Tern tern tern

Kevin Wilmot writes:

A fruitless lunchtime trip for Mike, Matt and me to see a reported Wryneck (it was a Mistle Thrush!), ended with one of the most amazing sights I've ever witnessed on my local patch at Ferry Meadows near Peterborough.

As we splashed into the damp car park at Gunwade lake, we were greeted by what can best be described as a 'swarm' of terns, more than I'd ever seen at once. Incredibly, they were nearly all Arctic Terns, stopping off on their way to their breeding grounds in the high Arctic. A quick count revealed more than 150 of them – pale, graceful, red-billed beauties that Mike was quick to photograph with his DSLR (see photos above). The mirrored surface of the windless lake lent a surreal feel to an incredible half-hour.