Terning professional
Nesting terns steal the show - literally - at Keynes Park
The annual outdoor Shakespeare performance at Keynes Country Park took place on Sunday evening, but only after the players had to move the stage for a rather unusual reason.
A pair of common tern had chosen to lay two eggs on the café decking a week ago, the place where the play is normally performed and of course are fiercely aggressive towards anyone who comes near the nest. The Park rangers swiftly erected a fence to protect the nest and the public, as they will swoop and dive bomb approaching visitors. Tern will normally lay on gravel, where there is more camouflage and protection, and this is the first time the rangers cam recall any eggs being laid in such an open place as the decking at Keynes Park.
The Rain or Shine Theatre Company, who are used to adapting to strange and unusual situations whilst on tour around the UK, were quite happy to move to a location next to the decking, and were still able to provide the audience with a wonderful performance of Twelfth Night amidst one of the wettest nights ever recorded for June. Approximately 80 people came well prepared with waterproofs and umbrellas, ate picnics, braved the elements and enjoyed the high energy performance from a resilient group of players.
Ken Meekings of Rain or Shine said “ The tern is not a problem, it is just a challenge, and we shall simply work around her!”
Jill Bewley, of the Cotswold Water Park Society said “ We really thought that the eggs would not have lasted so long in such an open place, and we were very lucky that a suitable alternative location for the stage was to hand. The whole evening was brilliant and a true testament to the sheer determination of the British, both the players and the audience, to make the best of a very very wet night!
