Birding at the Beach

I had some time on Saturday to go birding, so I decided to look for a bird that was reported just north of Columbus. The bird in question
was a Forster's Tern, one that I'm a big fan of and that I hadn't seen this year. Terns in general are gull-like birds that spend most of their time in the air. They are talented fliers, using their long wings to perform the complex aerial maneuvers that allow them to catch fish while on the wing and then eat them before any gulls catch up.

Birding at the beach this time of year can be difficult, mainly because of all the people. This day was no exception, so I was a little worried that the crowds of people would make the birds go elsewhere. I headed to the far end of the beach where I saw a flock of the ubiquitous Ring-billed Gulls in the water and started scanning for terns.

The first tern that I saw was a more regular bird, a Caspian Tern. These hefty terns are bigger than some gulls and sport a thick orange bill. Several of these cruised overhead, looking for a meal. Other birds in the air were Purple Martins, Barn Swallows and Cliff Swallows. Although more terrestrial than terns, these swallows have the same impressive abilities when it comes to flight. They spend most of their time catching insects on the wing and are a ton of fun to watch.

I was also lucky to see an Osprey flying overhead! These hawks are fish specialists and eat little else. Most large bodies of water in Ohio host at least one Osprey, and the Alum Creek Reservoir is no exception. I didn't see him make a dive for anything, but I did capture some video:

Shortly after the Osprey moved on, I spotted my Forster's Terns. Small, quick, and far out on the water meant that I didn't think I'd get a chance to record anything. However, I noticed that a large number of gulls were forming up on the other end of the beach in the same direction that the terns were moving. I took my chances and walked down to the south end of the beach and found the tern resting at the edge of the water!

A massive Caspian Tern keeping watch over the smaller Forster's Tern

Forster's Tern taking a bath in the waves

A couple of the young Ring-billed Gulls are showing fresh juvenile plumage.

A young Ring-billed Gull and two Forester's Terns scan the waves

It was hot enough that the terns were panting!

If you can't tell, I got a little trigger-happy. I think a lot of the pictures terned turned out pretty well! Most of the terns we have in Ohio will be headed south for the winter, but they'll be hanging out on the larger bodies of water in Ohio for a few weeks..You can see my full list from the Alum Creek beach here.