Bridled Tern on the Farne Islands

It has been 25 years since the last truly twitchable Bridled Tern. Always viewed as the 'commoner' of the two dark-backed terns, the Sooty Tern on Anglesey in 2005 has meant that most of today's listers have seen the latter but not the former. So when a lovely adult Bridled Tern turned up on the Farne Islands, a load of Britain's finest were chomping at the bit.

I actually saw a Bridled Tern from a boat on the way to the Black-browed Albatross in June 2006, along with a number of others, though bizarrely the wise men didn't seem to like it for some reason. So guess this week's Bridled Tern satisfies those BOU listing slaves. Anyway, Puffins, Arctic Terns and loads of other auks and Eiders, plus a dozen Manx Shearwaters thrown in, reminded me that there was more birdlife in Northumberland compared to London.