Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)

Status at Longham Lakes
Uncommon passage migrant, but numbers have increased since Longham Reservoir South was filled in 2010.

1. 1 on the Quarry, 3rd May 2004.
2. 1 over Longham Reservoir North, 21st April 2006.
3. 1 on 26th April 2006 (Longham Reservoir North).
4. 1 1st-winter over Longham Reservoir North, 13th September 2006.
5. 1 on Longham Reservoir North, 4th May 2007 (Trevor Thorpe).
6. Seen a couple of times at the weir at Longham Bridge, early June 2007.
7. 1 over Longham Reservoir North on 6th May 2008 (Chris Parnell).
8. Present in the same place, June 2008.
9. 1 on Longham Reservoir North on 22nd July 2008. (Trevor Thorpe)
10. 1 on the River, July 2nd 2009.
11. 1 over LR North, 25th April and 5th May 2010
12. 1 on 12th July 2010 (Chris Parnell), than another on 16th-20th July.
13. 1 on the buoy on LR South, 30th July 2010 (Trevor Thorpe).
14. 1 over LR South on 21st -25th August 2010.
15. 1 adult on 1st and 2nd September 2010 (different bird to previous). (Chris Parnell).

2011: 28th April – 1; 4th May – 1; 24th June – 1 (Trevor Thorpe); 5th July – 2; 10th July – 3; 17th July – 2; 19th July – 1; 27th July – 2; 30th July – 5 (Brett Spencer); 15th August – 2; 28th August – 1
2012: 1 on 17th MARCH (Chris Parnell); 1 on 30th April (CP); 24 hawking over the lakes on 19th May (Trevor Thorpe); 2 on 19th and 23rd – 24th May, 2 on 24th and 28th June (GG), 3-4 on 9th July (Alan Pearce), 1-2 from 20th-23rd July, 1 on 9th August (George Green).
2013: 1 on 10th April (Lorne Bissell) and again on 11th; 3 on 7th May (George Green), 1 on 8th May, 1 on 5th July (Alan Pearce), 1 on 16th July (AP).
2014: 1 on 21st April (GG), 2 on 23rd April (Lorne Bissell), 1 on 6th June, 1 on 15th June, 1 on 23rd June (DC), 1 from 4th-13th July, 2 from 20th-23rd and 1 on 24th.
2015: 1 on 3rd May (George Green), then 1 on 15th May, 2 on 28th June and 1 on 29th June.
2016: 3 on 22nd May (George Green) and 3 on 21st July (Lorne Bissell.)