While driving to and from Big Sandy, I noticed large flocks of what looked like small white birds. I had to find out what they were because I had never seen them in our area before.
I researched at the All About Birds Organization and Audubon sites. "The Arctic Tern is a small, slender gray-and-white bird with angular wings, the Arctic Tern is well known for its long yearly migration. It travels from its Arctic breeding grounds to Antarctica, where it enjoys the Antarctic summer, covering around 25,000 miles. Breeding birds sport a full black cap, short red legs, and a red bill. Arctic Terns are social birds, foraging in groups and nesting on the ground in colonies. They often rest on ice and fly on graceful and buoyant wings."
"Migration is the best time to go looking for an Arctic Tern, unless you have plans to visit their arctic breeding grounds or their Antarctic wintering grounds. They start leaving the wintering grounds in March, so you can expect to see them in coastal North America starting in late April with greater numbers passing through in May. They tend stay out to sea during migration, so consider joining a pelagic birding trip or whale watching trip as they can be challenging to spot from shore."
• Arctic Terns migrate from pole to pole; birds in North America travel around 25,000 miles each year.
• Downy Arctic Tern hatchlings come in two colors: gray or brown. And chicks from the same nest aren't always the same color.
• Arctic Terns can live for decades, but they usually do not start breeding until they are 3 or 4 years old.
• The oldest recorded Arctic Tern was at least 34 years old, when it was recaptured and rereleased during a banding operation in Maine.
• When molting its wing feathers during the winter, the Arctic Tern rarely flies; instead, it spends much of its time resting on small blocks of ice at the edge of the pack ice.
They lay on to three eggs and are buff to pale olive, blotched with black and brown color. Incubation is by both parents, 20-24 days. Parents are vigorous in defense of their nest, and will dive at and strike intruders.
The young leave the nest 1-3 days after hatching and find a place to hide nearby. Both parents bring food for the young. Age at first flight 21-28 days; young remain with parents for another 1-2 months.
They forage mostly by flying slowly upwind, hovering briefly, and then plunging to catch prey below the water's surface. Sometimes dips down in flight to take items from the surface, or chases flying insects in the air. Despite its small size, may steal food from other birds, swooping at them to startle them into dropping their catch.
"They eat small Fish, crustaceans, and insects." I found myself wishing they would stay because I was sure they were eating grasshoppers.
"Usually, first breeds at the age of 3-4 years. Nests in colonies, sometimes with other terns. Much of courtship is aerial, with groups and pairs performing high flights. Males may fly over the colony carrying fish, wings beating high above their back. On the ground, a pair of birds posture, bow, and strut in circles; the male presents fish to the female. The nest site is on the ground in the open. A nest (built by both sexes) is a shallow scrape, usually lined with a few bits of plant material, or debris."
