Tweeter friends -; I was seated on a bench at the Beaver Lodge Sanctuary on an arm of Union Bay having coffee and a breakfast sandwich, when I was surprised to see a tern flying around the 520 bridge, just to my north. I see Caspian Terns fairly regularly, and this bird was far smaller, did not have a huge red bill, and did not have the wing markings of a Caspian. It had a full cap and looked to be in breeding plumage. I watched it for a few minutes, and it plunged into the water twice to catch small fish (it was successful). I feel 100% confident that it was either a Forster's or a Common, but I am not certain which. While I watched the tern for a while in 8x binoculars, the tail looked all white to me so I just can't be sure which species it was. It was not far from the fresh water marsh east of Foster Island, but it was flying over open water. Maybe it will show up at the Montlake Fill, which is not far as the tern flies. -; Doug Santoni