Objectives Country Island The Brothers Sable Island Mahone Bay

Country Island is the second largest colony of Roseate Terns in Canada after The Brothers, and has been the home to tern and gull researchers for the past 13 years.

More than 1000 Common, Arctic and Roseate Terns breed on this island every summer. Each year, a team of researchers sets foot on the island for a three-month period to study terns and assist with the recovery of the Roseate Tern.

To help Roseates, the season begins with predator management. The island is walked daily and pyrotechnics are fired to deter gulls and crows from nesting on the island. Predator nests are searched for and destroyed when found.

Throughout the summer, terns are observed, data is gathered on diet, productivity and predation, and Roseate Tern chicks are banded.

Managing for the conservation of Roseate Terns demands a constant effort and although numbers of pairs reached their highest at 53 in 2000, there were only 25 pairs in 2009.

© 2010, Roseate Tern Recovery Team, All Rights Reserved