Three buses made the trip from Crab Cove to the California least tern colony at Alameda Point on Sunday, July 16. Each bus was full of eager participants that had registered online to get a look at one of our iconic birds. Tiny and quick, all of them were nesting on the ground in an unlikely area of the old Naval Air Station—between aircraft runways. That area, where military aircraft once were active with all the ancillary support to sustain an airbase, is now a protected reserve for our smallest tern, weighing in at just 42 grams, about an ounce and a half.
I got on the first bus and listened to the excited talk of experienced birders and those who were just beginning to get hooked. The least tern is one of my favorite birds despite the challenges it poses for a photographer. It’s difficult to capture in flight as it darts about, changes direction, and then plunge-dives into the water and then rises, shakes off the water, and speeds away. A photographer is left trying to figure out how to focus more quickly. (Good luck.)
Many thanks to all those who work behind the scenes to nurture and protect these small, resilient, and entertaining birds. It’s a multi-pronged approach with partnerships that collect data, observe behavior, count adults and young birds, maintain the Tern Reserve, and patrol the perimeter with the goal of maintaining suitable habitat for least terns. These agencies are primarily the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) with support from volunteers at the Friends of the Alameda Wildlife Reserve (FAWR), which is a Conservation Committee of the Golden Gate Audubon Society, and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which owns the land. On the day of the event, naturalist staff at the Doug Siden Visitor Center at Crab Cove (East Bay Regional Parks District) coordinate buses and register participants as well as host the pre-trip education program.
This year, USFWS Wildlife Biologist Susan Euing boarded the bus at the colony entrance at VA Alameda Point. She described the location, habitat, behavior, and some of the particulars of the challenges facing the terns from predators, weather, and the availability of properly sized fish that the chicks can swallow whole. Then the bus began its tour of the colony, allowing passengers on both sides to get equal viewing access.
The California least tern colony was first noticed in 1976 on the Naval Air Station. It remains a very important breeding site for the endangered species and is northernmost in the California least tern’s range. Read more about the work of FAWR and the least terns at the Alameda Wildlife Reserve web page on the Golden Gate Audubon Society website.
Rick Lewis is a longtime member of the Golden Gate Audubon Society, along with other environmental organizations. He contributes his amazing photographs often to Bay Area and Central Valley birding groups that promote wildlife and habitat conservation. Learn more about our area’s birds at Golden Gate Audubon Society.
