by Zoe Diaz-Martin, Intern USF&WS
Friday, June 7, 2013:
Our first week on Falkner has proven to be an exciting and busy one. We arrived on Monday the 3rd, soaking wet, only to be greeted by mobs of common terns that were not
as happy to see us as we were to see them. After opening the field station and moving our gear, we started to settle into our daily routine. First, we check all of the common tern productivity plots on both the top and bottom of the island. As expected the bottom of the island has more common tern nests than the top because it provides better nesting habitat for the birds who prefer rocky surfaces to lay their eggs on. We then begin searching for roseate tern nests, which are often cryptically hidden away in the revetment along the bottom of the island. Finding a roseate nest requires a lot of patience while you sit and observe an area for hours on end, in both hot and cold weather, waiting to see if a roseate visits a nest site. But the feeling you get after discovering a small, concealed and beautiful little nest makes it absolutely [Read more…]