There have been 3-4 Caspian Terns at Lizzie Lake, Cass County, the last week (June 13th - June 21st). This location is 25 miles south of the known breeding colony in Leech Lake, and it is unlikely that Caspian Terns would choose a small lake like Lizzie to nest, but it has been fun to watch the birds engage in some interesting courtship behavior.
On June 13th two pairs loafed on a series of muddy spits at the northwest corner of the lake. Two of the birds would occasionally fly off and return with a fish, then present the fish to a "mate". After the fish was accepted by it's "mate" the hunting bird would toss it's head up in the air. This was all accompanied with a lot of squawking. When I returned to Lizzie Lake on the 21st only 3 Caspian Terns were present. One bird continued to hunt for it's "mate" but each time it returned with a fish, the "mate" would squawk and reject the fish. The hunting bird would fly off in a wide circle and return with the same fish only to be rejected again and again - 4-5 times. It finally flew off to hunt a distant part of lake. It was fascinating to watch this courtship behavior even if it was likely far from the nesting area. -Eric ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
