Forster's Tern was named in honour of Johann Reinhold Forster, a German pastor and naturalist who first identified it in 1788. They breed in brackish and freshwater marshes in northern USA and southern Canada and migrate in winter to southern parts of the USA, Mexico, The Caribbean and northern Central America. Vagrants occur almost annually in western Europe.
They are similar in size to our Common Tern and also look similar in breeding plumage but in non breeding plumage can be told by the black bandit like mask extending over its eyes and ear coverts.
Forster's Tern is a very rare visitor to Britain with only 22 records up to 2023.The latest record being of an individual first seen in and around Poole Harbour in March 2023 and which has returned every Spring since and is thought to be the same bird that winters off Brittany in northern France and uses Poole as a staging site on its migration in Spring to northern parts of Britain and in Autumn on its return journey to Brittany
This year it returned to Poole on the 22nd of February and appears to have favoured the large saltwater lagoon at Poole Park, a 110 acre park consisting of ornamental gardens, play areas two cafes, freshwater lakes and a large saltwater lagoon and that lies close to the town and adjacent to Poole Harbour.
Several very nice images appeared of the tern, either flying around or perched on posts in the lagoon indicating it was showing very well and I resolved to make a two hour drive south to try and see it on Saturday, Weather is always a consideration when making a birding foray such as this and checking the forecast for Poole on Saturday I learned it would be light cloud and no rain.
Sadly it did not go as predicted as Saturday morning arrived with grey, looming cloud and very misty conditions bringing low visibilityg and an oppressive gloom to the surrounding countryside but I resolved to press on in the hope matters would improve on the south coast. Sadly they didn't but there was nothing to do but make the best of it.
Winding through the Saturday morning traffic in Poole I eventually came to Poole Park which was already busy with families feeding the ducks and gulls and the refreshingly free of charge car parks rapidly filling with cars.
I was unsure where to go at first but spotted a group of birders with scopes and cameras standing at the north east edge of the large lagoon. Parking the car I walked over to them and was told that I was in the right place and the tern had been showing really well but currently was invisible as it was perched on a post that was obscured by a bank of reeds and sedge growing on a small island directly opposite
If I wanted to see the tern I would have to take a very narrow and what looked like perilous concrete catwalk that jutted out into the lagoon and join half a dozen birders at the end who could see the tern from there.
I took the catwalk, mindful that one slip and I would be in the water.The one thing I did not want to happen was to meet someone coming the other way but of course I did.A man approached and very carefully we edged around each other. He was not a birder and asked me what we were all so interested in
There is a very rare american tern called a Forster's Tern perched over on those posts I told him pointing to the posts
Why is it called an american tern he enquired
It's not, it's from america but called a Forster's Tern
He seemed completetely oblivious to my body language. All I wanted to do was get to the end of the catwalk and see the tern while he wished to talk further
Somehow we parted although it seemed to take an age as I answered his questions with as much courtesy as I could muster
I walked on and made it to the birders only to learn the tern had flown off into the harbour while I was otherwise distracted but was assured it would soon return. Not a great start to the day.
After what transpired to be a thirty minute wait the tern duly flew back from the harbour and passing us settled back on one of the wooden posts amongst a group of squawking Black headed Gulls, Despite the gloomy conditions I managed to get some passable flight shots and had to hope that the various photographic technical aids now available would enable me to improve on my images when back at my computer.
We stood watching the tern preening on its post and then flying back out to the harbour only to return once more. More photos were taken and more images examined for quality and most discarded.
Then the tern took to the air and flew to the far side of the lagoon.My fellow birders headed off to walk around the lagoon to where it landed but as my car was nearby it seemed sensible to drive around the perimeter road and save myself a long walk.
The weather now intervened as the skies turned a shade of darker grey and a blur of oncoming rain was heading our way from the harbour. I put the hood up on my jacket and endured a light soaking but the rain soon passed and I carried on watching and photographing the tern for another twenty minutes as it perched on its post.
Then it took to the air and as was its custom headed off in the direction of nearby Poole Harbour.
It was decision time. I could wait for it to return to the lagoon as I was sure it would.
I looked at the sky, still grey and decided it was enough. I had seen the Forster's Tern very well and thoroughly enjoyed my morning.There are, after all, only so many images of a tern perched on a post one can take without repetition.
I headed for the car and then for home as the rain returned
I never did find the Mandarin Duck though!.
No comments:
Post a Comment