Common Tern
A regular passage migrant visitor to Chard reservoir, often not staying for long.
29/04/73 - Single bird. Single bird also seen on 27/09. & 6 birds seen on 19/09
07/09/78 - 20 birds
04/09/83 - 3 birds
07/09/85 - 4 birds
15/07/86 - Single bird
31/08/88 - 2 birds
14/05/91 - Single bird. Single birds seen again on 21/05 & 24/05
16/08/92 - 2 birds. 5 birds seen on 04/09 & 33 seen on 16/09. Record count to date. (BS)
06/09/93 - 3 birds. Remained until 08/09
28/04/94 - Single bird
19/04/98 - Single adult. 2 birds were recorded on 30/08 (L.M). & a single bird once again on 09/09
18/08/99 - Single adult
19/05/00 - Single Commic Tern
21/07/00 - 2 birds (2 singles also seen on other dates this month)
27/09/00 - Single Commic Tern
06/08/01 - 4 birds
17/04/02 - 2 birds
30/07/02 - Single bird
11/08/02 - 4 birds
17/08/03 - Single bird
30/08/03 - Single bird
21/04/04 - 3 birds
11/07/04 - Single bird
13/07/04 - 4 birds
14/07/04 - Single bird
22/07/04 - Single bird
23/08/04 - Single bird seen for 3 days
15/08/05 - Single bird seen for 2 days
02/09/05 - Single bird
05/09/05 - 2 birds
09/09/05 - Single bird that unusually stayed for 6 days
13/08/06 - 2 birds
11/09/06 - 2 birds
20/09/06 - Single bird seen for 3 days
06/10/06 - 2 birds
08/06/07 - Single tern, maybe this species
21/06/07 - Single bird
04/07/07 - Single bird
24/09/07 - Single bird
04/05/08 - Single bird
09/05/08 - 3 birds
05/08/08 - Single bird
22/08/08 - 2 birds
13/05/09 - Single bird
06/06/09 - 3 birds
30/06/09 - 2 birds
17/07/09 - 2 birds
27/08/09 - Commic tern with an Arctic tern
09/07/10 - 1 adult
18/08/10 - 1 juv
01/10/10 - 1 bird stayed 2 days
2011 - a good year with up to 10 seen together on 11 dates between 12/07 and 03/09 (max 10 on 15/08)
03/05/12 - 1 bird
06/08/12 - 1 bird
15/08/12 - 2 birds
17/08/12 - 2 birds
15/05/13 - 1 bird
03/08/13 - 1 bird
22/04/14 - 1 bird
26/04/14 - 1 stayed 3 days with a second on 27/04
09/05/14 - 1 bird
16/06/14 - 1 bird
03/08/14 - 1 bird
01/09/14 - 3 Common Terns and 15-20 Commic Terns seen briefly
05/09/14 - 4 birds
08/08/15 - 1 bird
14/08/15 - 9 birds
02/05/16 - 1 bird
23/06/16 - 1 bird
29/06/16 - 1 bird
08/07/17 - 1 bird
10/07/17 - 1 bird
02/04/18 - 1 bird stayed 2 days
06/04/19 - 2 birds
30/07/19 - 8 birds (DWH)
09/08/19 - 7 birds (DWH)
18/04/20 - 2 birds
20/08/20 - 1 first winter bird stayed 3 days
05/09/21 - 2 birds, adult and young
06/09/21 - 1 adult bird
09/09/21 - Record count of 32 birds (DWH,KGH)
18/08/22 - 2 terns reported by fisherman were probably this species
05/09/22 - 1 juvenile
06/09/22 - 18 birds. A Black Tern was present at the same time
23/08/23 - 1 bird
26/09/23 - 1 adult