Black Terns and Waders at Audenshaw Reservoirs

I last visited Audenshaw Reservoirs to see the stunning Kentish Plover which had turned up in April and so, armed with this recent knowledge of how to gain access to this 'permit only' site, I looked forward to smooth and successful trip today. Keep reading to the very end to find out what actually happened in what could have been a disastrous day.

I could see a floating raft of Comic Terns from quite a way off as I made my way in a clockwise direction around No. 1 Reservoir and soon I could make out a few Black Terns flying above them. As they flew closer I could clearly make out the diagnostic white rump.  I could also see that most of the other Terns were of the Arctic variety.

Black Tern Overhead Silhouette

For most of the day they stayed fairly distant as the fed with a dipping action over the water. However, one did come close as it flew over the path between No.1 and No.2 Reservoir but needless to say I wasn't really ready for it and so my camera settings were all wrong.

Black Tern

I counted up to nine Black Terns while I was there but I was told there were fourteen present with them being split between the reservoirs.

Black Tern

I also learnt that these are a species of what are known as 'marsh terns' and so not directly related to the more usual 'sea terns' we see such as the Common, Arctic, Sandwich and Little Terns. Not the best shots, but the best I've got of this species so far.

Once the Terns were too distant for photographs, I moved on to the waders on No. 3 Reservoir where they were actively feeding along the water's edge.  Here I found Sanderling, Dunlin, Turnstone and Ringed Plover, many in breeding plumage.

Sanderling

Sanderling Hunkering Down

Dunlin in Breeding Plumage

Dunlin in Breeding Plumage

Turnstone

Turnstone

Ringed Plover

Ringed Plover 

Ringed Plover

One-legged Sanderling in Breeding Plumage 

One-legged Sanderling in Breeding Plumage

So now you've got this far I'll tell you what happened at the end of my day here. I went back to see if I could get any better Black Tern shots at No. 1 Reservoir and was soon joined by Graeme Robertson from the L.O.S. We spent a while photographing the Terns, but I didn't get any better shots. When we had finished Graeme realised that he had left his lens cap on the reservoir wall and so he went back in a clockwise direction to recover it. I also realised that I had lost my new waterproof lens cover and so I looked for this on my way back in an anticlockwise direction whilst retracing my steps to the car.

We met up again at the fence through which we had both climbed to gain access to the site. But Graeme was on the other side having climbed through a narrow opening left by one loose fencepost. The two loose fenceposts through which I had climbed earlier had both been mended by replacing the bolts and so I couldn't get out! The workmen (who we had seen doing water sampling at the reservoirs) had done this whilst we were inside knowing full well that I wouldn't be able to get out that way.

I went back to the single fencepost gap through which slim Graeme had climbed but portly me couldn't get through - I started to panic! How on earth was I going to get out? I asked Graeme to take my photographic gear back to the car and passed it to it him over the fence.  As I was doing this another slim birder called Rob Creek turned up and squeezed through the fence. I asked him if there was another exit and at first he thought not. But then he remembered there was a way out which involved going down a grassy bank, climbing over a low wooden fence, walking along a grass verge under a bridge that crosses the motorway and up the bank on the other side. Fortunately I managed to get out that way and within 15 minutes I was back at my car and heading for home. Thanks Rob, you saved my bacon.

Phew! That was close! I never did recover my new waterproof lens cover though, and I'd only had it a week or so :(