Waarnemingen en eerste broedgeval voor België van de Noordse Stern (<i>Sterna paradisaea</i>) te Knokke

Fifty-three observations of the Arctic Tern, Sterna paradisaca, in the bird-sanctuary «Zwin» (near Knokke-Heist, in Belgium), or on the seashore nearby, were made between 1971 and 1977. They show that the Arctic Tern is an annual autumn visitor in very small numbers. A few spring records are mentioned (April-June). The atmospheric conditions do not completely determine the appearance of this bird on the Belgian shores, though strong west or northwest winds certainly bring more birds along our coast. The Arctic Tern bred in the Zwin in 1976; this constituted the first breeding record for Belgium