news. I arrived, and was shown where to view from by a nice father and son (both birders). I scanned through the gulls once, twice, and a third time, but no tern, no matter how hard I tried. I started scanning some of the gulls in flight with my bins, and quickly locked onto something clearly different, and which looked rather heavy-billed... And through the scope, it was the Caspian Tern! It dropped onto the sand bar and showed off its orange bill, preening and eventually going to sleep. I left the site a very happy boy, having just notched up my 400th British tick (BOU of course).  

Caspian Tern