By Bobby O'Link
I must admit, it's difficult choosing my favorite tern species. They're all so sleek. So incredibly beautiful. They're built to fly. The Gull-billed Tern is special because we so rarely see or hear about one in Pinellas. The Caspian Tern is magnificent in that it's the largest of our terns and has such a stunning, brightly-colored, red-orange bill.The Royal Tern is the fisherman. We take it for granted because its so common in our area, but common or not, it's exciting to watch. It has a terrific call. The Sandwich Tern stands out and is unique with its bill tipped with yellow, its more-slender body, its black crest and deeply forked tail. In some respects it is the most beautiful of our terns.Then there's the Forster's Tern, a mainstay throughout the year except in the middle of the summer when sightings are few. Its nearly identical relative, the Common Tern, is a gorgeous bird in breeding plumage and during the fall when there are so many migrating terns to sort through, it can be fun to pick out in a crowd. We look for its dark shoulder bar, enabling us to smile with pride knowing we've been able to identify it. Of course, you can't forget the Least Tern. They're so tiny and fun to fuss over. Arriving in April, they nest on rooftops and beaches, before departing in the fall. It seems they never stop chattering and always seem to make their presence known.But my favorite is the Black Tern. Though it doesn't dive for fish like the other terns, its beauty, grace, and agility are unmatched in my book.The Black Tern in its alternate (breeding) plumage is unique amongst the terns we see around Pinellas with its blackish head, neck, and underparts. In July, when many are migrating south through out area, we can occasion-ally see a few in this plumage, or nearly so (at right).Full breeding plumage isn't reached until its third year, and so many of the Black Terns we see in Pinellas are usually 2nd-summer birds and juveniles. An opportunity for study.Black Terns breed north of Florida along lakeshores and in marshes in the northern fourth of the United States and throughout Canada. Typically, by mid-July, reports around our state begin to come in of migrating Black Terns. You may see them over large lakes like Lake Tarpon, Lake Seminole, or Lake Maggiore. You may also see them resting along exposed mudflats in Tampa Bay or even a sand spit at Fort DeSoto CP, Honeymoon Island SP, or Three Rooker Bar.By the time August and September roll around Black Tern migration is in full swing. To give you an idea, Larry Hopkins and Charles Buhrman once reported a flock of over 1,000 Black Terns, 25 Miles of Clearwater Beach, on September 25 (1976).So, when you're out braving the elements this month, watch for migrating Black Terns as they make their way south to their winter destinations like Panama, Peru, or Surinam. 
