Stock Photo - 17 May 2023, Brandenburg, Groß Schauen: A Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) is approaching an artificial breeding island in the area of Sielmann's Natural Landscape Groß Schauener Seen. The white-grey Common Terns with black cap are back from their long-distance flight from Africa and have moved into the new breeding islands on Groß Schauener See near Storkow. The Heinz Sielmann Foundation, with the support of the local fishery Köllnitz, installed two artificial breeding islands this spring to provide more suitable breeding sites for the highly endangered birds. Until now, a metal fishing barge served as a breeding ground for the gull-like birds. It offered good conditions, because the Common Terns like a vegetation-free place in an undisturbed position on the water for breeding. But the space in the barge was limited. Now the birds have two new breeding islands, each measuring two by three meters. ""We are very happy that the Common Terns have accepted the new breeding islands as a place to breed. Now they have much more space and the colony can expand even further,"" Rebecca Oechslein, biologist in charge at the Heinz Sielmann Foundation, is pleased to say. Like rafts, the two breeding islands lie at anchor on the lake. They are constructed of weatherproof aluminum and filled with a mixture of sand and gravel to imitate natural shorelines as best as possible. Photo: Patrick Pleul/dpa. - Groß Schauen/Brandenburg/Germany