On Saturday evening, we conducted out second “Casco Bay Terns aboard the Lucky Catch” trip out of Portland to view the tern colony at Outer Green Island. (By the way, the young lady holding the crab in the picture on their homepage is Anna, our summer employee - small world!)

We left the dock at 4:00pm. Captain Tom and I were a bit concerned. The cold front had yet to come through, and the south winds were still going strong. Therefore, so was the swell – which we would have to deal with in order to reach Outer Green, about 2 miles beyond the shelter of Casco Bay. But, the Bridled Tern has been reported again a week or so ago, so we just had to give it a try!

As we were leaving the harbor, Pat and I spotted a 1st Cycle Lesser Black-backed Gull at the mouth of the Fore River/Portland Harbor. A good bird for mid-summer, and a good start to our trip. Our only chance for a comfortable – and safe! - ride was to first head north in the bay, sticking to the shelter of Peak’s Island. As we rounded Peak’s, passing Pumpkin Knob (after stopping to photograph an Osprey nest with at least one chick), we made out turn towards Outer Green.

It was a bit rough. Tom and Dave (the First Mate) looked at me with a “We’re not sure if we’ll be able to do this,” glance and surveyed the participants – OK, good, no chumming yet. But, we were in a low 37-foot lobster boat, and the waves were getting bigger. It wasn’t looking good. About half-way there (with the island shimmering in the sunlight; so close, yet so far!), Tom didn’t seem too enthused. Safety (with comfort a distant second) has to come before the twitch, so he instructed Dave to make one last-ditch effort. We tacked north to get ourselves in a better line for handling the swell (running straight into it, rather than being rolled side-to-side as we were angled into each wave), and by-golly, it worked like a charm! It wasn’t exactly smooth, but it was manageable, and safe. Helluva job, boys!

As we approached Outer Green, terns were flying every which way. Birds were coming to the island with fish, some were foraging, and many juveniles were flying about. We were able to spot a few Roseates among the plethora of Commons. In the lee of the island, we just moseyed back and forth, enjoying the activity, the sounds, and searching for a certain larger tern with a black back and wings, which unfortunately, did not appear to be present. A few Northern Gannets were passing by, Common Eiders and Black Guillemots were in the water, Double-crested Cormorants were sunning on the rocks, a Spotted Sandpiper was foraging at the water’s edge, and at least 100 Ruddy Turnstones were catching some z’s. A few Semipalmated Sandpipers, along with a few small flocks of unidentified peeps presumably also Semi-Sands, were also encountered to and fro.

Every now and then, a gull would make a pass over the island, causing the majority if the tern colony to take flight and either flee (the youngsters who could fly) or pursue the intruder (the aggressive adults). It made for an impressive show, but the gull certainly wasn’t doing this for our benefit – it was looking for dinner. In fact, we did see one adult Herring Gull grab something – presumably a tern chick – from within the grass.

With the tide now heading out, and the wind decreasing, we enjoyed a relaxing, smoother ride back into town. No Bridled Tern, but a successful and enjoyable trip nonetheless!