Contributor
Date
Location
- Age and sex
- Juvenile, Unknown sex - X
Observation details
I was wrapping up my morning flight surveys for Benjamin Van Dorn this morning at Myers Point north of Ithaca (Tompkins Co.) when I noticed many gulls that were resting on the lake take flight. I looked over and immediately saw a fairly pale jaeger flying towards me. I quickly identified it as a LONG-TAILED JAEGER through binoculars and then made a couple calls and sent text messages. During this time I lost the bird and doubt started to fill my mind since I had only watched the bird for about 20 seconds and had not photographed it (VERY stupid, but the bird was pretty far away). Luckily about 45 seconds later I saw the jaeger flying toward me and was able to get several photos of the bird in flight as it flew past the spit and continued south. I met Jessie at Portland Point and we saw the bird far to the south toward Stewart Park, but then lost it. No one saw the bird again. 1. Overall shape relatively slim, appearing long-winged and long-tailed. Rather heavy chested for a light bird (relative to Parasitic; more similar to Pomarine) 2. Bill shape is fairly short, rather thick and roughly half black. 3. Overall coloration is grayish brown, with yellowish wash across nape. No rufous coloration typical of most Parasitic Jaegers. Warmmorning light makes the bird appear a bit buffier, but still obviously lacking any rufous tones. 4. Only outer two primary shafts (P10, P9) are obviously white from above and contrasting boldly with rest of upper primaries (you can see other primary shafts but they do not stand out at all). 5. Distinctive underwing pattern with dark coming down on inner web of P10 that breaks up the white underwing flash at base of primaries. This poorly illustrated or discussed in most field guides, but typical of juvenile Long-tailed Jaegers. 6. Strongly and distinctly barred undertail coverts and uppertail coverts. 7. Tail shape difficult to see in these photos, but on one I think you can make out that the innermost tail feathers are longer with blunt points. I could see this better when I first saw the bird than I can in these photos. I believe this is only the second Long-tailed Jaeger for Tompkins county. A mummified bird was found on the Ithaca lighthouse breakwater on 8 March 1942, presumably from the previous fall. That specimen ishoused at Cornell. NYSARC lists no records.
Technical information
- Model
- Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
- Lens
- EF500mm f/4L IS USM
- ISO
- 500
- Focal length
- 500 mm
- Flash
- Flash did not fire
- f-stop
- f/4.5
- Shutter speed
- 1/4000 sec
- Dimensions
- 547 pixels x 365 pixels
- Original file size
- 102.38 KB