R.D.Brossin Lee wards #13 - Species Account 1906 Sooty tern Tayuan 20-21 June The birds have now spread nearly around the entire island. Only on the N point are there 220 terns. Colonies are much more extensive than last August. There could safely be 2,000,000 terns on the island. R.D.Brossin Lee wards #13 - Species Account 1906 Gray-backed tern Tayuan 10.16t 20-22/1 June Widely scattered over the entire island wherever Sporeia is present- along the sea beach and especially so along the central lagoon. Considerable numbers also nest beneath Sea cucumbers. Nesting cycles range from 1/2 incubated egg to full fledged - flying immature. The majority of birds have advanced numbers eggs or nearly hatched chicks. Large numbers (of several hundred) congregate in the open areas such as along the dried out flats along the central lagoon and in the bare sandy areas at N + S. ends of the island. Nesting pairs are more separated than Sooty terns which may nest with 6-8 miles of one another. Very difficult to estimate population on this species, but conservatively I would guess it lies between 10 and 20 thousand.