ML223135051
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age and sex
- Adult, Unknown sex - 1
Media notes
White upperwing and dark underwing of opposite wing. White undersides and upper breast. No thin white area under cheek due to a dark body as on COTE.
Observation details
FRS, submitted 04.12.20 A small tern with long tail feathers and pale white upper primaries with no discernible lighter inner primaries. The primaries on the upperwing were appeared all white in flight and at rest. The body also was white in flight. Only a thin dark trailing to the underwing in flight. At rest the underside of the opposite primaries were dark, in contrast with the white upper primaries. Hoping it could be an Arctic Tern, but the bill was orange based with a black tip. Flight was not right either as the flight was not an up and down butterfly like flight, but a level flight at a more or less constant elevation, then plunging. Heard the bird vocalize after it had been disturbed and it gave a four (4) note harsh husky call, deeper in tone than a Common's. First seen actively flying and plunge diving over the west side of the bay. Bird would momentarily hover prior to diving. it evidently was unsuccessful on the west side as it came over to the east side of the bay near the boat launch and dove there. It was seen flying up into the ait with a small fish which it swallowed while it flight, lifting it's head upward as it flew. After it had ate it settled down on one of several roosting perches. First off by itself further out in the bay, then it moved into the area the RBGUs were at. When some kayakers went to the west side to access the bay the gulls and tern all flushed with the gulls leaving for the night, but the tern coming back to where it had been. It was still perched when I left.
Technical information
- Model
- COOLPIX P600
- ISO
- 400
- Focal length
- 1032 mm
- Flash
- Flash did not fire, auto
- f-stop
- f/8.2
- Shutter speed
- 1/320 sec
- Dimensions
- 3264 pixels x 2448 pixels
- Original file size
- 1.25 MB