Bird Calls Radio Bird of the Day for Thursday, Aug. 18
Common terns by Chris Bosak (copyright, all rights reserved)
The Bird Calls Radio Bird of the Day for Thursday, Aug. 18, is the common tern. Several types of terns may be seen in New England, but the common tern is, well, the most common.
They are a coastal bird so birders have to get to the ocean or Long Island Sound to see them. Terns are migrants so we only see them during the summer breeding months. They nest in colonies and lay their eggs on small impressions on the ground. They favor the protected islands off the coast for breeding.
To a non-birder a tern is probably just another gull, but to most birders, terns arouse a higher interest. They hunt for small fish and may often be seen carrying a small fish in their bills.
Be sure to check out Bird Calls every Saturday from 3 to 4 p.m. on WSTC/WNLK AM1400/1350 (in S. CT and nearby NY) or www.wstcwnlk.com from anywhere in the world (where there’s Internet access, that is.) Thanks for checking in.