Sandwich terns, Pennington Flash

One of the great joys of birding is the unpredictability of the hobby. I can walk out of the door in the morning and have almost no idea what I am going to see today, it could be a good day, it could be a poor day, it depends on so many things and even if the birds are there, they might decide not to show themselves. However, when I got to the flash in heavy drizzle this morning and a fellow birder commented that it wasn't a great day for birding, my reaction was "it's a Sandwich tern day".  It just had that feel to it and I knew from experience that this was the type of day in July when they often drop in. 

So when Ian messaged me at 8:30 to inform me that there were three Sandwich terns off the sailing club it was no great surprise. I was in Horrock's hide and for a minute or so I struggled to find them, but then I heard their screeches which pointed me in the right direction. They were flying around off the sailing club with several common terns, but they stood out being paler and larger. 

I watched them for 15 minutes, occasionally they would come into the centre of the flash when they were a bit closer and once I thought that they were heading for the spit but turned back, but overall though I was pleased to see them they were always a bit distant and it was a bit unsatisfactory.

After a while I decided that it would be worth driving to Green Lane and having a look from there. Of course it was right in the middle of rush hour and St Helens road is never good at that time so it wasn't a particularly appealing prospect. However, with no school traffic at the moment it wasn't as bad as expected and less than 10 minutes later I arrived at Green Lane. A brisk walk to the viewing area ensued, with fingers crossed that the birds would still be present.

The plan couldn't have gone better, no sooner had I arrived than I saw all three of the Sandwich terns balancing precariously on buoy number 8, the closest buoy to me at a distance of about 50m. I don't think I've ever actually seen three terns of any species balancing on the same buoy before so I was a bit concerned that at least one of them might fall off before I could take a photo, but I needn't have worried they all stayed on the buoy for at least another 10 minutes, before finally, at 9:12 they flew high to the west.

Interestingly, as they flew away over the tall trees at the western end of the flash they were joined by a fourth tern which looked the same size and structure as the others and was probably another Sandwich tern, but if it was, it certainly hadn't been on the flash. I wondered if this bird had actually been flying over calling and the three on the buoy had heard it and flown up to join it and away west.

I commented higher up in this post that this was the type of day in July when Sandwich terns often drop in. That's certainly true, but it's not that often. Looking back at my records I've seen them here annually over several years, but never more than one record per year.  This is the largest flock I've ever seen at the flash.

Also today, four drake common scoter which left just before I arrived at 7:30, while the same drizzle which brought in the Sandwich terns also dropped a dunlin and two ringed plovers onto the spit.