ML226837491

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Behaviors

Flying

Observation details

An adult flew south, downstream, over the dam and followed the river out of sight toward Fairfield. A large tern--well, the largest tern--that appeared slightly smaller than a small Herring Gull, with similarly proportioned wings that were more rakish and sharply pointed at the primary tips. The ventral side of the primaries were black on both wings. The bill was stout, arched, and deep red in color. The crown was black. The upperparts were very pale gray, becoming white on rump and tail. The underparts were clean white. Unfortunately, I had just packed to leave; so camera was in the car and off. I did manage to retrieve it and get a few shots of the bird before it rounded the bend 1/2 mile downstream. Rare in Maine, with at most only a few seen annually from late April to October (most often in late summer and fall, but also spring, though seemingly less frequently). Nearly all are seen along the coast despite this species penetrating inland to the Champlain area and the St. Lawrence. Very rare inland in Maine and perhaps unrecorded for Somerset and Kennebec Cos. (the bird flew over both counties here).

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D

Lens

EF400mm f/5.6L USM

ISO

2000

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

1/800 sec

Dimensions

2400 pixels x 1600 pixels

Original file size

1.66 MB