TERNS: 1989 SUMMARY

Results of the 1989 tern inventory were mixed, though generally there was no dramatic change in 1989 compared with year earlier results.

The biggest news for 1989 was the continuing improvement in Common Tern numbers. For the fifth consecutive year, Common Terns increased, breaking over the 10,000 pr. mark and attaining their highest population level since careful annual monitoring began in 1970. A final total of 10,199 prs. at 25 stations represented a 7% gain over year earlier results of 9,533 prs. Since 1985, improvement has averaged 8% annually. Eleven sites (v. 10 in 1988) harbored 100 or more prs.

Many of the traditional large colonies seemed to be off slightly compared with year earlier estimates, but these declines were more than offset by increases at Woodbridge I., Newburyport (275 prs., up 175%) and Gray's Beach, Yarmouth (243 prs., up 59%) and the apparent reemergence of a Monomoy-North group (670 prs., up 86%). On the North Shore, numbers at Tinker's I., Salem soared to 160 prs.--a nearly 6-fold gain from 1988--and, by far, the highest number recorded there since annual monitoring began in 1970. At Bird I., Marion, where Common Terns now outnumber Roseate Terns for the first time, there were 1,879 prs. (up 16%).

Other colonies of 100+ pairs, in addition to the aforementioned, were Nauset-New I., Orleans (3,824 prs.), Plymouth Beach (2,031 prs.), Hog I., Boston (256 prs.), Dead Neck-Sampson I., Barnstable (167 prs.), Long I., Hull (159 prs.) and Nashawena I., Gosnold (150 prs.).

Unfortunately, estimated numbers of the endangered Roseate Tern slipped for a third consecutive year to 1,576 prs. (down 5%). It is still difficult to state whether this marks a significant trend, since current estimates fall within the range--albeit at the low end--calculated over the period 1970-88. It remains worrisome (and equally mysterious) that Roseates do not seem to be mirroring the trend seen in the Common Tern population. At Bird I., Marion, where 93% of the Roseates are concentrated, Common Terns--as noted above--outnumbered the Roseates for the first time. The only other group of any size were some 60 prs. embedded within the huge Nauset-New I. Common Tern colony, the same as in 1988.

Nesting Arctic Terns, slipping below the previous low of 16 prs. recorded in 1984-85, numbered only 15 prs. at 3 sites in 1989. Eight pairs were established at Nauset-New I., Orleans, 6 prs. at Plymouth Beach and a single pair near Race Point Light in Provincetown. Other single pairs, not included in the total, turned-up in the post-census period at Monomoy-North, Chatham and Nashawena I., Gosnold. Page 2

Least Terns, coming down off record 1988 results, declined nearly 17% from 1988, with an estimated 2,233 prs. at 43 stations (51 counting additional "B-period" stations). The final estimate included adjusted figures to reflect particularly late nesting there. About 58% of the population was concentrated in six large colonies. These stations included: Nauset-Orleans (370 prs.), Coskata-Coatue, Nantucket (271 prs., peaking at 427 prs. in the "B-period"), , Ipswich (200 prs.), Dunbar Point, Barnstable (182 prs.), Tom Nevers Head, Nantucket (151 prs., reaching 203 prs. in the "B-period") and W. Dennis Beach (129 prs.). A seventh station, Monomoy-South, Chatham topped-out at 120 prs. in the "B-period." The mean colony size for 1989 was 51.9 (v. 51.6 in 1988). The median colony size was 22 (v. 20 in 1988).

