Caspian Tern

Hog Island Wildlife Management Area is located on the James River about halfway between Richmond and the Atlantic coast, very near Williamsburg, VA. I suspect that it is the proximity to the coast that makes Hog Island a pretty reliable place to see a few different species of tern, including Caspian Tern. I did a few queries within eBird and determined that Caspian Terns can be found at Hog Island during spring and fall migration, with August and early September being the best times to spot one.

As I mentioned in my previous post, my most recent trip to Hog Island was in early September. On this trip, I did see several Caspian Tern flying over the river. They were near to shore and a few were actively fishing. To fish, they would fly over the water until they spotted a likely victim. Once they had a target, they would hover a bit and then fold their wings in order to dive down into the water and, hopefully, catch some food.

Here are three photos of a Caspian Tern. The first two photos show a Caspian Tern in flight. The last photo shows one in mid-dive, on its way down to the river and hopefully a fish. Some clues that this is a Caspian Tern are the combination of black cap, black legs, and the large orange bill that has a darkish tip.