Caspian Tern behaviour

Hi everyone,

On the way from the wharf out to the heads on Sunday’s Port Stephens pelagic (so therefore inside the port) we watched a Caspian Tern harassing a Crested Tern incessantly until the Crested let go of the fish it was carrying. The Caspo then swooped and caught the fish, frigatebird style!

This was something no-one on board had seen before from Caspian Terns and according to HANZAB the behaviour is not documented in Australia, but has been recorded extralimitally (the reference is to the Western Palearctic Handbook).

Has anyone out there observed this behaviour in Australia?

There is a short sequence of photographs by Allan Richardson if anyone’s interested in seeing them.

Cheers,

Mick

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