. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. The plight of the least tern The bird that is causing ornithologists the great- est concern on the North Carolina coast now is the Least Tern. The smallest of the terns, the Least Tern habitually nests on the beaches, where it is exposed to the hazards of encroaching develop- ment, tourists and fishermen, This little bird seems to be suffering all over the country. One race of Least Terns on the West Coast has already been placed on the California and federal registers of endangered species. In North Carol
. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. The plight of the least tern The bird that is causing ornithologists the great- est concern on the North Carolina coast now is the Least Tern. The smallest of the terns, the Least Tern habitually nests on the beaches, where it is exposed to the hazards of encroaching develop- ment, tourists and fishermen, This little bird seems to be suffering all over the country. One race of Least Terns on the West Coast has already been placed on the California and federal registers of endangered species. In North Carolina, the Least Tern falls into the offi- cial category of special concern, which is one step short of a threatened species. Leon Jernigan, a graduate student at NCSU, is rapidly becoming North Carolina's expert on the plight of this bird. Jernigan has been working with Sea Grant-supported researchers Jim Parnell and Bob Soots to study the size of the Least Tern popu- lation. He is also studying the bird's requirements for suitable nesting sites. When he completes his research this summer, Jernigan expects to be able to propose management techniques that might increase the size of the colonies in the state. The Least Tern requires a bare, sandy area with little or no vegetation for nesting. In the past it has nested largely on the barrier islands and coastal beaches. It has been slower than many other species to turn to the safer habitats on dredge islands. But now an estimated two-thirds of the population nests on dredge islands. There are more suitable dredge islands that are not being used, Jernigan points out. The Least Tern is most vulnerable during its nesting season, which can stretch from the first of May until the end of July. The female usually lays two inch-long eggs directly on the sand. The eggs have a 19- to 20-day incubation period. It is 21 days before the hatched fledgling can fly. Because they are well-camouflaged, the eggs and the young are often destroyed by
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookcollectionunclibra, booksubjectoceanography
