ML647325054

Dettagli dell'osservazione

Observed from the balcony at our condo at shelter Lagoon, flying by during the storm. It was in the direction of the ocean, probably roughly over the trestle bridge or PABU feeders. I’ve never seen a jaeger flying high like this before. ( I never expected to see a jaeger from my balcony!) Distant. Clearly a Jaeger based on falcon-like structure and bold white wing patches. Parasitic (not Pom) based on thinner body, relatively long, narrow wings and long tail projection (not counting streamers, which were either absent or not visible) relative to width of the base of the wing. The "hand ratio" (length from bend to tip : width at the wrist) is ~2.5:1, which is great for Parasitc (or LT) and outside the range for Pom. The photos are too poor to say whether there's a double flash on the underwing or not. I can't positively eliminate Long-tailed from the photos (insufficient detail on underwing flash shape, for example), but the overall impression is a better fit for Parastici and the date and location would make LT super unlikely. Although not diagnostic, the clean white belly and brownish head and undertail is a pretty typical for Parasitic whereas Poms would typically be darker overall and more contrasty. I can't be sure if this is a pale adult or pale immature, but my impression is the later.