Here it begins….. we’ve got quite a bit to report for the “Spring 2024 Tern Raft.”
The launch of the raft was on April 9th. Many thanks again for a terrific community effort of volunteers and colleagues. Spring was erratic as spring often is with north winds, but we finally saw our first visitor on April 23. First there were a few…….and then…..there were many. No in between.
They ARRIVED:
First, they all gather and hang out….lots of carrying on…..it’s as if they’re all talking about their winter, where they went, what they did…..lots to catch up on.
Courtship began…..dancing in circles with tails up high, gifts of large fish from males to females, and then the making of “scrapes,” or nest together.
Click here to see a pair making one of the first scrapes.
Knowing Where Home Is
When we say they came back…..we mean in spades. After courtship, mating, etc., our first nest with eggs was May 13th, right on track, with a total nest count of 23 (twenty-three,) nests. To put it in perspective though and understand the speed in which they came back:
Eight days later…..we were at 163!!! Last year around the same date we had 91.
One week later……233!!! Last year, 137.
Currently we are now up to 249 nests…….last year we made it to that number at the beginning of JULY.
Below is our trajectory map as comparison to the last three years:
We have no idea what kind of number we’ll end up with…we’ll see. It could be that they just know home and come back early with not many new birds, or we could continue to click upwards, or it could fall off, or we could get another wave; we simply will have to wait and see. It will all be interesting no matter the story. It’s a story very few scientists have ever experienced in this way, the story is unfolding right in front of us. How fascinating. Stay tuned.
Last but not least, in fact, most importantly…..our first chick has hatched. One on June 4th, with more to come soon. Introducing our first chick of 2024…..welcome!
Thank you all for your support and interest in the tern raft. Your support makes a difference.