A GREAT SIGHT,
TERN ROOKERY. MANY VISITORS SEE-BIRDS. Although not so generally known as the far-famed gannet rookery at Cape Kidnappers, says a Napier paper, the nesting place of terns in the inner harbour is one of the most unique sights in the district, and, being within easy distance of the town, is attaining a great popularity. The rookery is situated on a small island in the inner harbour, and it is said that the birds make the long .journey from Siberia every year to nest there. They arrive in the spring and depart in the autumn, coming on the same day and leaving on the same day every year. Hundreds of the birds are on the island, with chicks of varying ages in profusion. Several of the nests still have eggs in them, but the majority of the birds are now hatched. The full-grown birds are pure white, but the chicks have a pretty speckled feathering that they later shed. A visit to the island is a popular trip by visitors to Westshorje, and the party of louring Nelson fruitgrowers were amongst those to pay the terms a call. Several of the members of the party described the sight as the finest they had seen on their tour of Hawke’s Bay.
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Bibliographic details
Waikato Times, Volume 105, Issue 17612, 17 January 1929, Page 5
Word Count
212A GREAT SIGHT, Waikato Times, Volume 105, Issue 17612, 17 January 1929, Page 5
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