For clarification:

1. Hazing of terns on Rice Island was halted this year by
court injuction, because the Corps of Engineers and NMFS
could not show a relationship between tern predation and
reduction of WILD salmon stocks.

2. The birds were deliberately relocated to Sand Island by
a combination of clearing to create habitat and attracting
birds with decoys and tern calls. This benefits the terns
by putting them closer to ocean fish, increasing and
diversifying their foraging potential, especially for high
energy species like Herring.

3. Efforts to create nesting sites elsewhere in Washington
(eg. Grays Harbor) were halted because nobody seems to want
the terns in their backyard.

A day by day journal of what the "Feds and University" types
are up to is found at http://www.realtimeresearch.org

"Jon. Anderson and Marty Chaney" wrote:
>
> Ruth Taylor wrote:
>
> "I counted 77 Caspian Terns on the apple warehouse at Pier 91
> yesterday, Sunday, afternoon; there were 52 there a week ago. I was
> observing from near Seattle Filmworks, looking west. I did not go around
> to the marina or go up on the Magnolia Bridge and try to look at the west
> side of the roof, but I suspect there were more.
>
> Hi Ruth,
>
> Just wanted to mention that 'they' (Feds and University types) have
> banded and color-banded a number of Caspian Terns at the ill-starred
> nesting colony at the mouth of the Columbia. The Federal and State
> governments' 'wildlife' agencies have altered the habitat and hazed the
> birds from their nesting colony on Rice Island in the Columbia River
> to reduce their predation on salmon & steelhead smolts - since 'They,
> are unwilling to modify the Columbia and Snake dams' effects on the
> fish or the other habitat maladies caused by 150 years of human ex-
> istance in the region, the birds are deemed the culprit and suffer the
> consequences.
>
> The birds have relocated to Sand Island, 5 miles below the Megler-
> Astoria bridge, and we can only hope that the terns' expected lower
> predation rates on salmonid smolts at that location will give the agencies
> a reason to lessen their persecution of these birds.
>
> If we birders can help, I saw a flyer requesting observations of marked
> Caspian Terns. I hope that we can get some observations of terns to
> the researchers. "Birding with a Purpose"
>
> Jon. Anderson
> Olympia, Washington
> festuca at olywa.net
>
> W A N T E D
>
> observations of CASPIAN TERNS with colored leg bands
>
> Help researchers track the movements of color-banded Caspian terns
> by noting the color-band combinations on the legs of terns, as well as
> the time, date, location, and activity of any banded terns. Color-banded
> terns have been marked with 6 bands (3 bands on each leg). The band
> colors used were red, orange, yellow, dark blue, light green, dark green,
> black, white, and silver (metal). Please report the color band
> combinations on each leg, reading the colors from top to bottom.
> Caspian terns with radio-transmitters (fixed to the central tail feathers)
> will also have pink markings on one wing. If you see one of these birds
> please note whether the pink is on the left or right wing. If you see
> single green color bands try to record the engraved white letters and
> numbers.
>
> Please report all sightings to the web page: www.realtimeresearch.org
> or contact: Dr. David P. Craig at Oregon State University, 104 Nash
> Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331-3803, Phone: 541-737-2786, Email:
> dcraig at transport.com. All records will go to the Nat'l Bird Banding Lab.

--
Mike Patterson Alas, to wear the mantle of Galileo,
Astoria, OR it is not enough to be persecuted
celata at pacifier.com by an unkind establishment,
you must also be right.
---Robert Park
http://www.pacifier.com/~mpatters/bird/bird.html