After winter in north, whiskered terns return
UNLIKE most of their kin, whiskered terns shun the ocean shores and bays as their regular haunt.
Instead, you may see the birds dipping and diving after flying insects over freshwater wetlands and grassy paddocks.
It was in this situation that Rod Batson watched a group of these elegant birds at Buckley recently.
Whiskered terns nest in small colonies on wetlands where there is a good growth of sedges and other emergent waterweeds.
The nests the terns build are no more than platforms of plant stems, anchored to the aquatic plants.
They are not as bulky as those of grebes that nest in similar situations, nor do the terns cover the eggs when they are off the nest.
It takes about three weeks for the eggs to hatch, and the fluffy young desert the nest when only a day or two old. A month later, they have developed sufficiently to fly with the adults and learn the skills of survival.
Non-breeding whiskered terns are mainly light grey with a streaky black crown and white forehead.
The beak and legs are black.
In the breeding season they are transformed with the black crown extending from the beak to the nape, the wings and back silver-grey.
The breast and underparts are sooty grey, and the beak and legs are bright red.
Their common name comes from the white feathers on the cheeks that contrast with the crown and breast.
Some of the terns leave in winter, travelling to northern Australia and beyond, but they are now back in our district.
Whether they will find suitable nesting places in not known, but I certainly hope they do so. Wildlife information and questions can be sent to ppescott@gmail.com