After the disappointment of missing this bird in June this year in West Sussex at Church Norton by ten minutes, it had flown off. I couldn't believe it yesterday when the bird was relocated in North Wales on Anglesey. This individual bird looked like the same bird with a metal ring on its right leg, which was first seen in Guernsey on the 5th February 2017 and had been positively identified as an American Royal tern. I made a few phone calls, and arrangements were made so we could arrive at first light the next morning. There was no sign of the bird at sunrise, so we went looking further down the coast. News then came out that the bird was back at Lligwy Beach, showing well. It didn't take long before we arrived back at the beach, and the bird was just sitting out on the incoming tide.
This was my second Royal Tern for Britain, having seen the Llandudno bird, which was also in North Wales in 2009, which suggested it was of the "African" race. The West African birds are now a separate species after analysis of DNA by scientists, so I'll sit back and wait on this one, as it could be another armchair tick in the future if further identification features are produced and reviewed.
Lligwy Bay
Anyway, another great grip back and another good bird for the Northwest.
