Caspian Tern

The Caspian Tern is the world largest of the terns. Breeding in spring and summer, they nest either together in colonies, or singly in mixed colonies of other tern and gull species.

I happened to come upon a group of terns this weekend by going to one of my routine locations that I stop by weekly. It seems every week that I come here there is a different species of birds and the previous occupants have moved on. However there are always crows, and ducks to be seen along the river. There is always something to entertain you, be it the crows causing mischief and harassing other birds or the ducks swimming by peacefully.

On this outing the Tern’s red-orange bill with a small black tip and black capped heads instantly caught my attention and turn me away from the latest production of Crows called to dance with an Osprey.

Living in the Seattle area we see a lot of Gulls, but right off you know that this is not a Sea Gull. What is amazing about this bird is how it glides across the air with its head pointed down scanning the water in search of food and then it zeros in on one and the glide turns into a sub sonic dive and the water explodes as the tern for a moment is gone and then with the same fury it shatters the water surface as it rises out of the water. At this point if you look close enough you will see within that bright red-orange bill  the twinkle of a shiny silver fish.  If you are interested in seeing more of the Caspian Tern  click here to view  Terns in action.