Unit 8  Season of Terns

Author: Kuo-Yang Huang(黃國揚)    Translator:Gloria Fung

Song of the Terns

This is our promise to nature --
When the south wind begins to blow, we will set off,
From far, far in the south, treading the waves all the way.

Together we fly over the blue sea,
 white sand and black stones of Penghu Bay.

This is paradise for us --

The sturdy and beautiful basalt columns,

The pure white sand,

The branches that sway in the salty air --

This is our home.

The fish that frolic in the surf

Are our life source.

This is why, year after year,

We have kept our promise

To dance in the familiar blue sky.

1.          Visit to the Land of Terns – Maoyu (貓嶼)

This year’s Outdoor Education Day was quite unlike the ones in previous years.  After our teachers told us about it, we spent several days talking about it.  Finally, the day came.  After we met at the school, a special bus took us to the South Sea Pier in Magong – no, the bus did not make a mistake.  We had to take a boat to our destination – the Seabird Conservation Area on Maoyu ((貓嶼) – where we would have a special day observing and learning from nature.

When we got on the boat, we were all feeling excited and anxious.  The boat took us out of Magong Harbor.  Along the way, our teacher talked to us about all the islands that we passed.  It was the first time I had seen the Penghu Islands from the sea.  I could see that the island we live in was truly very beautiful.

As the boat came closer to Maoyu ((貓嶼), the usually quiet sea got more and more lively.  Flocks of terns were flying over the sea, chasing each other, looking for food, and having fun. Occasionally, one or two terns would fly right up to the boat; were they curious about our arrival?  Yet, when we cheered, the birds flew away.  When the boat reached Maoyu ((貓嶼), the terns, which were flying over the sea, by the boat, filling the whole sky, seemed to be saying to us, Welcome!

2. Season of Terns

(1)Observing the Brown Noddy (玄燕鷗)

Our boat took us along the shores of Maoyu ((貓嶼).  The sound of the boat’s engine brought out a huge flock of brown noddies from the dark caves in the cliffs.  They were making loud “yells” as they were skimming the water.  Because they were close to the surface of the water, we could easily see their special features – they were a dark brown all over, except for the top of their heads which was white.  They had webbed feet – just like ducks.  Our teacher said, “In Taiwan, Maoyu ((貓嶼)  has the largest gathering of brown noddies.  They often fly onto the island in the night to roost.  They are the first group of birds to arrive in Penghu, and they are also the last ones to leave.  Because they choose to breed in the steep rocky cliffs, they line their nests with grass to prevent the eggs from hatching from the heat of the rocks before it is time.  They are the only terns in the Penghu Islands that use plants to help with breeding.”

After circling the sea for a while, many among the large flock of brown noddies returned to the cliffs.  Against the black basalt columns, their dark brown bodies could hardly be seen.  Some of them, maybe because they were feeling tired, rested on floating objects on the sea while others just floated on the water surface.  It was quite a sight!

(2)Observing the Bridled Tern (白眉燕鷗)

Because there were such a large number of birds, whenever the birds crossed paths with our boat, cheers rose up from the boat.  Our cheers in turn also led more birds to fly up into the sky.  Our teachers told us through the microphone, “The birds that you see flying in the sky – the ones that have black bills, feet and heads, with white bellies, grayish-brown feathers on their backs and two obvious white bands reaching up above the eyes are called bridled terns. They adapt easily to the environment and they will breed in grass, on cliffs, reefs, bare earth and exposed rocks.  Because of this, they are often seen in large numbers on the uninhabited islands of Penghu. They are the largest group of terns.”  We watched them flying from afar. Like swallows, they had forked tails.  They flew gracefully in the sky, and from time to time, they made cries like babies.  They were really very lovely.

(3)Observing the Crested Tern (鳳頭燕鷗)

While we were watching the bridled terns, suddenly our teacher told us to keep quiet.  We were taken aback.  Our teacher said, “Listen!”  Sure enough, from up in the sky, we could hear the loud clamors of birds.  Looking up, we could see five or six rather large birds flying through the flock of bridled terns.  They caught our attention.  Our teacher said, “These are the largest terns in the Penghu Islands.  They have yellow bills and black feet.  From the back of their heads to their napes, they are black.  They are well-known for their “punk”-style crests.  Any island with crested terns living on it is sure to be noisy. Their large size enables them to dominate the highest points on both Maoyu ((貓嶼)  and other uninhabited islands.  They breed among dry grass.”  With their erect crests, their thick, sturdy yellow bills, they dived straight at us from on high.  It almost looked as if they wanted to drive us away.  They were rather scary.

