Black Billed Gulls & White Fronted Terns - Napier Estuary
I’ve often seen White Fronted Terns and Black Billed Gulls nesting together. They seem to get along quite well. With each having their own areas, they happily share the same nesting sites. I first found them together on the Ashburton River, then Ferrymead Christchurch, Ashley River, Kaikoura and here in Napier.
These photo’s are taken during February ‘24 mostlylate afternoon / sunset. The nesting site this year was in the rocky stop bank next to the estuary inlet. This is west facing - perfect to catch the beautiful golden light at sunset. Previous years they’ve nested on the island about 30 meters inside the estuary. They can be pretty transient with their nesting sites but generally keep to a local area from year to year.
The Black Billed Gulls in particular, sometimes have a hard time of things, as they tend to nest in riverbeds and other exposed places prone to flooding. This makes them a little more transient than the Terns.
Terns on the other hand seem to prefere rocky outcrops more often (apart from when they’re kicking it with the Gulls).
238 White Fronted Tern with adolescent
233 BLACK BILLED GULL
236 BLACK BILLED GULL - NAPIER
Terns bring dinner home whole, where-as Gulls do the ol’ regurgitating thing like Gannets and Shags
295 BLACK BILLED GULL CHICKS
463 BLACK BILLED GULL CHICK
470 WHITE FRONTED TERN LANDING WITH FISH
464 WHITE FRONTED TERN ADOLESCENT SLEEPING
231 WHITE FRONTED TERNS DINNER TIME
462 BLACK BILLED GULL ADOLESCENT
465 WHITE FRONTED TERN FEEDING CHICK
Click image for slideshow
616 BLACK BILLED GULL CHICKS - NAPIER
646 WHITE FRONTED TERN - NAPIER
BLACK BILLED GULL - NAPIER
616 BLACK BILLED GULL CHICKS - NAPIER
645 BLACK BILLED GULLS - EMERGENCY DRILL - NAPIER
651 BLACK BILLED GULLS EMERGENCY ASSEMBLY POINT - NAPIER
652 BLACK BILLED GULL CHICKS EMERGENCY EVAC - NAPIER
647 BLAC BILLED GULL CHICK - NAPIER
650 BLACK BILLED GULL CHICK - NAPIER
648 BLACK BILLED GULL CHICKS EMERGENCY EVAC - NAPIER
649 BLACK BILLED GULL CHICKS IN EMERGENCY EVAC - NAPIER
690 BLACK BILLED GULL & CHICK - NAPIER
WHITE FRONTED TERN - NAPIER
466 ONE LEGGED BLACK BILLED GULL ADOLESCENT
This little guy’s only got one leg!
471 ONE LEGGED BLACK BILLED GULL ADOLESCENT
Birds often rest standing on one leg. This one actually has one missing.
468 ONE LEGGED BLACK BILLED GULL ADOLESCENT
467 ONE LEGGED BLACK BILLED GULL ADOLESCENT & TERNS
Hop-along here showed up in a few photos. Who knows how she lost her leg - birth defect / shark bit it off (?) Regardles, she seemed healthy and perfectly capable. In nature not many creatures are known for helping the dissabled. Luckily, a missing leg doesn’t pose too much of a problem for sea birds.
EMERGENCY DRILL
As i sat watching these awesome little dudes, who would happen by but someone walking their dog.
There’s nothing a little dog loves more than a whole bunch of new friends to play with - and some of these ones fly!
Fortunately these well organised clans were more than prepaired for their four legged friend.
256 BLACK BILLED GULL COLONY
291 BLACK BILLED GULL CHICKS
647 BLAC BILLED GULL CHICK - NAPIER
648 BLACK BILLED GULL CHICKS EMERGENCY EVAC - NAPIER
Everyone swam with the tide down to the bridge to rendevous on the rocks under it. There, both Terns and Gulls alike, huddled on the rocks while the adults kept a strong perimeter. Any chicks caught in the current were shepherded back to the group and any stragglers guarded by multiple parents. Everyone was frosty sharp, high alert, ready for action - it was so cool.
It was like someone pressed the big red button.
First up were the lookouts - alarm squawks and flappy take-offs. These guys circled the approaching threat and kept the alarm going.
Meanwhile the adults sprang into action and the round-up began. The escape plan, once in motion, ran like a well oiled machine. It looked totally rehearsed like a fire drill, where everyone knew their job and knew where to go.
Most of the Terns were old enough to fly so they took off to an island across the estuary, The Black Bill youngsters immediately took to the water and were hearded along by their flapping squawking parents. Meanwhile the adult Terns took “turns” dive-bombing the threat.
“Swim Forest Swim!”
( For any millenials reading this - “Run Forest Run!” was a classic line from the movie “Forest Gump”, starring some geeza called Tom Hanks, )
649 BLACK BILLED GULL CHICKS IN EMERGENCY EVAC - NAPIER
650 BLACK BILLED GULL CHICK - NAPIER
652 BLACK BILLED GULL CHICKS EMERGENCY EVAC - NAPIER
651 BLACK BILLED GULLS EMERGENCY ASSEMBLY POINT - NAPIER
258 BLACK BILL GULL CHICKS
652 BLACK BILLED GULL CHICKS EMERGENCY EVAC - NAPIER