Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.

The Common Tern in these photos were part of a group of 6 or 8 that practiced a fishing method called “plunge diving”, where they sight a fish close to the surface, on the wing and then dive into the water, taking the fish. They were not successful each time, but they eventually grabbed a nice dinner. This group may well have been part of colony which nests out on Cockenoe Island.

AllAboutBirds.org states, “Common Terns nest in colonies on the ground in areas with loose sand, gravel, shell, or cobble pebbles typically less than 350 feet from the water. They tend to choose areas with scattered, low-growing vegetation to provide cover for chicks.” Their clutch size is anywhere from 1-4 eggs with an incubation period of 22-27 days.