The New Header.

I'm really grateful to Dan Haywood for allowing me to use his image of the Conder Common Terns, it's an excellent photograph for more reasons than one. It was an excellent opportunity used to the full by Dan when these three birds decided to pitch up on the near island to the right of the viewing screen overlooking Conder Pool and he got his shot. The image is also excellent in that it clearly shows one of the young birds to be a runt and not yet fledged, though it's sibling has already done so.

The Common Tern adults were first seen on Conder Pool on 12 July and I myself found them still there two days later on Monday 14 July. Almost immediately this pair were see by me to be intent on breeding on the pool, and the male was seen to bring fish to the female sat at the intended nest site, and on one occasion I saw her tidying up and putting fresh vegetation around the nest.

Since the visit I made on 14 July, I have viewed Conder Pool and seen these birds 22 times, though observing them has been difficult and the whole breeding programme was and still remains secretive. During the earlier part of their presence I could often see only the crown of the female as she sat tight on the nest, and occasionally the male would be seen to bring her fish. But the vegetation soon grew to a height whereby nothing could be seen of the birds and it all became a mystery as to what exactly was happening, and this is the case to date other than some flying sorties and the visit to the small island on Tuesday 2 September.

All that remains now is to see the runt fledge, and to go to Conder Green one day to find these brilliant birds have all departed and moved on, leaving behind them an excellent record for an excellent little pool in Lancashire.