A tern up for the books

Once the rain cleared this evening, I popped down to Druridge, my first  visit since Birdfair. (Actually, not strictly true, I called in on my way home from work but it was hoying it down with rain, so I went home for tea).

It was too late to check the bushes for passerines, so I had a look through the gull roost on the beach, again 90% common gull, not so many as last week, maybe 1400 at Druridge with another 2000 or so off Chev. 

In among them was a juvenile black tern, there was only seven or so terns in the whole roost, so for one of them to be a black tern was a really good find. I've had a couple of black terns before in the gull roost in Autumn  always juveniles, but this is my first since 2007.

Also on the beach, three whimbrel and 11 sanderling were noteworthy.

Black tern puts me on 150 for the year, which is excellent for Autumn, given that i have finished on 158 or 157 for the last three tears. I am still missing some nailed-on passage and wintering species so this could be a very good year!

150 black tern

Whilst I was at Birdfair, Dave Elliott was good enough to let me know that he was watching a cracking wood warbler at Druridge. Wood warbler would have been a patch tick for me.....humph....