Tern Nests Sign of Flourishing Life Near Salt Ponds

June 20th, 2011 | Island | Nature | There have been 9 comments on this article. Add your own comment.

Terns are nesting at Harbourside, land that Christophe Harbour has created along the perimeter of the harbour. Discovered by a young boy, these nests are an especially exciting find because they are a sign that bird life is returning to the area known as the "Great Salt Pond." Previously, the hyper-saline environment of the salt pond was unable to sustain much life, but since the pond is now flushing with fresh water, new plant and animal life are being discovered. The terns are the newest inhabitants.

These pictures of Terns and their nests were taken by Callen, an elementary aged boy who attends Ross Prep School on St. Kitts. Every year, the school hosts a fundraiser selling calendars, and all of the proceeds go to Turtle Research. The pictures in the calendars are taken solely by the elementary students, as they are encouraged to photograph local wildlife on St. Kitts and Nevis. Thanks, Callen, for sharing your wonderful photographs!

Tern

Comments

Jan Saunders posted at 11:07 pm on June 21st, 2011

With children who appreciate, nurture and document wildlife events, we members of older generations can relax, trusting that our environment and the wild beating hearts that inhabit it are in good hands. Congratulations also to Christophe Harbour for creating habitat.
Joan Nash (Mimi) posted at 11:07 pm on June 21st, 2011

I just viewed these amazing photos and I am so proud of you, Callen. You are such a special young man to be aware of the presence of these little birds and to take the time to document this. You are an amazing photographer. Pop and I love you and can’t wait to see you in July. Mimi
Kevan Saunders posted at 11:07 pm on June 21st, 2011

Cheers to Christoph Harbor for creating habitat! To quote Stewart Udall, “Plans to protect air and water, wilderness and wildlife are in fact plans to protect man”. Thanks Callen for the photos.
Madison and Nicole Barrett posted at 11:07 pm on June 21st, 2011

Wow! Callen you captured such an amazing moment in nature. The pitures are beautiful and we are thankful that their habitat is being protected. Keep an eye out for those small moments in life!
Casie Nash posted at 11:07 pm on June 21st, 2011

Wow! What beautiful pictures of the birds Callen! Maybe you will be wildlife photographer someday.
Pam McGarity (JoBug) posted at 11:07 pm on June 24th, 2011

Callen, your dad has helped to create this habitat and shared a wonderful experience with you. Those babies are so precious and vulnerable. Thanks to your school for sharing it with so many.
Dayle Burns posted at 11:07 pm on June 26th, 2011

Callen: I am so proud of your pictures. You are turning out to be a super photographer. Thank you for caring about these tiny birds. Love, Barbell.
Mary Chappell posted at 11:07 pm on July 1st, 2011

Last night a mother leatherback laid a nest on SBB in front of the Beach Club construction site. The last 2 leatherback nests have been destroyed by the construction. One of the tractors rolled over them and dug through one to create a drainage pipe for the Beach Club swimming pool.

Let’s hope the CH construction team can do better with this 3rd chance.

My last comment was removed from the “Leatherback Turtle Eggs Begin to Hath at Sandy Bank Bay” post. Maybe CH cannot handle negative truths being posted about them. Let’s see how long it takes for this post to be removed.
Christophe Harbour posted at 11:07 pm on July 1st, 2011

Special thanks to the St. Kitts Sea Turtle Monitoring Network and Dr. Kimberly Stewart for observing and assessing the nests. They find it highly unlikely that any were disturbed. However, SKTMN volunteers will continue to watch the nests. We also greatly appreciate their assistance in helping to educate our staff, provide guidelines, and implement a new and improved marking system to identify and protect all the nests in Sandy Bank Bay.