A fine day today provided the opportunity to see my 3rd sighting of a White-winged Black Tern. Having been present for three or four days in various locations in South Yorkshire, this stunning adult bird was certainly worth the short trip of about an hour. Yesterday, the tern seemed to have settled at Rother Valley Country Park and that was our chosen stop. We were also to find good dog walking and ice-creams there! We stopped the car at the Nature Reserve lake and found the tern had left, seconds earlier, towards the Main Lake. Having parked near the sailing club, the tern was first seen at the North end of the main lake, where it fed for some time. Its feeding route took it the full length of the lake, over time and unfortunately, always at the opposite side of the lake! First view of the immaculate plumage. Each time the tern travelled the length of the lake, it would fly over the trees to the Nature Reserve lake for a while, before re-appearing and repeating the process again. The tern failed to come any closer and, despite taking 152 shots (!), they weren't brilliant. After midday, the tern remained on the Nature Reserve lake and we watched it from there. This adult white-winger was certainly a delight to watch. Even though the distance was a little disappointing, the summer plumage was incredible.
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