no. 215 - witwangstern

My WP list continues to grow. I passed the 200 mark while birding in Gibraltar with my Belgian bird friends from Oost-Brabant. The Witwangstern, or Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybridus)(Wiki file shown), winters in Africa and is my 215th bird - what a beauty she is. Only thing missing was sharing the excitement with a friend.

I got to Sint-Agatha Rode a little after 9:30 am. Dropped kids off at school and convinced Thijs to let another mommy help him in swimming class. I knew I'd miss swimming with him, but how could I miss seeing the Whiskered Tern! Guilty mom syndrome struck since how would I feel if I got there and there were no birds? The thought kept running through my head.

Another birder was just leaving (Eric T?), but before he could slip past I asked in Dutch if he'd seen the Witwangstern. He shook his head, said we were too late, and then he was off, presumably to the next birding spot. Feeling a bit deflated I dropped my backpack and plopped down on my 3-legged stool. A moment later an ijsvogel or kingfisher flew past, making me think it wasn't going to be such a bad day after all. I'd only seen it twice before so this sighting already lifted my spirits!

Looking out over the northern end of the marsh I saw what looked like a black tern but without a black face. When i lifted the bins, yes indeed, the white cheek flashed brightly against the contrast of the black cap and dark breast. Looked like the head of an Arctic tern plopped on a Black tern's body. There was no mistaking it - one whiskered tern was gracing my airspace! Four birds had been reported the previous day, so this was probably a new bird - how lucky was that?

Then it came closer - first it flew over the center of the marsh, close to where I was perched, and then it landed on a pole for 5 minutes directly offshore from me (and the hide). I felt fortunate to have this moment alone with this beautiful beast, so I could study it, enjoy it in peace and have it all to myself. Terns are so graceful, so delicate. Watched this one for 1.45 hours, and it seemed like no time had passed at all. Could've stayed all day -

But I also wanted to share it with someone -- this beautiful bird, this beautiful day, so I called Joey (S.African born/Belgian birder) - and vowed to take her with me the next time she was free. Having a bird friend not only makes the experience better (and safer), but it also adds confidence to your bird reports. Since wouldn't you know that another birder showed up just after I left, stayed for 1 hour, and apparently did NOT see the whiskered tern. I didn't feel challenged by this report - rather, I felt really lucky - lucky that the bird didn't sit and rest the whole time but instead gave me a spectacular show!

p.s. just read email from third birder who eventually saw the whiskered tern at Sint-Agatha Rode that evening