Birds Galore: Stratton Island 2010

Common Tern with fish

Common Tern with fish. Photo by Marie Jordan.

Stratton Island is special! It is York County’s most northerly island and is the only island managed by Project Puffin in York County for tern survival. YCAS visited the island July 31 and six participants enjoyed spectacular looks at Common, Roseate, Least and Arctic Terns. The magic of being on an island dominated by tern sounds versus the busy sounds of summer cannot be given enough press. What a respite from the mainland!

Arctic and Roseate Terns

Arctic and Roseate Terns. Photo by Marie Jordan.

Our Birding Challenge contributions to Project Puffin made this field trip possible. Thanks to all who contributed as well as the island researchers who made difficult logistics work. Thanks also to the masses of migrating shorebirds and the grunts of the Harbor Seals — all part of the specialness of Stratton Island.

About Harlequin

Harlequin is a pseudonym for content not attributed to a specific author. It echoes the name of the YCAS newsletter, The Harlequin. Watch for Harlequin Ducks along the rocky portions of the York County coast in winter. ¶ The avatar is by Louis Agassiz Fuertes, who sketched and painted the species during the Harriman Alaska Expedition. ¶ "When we got before the glacier, I saw my first pair of harlequins... the glass showed them plainly to be a ♂ + ♀ histrionicus." — L.A. Fuertes, June 7, 1899
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