Metinic Island. Credit: USFWS

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acquired 149 acres of the 330 acre Metinic Island in 1994 and 1995 from the Conservation Fund. The island, located 12 miles southeast of Rockland, has been grazed by sheep for generations and approximately 150 sheep remain on the island. Although Arctic and Common Terns have continued to nest on the island the presence of nesting gulls has significantly limited the productivity of the colony. Service initiated a tern restoration project using social attraction equipment on the north end of the island in 1998. Continuous sheep grazing had significantly reduced the vegetation to almost bare ground. A five acre “peninsula” was fenced to allow the vegetation to recover and provide some shelter for the terns. Although terns landed among the decoys and sound system, no nesting occurred within the fenced area in 1998. However, in 1999 one pair of Common Terns and two pairs of Arctic Terns nested adjacent to the decoy area. Later in the season, an additional nine pairs of terns nested near the decoy area. The colony has continued to grow rapidly, and during the 2004 breeding season, 340 pairs of Common Terns, 403 pairs of Arctic Terns, and one pair of Roseate Terns nested on the north end.

Xxxx Xxxx. Credit: USFWS