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	Terns in 2000

Tern Restoration

by Diane De Luca

Four years of tern restoration at Seavey Island, Isles of Shoals, and 446 pairs of nesting terns. These are statistics of which dreams are made. Yet this dream has become a reality for this rocky island off the coast of New Hampshire. Common Tern with Fish Photo by Diane De Luca In 1997, Audubon, in partnership with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Nongame Program and with support from the Office of State Planning Coastal Program, the Department of Resources and Economic Development - Parks Division, USDA - Animal Damage Control, Shoals Marine Laboratory, Isles of Shoals Steamship Company, Gulf of Maine Seabird Working Group, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, worked cooperatively to successfully complete the first year of this project. By using nonlethal means of gull control, along with decoys and tern colony sounds, biologists attracted breeding terns back to the Isles of Shoals. That first year, a small colony of six pairs of Common Terns raised and fledged six young at this site. This was the first documented breeding by terns at the Isles of Shoals since the early 1950s. The 1998 and 1999 field seasons saw significant growth as the number of breeding Common Terns climbed to 45 and 141 pairs, respectively. 2000 Tern Numbers The 2000 field season continued to see very substantial growth, as 446 pairs of Common Terns fledged over 700 chicks from Seavey Island. A look at the breeding chronology and productivity of terns at this site for 1997-2000 reflects this vigorous growth. Feeding Study With continued strong colony growth at Seavey Island, it becomes increasingly important to look toward research that will help support further management for island nesting terns in the Gulf of Maine. The size of the 2000 tern colony allowed us to make further explorations of colony dynamics. The study of tern feeding has taken place on managed islands in Maine and Massachusetts for a number of years. Our tern feeding study is modeled after this work and contributes to a growing database. The years of feeding data have yielded some very interesting results in terms of abundance and cycling of food sources, as well as the correlation of chick survival with food availability. The goals of the feeding study were to determine the identification of food items being provided to the chicks, the feeding rate, receiving chicks, and nest productivity. The summary of chick feeding data revealed the identification and relative frequency of over 1000 food items. The 2000 feeding data was able to identify a minimum of 25 food items that were brought to the chicks. In addition, the study highlighted the importance of juvenile hake for a third year. (Forty-five and forty-seven percent of the identified items in 1998 and 1999 were hake.) Another important finding was that the feeding rate continues to show that the adult terns are feeding in very close proximity to White and Seavey Islands. This is a very positive confirmation for this growing colony, as the food resources needed to successfully raise chicks were available in 1998, 1999, and 2000. Banding Common Tern Photo by Diane De Luca From 1998 through 2000, we have worked to maximize the number of chicks banded with special salt-resistant metal bands to facilitate data on colony growth and nest site fidelity. Close to 300 chicks were banded in 2000. Tern chicks do not typically return to the breeding colony until they are two to three years of age and may not breed until they are four years of age. We had our first confirmed returning tern chick this year as the band was read on a tern from our 1998 cohort. We are hopeful that the large number of chicks banded will provide some survival and movement data in the coming years. We have also been able to read the bands on close to 40 adult terns that are now part of the Seavey Island colony. This data gives us a picture of where our growing colony is originating. Band information tells us that we have breeding birds that were hatched on islands as far away as Great Gull Island, Long Island, New York, and numerous individuals from Jenny and Stratton Islands off the coast of Maine. Other Terns Both Arctic and Roseate Terns continued to be present in the Seavey Island tern colony in 2000. A pair of Roseate Terns were observed from June 5 through the rest of the field season. Although there was no evidence that they settled in for breeding, there was significant courtship and copulation observed over a number of weeks. Arctic Terns also showed interest in the site through a good portion of the breeding season. We are very hopeful that these species will join our growing New Hampshire colony. Other tern sightings that caused some excitement included numerous sightings of Black Terns, a Caspian Tern, and a spectacular look at an adult Sooty Tern circling through the colony. Educational Outreach The Tern Restoration Project has provided an excellent opportunity for educational outreach. The focus of this outreach has been to foster stewardship, appreciation, and protection for nesting seabird colonies at White and Seavey as well as other Gulf of Maine seabird nesting islands. Opportunities have come through welcoming visitors and organized classes to the island, sharing the details of the project with charter and ferry boats that visit the Isles of Shoals, and taking the project out to many groups around New Hampshire through a slide presentation and display. In 2000, the New Hampshire Coastal Program provided funding to place a remote camera on Seavey Island to be broadcast on cable through the Seacoast Science Center. The construction and installation of this camera was just completed and is going to allow the opportunity to reach audiences at the SSC along with other groups. It is an exciting addition to the project. The Future The nesting success and growth of the tern colony on Seavey Island is a good sign for continued population growth in the coming years. It remains important that intensive management continues at this site in the near future. Other tern recolonization projects have shown that productivity of these colonies is directly correlated to the level of management aimed at eliminating or ameliorating factors that currently limit successful tern nesting. Thanks My deepest appreciation goes to the 2000 tern biologists, Dan Hayward and Mathieu Charette, for their hard work, tenacity, good humor, and tremendous spirit; and to Rich Cook and John Kanter for their guidance and support. Special thanks also to the other individuals who helped staff the island through the field season: Rebecca Courser, Emma Courser Cook, Becky Suomala, Drew Trested, and Stephen, Kiah, and Jonah Walker. Additional thanks go to the many who have supported the project logistically, including the Shoals Marine Lab, Jon Savage of Cap'N Sav's Charters, Sue Reynolds of Island Cruises, and the Isles of Shoals Steamship Company. And thanks to the many other volunteers and supporters, without whom the project would not be possible.