Something about that word tern that drives me to punning. Terns, related to gulls, often look as though they are up to something. David Allen’s beautiful and informative new book, What It’s Like To Be A Bird says that Arctic Terns are so well adapted to flight they travel from the Arctic to Antarctica and back, 60,000 miles a year. Attention must be paid here, to paraphrase Arthur Miller. Below I offer more tern puns.

Terns often need to evade kleptoparasitic gulls who aim to steal their fish. Therefore, unlike our local Merganser ducks, terns never rest on the water.

During this Pandemic period, with time and access to our city’s parks and shoreline, I have experienced a fulfilling and ever-increasing interest in birds, from the littlest house sparrow to elegant Red-tailed Hawks. Not only have I used this time for introspection and smelling the roses but also for cultivating my curiosity about urban wildlife. A gift.