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11 July 1999
Westlake ponds KIN |
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11 July 1999
Westlake ponds KIN |
The LEAST TERN is a scarce and local breeding species in summer along the coast of southern California and in San Francisco Bay. A very few nest in the San Joaquin Valley. The California race browni is an endangered species. Records away from the breeding grounds are few, although there is a spring and fall movement along the coast north to Monterey & Santa Cruz Counties, and then over the mountains to S.F. Bay. Unseasonal birds are very rare, and it is a vagrant in the deserts.
All of my California records away from coastal breeding locales are listed below. I've watched breeding colonies in Alameda, Ventura, and San Diego counties; these are not listed here. Those rarities preceded by H were found or co-found by me personally; those preceded by K receive some partial credit (e.g., I was involved in sorting out i.d. of a previously discovered bird or refound a vagrant that had been thought to have left). These are my personal Least Tern records:
H 6/21/81 Moss Landing MTY 2: ad + immSee the family page for county abbreviations. All photos & text © 2003 Don Roberson; all rights reserved.
8/10/81 Moss Landing MTY juv
5/24/86 Tecopa marsh INY adult, very rare here; sketch & details in my notes
6/24/96 Elkhorn Slough MTY 2 ads foraging at mid-channel, from Elkhorn Slough Safari pontoon boat for year-listers
H 4/26/97 Elkhorn Slough MTY 1 ad.; with Dan Singer, Alan Hopkins, David Wimpfheimer
5/2/98 Moss Landing harbor (Jetty Rd.) MTY 1 ad.
7/11/99 Westlake ponds KIN 2 ads; they had just recently been discovered nesting here in San Joaquin Valley; photos