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Interior Least Terns, a Federally listed Endangered Species
A group of Interior Least Terns, a Federally listed Endangered Species, comes to Amistad every summer to nest on islands that have recently emerged when the lake is dropped due to water releases for agricultural irrigation purposes downstream. These terns, similar in appearance to a streamlined Sea Gull, are very small, about twice the size of a sparrow. The terns are actively nesting on several islands at Amistad at this time. The tern nesting islands have been posted with large blue signs with white letters alerting boaters of the presence of the terns. There is no problem with park visitors approaching close to the island to observe the birds or to fish the shallows near the islands. However, we ask that park visitors do not beach their boats and step out onto the island itself. The densive tactics of these terns is to fly up from their ground nests as a group, circle the area, and occasionally swoop down at the head of the intruder. The terns will generally remain circling above for the entire time that the intruder is on the island. The problem is that during the hot part of the day, if the tern is off the nest for an extended period of time, the tern eggs, hatchlings, and fledgelings will be exposed to the direct sunlight and get so hot that they could die. Another problem is boaters with dogs letting their dogs off on the nesting island to stretch, resulting in the dogs chasing the birds. Follow the link for additional information on this facinating little bird.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/leasttern/
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