Tern Island ........

15 June 2022

I have been meaning to go on a trip to Scolt Head for ages and luckily Jon Brown from Branta Cruises was in the shop with the offer of a visit. A big high tide and after work I was climbing aboard John's boat and heading out to Scolt.

En route John was checking all the remaining Ringed Plovers nest as this was a very high tide and he feared some may get washed away. As we approached Scolt the noise of terns and gulls was near deafening. Up to 4000 pairs of Sandwich Terns nest on the island in a good year along with Common Terns and Little Terns. Some pics of Sandwich Terns with Sand Eels and a small fish.

We did unfortunately see a few dead adult birds which were feared to have died from bird flu. More on that later. Black-headed Gulls were busy harassing the terns to give up their catch and here they managed to get the tern to drop it's prey and then swoop to get it.

My main quarry on this trip was Mediterranean Gull which breed on the island. Their numbers fluctuate and they change breeding sites. Last year they were breeding at Titchwell for the first time since 1992

Well there were quite a few birds here at Scolt this year. The adults are quite unmistakable with their black hood and blood red legs and bills, the white eye crescents standing out against the black head and of course their pure white wing tips.

Close up on the water and the size and colour of the bill was so striking I thought I was looking at a Puffin !

While the adults are quite straight forward younger birds can be a little trickier. These 2nd year birds lack many of the features of the adults with darker legs, black in the wings and a sub terminal bar on the tail.

Much smaller numbers of Common Terns also breed on Scolt

A great few hours amid the ever hectic mass of terns on "the island". There is a sad foot note - that bird flu had taken hold and just days after our visit thousands of adult birds had died along with all the chicks. Let's hope they recover for a successful and bird flu free breeding season next year. My thanks to Jon for the trip and his knowledgeable commentary. If you're in Norfolk and fancy a trip out of Brancaster I'd highly recommend Branta Cruises.