McMillan B. A Beach for the Birds

Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1993. — 36 p. — ISBN: 0-395-64050-4.It is possible to view this barrier beach located in Kennebunk, Maine, without disturbing the Least Terns. Because this is a barrier beach, winter storms sometimes shift the sands, significantly altering nesting sites from year to year. In 1991 this shift occurred, and there was a loss of nesting area for that season. No chicks were hatched. However, in 1992 the sands shifted again, and nature reversed itself. The nesting area was restored, and the terns came back in greater numbers. Despite naturally occurring changes like these, the greatest habitat threat to the Least Tern continues to be human use and development of the beachfront.
This photographic nature study was conducted during a three-year period from 1989 to 1991. It was done in cooperation with the Maine Audubon Society. Great care was taken to not disturb the birds while photographing them. I know this “beach for the birds” well — I was raised in Kennebunk, Maine, and live in nearby Shapleigh.