Arctic Tern! - 10 Jun 2025
Last evening Justin Labadie posted on Discord some photos of a presumed Arctic Tern ( Sterna paradisaea ) that he found in Cell 3 of Pt. Mouillee SGA just before storms moved in. His discovery wasn't realized until after he got home and reviewed images, but the (distant) pics showed a small, dark gray tern w/ long wing projections and sooty-gray belly. It prompted me to make a run this morning to look for it. I arrived at Mouillee Creek parking lot at about 7:30 am under clear skies and mild temps (59ºF) but a slight breeze coming from the NW produced a bit of a chill. Amber Piotter had just posted that there were no birds in Cell 3 so this prompted me to do a loop of the North Causeway and Vermet Unit before heading to Cell 3. I started out on the Middle Causeway then headed north along the west side of the Walpatich Unit. Swamp Sparrows, Willow Flycatchers , a Green Heron , and Marsh Wrens were the most audible birds this morning. One Marsh Wren was next to the trail so I got s...