Black Terns at Amwell

The main driver for me going to Amwell today was to try and photograph a couple of Black Terns that had been reported there. When I arrived they were still there, but the day was gloomy and the terns were keeping to the centre of the lake which made decent photos impossible. Therefore the best I could achieve were the two record shots shown below.

However, all was not lost as I wandered around the rest of the site including the Dragonfly Trail at Holycross Lake. There was nothing here out of the usual but, love them or hate them, a pair of Canada Geese were closely guarding their newly-hatched brood.

As I made my way back to the car I also had a couple of opportunities to photograph Blackcaps. I am sure that when I first started birding some 50+ years ago, Blackcaps were nowhere near as common as they are now. Today they are by far our commonest warbler and are quite happy to pose for the camera if you just wait. This male was quite happy to help in the chore of building the nest which, as far as I am concerned, is not something to be encouraged!!