So far we have a small flock of around eight birds in Olympia.? They do fly around a lot close to dark and this evening they were actually above the low cloud cover.? I could hear but not see them.? One thing I know is that they do a roosting display swirling and swooping over their intended over-night spot and calling for everybody to join up.? This goes on for several minutes then one or two birds land at a time while the others continue to advertise.


I think the theory is that they calling in any other birds that are in the area to their communal roost.? Last summer I was fortunate to be right beneath a landing display as around fifty of them came in to land on a two story warehouse at the Port of Olympia.? I was watching a barn swallow nest where the babies were about ready to fledge and then I noticed a couple of terns were circling around overhead squawking then more and more came in from different directions until the air was full of big white birds swooping a diving all around. It was a real show.? This continued for several minutes and it seemed that nobody landed until the whole flock was there.? Then they began slowly dropping out and even then two terns remained in the air calling for several minutes after the rest were on the roof and it was very dark.


I wondered who gets to decide where the roost will be and what order do they land. I assume they have a pecking order the way other flocking birds do.? Does the alpha bird pick the roost and land first or are they one(s) that keep flying and calling and land last until it is quite dark?? This was the only time I say them roost on that roof top so I wasn't able to repeat the experience.? Usually they roost out on the shore somewhere.? Last night I saw? watched them swirl down over on the west side of the bay.? Other birds, of course, do roosting displays.? The gulls do it at times just not every night but they roost in the same spot down by the dock so they would already know where home is.? The terns here change locations often.??

As to feeding.? I don't seem them fishing late but more or less in the middle of the day.?

?
Ray Holden
Olympia, WA

Life is for the birds.


________________________________
From: Gary Smith <gsmith at smithandstark.com>
To: 'Beach Dee' <beachdee at hotmail.com>; 'TWEETERS' <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Monday, June 27, 2011 9:51 PM
Subject: RE: [Tweeters] Caspian Terns in the Evening


Dee,
?
I?ve wondered the same thing.? We usually see Caspian Terns fishing much more consistently in the mornings and evenings than mid-day.? Since I mainly observe them from this one spot and don?t know what they do or where they go the rest of the time, it?s pretty hard to know.? If they do fish more intently early and late, one hypothesis might be that their prey, which presumably includes juvenile salmon, might swim closer to the surface in lower light.? Or maybe their success is higher when the light isn?t casting their shadow on the water directly underneath them, or maybe they see better when the light isn?t straight down, or maybe they prefer dinner and breakfast over lunch!?
?
Other ideas, observations out there?
?
Gary T. Smith
Alki Point
?
From:tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu [mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Beach Dee
Sent: Monday, June 27, 2011 9:05 PM
To: TWEETERS
Subject: [Tweeters] Caspian Terns in the Evening
?
Probably everyone else knew about this but me, but I've been intrigued this past week or so by the rasping calls and varied flight patterns of Caspian Terns just around sunset time.? I'll be out for a last "fuss in the garden" fix, and then hear them.? One evening there were a pair chasing round and round, not too high; on other evenings they've been Really Far Up There, sillhouetted and the raspy call?still discernable.? Sometimes inbetween and varied, and always calling.? Usually have seen no more than 4, at a time,but this evening (Monday) 9 flew over at once.? Anyway, something new for me, observed from my yard (a block from the Sound), nearly every evening since I first noticed them a little over a week ago.? I've often spent?much of the day out in the garden during this?same time-period?and don't remember ever noticing this during the day, just these evenings; indeed, never before this past week, at any time?(it's our 3rd spring/summer
at this particular location).? Wouldn't mind hearing input/anecdotes/observations from others, and learning a bit about this behavior.

Dee Warnock
Beachdee at hotmail.com
Edmonds, WA
_______________________________________________
Tweeters mailing list
Tweeters at u.washington.edu
http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters