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Joined: Dec 2004
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Administrator Lunker
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These two sat on the frame of my island project off and on for two days and then they were gone. I have never seen them here before. They resemble a Forster's Tern, but don't exactly match the photos I have found googling. 
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Joined: Feb 2005
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Lunker
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Aren't those big water birds? Would they have come from larger fresh water lakes, or one of the big lakes? Or, are they normally salt water birds? I found it. Summer breeding grounds in your area.
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Joined: Jan 2009
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Looks like a Forster's Tern to me... The head color changes with the season, which can make identification difficult.
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Joined: Dec 2004
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Where is Bird Brain Brettski when we need him? 
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Joined: Jul 2005
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Lunker
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Lunker
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How about a least tern? My bird book is at home at the moment.
Is the bill really black, or is it just dark?
Last edited by Shorty; 05/04/09 09:49 AM. Reason: bill color is thowing me off
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Joined: Dec 2004
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I zoomed in closer. 
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Joined: Jul 2005
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Lunker
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Lunker
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Least terns have a yellow bill with a black tip, non-breeding least terns have an all black bill according to the Cornell bird website. http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Least_Tern/idI'll check my bird book when I get home.
Last edited by Shorty; 05/04/09 10:07 AM. Reason: added link
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Futher proof that taunting Brettski is not such a good idea.
JHAP
~~~~~~~~~~
"My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives."
...Hedley Lamarr (that's Hedley not Hedy)
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Joined: Dec 2004
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I was attempting to show respect for his bird knowledge. Now I am on his sticky stuff list. 
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Joined: Jul 2005
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Well, I looked at my bird book last night and have it narrowed down to a common tern, a least tern, or a forester's tern. Based on the bill color it is likely a returning juvenile.
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The habitat is the key, that's what makes me say Forster's Tern...
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Joined: Jul 2005
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My bird book showed all three having a summer breeding range that would include parts of MN. The juvenile Forester's looked much different than Dwights pictures, not near as much black covering the head all the way to the front.
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The "experts" on the whatbird.com forum concur that it is a Forester's Tern.
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Joined: Jul 2005
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Lunker
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Thanks Dwight! Did they say what they thought were the determining factors, light patches on the wings/shoulders?
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My First
by x101airborne - 05/05/24 07:39 AM
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