Pro Esteros Offers Workshop on the Californian Least Tern

By Cesar Ivan Manriquez Castro Proesteros Educational Coordinator

The California Least Tern is a bird that nests on open beaches, with scarce vegetation, the same kind that humans utilize for recreational activities. This conflict of interests results in a serious danger for the birds, because destroying its nesting area affects the most important stage of their life: their reproduction.

In Ensenada, Baja California, the Least Tern nests in the Punta Banda Estuary. This is why, during the month of June, Pro Esteros offers the California Least Tern workshop to 5th and 6th grade students. This workshop has been offered every year since 2000, with the objective of sparking the children’s interest in these living creatures and the environment close to their homes, with a focus on the California Least Tern.

The workshop was first offered only in one school located in the town of Punta Banda, nearby the estuary. Since last year, the Educational Center “Tipai”, located in the city of Ensenada, joined this workshop, raising the number of participating children.

During the workshop the participants learn about the biology and migration of the Least Tern, and they practice the use of binoculars and identification field guides, during the last session (a field trip to the nesting zone of the Least Tern). During the field trip they observe this bird in its own habitat. At the end of the workshop, the kids and their teachers receive a diploma for their participation.

For more information visit: proesteros.cicese.mx