1st summer Common and Roseate Tern!

An early morning stroll in glorious sunshine down Galloways was some what disappointing, just a few Common Whitethroats, Reed Buntings and a couple of Stonechats.

Next stop The Patch where 4 Mediterranean Gulls including a juvenile, 4 Yellow-legged Gulls and c 40 Common Terns including a first summer bird pictured below. A Black Redstart was on the perimeter fence and 2 more at West Beach. 

 1st summer Common Tern

At the south end of the ARC 12 Little Egrets of note but again no sign of the Glossy Ibis.

 1st summer Common Tern taken from Dengemarsh Hide

Met up with The Joker at the viewing ramp where up to 4 Hobby's were seen, also 3+ Marsh Harriers, and a few Bearded Tits. The lack of ducklings at Hookers probably reflects the fact that the Mink are not being trapped at present, I believe in case in case a lactating female is caught  and her Kits starve to death. (Make your own minds up on the sense in that).

We moved onto the Dengemarsh hide where the Tern rafts were busy with incubating birds while others chased the Hobby's pointlessly. While watching the Terns I noticed a 1st summer one flying directly towards the us in the hide, by the time I raised the camera it was on top of us.

While we had a cup of tea at the visitor centre 2 Little Ringed Plovers on one of the small islands were the avian highlights. As we drove towards Boulderwall a Bittern flew over towards Hookers. 

 Bittern by the entrance track

 1st summer Roseate Tern

This afternoon back at The Patch in the company of DW, he heard a Roseate Tern as soon as we entered the hide but we could not find it, as we set about counting Mediterranean Gulls 24 when I left, Yellow-legged Gulls 7, Common Terns c100. While doing this DW spotted the Roseate Tern over the boil and was little surprised to realise that it was a 1st summer bird apparently something of a rarity. Unfortunately the bird was never close hence the very poor record images of it.

1st summer Roseate Tern with a Common Tern

This evening from Plodland c300 Sand Martins over the bean fields.