Yesterday (Saturday, July 11th) was an amazing day!
On Friday night, I learned that a mega-rarity was being seen at Scituate Lighthouse ~ Bridled Tern. This tern is found in warm tropical seas and is rarely seen on or near land, unless blown off course by hurricanes. So what a Bridled Tern is doing hanging around Scituate Lighthouse this weekend is anyone's guess.
I was up very early Saturday morning, checked my sources, and learned that the tern was being seen at the lighthouse and it was flying near people and trying to land on their heads! So off we went. We left early to avoid the Sail Boston traffic and arrived in Scituate just after 8AM.
We spent the morning at the lighthouse watching in awe as this tern 'put on show' for birders and residents alike. It would often fly right over our heads, sit on heads, and perch on cars! What an amazing sight to see and share with our birding friends. This tern was a Lifebird for me, Mark, and several others!
Once the Bridled Tern flew away, after sitting on our friend Linda's car for 45 minutes, we drove home via the coastline where we saw several tall ships sail into Boston Harbor. It was a fun summer day filled with memories I will cherish.
Laura
Laura de la Flor
Salem, MA
PS: The tern is still being seen at Scituate Lighthouse (Sunday, July 12th)!
