It's getting to the time of year when our gulls are returning from their breeding grounds, and that means that Parasitic Jaegers Stercorarius parasiticus are sometimes found in the Puget Sound area, especially where flocks of smaller gulls congregate. Jaegers make their living during the non-breeding season by their superior flying ability, chasing and harassing birds like terns and gulls who catch food, and forcing them to disgorge the food which they are able to recover and eat. This is called kleptoparasitism.
Yesterday I stopped by Fox Island, where the gulls and Caspian Terns Hydroprogne caspia you can see in the photo above were loafing on the sandspit at low tide.
Today after work I hurried to the Point Defiance Gig Harbor Overlook where Bruce Labar had seen 3 Parasitic Jaegers this afternoon. I was about 4 hours later by the time I got there, but there was still a good flock of gulls, with a predominance of smaller Bonaparte's Gulls Chroicocephalus philadelphia, and after an hour or so of searching I found one adult light-form Parasitic Jaeger just south of the overlook. I initially saw it resting on the water, and was pretty sure of the ID, but when it flew it was easier to be certain. Jaegers have a flash of white feathers in their proximal primary flight feathers of the wings, and this is pretty unique to Jaegers and Skuas. The size, shape and flight style, combined with likelihood (it would be extraordinarily rare to see any other species of jaeger in this part of the Puget Sound) confirmed the ID.
This was a first-of-year species for me in Pierce County. I missed this bird last year, so I am happy to have seen this one today.
Good birding. Steem on!
