During a monthly shorebird survey, SCCF’s shorebird team saw a banded sandwich tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis) bearing a white alphanumeric code “A44.”

Due to the design of the band, the team knew right away the tern was banded by researchers from Virginia Tech’s Shorebird Program as part of a long-term research and conservation project.

“This resighting was unique however, because previously we’ve only seen royal terns and a laughing gull with one of these white bands,” said Shorebird Biologist Audrey Albrecht. “Sandwich tern A44 was banded as a chick in July 2022 at Fort Wool in Virginia. Of the thousands of terns banded each year at the site, only a few dozen are sandwich terns.”

Over the last six years, SCCF staff and volunteers have resighted 71 unique royal terns (Thalasseus maximus), and until now have not seen a single sandwich tern from the Virginia project.

In 2018, when work began to expand the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel in Virginia, approximately 25,000 nesting seabirds were going to be displaced as sandy islands were paved over for use as construction staging areas. Nearby Fort Wool was chosen as a temporary nesting site.

According to the City of Hampton, Fort Wool was built in 1819 to protect the region from invaders following the War of 1812, and was ultimately decommissioned in 1953. It served as a public park until it was deemed to be in too much disrepair for public visitation.

“Fort Wool was converted to a nesting island by adding sand and removing vegetation. Decoys and speakers playing seabird calls were used to lure the birds to the island,” Albrecht said. “Their efforts were successful, and the birds have temporarily taken over Fort Wool.”

Though the birds won’t be able to return to the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel island, the state of Virginia is working on constructing a new, permanent nesting island for the birds.

“Winter is a crucial time for migratory birds, like sandwich terns and royal terns, because they are resting after their long migratory journeys to their wintering grounds and boosting up energy stores before another migration back north for another breeding season,” Albrecht said. “This makes it incredibly important for members of the public to share the shore and not flush these birds.”

Every time birds are “flushed,” or pressured to fly away, they are forced to expend precious energy reserves that they need to return north, and in some instances, feed their chicks that have migrated with them, Albrecht explained.

When walking your dog on the beach, always keep them leashed and walk around the flocks rather than through, and never encourage children to chase the birds. Joggers and cyclists are also encouraged to slow down and give the birds plenty of space rather than flushing flocks.