There is a Bully Amongst us!
So, just before I left for the Hummer Bird Celebration in Rockport-Fulton, TX an adult Long-tailed Jaeger showed up at Cherry Creek State Park on the southeast side of Denver. In turn, instead of rushing off to watch Sunday football with some buddies I went chasing some bird down, much to their dismay. They had no idea of how cool this was for me and it being only the second of it's kind I have ever seen since I was 5 years old. Needless to say, I put football on hold for a little bit. I was delighted to see good friends John Drummond as well as Glenn Walbek, who's photos you will be viewing below.
It wasn't too surprising to see this nice adult harassing this Ring-billed Gull in hopes of stealing it's catch. This is what Jaegers do. Although, I most often see them bombing terns instead, but I guess terns were in low supply that day. This arctic breeder travels mainly pelagic leaving inland records on the slim side. We usually see more Pomarine and Parasitic Jaegers in the fall in Colorado. When first sighting a Jaeger is usually is easy since they are bulkier than most common gulls in Colorado, but it is their dark coloration and flight that sets them apart. They move through the air with force and determination often arcing up high and swooping down.
We often get the dark-morphs of Jaeger species (many juveniles), but this nice adult was colorful. The lack of a dark breast band and longer tail streamers tells us this is a Long-tailed, for sure. However, it is rarely that easy. The easiest way for me to, in most cases eliminate Long-tailed, is to focus on the barrel-chested shape. Parasitic has the same weight distribution (heavy up front) but appears fatter because it is a stubbier bird in length. However, the wing-loading is different as Pomarine and Parasitic Jaegers have longer wings making them appear like much larger in size. Long-tails also have the most graceful flight of our three Jaegers (counting out Skuas) and appears to fly more like a large tern with a buoyant, pretty flight. Notice the white bars on the last two primaries? That is the least amount of white on an adult Jaeger primary shaft and can help in identification.
Check out that tail. So sexy!
Now, when I arrived the bird was on the other side of the lake. Obviously, Glenn got close and I am jealous to say the least. I decided to come back in the afternoon to get the good sun and catch the bird closer, in hopes. Of course, I got tied up and this little smidge of the Long-tailed at a distance was all I got. However, I was using a Nikon EDG Fieldscope so the clarity was excellent despite the heat distortion coming off of the water. Enough to see all of the attributes including the distinct dark cap that all Jaegers show in adult plumage.
This was a little more like my view, but maybe a little better. I was so excited and even bragged to my buddies. I love living in close proximity to lakes like Cherry Creek. I want to thank Glenn Walbek for his generous contribution of photos. It also pays to know that guy because he is an underrated, super-sharp birder and hooks us Colorado residents up with cool birds including the first-state record Western Gull this summer. Cheers to everyone and keep birding.
We often get the dark-morphs of Jaeger species (many juveniles), but this nice adult was colorful. The lack of a dark breast band and longer tail streamers tells us this is a Long-tailed, for sure. However, it is rarely that easy. The easiest way for me to, in most cases eliminate Long-tailed, is to focus on the barrel-chested shape. Parasitic has the same weight distribution (heavy up front) but appears fatter because it is a stubbier bird in length. However, the wing-loading is different as Pomarine and Parasitic Jaegers have longer wings making them appear like much larger in size. Long-tails also have the most graceful flight of our three Jaegers (counting out Skuas) and appears to fly more like a large tern with a buoyant, pretty flight. Notice the white bars on the last two primaries? That is the least amount of white on an adult Jaeger primary shaft and can help in identification.
Now, when I arrived the bird was on the other side of the lake. Obviously, Glenn got close and I am jealous to say the least. I decided to come back in the afternoon to get the good sun and catch the bird closer, in hopes. Of course, I got tied up and this little smidge of the Long-tailed at a distance was all I got. However, I was using a Nikon EDG Fieldscope so the clarity was excellent despite the heat distortion coming off of the water. Enough to see all of the attributes including the distinct dark cap that all Jaegers show in adult plumage.
1 comments:
Cool. Thanks for sharing the experience with us, Mike.
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