Black Tern (Chlidonias niger) (2)
- Reported Aug 16, 2021 13:45 by Anthony Ferino
- Veterans Memorial Pier, Kings, New York
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=40.6391393,-74.0369531&ll=40.6391393,-74.0369531
- Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S93327083
- Comments: "Near the end of my watch, while scanning through the somewhat thinning out feeding flock of common terns and laughing gulls, I picked up a small bird among them that was immediately different - small and lightly built, with dark upper and under wings. I immediately suspected I had a black tern, but it quickly disappeared back into the fray. After phoning my friend who had just departed on the Manhattan bound ferry and asking them to keep their eyes open, I got back to scanning and after a few minutes, my bird appeared again, having about halved the distance between itself and myself, and it was indeed a black tern… dark wings and a partial black cap, with a bit of dark coloration bleeding into the flanks as well. As I watched it, a second one appeared, and I observed them wheel around and periodically evade marauding laughing gulls. They were still visible, albeit further away, when I left. While several common and Forster's terns exited the swarm and flew past the end of the pier as I observed, the black terns remained out towards the rusty barges north of the pier and towards Manhattan."
- Reported Aug 16, 2021 13:45 by Anthony Ferino
- Veterans Memorial Pier, Kings, New York
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=40.6391393,-74.0369531&ll=40.6391393,-74.0369531
- Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S93327083
- Comments: "Near the end of my watch, while scanning through the somewhat thinning out feeding flock of common terns and laughing gulls, I picked up a small bird among them that was immediately different - small and lightly built, with dark upper and under wings. I immediately suspected I had a black tern, but it quickly disappeared back into the fray. After phoning my friend who had just departed on the Manhattan bound ferry and asking them to keep their eyes open, I got back to scanning and after a few minutes, my bird appeared again, having about halved the distance between itself and myself, and it was indeed a black tern… dark wings and a partial black cap, with a bit of dark coloration bleeding into the flanks as well. As I watched it, a second one appeared, and I observed them wheel around and periodically evade marauding laughing gulls. They were still visible, albeit further away, when I left. While several common and Forster's terns exited the swarm and flew past the end of the pier as I observed, the black terns remained out towards the rusty barges north of the pier and towards Manhattan."
