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Buck Island's West Beach Closes to Protect Nesting Terns

West Beach at Buck Island Reef National Monument on St. Croix is currently a no-go zone, according to the National Park Service. NPS says that is because a group of about 20 adult least terns have settled down on the site and established a nesting colony there.  Buck Island, NPS says, is one of fifteen known nesting sites on St. Croix for this species of migratory birds. The terns return to the Big Island annually between April and May, and lay small speckled, sand-colored eggs in shallow depressions on the open beach, according to the agency. Both parents take turns to sitting on the eggs while the other partner forages and protects the nest.  NPS says the birds are easily disturbed and fly towards any intruder that may approach, leaving the eggs to scorch in the heat and exposed to possible predation. Of the fifteen known nesting sites on St. Croix, only this one on Buck Island provides safety from the threat of vehicles, dogs, and other non-native predators. To preserve this uniq...