KITTIWAKE Rissa tridactyla Very common passage migrant and winter visitor. Small numbers breed. Unlike last year there were f e w large counts in the early months of the year, the only exception b e i n g 515 at Southwold on January 20th. and spring passage was very uneventful. Lowestoft and Sizewell breeding birds began to arrive in late February and early March, with 5 0 being recorded at L o w e s t o f t on March 1st and 50 at Sizewell on March 29th. Breeding at L o w e s t o f t decreased further with the breakdown of numbers as follows (per BJ Brown): SITE No. of nests No. successful No. of young Wall 101 63 83 Wall (inside) 9 6 9 Wall at Quay 25 14 21 Fish Market Quay 6 3 5 Hamilton Dock Quav 8 2 2 SCP Sheds 2 2 2 Claremont Pier 1 1 1 152 91 123 TOTALS At Sizewell an effort w a s m a d e to determine the true numbers on the offshore rigs: Alan Miller f o u n d that f r o m 84 nests a m i n i m u m of 71 young was raised. This brings the S u f f o l k total to 2 3 6 nests producing 194 young. There were only f o u r counts of over 100 during autumn passage: 289, Covehithe in October; 160, Aldeburgh and North Warren, N o v e m b e r 3rd and 270, Covehithe in December.
GULL-BILLED TERN Sterna nilotica Very rare passage migrant. Felixstowe: Landguard, two adults in summer plumage south, May 1st (N Odin). The seventeenth record for Suffolk (involving 2 3 individuals) and the first since 1991.
CASPIAN TERN Sterna caspia Rare visitor. Breydon Water: Jul.30th, seen morning and evening roosting on the humps at the eastern end of Breydon on the Norfolk side. At 0845 the bird was seen by T Cochran to fly towards Burgh Castle on the Suffolk side of the estuary (M Matheson, T Cochran, S Smith). This record follows the t w o birds seen at M i n s m e r e in 1996.
SANDWICH TERN Sterna sandvicensis Common summer visitor and passage migrant. Six birds at Havergate on March 24th were the first reported for the year. N u m b e r s there built u p to 31 by the end of the month, 100 on April 19th and 5 5 0 on May 2nd. At M i n s m e r e , m a x i m u m monthly counts in the spring period were 57 on April 29th and 25 on M a y 6th. It w a s another disastrous year for breeding of this species in the County. At Havergate, prĂŠdation problems prevented egg-laying, and at Minsmere, although some birds displayed and lingered awhile, no breeding took place. There w a s a light southerly passage in August and September with a m a x i m u m of 35 at S o u t h w o l d on August 26th. Late records were of t w o at Southwold on October 12th, North Warren on O c t o b e r 19th and Aldeburgh on N o v e m b e r 4th. The last report w a s of o n e at Wherstead Strand on N o v e m b e r 7th.
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