California Least Terns are endangered ground-nesting seabirds that breed on sandy beaches, islands within lagoons, and salt panne habitat from the San Francisco Bay Area to Baja California. In 2017, Least Terns began breeding at an enhanced former salt production pond in Eden Landing Ecological Reserve in Hayward, where SFBBO monitors Western Snowy Plovers. To keep track of the Least Terns, SFBBO established the South Bay Tern Watch program in which volunteers help monitor the colony and report predators to SFBBO biologists. Volunteers directly contribute to the recovery of terns by improving our understanding of colony success and expanding our ability to keep track of problematic predators. Similar programs throughout California, including here in the Bay Area at Hayward Regional Shoreline and Alameda Point, have been instrumental in increasing the breeding success of Least Tern colonies.

We need volunteers to help monitor the colony from approximately late April through August. We ask that volunteers commit to at least four 2-hour surveys during this period; they can be any day of the week in the morning or evening before sunset. Scopes and tripods are required, and we will have some available to lend to volunteers. Surveys will also require some driving on levees.

We will hold an online volunteer training on Friday, April 14, 2023 at 6pm-7:30pm Pacific, as well as field training after the terns arrive (tentatively scheduled for the morning of Saturday, May 6th). We are also able to provide travel reimbursements of $20 per survey to help facilitate participation, especially for people who might face challenges getting to the site.

Interested in helping? Check back next spring for volunteer openings. Questions? Contact Sirena Lao at [email protected].

​The expansion of South Bay Tern Watch and the travel reimbursement program are possible thanks to the California Coastal Commission’s Whale Tail Grants Program.