Susie Wood posted on September 16, 2009 08:46
Each summer, Save the River (STR) and the Thousand Islands Land Trust (TILT) team up on the St. Lawrence Common Tern Program. This program was created to help restore the breeding grounds of the New York State threatened species, the Common Tern. Thanks to the efforts of STR, TILT, and their volunteers, the tern population in the Thousand Islands Region is up for the third year in a row.
Gearing up for the Common Tern nesting season includes three steps. In the early spring, STR and TILT staff and volunteers head out to the Eagle Wing Shoals behind Calumet Island, and Tidd Island in front of Grenell Island to install gull exclusion grids. The grids protect the tern nests from predators such as Ring-billed and Herring Gulls. Next, dedicated volunteers monitor the nesting areas to count the number of nests and chicks. This is not an easy task, as terns ruthlessly defend their nests. The final phase occurs after the nesting season. Again, volunteers and staff trek out to the small islands to remove the grids. The removal process takes just a few hours.
This year’s results showed another step forward for the Common Tern Program. Tidd Island, which was a new grid reclaimed for terns this year, had four nests at the height of nesting this season, up from just two nests last year. Unfortunately, no chicks hatched on Tidd, due to vegetation growth on the island. With some site improvements Tidd is expected to yield more nests and hopefully produce young next year. The Eagle Wing Shoals, which have been gridded since 2003, were very successful this year. A total of 16 chicks fledge! This is up from a total of 7 chicks during the 2008 season. Five of the chicks were tagged with steel bands from US Fish and Wildlife. This helps to track the bird’s movements, behavior, and survival over time as well as helps drive tern protection efforts throughout the country.
The increase in Common Tern nests and fledging chicks keeps the hope alive for this threatened species. STR and TILT are confident that the numbers will continue to grow year by year. This year’s grid projects were made possible by Reinman’s, White’s Lumber Supply, Greene Structures, Thousand Islands Ready Mix, and our dedicated volunteers. To learn more about the Common Tern Program, visit www.savetheriver.org. To volunteer for next season’s exclusion grid installation and/or removal, watch for the 2010 TILTrek & Talks calendar, or email TILT at
events@tilandtrust.org.