(4)Observing the Black-naped Tern (蒼燕鷗)

We were looking towards the islands and the sky; when suddenly someone said, “Did a tern just fall into the water?”  This made all of us direct our gaze toward the sea.  We saw an all white tern emerge from the water and fly up into the sky.  Our teacher said, “What you just saw was a black-naped tern.  You can see the all white body in the blue sky.  If you have the chance to look closely, you will see that above the eye, there is a black band that stretches all the way to the back of the head.  It did not fall into the sea just now; it was merely looking for food.  From high up in the sky, they often dive into the sea to catch fish.”  We were quite impressed by this little bird which could do such an amazing thing.

(5)Observing the Little Tern (小燕鷗)

After about an hour at Maoyu ((貓嶼), to help us get over the bumpy boat ride, we were taken to a nearby island for a short rest and to look around.  After we had taken a break, we continued our tour of the other uninhabited islands in the boat.  All along the way, we continued to see terns.  Before the boat arrived at one uninhabited island with snowy white sand, our teacher told us over the microphone to look through our binoculars to see if we could spot any activity on the beach.  We looked and looked at the white sand, but other than the waves lapping the shore, we could not see anything.  As the boat got closer to the shore, several dozen small terns flew up from the white sand.  Yes, there were birds in the sand!  Our teacher said, “Did you see that? They are called little terns.  They have yellow bills with black tips.  They have orange feet and white foreheads.  From the top of the head to the back of the neck, there is a thick black band.  From the head, neck to below the breast, they are white.  Their backs are grey.  They are the smallest terns in Penghu Islands.  On the islands, they often build their nests with pieces of coral on the pebble beaches, or they lay their eggs in shallow ditches among the pebbles.  When they are sitting, we can’t always see them.” They flew busily up and down on the pebble beaches.  Some of them were showing off their ability to skim the surface of the water like dragonflies.  The tiny but slight pudgy bodies endeared them to us.

(6)Observing the Roseate Tern (紅燕鷗)

Because the boat could not dock, our teacher wanted us to continue searching the island with our binoculars to see if we could see other kinds of terns.  After a few short moments, everybody said, indeed, they could see many birds with red bills, in the grass, etc.  Our teacher said, “Can you see?  It has a red bill and red feet, a black head, grey back, and is white from the neck down to the breast.  It is in the grass or among rocks.  It is obviously a kind of tern.  It is called roseate tern. On the uninhabited islands of Penghu, the short grass that grows in the summer is the most suitable breeding ground for them.  They like to live in a group.  The habitats of roseate terns are in danger of disappearing; the number of birds, too, is so low as to be close to extinction.  It is listed in the world over as an endangered species. We are lucky to be living in Penghu because we still the opportunity to see these graceful birds every year on the uninhabited islands.  We have to thank heaven for giving us such rare birds.”  Through the binoculars, we could see their “gentlemanly” deportment; some of them were holding fish in their bills.  It was really cool to be able to see that.

3.Habitat of Terns

During the trip we learned a lot about many of the uninhabited islands from our teacher.  These islands, which are of different sizes, form the unusual and varied seacoast of the Penghu Islands.  The vertical cliffs, clean white sand, the flat and spacious eroded surfaces – were right there in front of our eyes. In the shimmering summer light, among the greenery on the islands, it was both fascinating and charming.

In this natural environment, from the south to the north, many uninhabited islands have become the favorite homes of the terns.  They make their nests and breed among cliffs, on beaches, in the grass and among reefs.  They bring to the summer of Penghu an interesting sight.

Among the islands, Maoyu ((貓嶼), because it is more remote and its cliffs are high and vertical, attracts several thousand or even tens of thousands of terns to gather and breed every year.  It is nicknamed the “Sanctuary of Seabirds” in Taiwan.  “Flying Birds over Maoyu ((貓嶼)” – tens of thousands of terns flying in the air all at the same time -- is an impressive scene.  It is one of the eight not-to-be-missed sights in Penghu.  In recent years, with the call for environmental and animal protection, “Maoyu ((貓嶼)  Seabird Sanctuary,” the first wild life sanctuary, was established because of its unusual natural environment and seabird resource.  It is a milestone in our country’s effort in wildlife conservation.

       Although the boat trip was rather bumpy, the sight of thousands of birds flying in the sky over Maoyu ((貓嶼)  was an unforgettable experience.  This and the other discoveries we made on the uninhabited islands made me feel that every island of Penghu was full of surprises.

       I have been re-reading the copy of “Song of the Terns” given to us by our teacher … I couldn’t help but wonder what might happen to the islands if these feathered guests who have been coming to our islands year after year should, one day, fail to keep their promise.