NOTES: A SANDWICH TERN IN CALIFORNIA

Abstract

For at least 9 days during May 1980 a Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis) was present near Imperial Beach, San Diego Co., California. All sightings were made at the Elegant Tern (S. elegans) breeding colony located in the saltworks at the south end of San Diego Bay. I first saw the Sandwich Tern the afternoon of 11 May with a group of about 150 Elegant Terns, 50 Forster’s Terns (S. forsteri) and 6 Least Terns (S. albifrons) which were foraging in an outer evaporating pond on numerous small (2–10 cm) fishes, mostly Topsmelt (Atherinops affinis) and Longjaw Mudsuckers (Gillichthys mirabilis).