Re TERN ing Bird...

A pelagic bird, on land!

Not quite a year ago I was in search of an elusive, vagrant, tern that showed itself at Rockport Beach about 30 miles from home. After several attempts in scoping the park area during nesting season, Bud finally spotted it. My previous [2016] can be viewed here. This year, a bit earlier than last, the tern species has returned to the same area! This time he brought two others of his kind with him. Three have been reported. Bud and I drove there on April 18th, only the tern was not spotted while we were there. A couple of days later, I went by myself, leaving before sunrise, to walk the vicinity to hopefully find them. After being there a couple of hours, I began to make my walk back to the car; through the park and along the inlet/bay shore. Off in the distance, about 100 yards [a football field length], I saw, what I thought was the bird I was looking for...among the 1000s of breeding seagulls. I held my binoculars up and focused on the area....by that time, the black winged bird had made itself nearly invisible in the wildflowers and grasses. As I watched the seagulls and their reactions to an intruding bird, I again spotted it!! YES!! Altho, I saw only one of the three seen recently by other birders, it was THE BIRD I had been trying to find and hopefully get better photos of the species. You see, last year, when Bud found the elusive bird, the lone bird did not want to show off its face for us. This time, I stood, and waited patiently...I got a full frontal view of it. Not only that, but the whole body...showing the entire bird and its specs. With the long distance, I had to utilize the zoom lens...

All photos seen below were taken along Rockport Beach Park, in Rockport, Texas
The rookery area is called "Little Island"




SOOTY TERN
habitat map: Tern

While there at the park, I also saw hundreds of Black Skimmers, Laughing Seagulls by the 1000s, several other tern species, tri-colored herons, spoonbills, great blue herons, reddish egrets [both dark and white morph], osprey, black bellied whistling ducks, gadwalls, caracara, pigeons, willets, and more. From the observation deck, I tried to zoom in on the nesting activities on "Little Island" where there are many wooden nest boxes. The Great Blue Herons had already hatched [by the size of the chicks, hatched weeks ago], the spoonbills and egrets were either building a nest or sitting on the nest boxes they prepared for the upcoming event...the tri-colored were active.

ROSEATE SPOONBILL
[and snowy egret/laughing seagull/great blue herons]
habitat map: Spoonbill





GREAT BLUE HERON & CHICKS
habitat map: Heron



REDDISH EGRET [white morph]
habitat map: Egret



OSPREY
habitat map: Osprey



BLACK BELLIED WHISTLING DUCK
habitat map: Whistling Duck



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