The White-winged Tern was seen again this afternoon for only about a minute
on the far side of Swan Cove at Chincoteague NWR, at about 3:00 p.m. This is
consistent with appearances of the bird on Friday and Saturday. Observers
included Butch Pearce, Mike and Dixie Overton, Sue Heath, John Little, Todd
Day, and others. With the east wind, all the Chlidonias terns here appear to
be working upwind along the far treeline at Swan Cove, then gradually
drifting back toward the northwestern corner of the Cove, then (apparently)
around beyond the far tree line to work water somewhere else on the refuge.
It may be that standing along the road at Swan Cove isn't the best strategy
for seeing this bird after all, as its long absences suggest that it's
working somewhere else for a good part of the day (unlike Black Terns,
White-wingeds don't really feed over the ocean, so it's probably either in
Shoveler Pond or the bit of Swan Cove that's not visible from the road.
Apparently the North Wash Flats are flooded now; this would provide extensive
ideal habitat for the species. There are still minimally 4 Black Terns
present here; it is likely that they (and the White-winged) will depart on
the next cold front (which will probably be here by Thursday), if not before.
Ned Brinkley
Cape Charles, VA
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