‘Endangered’ bird successfully nests in Pennsylvania for the first time in 60 years

PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — The common tern is an endangered and protected species in Pennsylvania after human interference chased the birds off, but now there is some exciting news when it comes to those birds and the Commonwealth.

Though they were never seen across the state the birds used to nest at Presque Isle State Park in Erie County. Records from the 1930s showed over a hundred breeding pairs that used to live in the state . However, due to humans the species continued to dissipate and stopped nesting in the state and in 1985 they were considered completely lost from the state.

In time and with help from the Pennsylvania Game Commission the species has slowly started returning to the state. In 1999, a single pair returned and moved the species from extirpated to endangered. They’ve remained on that list due to issues with invasive plants and beach habitat loss. Both of which the PGC has worked to correct.

Since 2012, 21 common tern nests have been started, but none were successful. However, on Aug. 17, two tern chicks fledged at Presque Isle State Park meaning that for the first time in 60 years, a successful nest has been made in Pennsylvania. Fledged means that they learned to fly and this is the marker of a successful nesting.

The PGC said this breakthrough with the species comes after intervention and innovation by workers. Staff from the Game Commission’s Northwest Region office and Bureau of Wildlife Management’s Wildlife Recovery Division, Presque Isle State Park, Erie Bird Observatory and Western Pennsylvania Conservancy have worked together for decades to improve the beach habitat at Gull Point for the birds’ sake.

In the most recent years, there was a lack of habitat and a large number of predators in the areas that often prayed on the birds. The PGC said that this year’s outlook was no better, but that they decided to come up with a way to help a nesting pair.

“It was time to try something new in the recovery of this species,” Lisa Williams, Game Commission Wildlife Recovery Division Chief said.

They didn’t take the decision to help lightly as they do not often step in to help one species avoid predation, but that they deemed it appropriate to act. The teams decided to build an exclosure, an open-roofed fort around the nest, to keep predators out.

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In the end the common tern chicks hatched and fledged! The last time they were able to do this in Pennsylvania was when Cassius Clay became Muhammed Ali, the Beatles first came to America and Disney’s “Mary Poppins,” debuted to break box office records.

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