Maryland’s tern raft hosted hundreds of terns again this year—including nesting pairs of two different state-listed-endangered species—and saw more than 350 tern chicks fledge during the island habitat’s fifth year in operation. The wooden-framed artificial island has floated in Chincoteague Bay in Worcester County since 2021 and serves as a breeding habitat for colonial nesting waterbirds that are listed as endangered in Maryland. The populations of these waterbirds in the state drastically declined by as much as 95% since the 1980s due to habitat loss caused by sea level rise. Through five seasons, the breeding platform has provided safe habitat for more than 1,100 common tern nests, with more than 1,100 tern chicks fledging from the site, making it the most productive breeding site for terns in the state. In 2025, for the first time, royal terns also nested on the tern raft. From 29 nests, eight royal tern chicks fledged. “Over five years this has become a big success—it’s producing equal to and in many cases higher than natural colonies,” Dave Brinker, a DNR Wildlife and Heritage Service avian conservation ecologist who helps to lead the tern raft project. “There’s more work to do, but in Worcester County, we’ve […]
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