Pomarine Jaeger & 2 Franklin's Gulls - Berrien Co. - 10/08

[kipnsuz at comcast.net]

10/08 - Berrien County

Greetings,

A group that included Tim Baerwald, Scott Jenex, Robert Epstein, Andre Moncrieff, Matt Hysell, Pat Underwood and I were treated to a couple of pretty nice lakeshore birds along the St. Joseph waterfront for an October day with 80 degree temps and south winds....

At Tiscornia Beach we had fly-by views of one Franklin's Gull and a juvenile intermediate or dark intermediate Pomarine Jaeger. The jaeger passed very leisurely right over the beach and was even preening in flight before disappearing (or so we thought) to the south.

Shortly thereafter we noticed two Franklin's Gulls were on the beach at Silver Beach to the south, so we relocated there for better views. Not long after, the jaeger was spotted again chasing gulls off of Tiscornia and then it came to our side of the river and harassed gulls off of Silver Beach or sat offshore for the next hour or so. It was still present (as were the Franklin's Gulls) when I left about 11:00 a.m.

Interesting note: We saw the jaeger successfully harass and obtain food from a couple of Ring-billed Gulls, but during the time we were watching it we also saw it harassed by a Herring Gull, a Common Tern and a squadron of four Killdeer.

Good birding,

Kip Miller
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