Manitowoc, Wisconsin scored big this past weekend. Charles Sontag & Mark Hodgson happened on an alternate White-winged Tern on Saturday, 21 May 2016 - only the 2nd record for the Western Great Lakes. Coincidentally, the first record also came from Wisconsin (
Jefferson County; 05 July 1873. Ludwig Kumlien).
Bruce Heimer and I made the 3-hour jaunt for this one. It didn't take much to convince me as I bird this site multiple times in the Spring/Summer.
Here's my lousy photo of the tern:
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| WHITE-WINGED TERN. 22 MAY 2016 |
And of course a few Littles:
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| 1st Cycle Little Gull rebuking a similar-aged Bonaparte's Gull. |
Most of the LIGUs found here are 1st summer birds. An apparent adult was reported moments before we arrived. We never did see it, but photos confirm at least 5 LIGUs were present this past weekend, including a 1st cycle with an almost full hood, decked out with pink blush throughout.
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| Is there a LIGU in this photo...? |
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| Of course there is... |
This one here was hawking insects over the impoundment for a few moments:
Beside hawking insects over the lake, the birds are here feeding mainly on dying alewives. Here's a glimpse of a small segment of the group flushing:
It's nice to see these diminutive, tern-like, gulls with their smaller cousins. Their feeding preferences, fight patterns and breeding habitats are much more alike when compared to those of the larger gulls.
