Joan and Dan's Birding Blog: Fall Migration Brings Black Terns, A New Life Bird

Spring migration (north bound) begins and ends in what seems like, the blink of an eye. Migrating birds are on tight schedules in the spring. They rush to their northern breeding grounds and get busy selecting mates, building nests and raising their young. In contrast, fall migration (south bound) takes place at a leisurely pace, spread out from July through November each year. Believe it or not, birds are on the move and the 2014 fall migration season is well underway. Many species of shorebirds have already returned to Florida. We have read reports of several species of warblers and raptors showing up in neighboring counties.
Today's featured feathered friend is the Black Tern, a new life bird for us. We spotted ten of them at Gandy Beach on Old Tampa Bay in Pinellas County, a location that is very reliable for this species, sometimes with hundreds of them present. The Black Tern is a small, thin-billed and short-tailed Tern. In breeding plumage it is black with a gray back, wings and tail and a white rump. It is about 9.5 inches long, weighs just over 2 ounces and has a wingspan of 23 inches.

During the summer in North America, the Black Tern breeds across most of Canada and the northern United States. In the winter it migrates to the beaches of northern South America. Prior to their southward migration, they begin to molt out of their breeding plumage. First the head will display white feathers, followed by the breast and then the belly. So, during their stay in Florida, they will appear in a variety of black and white plumages. Enjoy these photos of the Black Tern, life bird #251, taken July 16th at Gandy Beach.....tweet.....tweet!!