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Least Tern Census



Yesterday afternoon I got permission from The Food Lion at Emerald Isle to
clmb up to the roof and to take a census on the Least Tern breeding colony
that Alan Johnston has reported on in the past. So both Alan and I went up
to the roof and were edified to find not the fifty or so Least Terns that
Alan had estimated earlier, but a whopping 320. I dont mean 320 pairs but
rather individuals. Some of these 320 were part of a pair since they were
feeding each other fish. The eggs, which were a brownish grey with brown
speckles were laid in the gravel on the roof and had not as yet hatched.
Every once in a while laughihg Gulls would fly over and though they did
not seem intent on grabbing the eggs, the roosting terns would nonetheless
spook and fly up in the air in a swarm. Very Bracing.

On my way back from Emerald Isle I stopped at Fort Fisher today and was
further edified to find a flock of seven beautiful Glossy Ibises feeding
by the Basin Trail. I mention this because in four years of going to Ft
Fisher I have only seen Glossies there once before and that was alone
individual. Does anyone know if Glossies are declining in North Carolina,
my impression is that they are rather rare.

Shantanu Phukan

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SHANTANU PHUKAN
Lecturer in Urdu-Hindi & Indian Literature
University of N. Carolina, Chapel Hill
Curriculum in Asian Studies
Alumni Hall 413C
Chapel Hill, N.C. 27599

phukan@email.unc.edu
919-962-6825
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