The entire tern population has abandoned a small Metinic Island. The US Fish and Wildlife Service says an estimated 1,400 terns left the island during a storm in June after gulls infiltrated the island’s small beach where the terns nest. The island is located about 7 miles east of Port Clyde and is one of the few places where terns nest in Maine. Brian Benedict, deputy refuge manager for the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge, told the Bangor Daily News the refuge has never lost an entire bird population from a refuge island before. He said it is likely that the birds will nest on nearby islands, but it is unclear if they will return to Metinic next year.