Terns on Sable Island, October 29th. No terns – Common, or otherwise – had been sighted on the island during October. Then on October 29th (as soon as it was possible to travel after Hurricane Wilma) >300 Common Terns Sterna hirundo – singletons, and groups of five to fifty – were sighted along the north beach between the east and west tips. Others were feeding in and beyond the surf zone, and there were likely more on the south beach.