Three good terns

Roseate Tern on Rockabill, Dublin Bay (Julian Hughes)

​Roseate Terns are Britain’s rarest breeding seabird, so it is always special to see them in North Wales. Two adults and a juvenile were at Cemlyn Bay on Sunday, the metal leg rings on one of the adults denoting that it had been raised on Rockabill, the island in Dublin Bay that is the most important site for the species in Europe. Another Roseate Tern was at Rhos Point on Monday. Thankfully, the Irish colony appears to have avoided the huge outbreak of high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) that is having devastating consequences for seabird colonies in Scotland and eastern England. Terns are also fledging from Welsh colonies, including a pair of Roseate Terns from the Skerries, off the northwest coast of Anglesey. That is very welcome news, as the only significant colony in Britain, Coquet island in Northumberland, has been badly affected by HPAI, which has killed at least a quarter of the adult population.

A Black Tern was an unusual visitor off The Skerries at the weekend, while other scarce visitors to Anglesey included a Ring-necked Duck and Purple Heron at RSPB Valley Wetlands, Curlew Sandpiper and Little Stint on the Alaw estuary, and a Ring Ouzel near Bryngwran. The heron was the 200th species to be recorded on the island this year, reports the Anglesey Bird News blog.

Mediterranean Gulls continue to arrive from the southeast, with 43 on the Alaw estuary, nine at Rhos Point and eight at Cemlyn and on the Afon Glaslyn. Yellow Wagtails have been spotted at RSPB Conwy, with a count of 57 Little Egrets and a couple of Great White Egrets there. Waders are arriving daily, many still in their colourful breeding garb: several Turnstones and a Knot at Rhos Point looked were freshly in on Monday, as were Greenshanks at Morfa Madryn and the Alaw.

Thank you for the positive response to last week’s plea to help Hawfinches by suspending provision of waters and feeders in gardens in Meirionnydd. If you missed the story, click here.