Royal Terns have appeared, I believe, less than a half dozen times in TN. This is the first not associated with a tropical storm and is the second for this exact spot on the Mississippi River at Memphis, and my third sighting in recent years for TN.

The sandbars this week, had just appeared in the river for the first time in months as it has finally started to fall but is still 14 feet above where it was this time last year. This adult Royal Tern was just another pleasant surprise found on these wonderful sandbar way stations for weary river travelers.