photo by Greg Hofmann

3/1/2004: These Forster's Terns (Sterna forsteri) are showing their typical winter coloring - instead of a full black cap, they wear a large smudge of eyeliner. Also, their bills are now all black, whereas in summer they are orange with a black tip. We are expecting the much larger Caspian Terns in April, when we hope they will again nest on "Tern Island" in Parson's Slough.