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Lake Champlain Colonial Waterbird Database Project
Common Tern
The Vermont state endangered Common Tern
(Sterna hirundo) population nests on 1-6 small islands in
Lake Champalin's Inland Sea. This graceful, fish-eating bird
was first documented on the lake on Popasquash Island in the
late 1800's. During the 1960's the population spread to other
sites including Rock (St. Albans), Grammas, Hen, Gull Rock
and Savage islands. The number of birds using each island
fluctuates from year to year with Popasquash and Rock islands
being the predominate nesting sites in recent years.
Common Tern numbers were estimated at
300-400 pairs in the late 1960's but declined through the
1970's and 1980's. In 1987 the Common Tern Recovery Project
began working to enhance tern productivity. Since then tern
numbers and breeding success has increased substantially although
recent years have shown a slight decrease in population levels.
Management activities include posting the islands to limit
human disturbance, control of gull and cormorant populations
on the nesting islands, efforts to limit predation from owls
and night herons, use of social attraction methods (decoys
and sound) to reintroduce terns to traditional nesting islands
and education about current conservation efforts.
Estimated Number of Common Tern Breeding
Pairs and Total Number of Fledglings (in parenthesis) on Lake
Champlain, 1987- 2004.
| Year |
Popasquash
Island |
Rock
Island (Georgia) |
Hen
Island |
Grammas
Island |
Gull
Rock Island |
Savage
Island |
Total* |
| 1987 |
35
(0) |
25
(8) |
15
(0) |
0 |
4
(0) |
0 |
55
(8) |
| 1988 |
30
(7) |
23
(7) |
15 (0) |
2
(0) |
15
(1) |
0 |
50
(15) |
| 1989 |
40
(18) |
15
(1) |
20 (0) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
50
(19) |
| 1990 |
55
(21) |
15
(8) |
6 (0) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
65
(29) |
| 1991 |
60
(39) |
10
(5) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
15
(0) |
65
(44) |
| 1992 |
75
(45) |
6
(0) |
11 (0) |
0 |
0 |
1
(0) |
80
(57) |
| 1993 |
90
(75) |
7
(0) |
10 (0) |
20
(0) |
0 |
2
(0) |
120
(75) |
| 1994 |
110
(84) |
8
(0) |
0 |
6
(0) |
0 |
0 |
130
(90) |
| 1995 |
150
(105) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
150
(105) |
| 1996 |
130
(22) |
0 |
12(0) |
5
(0) |
0 |
0 |
135
(22) |
| 1997 |
160
(111) |
13
(12) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
170
(111) |
| 1998 |
110
(25) |
45
(61) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
140
(86) |
| 1999 |
60
(20) |
90
(77) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
140
(97) |
| 2000 |
100
(57) |
80
(55) |
0 |
1
(0) |
0 |
0 |
160
(113) |
| 2001 |
130
(12) |
70
(2) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
180
(14) |
| 2002 |
120
(5) |
65
(20) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
170
(25) |
2003 |
110
(55) |
60
(22) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
160
(77) |
2004 |
150
(88) |
50
(19) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
190
(107) |
2005 |
175
(25) |
40
(9) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
195
(34) |
2006 |
110
(50) |
60
(45) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
160
(95) |
2007 |
125
(38) |
50
(31) |
0 |
5 (1) |
0 |
0 |
170
(70) |
| * estimate of total lake-wide population
size, does not represent sum of individual island |
| estimates due to the fact that failed pairs
may breed on different islands in a season. |
Source
LaBarr, M. S. 1996. The Vermont Common Tern Recovery Plan.
Unpubl. Report.
Vermont Institute of Natural Science. Woodstock, VT.
LaBarr, M. S. 1997-2004. The Breeding Status of Common Terns
on Lake Champlain.
Unpubl. Reports. Audubon Vermont. Huntington, VT.
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