middle-aged Caspian Tern at Robb Field

Late this morning there was a banded Caspian Tern on what little mud was still exposed at high tide at Robb Field. I couldn’t make it out so I made the 15 minute drive around to the north side where I could make out C918 on the yellow leg band. Sadowski informed me that it was banded as a chick at East Sand Island on the Columbia River in Oregon on 15 July 2008, making it 15 years old. The longevity record for a Caspian Tern is 32 years, so this one still has a long way to go. This bird apparently winters on the San Diego Bay and has been sighted at Robb Field and in San Diego Bay a number of times previously, as early as 26 April 2010.