Officials: Common terns doing well on Belle Isle

DETROIT (AP) - Officials say they've confirmed that common terns are doing well in restored habitat on the eastern tip of Belle Isle in the Detroit River.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says this year was the first time that the gull-like migratory birds have fledged, or grown enough to fly, in the area since the 1960s.

The habitat was created by the Detroit Zoological Society, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department and the Fish and Wildlife Service.

Between 2008 and 2010, 8,600 square feet of sand and crushed limestone was placed on DWSD property where as many as 1,200 nesting pairs of common terns were found in the early 1960s. Officials worked to improve the habitat for the birds.

The island now is considered a site for an active tern colony.