ML253762761

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

***Mega; brought in with Hurricane Isaias A show that left us feeling closer to the Dry Tortugas than the Gulf of Maine. First bird was seen distantly offshore by Will S, Max, and Oliver at 6:35 AM, flying west from the north shore, to incredible joy — as all three of us, having missed out on the main storm the day before, were convinced nothing would show. Boy were we wrong. Offshore, these elegant birds basically screamed at us to identify them among the huge tern movements: their deep black uppersides and clean white undersides and face pattern along with dark underside of primaries were diagnostic, but they were extremely conspicuous among the other terns due to their overall darkness, great size, STKI-like shape, and ponderous wingbeats. Our next bird was at 8:10 AM, by Will VH, doing the same thing: flying west off the north. Scattered sightings in this area followed until we made our way to the rips on the very northwest tip of Race Point where the Waters were stationed, where we could view both Sooties feeding at once. It was here that a Sooty approached us closely for the first time, giving us full frame bin views, before turning away and disappearing to the north. As we returned from Hatches Harbor an hour later, we respotted a tern in the rips off the west side beach: and finally, one surprised the entire group with incredible views, flying directly over our heads from over the dunes to the east, giving views of the highest quality as the group shouted words of the lowest quality. Multiple Sooty Terns in Massachusetts — not in a hurricane but on a clear beach day that brought out the crowds! Upon review of individuals present in photos by Lily and Max, it appears possible that at least 3 birds were involved. The possibility that terns not well photographed were different individuals than the ones in detail, leading to a higher count, cannot be discounted. See Lily's checklist notes for the complete review.

Technical information

Model

NIKON D90

ISO

720

Focal length

260 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

1/4000 sec

Dimensions

2825 pixels x 1923 pixels

Original file size

4.44 MB