Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Gull-billed Terns

While walking along the Tin Can Bay foreshore the other morning I watched quite a number of Gull-billed Terns. It was especially interesting to see one bird showing some juvenile plumage. This one is possibly not more than 3-4 months old. These terns are resident here but they go to inland waters to breed when the conditions there are right. Exactly where the ones from this area go is apparently not known. A couple of years ago I saw a young bird with this much juvenile plumage, but never with more than this.
Juvenile Gull-billed Tern
This photo shows two birds in adult plumage on the left, the one in the middle has some white showing in its cap as it goes into non-breeding plumage, and the bird on the right is a Caspian Tern.
This photo shows a Crested Tern in non-breeding plumage and behind it a juvenile (or maybe a non-breeding) Gull-billed Tern.
Crested, Caspian and Gull-billed Terns are the three terns resident in this area. All of them spend a short time away in other areas of Australia during their breeding.

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8 comments:

  1. Denis WilsonJune 23, 2009 at 11:02 PM

    Hi Mick I still love the Caspian. Such a striking bird. But I would be thrilled to see a Gull-billed Tern. Not sure I have ever seen one.
    Cheers
    Denis

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  2. mickJune 24, 2009 at 6:04 AM

    Hi Denis, Don't know why but I see fewer Caspians than other terns. They are quite distinctive and easier to recognize than any of the others. I actually got some rather distant photos yesterday of a Caspian tern diving for fish.

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  3. tilcheffJune 24, 2009 at 9:39 AM

    Love your Tern posts, Mick!

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  4. AnonymousJune 24, 2009 at 11:50 AM

    Hi Mick, I really appreciate your photos of the terns at different ages and stages. I have seen all three terns but it usually takes me a while to be sure of my ID, except for the Caspian of course. Your photos are a great help thank you.
    Cheers
    Barbara

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  5. betty-NZJune 24, 2009 at 12:32 PM

    These are really great photos. Thanks for sharing shots most of us will never see!

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  6. mickJune 24, 2009 at 6:45 PM

    Thanks for commenting Nickolay, Barbara, and Bettyl. One reason I find terns so fascinating is that their plumage changes so much over just a few months. Certainly keeps you alert to watch it all.

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  7. GouldiaeJune 25, 2009 at 7:32 AM

    G'day Mick,
    Thank goodness that most times I see terns I have my living field guide, (aka Duncan), with me. I have great difficulty separating some of them. Now you tell me there are terns with gull bills or gulls with tern bills or something! Add breeding and non-breeding plumage, etc and I'm totally lost. Thank goodness for people such as yourself to help out the likes of me.
    Gouldiae

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  8. mickJune 25, 2009 at 7:53 AM

    Oh Gouldiae, you flatter me - and it is definitely not deserved! I am learning too and I have expert help from Jill Dening from the Sunshine Coast. I take the photos and she helps me with ID. Then the next time I get something similar I know it. Taking photos has been the most help in remembering and I now have nearly 3 years of photos for reference. Now all these terrible and delightful little "bush birds" - that's a different story :-(

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