Table 1. RESULTS OF THE 1989 TERN INVENTORY. All results expressed in pairs. Data are collected for the period 1-10 June, except 5- 15 June for the Least Tern. Colony numbers follow or are adapted from Erwin and Korschgen (1979). Numbers in parentheses reflect numbers of pairs recorded outside the census period and are not reflected in the total pairs. In the case of the Least Tern, these numbers indicate activity in the "B- period," roughly the last week of June to the third week of July. ------Colony Number Colony Name, Town(s) ROTE COTE ARTE LETE ------324007 Woodbridge I., Newburyport 275 324007.1 Blackwater River Group, Salisbury -----not visited----- 324008 Plum I. River Group, Newbury (marshes-incl. Pine I., Little Pine I. and Jericho Creek) 88 324009 Parker River Group (marshes) -----no activity----- 324009.1 Plum I. Beach, Newbury-Rowley-Ipswich 14(88) 324010 Roger I., Ipswich -----no activity----- 324010.2 Bagwell I., Ispwich -----no activity----- 324011 Crane Beach, Ipswich 1 200 324038 Tinker's I., Salem 160 324038.1 Saugus R. Bridge, Lynn & Revere 2 324042 Snake I., Winthrop -----no activity----- 324049.1 Lovell I., Boston 5 324050.1 Long I. pier, Hull 159 324053 Hog I. pier ("Spinnaker I."), Boston 256 324057 North R. mouth, Scituate 59 324058 Duxbury Beach, Duxbury 22(20) 324060 Wood End-Long Pt. area, Provincetown (4) 324061 Race Point Light area, Provincetown (1) 1 18 324062 Race Point CG Station, Provincetown 36(6) 324062.1 Mission Bell, Provincetown 27(55) 324062.2 Tasha's area, Provincetown (8) 324062.3 Beach Pt.-Pilgrim Beach, Provincetown (17) 324063 High Head, Truro (9) 352001 Plymouth Beach, Plymouth 11 2,031 6 41(98) 352002 No. Sandwich area (Town Beach- Springhill Beach-Old Harbor Creek) 2 65 352003 Scorton Creek, Sandwich 18 352004 Craigville-Long Beach, Barnstable 12 15 352004.1 Squaw I., Barnstable -----not visited----- 352005 Dunbar Pt. ("Kalmus"), Barnstable 182 352006 Sandy Neck, Barnstable 1 35 352007 Gray's Beach, Yarmouth 1 243 352008 West Dennis Beach, Dennis 88 129 352009 Nauset-Orleans 370 352010 Nauset-New Island, Orleans 60 3,824 8 (also: LAGU 956, BLSK 1) 352011 Nauset-Eastham (3) 352012 Marconi Beach, Wellfleet 25 352012.1 Pamet Harbor Bar, Truro -----not visited----- 352012.2 Great I.-Jeremy Pt., Wellfleet -----no activity----- 352013 Nauset-Chatham 6 Colony Number Colony Name, Town(s) ROTE COTE ARTE LETE ------352014 Harding's Beach & Point, Chatham 40 352015 Monomoy-North, Chatham 0 670 (1) (20) (also: LAGU 400) 352016 Monomoy-South, Chatham 70(120) 352017 Dead Neck-Sampson I., Barnstable 27 167 52 352017.1 , Mashpee 65 352018 South Cape Beach-Waquoit, Mashpee -----not visited----- 352020 Great Point, Nantucket 75(12) 352021 Coskata-Coatue, Nantucket 271(427) 352021.1 Squam Head & Pond, Nantucket (3) 352022 Quidnet (incl. Sesachach Pd.), Nantucket -----no activity----- 352023 Siasconset (incl. Low Beach), Nantucket 15(27) 352023.1 Tom Nevers Head, Nantucket 151(203) 352024 Quaise, Nantucket -----no activity----- 352025.1 Surfside, Nantucket -----no activity----- 352025.2 Cisco Beach, Nantucket 1 352026 Esther I./Smith Pt., Nantucket -----no activity----- 352027 Tuckernuck I., Nantucket 13(26) 352028 Muskeget I., Nantucket -----no activity----- 352030 Cape Poge Elbow, Edgartown -----no activity----- 352031 Little Neck, Edgartown 10(18) 352031.1 East Beach-Dike Bridge, Edgartown (1) (12) 352032 , Edgartown -----no activity----- 352033 Norton Beach ("Katama"), Edgartown 50(25) 352033.1 Edgartown Great Pd., Edgartown 8 352034 Sarson I., Sengekontacket Pd., Oak Bluffs -----no activity----- 352034.1 Haystack Pt., Sengek. Pd., Edgartown 4 75 352035 Sylvia State Beach, Oak Bluffs 10(11) 352035.1 Harthaven Beach, Oak Bluffs 6(12) 352036 Watcha Pd., West Tisbury -----no activity----- 352037 Quansoo area (Tisbury Great Pd., W. Tisbury & Black Pt. Pd., Chilmark) -----no activity----- 352037.2 Chilmark Pd., Chilmark -----no activity----- 352038 Lobsterville (incl. "Dogfish Bar"), Gay Head -----no activity----- 352038.1 Menemsha Pd., Gay Head/Chilmark (encompasses Edys I., Chilmark) (1) 50 352038.2 Stonewall Beach, Chilmark 2 352038.3 Long Beach, Gay Head-Squibnocket Beach, Chilmark (2) 352039 Nomans Land, Chilmark -----not visited----- 352040 Tashmoo, Tisbury 15(25) 352040.1 Eastville Beach, Oak Bluffs 15(6) 352040.2 Lamberts Cove-James Pd., W. Tisbury 4(2)

Colony Number Colony Name, Town(s) ROTE COTE ARTE LETE ------352041 Nashawena I., Gosnold 150 (1) 16 352041.1 Pasque I., Gosnold -----no activity----- 352042 Penikese I., Gosnold -----no activity----- 352042.1 Cuttyhunk I., Gosnold 34 352043 Ram I., Mattapoisett -----no activity----- 352044 Fish I., Fairhaven 8 352044.1 Long I., Fairhaven -----no activity----- 352044.2 West I., Fairhaven -----no activity----- 352045 Bird I., Marion 1,473 1,879 352045.1 Salters Pt. & Pd., Dartmouth 2 3 352046 Barney's Joy-Allen's Pd., Little Beach, Dartmouth 2 39(9) 352046.1 Gooseberry Neck, Westport -----no activity----- 352047.1 Speaking Rock, Westport 20 352048 Cockeast Pd.-Acoaxet, Westport -----no activity----- 352048.1 Richmond Pd., Westport 15 352048.2 Horseneck Beach, Westport 2(8) 352054.2 Bay Point, South Swansea 18 ------TOTAL 1989 NESTING PAIRS: 1,576 10,199 15 2,233

TOTAL 1989 NESTING SITES; 7 28 5 51

10/20/89

------Data compiled by BRADFORD G. BLODGET, State Ornithologist, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, Field Headquarters, Rt. 135, Westborough, MA 01581.