While birding this evening at the Superior Entry, Duluth/Superior with Cory Ritter and Jane Hosking, we found a third-cycle Long-tailed Jaeger at 5:51-6:10 pm, where it was seen with three Parasitic Jaegers (two third-cycles and one juvenile), and where it crossed the state line from Wisconsin into Minnesota repeatedly. Although I initially suspected Long-tailed, I was not completely convinced until I saw the bird cavorting with several Parasitics, where it always appeared noticeably slimmer and smaller in all respects, with especially narrower wings and longer tail. Other features which identify it as a Long-tailed Jaeger include the lack of any white flash in the primaries underneath, only three pale primary shafts on the upperwing, and pale gray mantle contrasting sharply with the dark secondaries and darker outer wing. Although I initially thought this was an adult entering basic plumage with a developing breast band, it can actually be aged as a third-cycle by the presence of some mottling in the underwing coverts (in full adults the underwing coverts would be completely dark). I posted a photo of this bird to MOU recently seen, and additional images can be seen at www.pbase.com/karlbardon/jaegers where it is listed as Long-tailed Jaeger third-cycle #1.
Karl Bardon Duluth, MN ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
