Are there Whiskered Tern amongst them?. I was
able to shoot them from 80 ft away when the tides came in at about before noon
at Kuala Kedah. Before that they were skimming the seashore 200m /500 ft out.
They do have to rest and this give me an opportunity to shoot them. It was a
colony of about 30-40 terns.The Little Tern is a small, slender, migratory or partly migratory seabird. At less than 25 cm long it is small amongst tern species Pale grey upperparts contrast with the white chest, underbelly and the moderately long, deeply forked tail.
The Little Tern has a black cap and black outer wing-edges. Can be seen in flight. During breeding the bill (26 - 32 mm) and legs change from black to yellow, and a black wedge appears from the bill to the eye. During non-breeding, the Little Tern’s black cap shrinks to a black nape and its bill becomes black. No record of breeding here in Peninsula.
Their location and habitat distribution are :-
Ours is the Sinensis subspecies migrating from Eastern Asia, in Sept-November the Little Tern is found in Peninsula until Western Australia South Australia. It breeds in spring and summer along the entire east coast from Tasmania to northern Queensland, and is seen until May, with only occasional birds seen in winter months.
Their Habitat and ecology:-
Almost exclusively coastal, preferring sheltered environments; however may occur several kilometres from the sea in harbours, inlets and rivers (with occasional offshore islands or coral cay records). Nests in small, scattered colonies in low dunes or on sandy beaches just above high tide mark near estuary mouths or adjacent to coastal lakes and islands. The nest is a scrape in the sand, which may be lined with shell grit, seaweed or small pebbles.
Both parents incubate up to three well-camouflaged eggs for up to 22 days, aggressively defending the nest against intruders until the young fledge at 17 - 19 days. Often seen feeding in flocks, foraging for small fish, crustaceans, insects, annelids and molluscs by plunging in the shallow water of channels and estuaries, and in the surf on beaches, or skipping over the water surface with a swallow-like flight.
New sighting at Malim Nawar February 2017
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