Bird
Notes columnist Julian Hughes of RSPB Cymru reveals what birds have been
spotted in the past week and lists 10 upcoming birding events
Andrew
ForgraveRural Affairs Editor
23:05, 10
DEC 2018
Anglesey's
Royal Tern's metal ring suggests it was originally from North
America (Image: Tony White)
A Monday
lunchtime visit to Traeth Dulas, north of Moelfre, proved an
excellent decision by Angleseybirder Tony
White, who found a Royal Tern on the incoming tide.
It flew
out to sea but was refound at nearby Traeth Lligwy, enabling local birders to
catch up with this mega sighting.
It’s not
the first Royal Tern to visit North Wales. One on the Llŷn Peninsula in
June 2009 relocated to Llandudno for
a few hours and attracted birders from across the UK, though its short visit
meant that only locals got to see it.
I
remember a frantic dash from West to North Shore to follow the bird as it flew
across town.
But not
all Royal Terns are the same. It’s the second largest species of tern, with
populations on both side of the Atlantic.
Recent
studies show that Royal Terns nesting in West Africa are genetically distinct
from those that breed from North Carolina south to Argentina, and some
authorities consider them to be different species.
The
problem is that birds from each population look very similar, and the Llandudno
bird couldn’t be assigned to one or the other.
This
week’s Anglesey bird sports a metal ring on its right leg, consistent with a
ringing scheme in North America, indicating its likely origin.
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