Forster's Tern
Sterna forsteri
Forster's Terns can be seen flying near the marshy parts of the shoreline in the San Francisco Bay Area. They will occasionally come down and rest, but more often I see them flying and hunting for small fish near the water's surface. A Forster's Tern may hover briefly when it spots a fish, and then try to catch it by plunging its beak and head in the water (with about a .250 batting average). Cesar Chavez Park in Berkeley, the Hayward Regional Shoreline, and the Richmond Shoreline are a few specific locations where I have observed it. It is present in the East Bay year-round. (Click on images to see enlarged versions.)