Arctic tern

26/09/06 Arctic tern seen at Whatipu, Auckland

On 26/09/06, a single Arctic tern was found by Mike and Sharen Graeme, Mick Sibley, and others at Whatipu Beach, on the northern side of the Manukau Harbour entrance. The bird seemed tired, sleeping for about one hour on the log it is shown on below. It allowed a very close approach, and then flew out to feed amongst a large number of white-fronted terns feeding offshore. As can be seen from the photo below, the bird’s plumage is extremely worn, and it shows the typical short legged jizz of an Arctic tern.