In the early spring, hundreds of Common Tern nest on this little island .that sits off the path of the normal boating traffic They lay one or two eggs amongst the rocks and build what we would call a rather sparse nest..
Once the eggs hatch the traffic over and around the island grows as the parents make countless trips to feed minnows to the hungry chicks. Any visitor causes the parents to hover above the island, making a horrible ruckus and frequent diving attacks directed at your head.
When ever I was canoeing in the area I would ease by the island to see all the eggs or how the hatch was going. I would stay only a few seconds and then move on before I was deafened by all the commotion.
One particular year I arrived after all the eggs had hatched and the young terns were old enough to be walking around on the island. Out of the hundreds of young birds, dozens would be in the water, bobbing about near the shore like little corks.
They could paddle about awkwardly and did not go more than a few feet from the shore. They were adding to their diet by picking up bugs and beetles in the water.
I drifted slowly towards the island and sat in the canoe quietly without moving. I was to the point that I had a few young terns in the water with in a few feet of the canoe. The parents were not too disturbed as the chicks were getting to the stage where they could look after themselves, but could not yet fly.
Once chick in particular was very close so I decided to try and get a photo. I shifted my eyes to the camera lying in the bottom of the canoe and as I picked it up I heard a splash near the young tern. When I looked at the spot where he had been floating, all that remained was a small swirl in the water and a few bubbles.
My first thought was it had dived underwater to catch a small fish or a bug. Then I realized the chicks were too young and too buoyant to dive. They floated high in the water like a bundle of fluff.
I had no idea what happened so I continued to sit there very quietly looking at the other tern chicks that were near to me. After about five minutes I saw the open jaws of a very large Northern Muskellunge rise out of the water below a tern. The huge mouth full of teeth engulfed the chick then snapped shut as it sank back below the water.
It was all done in seconds with hardly a ripple in the water and failed to disturbed the other chicks nearby, which had not the slightest idea of what had just occurred. It was a disturbing view of mother nature at work.
Like a fool I started to chase the chicks that were in the water, with my canoe and paddle and forced them to get back on the island. After about fifteen minutes I had them all on the island but everyone was rather worked up with my interference. Even the adult Terns were upset with my actions.
When I was done I continued on my trip feeling that I had made a difference in saving many young terns.
An hour or so later, on my way back home I passed by he island and once again a dozen or so tern were bobbing about in the water near the shore.
I paused paddling and sat there long enough to see two more Terns sucked down into the jaws of death.
Since it was obvious I could not remain at the island for the next two weeks protecting Terns and waiting for them to learn how to fly, I moved on and left things in the hands of mother nature.
Later I realized that there were thousands of Terns on the lake and if the muskies did not take their share there would soon be thousands more and eventually millions, and not enough food to support them all.
It is a tough world out there and it has been working fine for millions of years before man came along.
Terns have been around long before man showed up and they will probably outlast us all.
I decided to mind my own business and let mother nature take care of hers.
No comments:
Post a Comment