It’s been a bit since our last update on the tern raft……we’ve been busy! A very interesting year has unfolded, and we are currently up to………………………….226 nests! “Wowza” is what we’re saying over here. To give you an idea of comparisons, last year on the same date the raft had approximately 96 nests. The red dots represent this year. The weather as you know, has been challenging the last few days with rain and sustained winds over 30 mph, so it will be interesting to see if there is a dip next week or if this momentum continues. Our experienced birds were the first to arrive this year….in fact, 17 of the 19 adult birds we banded in 2021 were some of the first to arrive. 2022 birds were also in the mix and not far behind. The birds arriving now are what we call “the second wave,” birds that are just discovering the raft for the first time, often younger and not necessarily associated with a colony yet.