Saturday March 7th 2026, I am on my way to Poole Park with the hope of catching up with the Forster's Tern. There are a few blogs and pictures about of this bird. This is my short account of this wonderful Tern that arrived in Dorset in 2023.
When if first heard about this bird I was at work and could not go off straight away and had to wait for the weekend. When the weekend arrived I heard that the tern was being seen from the then new Rockley View Point at Lytchett Field area. I arrived at the small car park to find it was full so I parked up on the lane and proceeded to walk down Slough Lane. arriving at the point there were a couple of unknown birders still there so I asked if the tern was about and was told sorry mate it as just flown under the bridge, the bridge is a railway bridge that separates Lytchett Bay and the Rockley and Lake Pier area. Dip one that was a start of a series of dips and being unable to get to see the bird due to work of family commitments a total of seven to eight dips that year. The next two year following I always seemed to be in the wrong place or it never showed up especially when I did a few trips after work to Shipstal Point. I decided after a while if I was going to see I would and if not so be it and gave up trying to connect with the Bird.
The Forster's Tern arrived again this year 2026 and was first seen off Baiter and in Parkstone Bay and of coarse, it began to be seen in Poole Park while I was at work, with me hoping it would stay until the weekend as the sightings suggested this would be the best chance I would have with catching up with this nemesis.
Driving into the park brought back some childhood memories as my nan and grandad used to live in an old house that was behind the crazy and pitch and put golf courses, and overlooked the park. As I ked I spent many a summer in the 70s at the park. I found a parking space and headed for the group of people near the model yacht pool. Here I came across Nick Hull and asked is the tern still about and Nick pointed the tern out sat on a small post among the the Black-head Gulls. I got the bins on it and a sense of relive passed over me with the three year wait/trying to see the bird. I started to setup the scope for better close up views and the bird took flight. It flew very fast and erratic over the main lake before climb high and out to Baiter!
So with the bird going AWOL I went to look for the Mandarina Duck that was on one of the smaller ponds over the back near the little train and cricket pitch. The train was going round the small track as I walked that way and remember the many journeys I had on the train when the engine at first was like a stream locomotive then becoming a blue and yellow diesel engine. I eventually found the Mandarina Duck a smart male bird on the very small pond near the cricket pitch.
Back to the tern and I noticed that everyone had vacated the the area and were on the other side of the lake. So I made my way round the model yacht remembering how I sailed my little fiberglass hulled yacht with its blue sail across the lake and running along the board sometimes a bit scared as when it was chopper the thing used to sway with the waves. I eventually caught up with the crowd and had some good views of the Forster's Tern before if flew of again, but returned back to its original post near the model yacht lake.
Now the bird list is going up slowly but surely up to 109, though only two months in chasing the birds I have discovered one thing that I do miss going round my local patch Longham Lakes. Yes it can at times feel mundane but it is always exciting when something new turns whether if is found by friends or just one of the many people who like to walk round the place taking pictures.
The list even though I list my bird seen here they can also be found on BUBO
# 103 Glossy Ibis
# 104 Red legged Partridge
# 105 Mandarin Duck
# 106 Collard Dove
# 107 Forster's Tern = lifer
#108 Kestrel
# 109 Great spotted Woodpecker
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