Forster's Tern
Sterna forsteri Nuttall, 1834 (0, 21)
Photo © gary_leavens, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
STATUS
North and central America. Monotypic.
OVERVIEW
Has been seen in all months but generally arrives August and overwinters here until April.
The all dark bill with orange legs makes this species stand out as well as being a mainly winter visitor
BBRC RECORDS
1). 1980 Cornwall Falmouth Bay, first-winter, 20th February to 18th March, probably from 29th January, photo.
(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 74: 476; B. Cave, British Birds 75: 55-61, plates 18-25; Birds in Cornwall 1980: photos; BOURC (1984), Ibis 126: 441).
2). 1982 Cornwall River Lynher, first-winter, 4th to 8th October.
(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 76: 501; S. C. Madge & P. S. Madge, British Birds 76: 576-578).
3.00). 1984 Flintshire Point of Ayr, first-summer, 3rd July to 6th August; also in Anglesey.
(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 78: 559).
3.01). 1984 Anglesey Near Penmon, adult, 30th September to 20th October; presumed same as Flintshire.
(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 78: 559).
4). 1985 Lothian Musselburgh and Granton Harbour, Edinburgh, 6th October to 9th November.
(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 79: 557; L. L. J. Vick, P. R. Gordon & I. J. Andrews, Lothian Bird Report 1985: 111-113).
3.02). 1986 Anglesey Holyhead, adult, 19th January to 6th February; presumed same as Flintshire 1984.
(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 80: 545).
3.03). 1986 Flintshire Point of Ayr, adult, 27th to 28th September, photo; same, Abergele, 7th October; same as Anglesey; presumed same as Flintshire 1984.
(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 80: 545, plates 20 & 275).
5). 1986 Kent Westbrook, Margate, adult, 11th October.
(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 80: 545).
3.04) 1986 Anglesey Penmon area, adult, 22nd October to at least 23rd November; presumed same as Flintshire 1984.
(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 81: 567).
6.0). 1987 Cornwall Hayle and St Ives Bay, adult, 27th January to 3rd February.
(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 81: 567).
6.1). 1987 Somerset Hinkley Point, adult, 7th to 12th February; presumed same as Cornwall individual.
(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 81: 567).
3.05). 1987 Lancashire & North Merseyside Seaforth, adult, 15th March; presumed same as Flintshire 1984.
(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 82: 531).
3.06). 1987 Flintshire Gronant, adult, 20th August to 20th September; presumed same as Flintshire 1984.
(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 83: 468).
3.07). 1987 Caernarfonshire Great Orme, adult, 23rd August, photo; presumed same as Flintshire 1984.
(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 81: 567, plate 61).
7). 1987 Flintshire Gronant, another, 31st August to 20th September.
(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 83: 468).
3.08). 1987 Anglesey Penmon, adult, 17th October; presumed same as Flintshire 1984.
(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 82: 531).
3.09). 1988 Anglesey Holyhead area, adult, 10th January to 26th February; presumed same as Flintshire 1984.
(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 82: 531).
3.10). 1988 Anglesey Penmon, adult, 15th to 16th October; presumed same as Flintshire 1984.
(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 82: 531).
3.11). 1989 Anglesey Holyhead area, adult, 21st January to 1st March, photo; presumed same as Flintshire 1984.
(British Birds 82: plate 193; M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 83: 468).
8). 1990 Cornwall Par, 9th October.
(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 84: 476).
9). 1992 Lancashire & North Merseyside Formby Point, adult, 16th August.
(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 86: 492).
10). 1994 Pembrokeshire Fishguard, first-winter, 10th to 11th January.
(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 88: 522).
11.0). 1994 Lothian Musselburgh area (on coast from Portobello, Edinburgh to Aberlady Bay, but mainly Musselburgh), first-winter, 16th December to 10th April 1995; also in North-east Scotland.
(Birding World 8 (3): 85, photo; Birding World 8 (4): 128, photo; M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 88: 522).
12). 1994 Caernarfonshire Bangor Harbour, first-winter, 20th to 24th January; same, Caernarfon, 3rd to 9th February.
(Birding World 8 (1): 5, photo; M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 89: 507).
11.1). 1995 North-East Scotland Ythan Estuary, first-summer, 3rd May to 1st August, photo; presumed same as Lothian.
(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 89: 507; Phillips, 1997: plate 18; Birding Scotland 2 (3): plate 67; Birding Scotland 4 (4): plate 125; Forrester & Andrews et al., 2007: photo).
13). 1995 Dorset The Fleet and other coastal localities, first-winter, 26th December to 10th February 1996.
(Birding World 9 (1): 5, photo; Birding World 9 (12): 474, photo; M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 89: 507; Dorset Birds 1995: photo; M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 90: 487).
14). 1998 Cornwall Devoran, first-winter, 5th November.
(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 94: 479).
15). 1998 Essex West Mersea, first-winter, 16th November; same, Hamford Water and Tollesbury Creek area, 22nd December intermittently to 24th April 2000, photo.
(Birding World 12 (2): 44, photo; Birding World 12 (6): 219, photo; Birding World 12 (7): 265, photo; British Birds 92: plates 52 & 165; M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 93: 538).
16). 2000 Caernarfonshire Bangor, second-winter, 2nd to 18th December, photo.
(Birding World 13 (12): 472, photos; M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 94: 479, plate 30; Welsh Bird Report 14: photo).
17). 2000 Pembrokeshire Gann Estuary, first-winter, 4th December.
(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 96: 580).
18). 2001 Orkney Tingwall and Eynhallow Sound area, Mainland, adult, 24th to 27th October.
(M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 97: 585).
19). 2002 Cornwall Hayle Estuary, first-winter, 25th November to 5th December, photo.
(Birding World 15 (11): 451, photo; Birding World 15 (12): 491, photo; M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 96: 580; Birds in Cornwall 2002: photo).
20). 2003 Argyll Loch Feochan and Oban Bay, first-winter, 8th to 11th January, photo.
(Birding World 16 (1): 3, photo; B. Jackson, Birding Scotland 6 (1): 39-41, plates 30-36; M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 97: 585; Forrester & Andrews et al., 2007: photo).
21.0). 2016 Essex/Suffolk River Stour, 1CY, 19th to 20th November, photo; also in Suffolk, Kent.
(C. Holt and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 110: 587, plate 314).
21.1). 2016 Suffolk Felixstowe Ferry, 1CY, 21st November, photo; same as Essex/Suffolk.
(C. Holt and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 110: 587).
21.2). 2016 Kent Seabrook, 1CY, 26th November, photo; same as Essex; also in Suffolk.
(British Birds 110: plate 21; C. Holt and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 110: 587; Kent Bird Report 2016: plate 44).
P). 2023 Somerset Sutton Bingham Reservoir, first-winter, 6th April, photo; also in Dorset.
(birding information services).
P). 2023 Dorset Lytchett Bay and Brownsea Island, first-winter, 23rd April to 3rd May; presumed same, Hengistbury Head, 4th May; presumed same, Lytchett Fields RSPB, first-summer, 15th July; same, Wareham, 21st July; same, Arne and Shipstal Point, Poole Harbour, first-summer, 23rd July to 31st August, again, 9th to 10th, 14th to 15th and 22nd September to 19th October, photo; same, Brownsea Island, 15th to 16th August and 1st to 3rd September; again, 7th to 11th November; presumed same as Somerset.
(birding information services).
P). 2024 Dorset Arne RSPB, Shipstal Point and Brownsea Island area, 30th March to 17th April, photo; same, Upton Park, 28th April; presumed returning individual.
(birding information services).
