Since 2001, the East Bay Regional Park District has been working to enhance and establish a California least tern (Sterna antillarum browni) colony at Hayward Regional Shoreline located along the eastern shore of the San Francisco Bay. These efforts are to assist in the recovery of this State and Federally listed endangered species. The District?s conservation measures include the removal of dense vegetation, importation of the appropriate nesting substrate, placement of least tern decoys, installation of chick shelters, broadcasting tern vocalizations from a solar-recharged sound system, and site monitoring. This research provides new information on California least tern distribution and methods for constructing nesting sites in potential breeding habitat, and identifi es factors that could negatively affect their reproductive success. California gull (Larus californicus) depredation may be the major factor limiting California least tern nesting success at Hayward Regional Shoreline and may serve as an early warning for future tern habitat enhancement efforts in the region.
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