Mad dash for a White Winged Black Tern

Birding from Dawn until Dusk at Spurn Point on {16th/17th October} with our RSPB Southport group field trip, the following morning up at 5am to travel back to Bangor, several lectures and the whole of the afternoon off, thankfully. I started to wonder whether I could have the afternoon off to myself for once and maybe take a rest? As with my damn busy university life, this just wasn't to be..

News that the Juvenile White-Winged Black Tern at Inner Marsh Farm RSPB was still present, was enough to make me pack up the gear and head down to Bangor station. An awful 2 hour train jounrey and I eventually arrived at Neston train station after a quick change at Shotton. This station is particularly one that I never ever want to visit ever again due to the sole fact that it is absolutely s***!

Grabbed a taxi to the reserve and hurtled down the path towards the hide. On arrival, the Juvenile White-Winged Black Tern was flying round like a typical marsh tern would, over on the far side of the reserve on the pool viewed to the right of the hide! Result and yet another yeartick!

Despite my best efforts to get photos for my personal records, the best shot I could obtain was this, pictured below. I have to admit, this isn't a really convincing shot of the tern but that's the best I could do! Photographed at 4:10pm and it was almost dusk by that time. Cast your eyes above the sheep to the left slightly and you will be able to se a white shape and that, believe it or not is the tern...

Also seen were:-
2 Curlew Sandpipers
1 Little stint

Managed to get back into Bangor at 8pm, absolutely knackered and freezing cold.. This has to be one of the worst train twitches ever!