BIRDS 69 



21S.— ROSEATE TERN. Sterna dougcdUi dougaUii Mont. 



A small breeding colony on the Skerries, and a large one elsewhere in 

 North Wales. 



The colony alluded to has increased greatly of late years — 

 it is rigidly protected — and now numbers about three hundred 

 bretxling pairs. It must be oiie of the largest breeding colonies 

 in Europe, Mr, C. Oldham saw about twelve adults with the 

 Common Terns at Point of Air, 15th July, 1916, but apparently 

 not nesting. Inland an immature Roseate Tern was obtained 

 near Llanymynech, 21st September, 1914. 



219.— COMMON TERN, Sterna hirumJo L. 



Summer migrant, met with on all coasts, but most numerous round 

 Anglesey, where it has several breeding stations. 



In June, 1908, the Duchess of Bedford found some half-dozen 

 pairs nesting amongst the Arctic Terns on the Skerries, the 

 nests forming a group to themselves, except one which was 

 in a quite different part of the island. The same summer 

 Mr. W. Bickerton spent some time on the Skerries photographing 

 the Terns, and he found several colonies of Common Terns. 

 He adds that " curiously enough the Roseate Terns seemed 

 to prefer associating with the Common Terns rather than with 

 the Arctic, which are the predominating species on the Skerries." 

 In the latter part of July, 1913, Mr. H. G. Attlee noticed a 

 number of Common Terns on Mochras, where in previous years 

 only Lesser Terns had bred : these appeared to be nesting. 

 On 24th July he saw a flock of about fifty off Llanaber, a few 

 miles to the south. In 1910 one or two pairs were found breed- 

 ing along with the Lesser Terns at Point of Air b}' Mr. R. D. 

 Roberts, who sent me an egg for identification. In 1915 Mi". 

 CVimmings found three pairs nesting there and another nearer 

 Prestatyn, while by June, 1916, Mr. C. Oldham discovered that 

 the colony had increased to about 150 pairs — he counted 120 

 nests with eggs. Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain, however, tells me 

 that the Common Tern had been known to breed at Point of 

 Air as far back as 1898. In July, 1914, Mr. P. Foulkes Roberts 

 found several pairs nesting on the south side of the Dovey 

 Estuary, near the colony of Lesser Terns mentioned in the 

 Fauna, p, 376. During the last three or four years another 

 nesting colony of Common Terns has become established near 

 Connah's Quaj'. 



