Weekly Update for 8/2 - 8/8/2010
8/5 – 8/6/10 ›
Sixth visit to incipient Caspian tern colony at the abandoned Georgia Pacific mill site at the Port of Bellingham (WA); high counts of 2,345 adults and 764 chicks were observed on the colony this week; the area that is being used by nesting terns is fenced, providing some protection from mammalian predators; some of the terns colonizing this new site are likely from the failed colony at Dungeness Spit, WA, however, resightings of previously banded terns suggest that terns are also coming from colony sites in the Columbia River estuary, San Francisco Bay, Interior Oregon, and the Columbia Plateau; this completes our weekly reporting of field research activities at the Port of Bellingham Caspian tern colony for 2010
Weekly Update for 7/26 - 8/1/2010
7/30/10 ›
252 Caspian tern chicks captured and banded at the tern colony at the Georgia Pacific mill site at the Port of Bellingham (WA); Jennifer Bohannon, Paul DeBruyn, and Thomas Cyra with the Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, Joe Meche with North Cascades Audubon, and 4 volunteers assisted with chick banding
Weekly Update for 7/19 - 7/25/2010
7/21 – 7/22/10 ›
Fourth visit to incipient Caspian tern colony at the abandoned Georgia Pacific mill site at the Port of Bellingham (WA); high counts of 2,755 adults and 516 chicks were observed on the colony this week; the area that is being used by nesting terns is fenced, providing some protection from mammalian predators; some of the terns colonizing this new site are likely from the failed colony at Dungeness Spit, WA, however, resightings of previously banded terns suggest that terns are also coming from colony sites in the Columbia River estuary, San Francisco Bay, Interior Oregon, and the Columbia Plateau
Weekly Update for 7/12 - 7/18/2010
7/14 – 7/15/10 ›
Third visit to incipient Caspian tern colony at the abandoned Georgia Pacific mill site at the Port of Bellingham (WA); high counts of 2,940 adults, 411 pre-fledged chicks, and two fledglings were observed on colony this week: the area that is being used by nesting terns is fenced, providing some protection from mammalian predators; some of the terns colonizing this new site are likely from the failed colony at Dungeness Spit, WA, however, resightings of previously banded terns suggest that terns are also coming from colony sites in the Columbia River estuary, San Francisco Bay, Interior Oregon, and the Columbia Plateau
Weekly Update for 7/5 - 7/11/2010
7/9 – 7/10/10 ›
Second visit to incipient Caspian tern colony at the abandoned Georgia Pacific mill site at the Port of Bellingham (WA); high counts of 2,180 adults and 361 chicks on colony; the area that is being used by nesting terns is fenced, providing some protection from mammalian predators; most of the terns colonizing this new site are likely from the failed colony at Dungeness Spit, WA
Weekly Update for 6/28 - 7/4/2010
7/1 – 7/2/10 ›
First visit to incipient Caspian tern colony at the abandoned Georgia Pacific mill site at the Port of Bellingham (WA); high counts of 1,850 adults and 138 chicks on colony; the area that is being used by nesting terns is fenced, providing some protection from mammalian predators; most of the terns colonizing this new site are likely from the failed colony at Dungeness Spit, WA
Weekly Update for 6/21 - 6/27/2010
Nothing to report
Weekly Update for 6/14 - 6/20/2010
6/17/10 ›
Aerial survey of the Puget Sound Region verified that the Dungeness Spit Caspian tern colony has failed and terns have not attempted to re-nest at the site; colony abandonment was apparently caused by nest predation from coyotes and bald eagles; large Caspian tern colony verified at Port of Bellingham in northern Puget Sound; colony may include up to 1,000 nesting pairs, which are using a bare pavement and gravel area where an old warehouse was demolished last year
Weekly Update for 6/7 - 6/13/2010
Nothing to report
Weekly Update for 5/31 - 6/6/2010
Nothing to report
Weekly Update for 5/24 - 5/30/2010
5/29/10 ›
Fifth visit to Dungeness Spit Caspian tern colony; no Caspian terns observed on colony; colony completely abandoned, presumably due to nest predation by mammalian and avian predators; 257 abandoned nest scrapes and 67 depredated tern eggs counted on colony; fresh tracks of coyotes, river otters, and bald eagles observed on tern colony
5/24/10 ›
Fourth visit to Dungeness Spit Caspian tern colony; up to 192 Caspian terns counted on colony, most appeared to be attending nests, some with eggs; fresh tracks of coyotes and river otters observed near tern colony; several bald eagles observed near tern colony
Weekly Update for 5/17 - 5/23/2010
Nothing to report
Weekly Update for 5/10 - 5/16/2010
5/12/10 ›
Third visit to the Dungeness Spit Caspian tern colony; up to 170 Caspian terns counted on Dungeness Spit colony site, the first sighting of terns on-colony this year; currently, there are ca. 500 fewer terns observed on-colony compared to the same time last year; one Caspian tern egg was seen on colony, but it was later depredated by a gull; fresh coyote tracks observed near Dungeness Spit tern colony; up to 17 bald eagles observed near colony
Weekly Update for 5/3 – 5/9/2010
5/4/10 ›
Second visit to the Dungeness Spit Caspian tern colony; no Caspian terns seen on the former site of the colony; 125 Caspian terns observed roosting on mudflats east of colony site; coyote tracks observed near former site of Dungeness Spit tern colony; bald eagles seen flying over and perched near colony site
Weekly Update for 4/26 – 5/2/2010
Nothing to report
Weekly Update for 4/19 – 4/25/2010
4/21/10 ›
First visit to the Dungeness Spit Caspian tern colony; no Caspian terns seen on the former site of the colony; 10 Caspian terns seen flying over colony site and roosting on mudflats east of colony site; coyote tracks observed near former colony site; bald eagles seen flying over and perched near colony site
Weekly Update for 4/12 – 4/18/2010
Nothing to report
