Michael, virtually 100% of the small terns in Puget Sound are Commons.
Forster's are very rare, Blacks ditto, Arctics are perhaps even rarer away
from the tiny colony at Everett.

You can look a long time to find a Forster's Tern in this area, and I would
look at sewage ponds and freshwater lakes for a start. They have been
recorded from salt water, however. I think most if not all would be in full
basic (winter) plumage now, with a mostly pale cap and dark mask.


Dennis Paulson phone: (206) 756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax: (206) 756-3352
University of Puget Sound email: dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416