Day 110: April 19th – One good tern deserves another

Overcast and threatening, stiff south-westerly wind, mid 70s

       We keep telling ourselves that each day here at Fort DeSoto will be the day of the great warbler “fallout” when all the conditions will prevail which will bring in many, many migrating birds.  We head out to the park, again with great expectations.  Once again, our hopes are dashed as we can find one lonely new species (lovely as it is)….the Blackpoll warbler.

        Leader Chuck found the warbler in a flowering Seagrape, the nectar of  which attracts insects upon which the warbler can dine.  Whether it is the good number of predators feeding on the warblers (like Yellow-crowned night-herons……) the drought, the warm winter, or something else, the warblers simply cannot be found here at DeSoto on our watch.

     What were did have the pleasure of witnessing was a nuptial ritual between two Royal terns.  It began with a dance of sorts as the two terns nuzzled one another, paraded side by side up and down the beach, and actually danced in circles around one another.  It appeared that this couple was a match made in heaven.

The "Dance"

      Next came the offering of the ring.  If you are a tern, the ring comes in the form of a fish.  This tern came up with what appeared to be a herring of considerable size considering that the tern is not an overly large bird.  He tried and tried to get her to take his “proposal”, but she continued to ignore his offering.

"The Gift" 

       What next?  Competition from another suitor!  A new male barged upon the scene with his alternative offering……a fine shrimp.  Still, when compared to the original male’s fish, the shrimp seemed to live up to its name.  How could she accept such a meager gift when the first male had been working so hard and had produced such an obviously superior gift?

Competition

       In no time, the second suitor realized the folly of his ways and flew off with his shrimp in search of another prospective bride.  Sorry to relate the final outcome or at least as much as we could see.  The female eventually crushed the hopes and desires of the attentive male by simply flying off.  All for naught!

       Two other sightings made the day complete.  A really nice look at a merlin perched high in a tree was at first in such a position as to make photographing the bird difficult.  With just a little maneuvering, however, we were able to get into better lighting conditions and came away with a more than satisfactory photo.

       Finally, at the day’s end, we came across two Yellow-crowned night-herons preparing to build their nest.  They were spending more time displaying to one another than they were actually working on their new home, so when (or if) it will be completed and put into use is another question. 

       One more fraction of a day to see if we can come up with our target for this trip….warblers.  Wish us luck!