Least Tern Hatchling

I visited a second Least Tern colony near my home today which can only be reached via kayak.  I was disappointed when I only found one nearly fledged chick.  I got out of the kayak and searched the spit of land for more birds or eggs (I was asked to do this as part of the colonial waterbird survey that the County is responsible for doing on their lands due to my proximity to the site and the difficulty of getting there).  I found this adorable hatchling that may have been born this day.  Otherwise there was no real activity which was a bit of a surprise - I hope it means the other birds have fledged and I'm just late.

Least Tern Chicks

I was able to get out to one of the Least Tern colonies near my house to look for chicks and was not disappointed.  While I did find one abandoned Common Tern nest and one deceased Least Tern chick (that was likely only a few days old) there were a dozen or so chicks (and I suspect that some have fledged already) that were active on the island.  I'd never photographed chicks of these species before so the results are a great for me.

For more about birds that dot our shores (and yes, I know the Least Tern is not a shorebird) check out Shorebirds of North America: The Photographic Guide