ML646473765

Dettagli dell'osservazione

Rare and very late--14th Iowa record, 5th Polk County record, new record late date--previous November 1, 2014. I first scoped the bird at a considerable distance in the direction of Cherry Glen, sitting alone on the water. It stuck out as being very dark, with the rear end riding higher out of the water than a gull. Later it flew a considerable distance toward the east shore and in flight showed a pale vent, rump, and primary flash both above and below. A small bird that was harassed by much larger Herring Gull but aggressively chased a Ring-billed Gull. It was clearly not a POJA based on size. I was able to quickly point out the bird to Steve Dinsmore, who has extensive jaeger experience. After observing it for awhile, he identified it as Parasitic. I agreed with that after seeing the bird near both Ring-billed and Herring Gulls. After I left, the bird came in very close and photos confirmed that the ID was correct.

Specie aggiuntive

• American Herring Gull Larus smithsonianus