This afternoon around 1:45 I found what I believe to be a juvenile =20 light-morph Pomarine Jaeger at Eagle Lake in Blue Earth County. This =20 is just east of Mankato on Hwy. 14. On the north side of Hwy. 14, =20 there is a small dirt pulloff from the highway from which you can view =20 the south part of the lake. It is here where I found the jaeger =20 sitting on the water. I watched the bird for over three hours and =20 called several birders, but unfortunately no one has posted anything =20 about it until now. Eventually Brian Smith, Jim Otto, and John and =20 Chris Hockema arrived and viewed the bird with me. The bird spent most =20 of the first two hours sitting on the water about 300 - 400 yards out =20 from where we stood, but during the last hour that I was there it =20 became much more active and flew around, chasing gulls, and coming a =20 bit closer to us.
Field marks: -sitting on the water, head and neck light brown, contrasting with =20 darker brown wings and mantle that appear uniform in color -in flight and when resting on water, identical to Ring-billed Gulls in size -in flight, obvious white uppertail coverts (rump) -underwing pale and barred white, contrasting with darker upperwing -white crescent flash in primaries of both upperwing and underwing, =20 but upperwing's flash fainter -pale underparts do not strongly contrast with white primary flash on =20 underwing -strong wingbeats, direct flight path -heavy body, somewhat chunky-looking -broad wings -light gray bill with black tip There will be others looking for this bird tomorrow as well. At this =20 point I am going to say probable Pomarine, as I am still awaiting =20 expert opinion, and then I will submit documentation to MOURC. Bob Dunlap, Nicollet County
