• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Valley Citizen

Nature, Environment, History & Politics

The Valley Citizen

  • Arts
  • Education
  • Environment
  • History
  • Nature
  • Politics
  • Wit
  • About
  • RSS Icon

Seabirds in the Valley

July 3, 2015 By Eric Caine Leave a Comment

Forster's Tern by Jim Gain
Forster’s Tern by Jim Gain

The San Joaquin Valley has always featured great extremes in weather and landscape―everything from flood to drought, and desert to inland sea. Before it was drained for agriculture, Tulare Lake, in the southern part of the Valley, was the second largest lake in the United States. Prior to levees and flood control, seasonal wetlands often stretched as far as the eye could see and the rivers were big enough for paddle wheel riverboats. 

With all that water came birds, many of them normally associated with the western seacoast and beyond. Today, most of those birds still visit the Valley as migrants and many remain as winter visitors. Given the right conditions, some even breed here. 

Most everyone has seen California Gulls in the Valley, even though they may not know their proper names. But California Gulls, which breed inland at places like Mono Lake as well as along the coast, are only one of a long list of gull species to appear in the Valley. At the right times and places, people can see almost as many gull species as are found on the coast.  

Avid birder Jim Gain, whose new website, “Gone Gain,” documents his birding adventures, recently made a long trek to the southern part of the Valley to observe a very rare Little Gull, a diminutive species whose normal range is Europe and Asia. Along the way, Gain saw several other species of gulls as well as numbers of shorebirds, which are already beginning their southern migration. 

Gain’s excellent photographs and skills with Internet technology have introduced many people to the Valley’s varied bird life. He’s a longtime contributor to the Stanislaus Audubon Society’s educational mission and shares his vast knowledge of the Valley’s natural history generously. 

Recently, Gain heard about breeding Forster’s Terns at Woodward Reservoir. Another bird associated with the sea and sea coast, Forster’s Terns are among the most elegant birds aloft. Their forked tail plumes, pointed wings, and darting flight delight observers, and their fishing skills are almost magical. 

Forster’s Terns like to raise their young on sand bars exposed by receding water. The drought has created many such places in our lakes and reservoirs, and the terns have taken advantage of the opportunity to add to their numbers in the Valley. 

Jim Gain’s journey to photograph Forster’s Terns included a tour of some of eastern Stanislaus County’s best birding sites. He’s got a nice account of his adventure here. Be sure to check out the “Categories” and “Archives” sections of his new site. They are full of natural history and feature many of Gain’s excellent photos. It would be hard to find a better introduction to the Valley’s varied bird life, including our many sea and shore birds.

 

Filed Under: Featured, Nature

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Note: Some comments may be held for moderation.

Primary Sidebar

Off The Wire

Grim 2022 Drought Outlook for Western US Offers Warnings for the Future
Grim 2022 Drought Outlook for Western US Offers Warnings for the Future
As the climate heats up further, increasing atmospheric thirst will continue to intensify drought stress.
www.earthisland.org
Inside LA?s Homeless Industrial Complex
Inside LA’s Homeless Industrial Complex
Just 7 percent of the people in Los Angeles’s Echo Park encampment found permanent housing after it was cleared. Almost half are missing. Seven are dead. That’s not a failure of homelessness policy; it’s an example of the system working exactly as intended.
newrepublic.com
Emails Show Ginni Thomas Lobbied State Lawmakers To Subvert Election
Emails Show Ginni Thomas Lobbied State Lawmakers To Subvert Election
Ginni Thomas, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ wife and a well-connected right-wing…
talkingpointsmemo.com
America Did Too Good a Job at Saving Canada Geese
America Did Too Good a Job at Saving Canada Geese
Americans almost drove Canada geese to extinction; now they are so numerous, they’re a nuisance. What do we do next?
www.theatlantic.com
Scientists find new and mysterious DDT chemicals accumulating in California condors
Scientists find new and mysterious DDT chemicals accumulating in California condors
Environmental health scientists and toxicologists have identified more than 40 DDT-related compounds accumulating in California condors.
www.latimes.com
California minimum wage to jump faster than expected
California minimum wage to jump faster than expected
High inflation is triggering an increase in the California minimum wage, while a measure to boost it even more appears headed to the ballot.
calmatters.org
The Plot to Keep Meatpacking Plants Open During COVID-19
The Plot to Keep Meatpacking Plants Open During COVID-19
This story first appeared at ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative…
talkingpointsmemo.com
'Oil refiners exploited the crisis': Report shows oil refiners are gouging California drivers
‘Oil refiners exploited the crisis’: Report shows oil refiners are gouging California drivers
According to Consumer Watchdog, in the first quarter of 2022, some California refiners earned more than twice as those reported by the same refiners in other regions and as much as five times more than in the first quarter of 2021.
www.ktvu.com
May 2022 Shipping Update: Shipping Delays Resurface around the Globe - Cyclone Shipping
May 2022 Shipping Update: Shipping Delays Resurface around the Globe – Cyclone Shipping
With China’s zero-tolerance policy on COVID-19 in full effect, shipping delays were nearly inevitable. Here’s the update.
cycloneshipping.com
California counted its homeless population, but can it track the money?
California counted its homeless population, but can it track the money?
Volunteers fanned out across the state for the first point-in-time count of California’s homeless population since 2020.
calmatters.org
‘Where do they expect us to go?’ Life at one Bay Area encampment before eviction
‘Where do they expect us to go?’ Life at one Bay Area encampment before eviction
For many unhoused Californians, disabilities make life at a temporary shelter nearly impossible
www.theguardian.com
As Abortion Rights Expand, the U.S. Joins a Handful of Telling Exceptions
As Abortion Rights Expand, the U.S. Joins a Handful of Telling Exceptions
Recent shifts on access to abortion suggest democracy and women’s rights go hand in hand, and that the inverse might be true as well.
www.nytimes.com
No, Republicans Aren?t Better at Managing the Economy Than Democrats
No, Republicans Aren’t Better at Managing the Economy Than Democrats
By virtually every objective measure, Democrats do better. It’s not even close. So why doesn’t America know it?
newrepublic.com

Find us on Facebook

The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

Email us at:
thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Footer

The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

Email us at:
thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Subscribe for Free

* indicates required

Search

• Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2022 The Valley Citizen

Dedicated to the memory of John Michael Flint. Contact us at thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Editor and publisher: Eric Caine

Website customization and maintenance by Susan Henley Design