It doesn’t seem to bother the California least terns who return every year to lay their eggs in the little depressions next to the southwest end of the runway. The seabirds, who’ve been listed on the federal endangered species list since 1970, have occupied at least 138 nests at Lindbergh Field so far this year, making it the second most successful breeding season ever at the airport. (The terns’ best year there was 2005, when 157 nests were counted, according to airport officials.)
The denuded expanse of sandy ground next to the runway isn’t the only place the birds nest in San Diego County. They also favor the Chula Vista Wildlife Reserve and Sweetwater Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, but the airport site — cacophonous, exposed, wind blasted — wins hands-down for weirdness. Airport officials says the little birds never get in the way of the Big Birds, since the terns fly toward San Diego Bay in search of sustenance — never away from it and into the path of danger.
Early August is prime time for tern-watching at the airport. All the babies will have fledged and departed within a few weeks. An excellent way to get a glimpse of San Diego’s least picky summer crashers is to take one of the Port District’s “Terminals to Tarmac” tours, a two-hour-long inside look at the airport’s operations. Best part is the bus ride that circles the entire runway. When we took it a few months ago, we came away feeling better about several aspects of the airport’s operation.
The free tours are given 8 times a months, from 10 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 3. Reservations can be made online or by calling 619-400-2880.
