ML151783941
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age and sex
- Adult, Unknown sex - X
Observation details
I was just arriving at the inlet and saw three terns passing the inlet. From A1A, I got on my binoculars to see them better. From that long distance I thought they would have been the expected Sandwich Terns going by. In doubt, I took some shots because you never know ( and I didn't). I kept going through my day standing at the jetty without reviewing the few ID shots. When I got home I noticed that the their bill was not as broad as a Sandwich's and that they also lacked that yellow tip commonly seen. These three adult Roseate Terns showed black crowns and rounded heads with entirely black bills. A little bit later, (as a side note) I had five Gull-billed Terns that flew by later and I could see how much shorter and stouter their bills were in comparison to the Roseate's thinner and pointier (see shot above for four GBTE in flight over the ocean). They were not like Forster's because their bills would not have been uniformly black at this stage. Unfortunately, color on the legs and tail length with the only angle I had are not see from the ID shots I got at that distance. Birds were heading northbound. Four years ago, I was fortunate to have seen one Roseate Tern at the Jupiter Inlet and I was blessed to get some killer shots because bird was flying close over me. Wish I had been closer for better and sharper details. Nonetheless, birds look good to me.
Technical information
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