Verification of Unusual
Sight Record
For Utah
Rec. # 2020-38
Common name: |
Parasitic Jaeger |
Scientific name: | Stercorarius parasiticus |
Date: | 10 Sept 2020 |
Time: | 19:06 |
Length of time observed: | 15 minutes |
Number: | 1 |
Age: | Juvenile |
Sex: | Unknown |
Location: | Sand Hollow State Park |
County: | Washington |
Latilong: | 37.101379, -113.374115 |
Elevation: | Approx 3000ft |
Distance to bird: | 40m |
Optical equipment: | 8x42 binoculars, Sigma 150-500mm lens on Nikon DSLR |
Weather: | High 70s, clear skies, calm |
Light Conditions: | Well lit by setting sun |
Description: Size of bird: | The size of a small gull, impression was about a 15 inch body length. |
(Description:) Basic Shape: | Gull/jaeger |
(Description:) Overall Pattern: | Plain, very dark brown overall |
(Description:) Bill Type: | Small, thin and straight. Culmen curves down at the very end. |
(Description:)
Field Marks and Identifying Characteristics: |
Seen while walking down from the park ring road where we parked on
the shoulder. A dark silhouette, similar in size and shape to Ring-billed Gulls
which were also present. Slightly smaller-headed and shorter-legged than
Ring-billed Gull, and more barrel-chested. Bird was stationary. Upon getting
closer, the plumage was well-lit and we could see it was a uniform deep dark
brown, almost black. Brown was cool toned with hints of gray. Photos taken
reveal some very faint lighter brown edging on the feathers. Eye was dark,
basically blending in with the plumage. Legs pale grey. Bill small thin and
straight, gray with a dark tip, where the culmen curved down. Wings long and
pointed, protruding past the tail. |
Song or call & method of delivery: | Silent |
Behavior: | Awake, but still. Looking around, but fairly undisturbed by our presence. |
Habitat: | Lake shore at water's edge, standing amongst washed up and dried weedy grass. |
Similar
species and
how were they eliminated: |
Wrong body and bill shape for Black Tern and other dark tern/noddy type birds. The structure was more like a gull. Separated from Heermann's Gull, the only gull with plumage this dark, by bill size and coloration. Separated from Pomarine Jaeger by bill weight, and lack of pale barring on undertail. Separated from Long-tailed Jaeger by lack of pale whitish feather edging over upperparts. Separated from adult Parasitic Jaeger by presence of darker bill tip, and faint light brown feather edging. |
Previous
experience with this & similar species: |
This species is a regular fall migrant and occasionally overwinters where I live in Santa Cruz, California, and I have seen both this and Pomarine Jaegers before both during scope seawatch and on a pelagic |
References consulted: | Sibley Field Guide, Cornell Lab photos |
Description from: |
Notes made later From photo(s) taken at the time of the sighting |
Observer: | Liam Murphy, Giulia Donato |
Observer's address: | 175 18th Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95062 |
Observer's e-mail address: | ** |
Other observers who independently identified this bird: | Seen the following day by Maurice DeMille, as well as Kevin, Pamela, and Everett Wheeler per eBird observations. Also seen the following day by Mike Schijf, eBird reviewer, who informed me via email. |
Date prepared: | 12 Sept 2020 |
Additional material: | Photos |
Additional comments: | Photos emailed to submittal address |