Report from 14 to 15 July 2022

I was watching the adult and juvenile Common Terns fly around our breeding colony when I noticed a handful of different terns among them: their flight style was different, their calls were different, their bills were different, and instead of diving for fish they were skimming the water surface for dragonflies – three Gull-billed Terns! Many years have passed since the only other time we ever saw them at La Cassinazza.
Meanwhile, waders are coming back one species at a time. This week, it was the Wood Sandpiper’s turn.
Over the last few days, the heat has become extreme and the drought continues. In order to limit water loss, many trees, especially the poplars, have begun to drop their leaves.
One noticeable effect of the climate is the great scarcity of flowers and insects: butterflies, beetles, and all pollinating insects are in very low numbers. This is a seasonal and hopefully temporary effect, but it is compounding the ongoing crisis affecting insects as a whole.
Last week’s report featured a photo of a Common Tern. This week’s Gull-billed Terns provides a timely opportunity to illustrate the differences between the two species