OhioBirders-


An update on the Common Tern/breakwater project of interest to many of you.



The Army Corps of Engineers has finished removing an old section of break wall in the Ashtabula Harbor and has installed the new section of "green breakwater" with the inclusion of Common Tern nesting habitat.



Because of snow/ice, components of the "nesting habitat" will be kept out until spring. This winter, The Nature Conservancy & volunteers will be constructing approximately 50 small/simple wooden shelters that will provide shade for the chicks. These will be placed into the gravel in the spring, along with additional measures to keep predatory birds out (see grid picture). There also will be a solar powered tern (audio) call box placed on site to attract terns to the structure.



TNC staff and volunteers will be responsible for maintaining/monitoring the nesting structures. They will take a boat from Ashtabula harbor out to the site several times throughout spring/summer/fall to make sure everything is in place and monitor any tern colonization.



This project is funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.



Here's a link to reports for prior projects done in Buffalo Harbor, many with photos of the wooden shelters:

http://niagara.nypa.gov/EcologicalStandingCommittee/EcoStanddefault.htm



See pictures of the new tern habitat in place:



Profile https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/43439709/StructureInPlace_Profile.jpg



Close up https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/43439709/StructureInPlace_CloseUp.jpg



Predator exclusion grid https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/43439709/NestingUnitsTopView.JPG






August Froehlich
Dublin, OH


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