Management efforts for the conservation of common tern Sterna hirundo colonies in the Great Lakes: two case histories

Published source details Morris R.D., Blokpoel H. & Tessier G.D. (1992) Management efforts for the conservation of common tern Sterna hirundo colonies in the Great Lakes: two case histories. Biological Conservation, 60, 7-14.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Replace nesting substrate following severe weather Action Link
	Reduce inter-specific competition for nest sites of ground nesting seabirds by removing competitor species Action Link
	Use signs and access restrictions to reduce disturbance at nest sites Action Link
	Remove vegetation to create nesting areas Action Link
	Control avian predators on islands Action Link

Replace nesting substrate following severe weather

Two before-and-after studies at two common tern Sterna hirundo colonies between 1977-89 in Ontario, Canada (Morris et al. 1992), found the nesting population increased at one colony but decreased at another following a combination of interventions, including the replacement of nesting substrate following flooding. Other interventions included: erecting signs highlighting the presence of nesting birds, vegetation control, preventing gulls Larus spp. from nesting, destroying gull nests and shooting particular ring-billed gulls L. delawarensis that were heavily predating tern eggs. Gulls were only culled at the site with population increase, whilst the authors attribute declines to continued high levels of disturbance, vegetation growth and mammalian predators.
Reduce inter-specific competition for nest sites of ground nesting seabirds by removing competitor species

Two before-and-after studies in 1977-89 at two common tern Sterna hirundo colonies in Lake Ontario, Canada (Morris et al. 1992), found that the nesting population increased at one colony but decreased at the second following the use of several interventions, including the exclusion of ring-billed gulls Larus delawarensis. This study is discussed in ‘Replace nesting substrate following severe weather’.
Use signs and access restrictions to reduce disturbance at nest sites

Two before-and-after studies in 1977-89 at two common tern Sterna hirundo colonies in Lake Ontario, Canada (Morris et al. 1992), found that the nesting population increased at one colony but decreased at the second following the use of several interventions, including the erection of signs highlighting the presence of nesting birds. This study is discussed in ‘Replace nesting substrate following severe weather’.
Remove vegetation to create nesting areas

Two before-and-after studies in 1977-89 at two common tern Sterna hirundo colonies in Lake Ontario, Canada (Morris et al. 1992), found that the nesting population increased at one colony but decreased at the second following the use of several interventions, including the removal of vegetation from the nesting area. This study is discussed in ‘Replace nesting substrate following severe weather’.
Control avian predators on islands

A before-and-after studies during 1977-89 at a common tern Sterna hirundo colony in Lake Ontario, Canada (Morris et al. 1992), found the nesting population increased at one colony but decreased at another following several interventions, including the control of particular ring-billed gulls L. delawarensis that were heavily predating tern eggs. This study is discussed in ‘Replace nesting substrate following severe weather’.