Introducing OH1!
We are excited to announce our first returning bird was spotted today, April 18th! We banded him/her (don’t know yet,) as an adult on June 15th, 2022. It was the second bird we banded last year and it was from one of our first nests. This one likes to have first pick of real estate evidently. One of the ways we will be able to determine the sex is by visual behavior observation. The males are the only ones that court with a fish! So we’ll see what OH1 does….give or receive….then we’ll understand.
As the terns return, they’ll hang out, roost on the raft, socialize, eat up after a long trip, visit with friends, start courting, pair up, then build a little groove in the clam shells they’ll call home. We’ll be sure to let you know where OH1 settles down, it will be interesting to see.
Last year the first tern arrived April 24th, a week later than this year. This shows the importance of getting the raft out on time. After flying over 3,000 miles, you can see the bird was ready to land and stretch its wings……thinking…..”whewy….one heck of a trip…..nice to be home.”
Photos by Coastal Bird Conservation Specialist Kim Abplanalp
