The tern chicks are always fun to watch. This year they were congregated on the southeast to south end of the island. They were so close to the water that we had to walk in the brush to keep from scaring the babies. There were hundreds of chicks, all stages. Of course there were adult terns there, but it seemed like the Brown Pelicans were the back-up baby sitters. Photo credit: Marcy Spears

The colonial-waterbird 2008 annual-census takers were: Chester Smith, Warden of Sundown Island, Ed Taylor, David Newstead (Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program), Andy Kasner (Audubon), Clare Lee and Robyn Cobb (Fish & Wildlife Services), Kim Withers (TAMUCC), Diane Nunley (TOS) and Marcy Spears (Houston).

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View previous years' census photos.

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The tern chicks are always fun to watch. This year they were congregated on the southeast to south end of the island. They were so close to the water that we had to walk in the brush to keep from scaring the babies. There were hundreds of chicks, all stages. Of course there were adult terns there, but it seemed like the Brown Pelicans were the back-up baby sitters.

Photo credit: Marcy Spears