THE BABY HUEY OF FLEDGLINGS: THE COMMON TERN
After spending the past eight weeks filming the sparrow-sized Piping Plovers, it was fun to unexpectedly encounter these tubby Common Tern fledglings. Although able to fly, they stood at the water’s edge, unrelentingly demanding to be fed. The adults willingly obliged.
Unlike plovers, which can feed themselves within hours after hatching (the term is precocial), tern fledglings are semi-precocial, which means they are somewhat mobile at hatching but remain and are fed by their parents. Terns and gulls are semi-precocial.
The fledglings appear larger than the adults and are very well fed. Both parents feed their young. The terns are building fat reserves for the long migration to the South American tropical coasts, some traveling as far as Peru and Argentina.
Common Tern dive bombing gull
Although unperturbed by my presence, they sure did not like the seagulls. Any that ventured near the fledglings feeding were told in the most cheekiest of terms to buzz off–dive bombing, nipping, and nonstop loudly squawking–the intruder did not stick around for very long.
Common Tern populations are in decline, most probably because of pesticide poisoning and habitat loss.
Another outstanding post – Thanks Kim – for helping us understand what we are looking at.
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Very welcome Al, thank you for writing. Looking forward to seeing you and Phyllis soon for Schooner Festival 🙂
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So beautiful out there and realize when younger how much you missed speaking for myself that is too busy being children or was that rascals…:-) Dave
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Yes too busy being children Dave, but too, thanks to my grandparents on my mother’s side for imbuing a love of nature and for their gifts of illustrated nature books, my most treasured possessions as a child.
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I always tune into GMG to see your beautiful work…love the fledgling talking back!
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spectacular photography to go with the deep knowledge of your subjects, Kim!
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