At 9:02 last Tuesday morning, a WhatsApp message and back-of-camera photo came through from local birder Gareth: ‘I think this could be a juv ww black tern in Bay’. A flurry of posts followed from our local experts, agreeing with his identification, and then querying which would be the best location to see the bird from. More posts rushed in as excited birders started arriving: ‘flown towards the Barrage’, ‘can be watched from Penarth Marina with scope’, and, at 9:40, a slightly desperate ‘can you still see it?’.

Though I knew it would be a long shot for me to be able to spot the bird in Cardiff Bay using just binoculars, as I’d never seen a White-winged black tern I had to try. Being a pedestrian (and so not being able to drive quickly from place to place), it was also tricky knowing where to head, as the bird seemed to be moving about a lot, but the Barrage was closest so that’s where I went. And, miraculously, despite the distance, I managed to spot the bird almost immediately; having watched the Juvenile Black tern on Lisvane Reservoir very recently, it was easier to lock on to that distinctive swooping and diving flight pattern all tern species have.

After I’d watched the tern for a while, hoping in vain that it might come closer, and checked the Barrage for other birds, it was still only late morning, and the tern had moved from the Bay to the River Taff, flying back and forth just north of the A4232 road bridge. I thought I might have closer views in that location, so off I stomped.

As it turned out, the views were only marginally better as the bird was feeding on the opposite side of the Taff; if I’d gone to that side of the river, I would’ve had the sun in my eyes, so I stayed on the west side. Despite the distance, the bird was still a delight to watch, its flight so agile and energetic. In fact, I couldn’t help wondering how it was finding enough insects to create the energy to power its almost constant flight, but such is the way of terns.

Later, the facts rolled in. The records showed that no White-winged black tern (Chlidonias leucopterus) had ever been seen in Cardiff Bay before, and it was 33 years since an amazing three birds had visited Kenfig National Nature Reserve, further west along the Glamorgan coast. It was a brilliant find by Gareth, a suitable reward for all the hours he puts in checking for birds in the local area. And if you’re wondering, as I was, why it’s called a White-winged black tern, check out the photos on eBird of this tern in full breeding plumage – it’s a stunner!