Psilos Bird Journal
Tuesday May 16th 2006
     
"Spoilt for choice" page 2
With the grebes gone it now gave me the opportunity to focus back on the terns. Walking back round to the raft I could hear their alarm calls and noticed that once again there was an unwelcome tern trying to muscle his way onto the raft. Working as a team the terns took it in turns to drive the bird away. The tern however wasnt going willingly and plenty of spectacular chasing, wheeling and diving ensued. Even when the rogue tern landed on their favoured perch some distance from the raft a tern would fly and drive him off.
 
 
At times the chase would take place very high in the sky with birds clashing in mid air with beaks and claws flying. Trying to photograph the two birds together in the same frame I found very difficult as the speed at which these fights and chases were conducted was awesome!
     

     
The photo above shows one of the resident terns calling out to his mate in the raft below after arriving back from chasing off the rogue tern.
     

 
Their perch is a highly prized place to sit and will be defended at all costs. Although terns breed colonially they will not tolerate another bird (unless it is their mate) to occupy the perch at the same time. If another tern approaches they call out, lower their wings and generally adopt a defensive position. It is rare that another tern triesto push them off but if the sitting tern suddenly flies away his place is usually taken pretty quickly by another.
 
     
Whilst sitting watching the terns I became aware of another new arrival. A pair of Canada geese with one gosling and the first I had seen here this season. When I first started coming here two years ago the geese were produsing around forty goslings a year. Last year two were raised and it may be only one this year. It would seem that the wardens egg smashing campaign is alive and well again this year!

 
The little guy was such a fiesty bird. When another pair of geese arrived to feed the parents started to hiss in defense and the little gosling joined in with as much vigour as he could muster! Watching him aggressively tug at the grass whilst feeding filled me with certainty that this little goose was going to make it to adulthood very easily.