A very noisy juvenile Common Tern.
I then drove over to the Hawkwatch where I thought if I was lucky, I might be able to get a few
images of flyby Peregrines or Merlins. There was a small crowd on the Hawkwatch Platform with the counter calling out a passing adult Bald Eagle and discussing whether the very high accipiter was a Sharpie or Cooper’s. I noticed a couple of Black Terns feeding over Bunker Pond and looking a little more carefully, one of the Black Terns looked different. Right off the bat the bird was larger and
bulkier, the wings were broader and a light smokey-gray color. The belly appeared to have dark
blotches and most of all it had an outstanding white cheek patch. I knew right away it was a Whiskered Tern. On a birding trip to Spain in 2002, we stayed in the small town of El Rocio in a hotel that catered
to visiting birders. The building was set next to a large wetland and I could sit on the balcony and watch 40-50 Whiskered Terns as they fed over the marsh. The image of the gray wings and body accented by the white cheek patch stuck with me. I overhead the two hawk counters, Louise and Alec, discussing
this unusual black tern so I went over to them and asked if they were talking about the gray tern that
was with the Black Tern. They said “yes” and I told them it was a Whiskered Tern. They seemed a
little startled and I told them why I thought this (went over the field marks and having seen them in
Spain etc.) but it just didn’t seem to register with them and anyway they told me they had contacted
some experts who would be arriving shortly to check out the bird. I was a little surprised there was no European Field Guide available at the hawkwatch, after all, this is Cape May and birds have shown up here from Europe, Asia and even South America. Okay, so I felt a little disrespected and when a
middle-aged man of Italian descent feels disrespected bad things can happen. Usually phone calls are made and contracts are put out, but, I tried to look at the situation from their point of view. They didn’t know me from Adam and I was not part of the Cape May birding “inner-circle” or even the “extended family” so why should they listen to me. If I were them, I’d like to think I wouldn’t do the same, but I probably would, so I called off the contracts and just took as many images as I could (thank goodness
for digital photography). Unfortunately, when the expert calvary arrived, the bird had gone. So when
they huddled around my camera to look at the images in the viewfinder, Mike Crewe, who has
extensive experience with the species in both Europe and Africa, said instantly “that’s a Whiskered
Tern, a molting adult.” All hell then broke loose as multiple texts and calls were made to alert the local clan and any visiting birders of this MEGA tick, except there was a problem......the bird was gone. Several search parties were dispatched to check possible locations. While the search was on the Black Tern returned to Bunker Pond with the wayward Whiskered Tern in tow. The birds remained at the
pond for some time allowing everyone to enjoy nice views. The bird left once again and was quickly discovered sitting within a flock of gulls and terns on the beach at the State Park. At this location the experience was just awesome. The bird was resting a mere 15-20 feet away and was not disturbed at
all by the barrage of clicking camera shutters. The bird continued this pattern of resting on the beach
and feeding at the pond and then resting on the beach and feeding on the pond for the remainder of the day. Understandably, the bird attracted many birders and it was nice to see some veteran BCDC
people, Tom McParland, Honey Stewart and Jim and Linda Waldie. I also ran into a long-time birding friend from Ephrata, Eric Witmer. Eric has a strange history with Whiskered Terns at Cape May.
When the first Whiskered was found in 1993, Eric and his family were vacationing in nearby
Wildwood and had come down to Cape May for a visit. While walking around the area, Eric met a
group of “out-of-this-world happy” British birders who had just discovered North America’s first Whiskered Tern. He saw the bird through their scope and became perhaps, the first North American native birder to see this species. Now, Eric was down for a pelagic trip that was to sail at 10pm and
as he was getting his camper set up nearby, got a text about the tern and was able to drive over and
see it. It would not be fair if I didn't mention that there is also a sad component to this superb birding event. When the 1993 Whiskered Tern finally settled in for a time near Little Creek, DE, my long-time birding companion and cousin, Al Guarente made about 15 unsuccessful trips for the bird. Now,
this very cooperative bird is nearby and where is Al...... a few thousand miles away birding the Pacific Northwest. Oh well.
Black Tern (above) and Whiskered Tern (below) over Bunker Pond, Cape May Point
State Park. Notice the size difference and the broader wing of the Whiskered Tern appearing almost Common Tern like. |
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Adult non-breeding Whiskered Tern over Bunker Pond, Cape May Point State Park. Dark, blotchy belly, dark cap and white cheek. |
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