Gull-billed Tern:Loughor

I'd noted with interest the Gull-billed Tern found last weekend by Rob Taylor (great find Rob !) at WWT Penclacwydd which for the last few days has been commuting with the tide between WWT and Loughor Bridge.
I fancied an evening visit after work but until yesterday the lousy weather had literally put a damper on things.

A text from Mark Hipkin yesterday advising that he had been able to arrange access to the marsh through the new railway bridge construction site was too good an opportunity to miss and after a couple of phone calls I was soon winging my way down to Junc 36 at Sarn on the M4 to meet up with fellow "togger" Richard Smith.

We had arranged to meet Peter Morgan at the site and walked out to the marsh south of the bridge with Mark and Rich Facey and his partner hoping we could get reasonably close views and a good photo oppotrtunity.

The bird was present feeding at low tide on the sandbanks with Black-headed Gulls and we all managed a few record shots of the bird at rest and in flight,unfortunately it kept it's distance and never came close enough to get a really good shot.
As we stood hoping that the bird would fly in a little closer it took to the air again and relocated even further away and we eventually lost sight of it completely in the gathering gloom.

Although not an avid lister nowadays it was pleasing to add it to my Glamorgan and Wales list the only other member of the species I have seen being a distant bird out on the Exe estuary a few years ago with Dan and Wayne.