Tern! Tern! Tern! (to misquote Pete Seeger)

["Mike Carter" <>]

Recently, Common, Black & Lesser Noddy, Bridled, Sooty, Little, Australian & 
Asiatic Gull-billed, White-winged Black, Roseate, Common & Crested Tern were 
seen in the same day at Ashmore Reef . In my book that's 12 species of tern! 
At other times Lesser Crested & Whiskered Tern have been seen there.
Whilst talking of numbers of terns, yesterday, during a survey at Melbourne 
Water's Eastern Treatment Plant near Carrum, Victoria,  a compact flying 
flock of Whiskered Terns was estimated by the each of the four counters to 
contain 90, 105, 120 & 125 birds. A photograph revealed the actual number 
was 192.
To avoid sending a second email I should add that other species in large 
numbers on that Plant yesterday were >3,000 Coot, >2,300 Sharp-tailed 
Sandpipers, >2,000 Grey Teal, >1,200 Pink-eared Ducks, 80 Freckled Ducks & 
34 Glossy Ibis. I'm still collating the numbers! But only one Pectoral 
Sandpiper (that we found)!
Mike Carter
30 Canadian Bay Road
Mount Eliza  VIC 3930
Tel  (03) 9787 7136