Caspian Tern Archives - Window to Wildlife - Photography by Jim Edlhuber

One of my birding stops today was Grant Park in Milwaukee County. One of the highlights was a steady stream of Bonaparte’s Gulls heading south. Another highlight was a small flock of Caspian Terns on the beach. The first ones of the year are always so cool to see. The Caspian Terns were hanging out with Ring-billed Gulls and a couple of Bonaparte’s Gulls on the beach until some beach folks came along and then the terns flew south. Also flying by were a couple good size flocks of first of the year Double-crested Cormorants. A fun day out with lots of new birds for the year! Images were taken on April 14, 2016.

Caspian Tern

Caspian Tern, I see a band on this one…..I’ll have to look into that.

Caspian Terns

Caspian Tern

Caspian Tern

Caspian Terns hanging out with Ring-billed Gulls and a Bonaparte’s Gull

Caspian Terns

Bonaparte’s Gull

Bonaparte’s Gull, not sure what this was, was it picking off a bug?

Bonaparte’s Gulls all heading south today!

Bonaparte’s Gull hanging out in the water

Bonaparte’s Gull

Double-crested Cormorants

Double-crested Cormorant

Caspian Tern

By admin | April 26, 2014 - 7:09 pm |May 2, 2014 Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers

1 Comment

I birded the Milwaukee lakefront this morning for a short period of time. The highlight was Caspian Terns. There were a small amount present on Bradford Beach sitting with many Ring-billed Gulls. There were also a small group of them fishing for food over at McKinley Marina. 5 Black-crowned Night-Herons were on the east side of the Veterans Park Lagoon, and recent ducks that have been reported are still present. I observed many large flocks of Double-crested Cormorants flying north far out over the water, and some flocks very high up over the shoreline. Beautiful morning to be out with lots of sunshine, but the steady northeast winds made it almost feel like winter. Photographs were taken on April 26, 2014 on the lakefront in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Caspian Tern

Binomial name: Sterna caspia

Category: Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers

Size: 21” long, 50” wing span

Weight: 1.4 lbs.

Habitat: Main breeding habitats are large lakes, ocean coasts, river and barrier islands and marsh in salt water in the Northwestern US and scattered places though out Canada.

Diet: Mainly fish but have been known to also eat large insects and crayfish.

Nesting: They typically nest in colonies. The nest is nothing more than a shallow scrape on the ground made of shell parts, dried plant material and pebbles located in sand or gravel. The rim of the nest may also be topped off with sticks. 1-3 buff eggs are laid which both sexes incubate and they also both care for the young.

Cool Facts: Largest tern in the world. Caspian Terns winter in parts of the southern US and Mexico, some are permanent residents on the California coast. This species flies over the water searching for food. When they locate their food, they plunge straight down into the water to get it. Sometimes they remain under the water for seconds, looks as if they have disappeared. Then they just take flight right out from under the water, pretty amazing!