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16 May 2021 Broadly Caspian

Well, that was unexpected - but also not. On Friday night, Dave Andrews predicted a Caspian Tern would turn up in east Norfolk this weekend. Not an outlandish gambit, given the time of year, that area's history and the presence of one in Suffolk. What was outrageous, however, was that Dave not only found it, but did so on a family walk on the outskirts of Norwich, on the Broad of his alma mater, UEA. Pretty much every Norwich birder not thrashing the coast (and rather lazing at home) seemed to have dropped everything to beetle to the Broad. The bird was initially present for only forty minutes (although later returned for a short period, visiting Whitlingham Broad in the east of the city in between), but delighted at least 25 local birders during that time. Suitably broad grins all round! All this rather begs the question: what is the best bird that anyone has found while on a family walk/pushing a pram etc? I can muster Greenish Warbler last year, and that was mind-blowing enough. But Caspian Tern on a suburban lake? That surely takes some beating. Dave: I salute you.