Probable Arctic Tern, Violette's Lock, MontCo.
Dma3@aol.com
Tue, 18 May 1999 11:19:40 EDT
Very long outer tail streamers, twice as long as next inner pair, no trace of
black wedge on upper surface of primaries, very narrow trailing black edge to
primaries below, much narrower than on Common, with some translucence showing
when bird got up higher, medium gray underparts and narrow white cheek,
narrower than on Common, bill very short, dark red, no black tip, head
projection short, bend of wing even with head, "hand" long and very narrow at
tip, flight very bouyant on shallow easy strokes, lots of gliding.
The bird was working the rapids between 8:30 and 10AM. Paul O'Brien was
watching the bird when I left.A few times it worked the flat water upriver
towards Seneca. Most of the time it is out of sight, on the rapids between
Violette's and Blockhouse Pt, but disappearing behind islands, and going at
least a mile downriver. I saw it several times by walking 1/2 mile downriver,
to the first vantage point, but probably the best thing to do is wait at the
head of the rapids at Violette's. You have to walk about 100yds upstream from
the parking lot to get to a point where you can look back down the rapids. A
Mourning Warb was singing at the best viewpoint.
Dave Czaplak