I just got back from Potholes (North Potholes Preserve) where I saw a single Least Tern. It was on the road that goes between the large lake on the one side and the smaller body of water on the other side (near the egret rookery). I flushed it as I drove across. What impressed me most was its small size (I had just been looking at Forster's Terns and it seemed about half the size). It whiteness. It appeared whiter than any other tern. I did not appreciate the dark wingtips, they appeared pure white. It's black cap had a triangle of white forehead. It had a yellow bill. The other notable feature was the short tail. In most terns this is very prominent, but I could barely even see that it had a tail. I have seen this species only once before in Texas. Pretty amazing. I was competely shocked to see it. I have some video of it flying away from me, so I am worried it won't be useful. It circled once and flew directly over me after I flushed it. I had to leave so I really didn't get a chance to look for it after it took off, but I plan to go back around 5PM today. If someone could post this to Tweeters I would appreciate it. I saw the bird around 1:15PM.

Matt Yawney

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