Date: 4/2/26 4:32 pm From: Brian Fitch via groups.io <fogeggs...> Subject: Re: [SFBirds] Royal Tern Sutro
I had hoped that some migratory movement would be happening today in the
wake of the storms and with April on the books, and though there was less
variety than I wanted, terns did what they could as far as numbers.
Only a few Elegants were heading out of the Gate early on, but then quite a
few began to stream in from the south, many more than had already
gone out. Hundreds had flown by when some pelicans and cormorants began
gathering beyond the rocks, starting one of the biggest feeding frenzies
I've ever seen. The fish moved further into the Gate and split up,
reflected in a small flock of divers right offshore (I could see loon and
corm eye color in my binos), a big flock a few hundred yards out, and a
massive flock in the chop south of Point Bonita. The prey was so small
that I only once caught sight of a 2-3 inch long fish in an Elegant's beak.
I was scoping the mid-distance group when a large tern circled into my view
and instantly caught my attention. Its bill was bright orange-red, and a
little stouter and shorter than the Elegants. It had the notably forked
tail and flight style of the Elegants, as well as white on the underside of
the primaries. It was in alternate plumage, so no difference there
either. I was relatively certain that it was a Royal, but until it finally
dove down amongst the mob, I didn't feel complete confidence. It didn't
hit the water, but it flew amongst several much smaller Elegants, and then
headed north toward the Bonita frenzy, not to be seen again before I left
at 10. Only after it had moved on did any Caspians appear, with five
coming in from the south over the subsequent hour.
The frenzies never abated, and the other notable species present was
Bonaparte's Gull. Numerous individuals were swirling through the feeding
flock, making it hard to count, but a quick sweep showed at least fifty,
and others had flown north before the frenzy broke out. Another
interesting item was that Elegants began rafting on the surface in several
scattered groups, each group consisting of around 25-30 birds. I've seen
them on the surface before, but what was new to me was that some appeared
to be washing themselves in the salt water, while the others were holding
their beaks and their wingtips tilted up above the splashes of the choppy
water. The angular geometry would have made a great photo if they'd been
close enough.
Hundreds of murres were moving in every direction, while three Common Loons
were northbound along with five small flocks of Whimbrel.
Brian Fitch
On Thu, Apr 2, 2026 at 8:51 AM Brian Fitch via groups.io <fogeggs=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> Good looks at a Royal in a feeding frenzy nw of Sutro Baths. It just
> moved off to the north but may stay local.
> Details later
> Brian Fitch
>
>
>
