g'Day Jill and fellow birders
The discussion about our northern population of Little Tern brings back
fond memories as I recall observing them as a regular but not common
bird along the Kimberley coast for most of the period from 1992 to 1999
when we lived permanently on a Trepang fishing boat, working areas
mainly east from about 124 degrees near Collier Bay to the NT border.
They were more often seen along the coast during the wet season with
largest numbers that we recorded being 20+ at West Bay in February 1997,
however in the vicinity of Coronation Islands a few of these birds could
be found throughout most of the year
Little Terns were more abundant in some years (1992, 1997 and 1999)
compared to others. We observed breeding at three locations; Maret,
Prudhoe and also the Eclipse Islands. Sandspits near tidal channels
were the favoured sites where they were sitting in Feb/March. Along
the Kimberley coast, I suspect Little Terns are more abundant further
west of 124 deg where many of the islands have long sandy beaches with
shallow inlets and estuarine lagoons that is their preferred habitat.
Regards
Ian and Pat May
PO Box 666
Enfield Plaza SA 5085
Mob. 0409 474 575
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