Sooty Tern: The UK birding community is no stranger to summer surprises, but August 2026 delivered a twitch that that will live on in my mind, at least for decades. The drama began around 3 August 2026, when eagle-eyed observers on Coquet Island spotted something completely unexpected among the thousands of resident seabirds.
Sitting amidst the UK's only nesting colony of Roseate Terns was an elegant, jet-black and pristine-white adult sooty tern. Sooty terns are pelagic, tropical oceans dwellers. They are built for the warm waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, making this lone individual thousands of miles away from home.
Twitching a rare bird is never easy, and this tropical visitor chose to play hard to get. Shortly after its initial discovery, the bird vanished. Despair rippled through the community as early twitchers "dipped" out, fearing the bird had flown back out to the open ocean as quickly as it had arrived.
But the ocean had other plans. In true dramatic fashion, the Sooty Tern made a triumphant return around 10–11 August 2026. As news broke that the bird was back on the island, the twitch was officially back on. Catching a glimpse of this ocean wanderer required some serious logistics. Coquet Island is a strictly protected RSPB nature reserve, meaning landing on the island is completely prohibited to safeguard the nesting seabirds.Because of this, the only way to see the bird was from the water.
Local boat operators in the nearby harbour town of Amble found themselves overwhelmed with sudden demand. Hasty evening charters were organised, and standard public cruises were packed to the brim with birders armed with telescopes, binoculars, and heavy camera gear, all hoping to get close enough to the island's shoreline to spot the celebrity guest. This was a lifer for me and a day I won't be forgetting any time soon.
