I have written about Frigatebirds in earlier posts and they are taking center stage in the show from our porch. The Sooty Tern chicks nearest our door are mostly less than a week old so are nearly defenseless. The Frigatebirds are fierce predators of chicks and they are patrolling the colonies looking for unprotected chicks. Sometimes they snatch chicks without touching the ground. Other times they actually land in the colony and will pick up and swallow whole as many as 4 or 5 chicks. The Sooty Terns are much smaller and screech and claw at the frigates but it does little good. It is one of those sights that is hard to watch but also hard to ignore when it happens right next to the porch.
No comments:
Post a Comment