Parasitic Jaeger in St. Louis County
2017-09-09

'Rare Regular' in Minnesota

Jaegers are seldom this cooperative at Park Point. This juvenile put on quite a show for nearly an hour this afternoon, terrorizing Ring-billed Gulls on the beach and over the ball fields at the Recreation Area. At one point, it came barreling down the beach straight at me and forced me to put down my camera and duck my head! Bill size and shape, head shape, body shape and tail shape are consistent with parasiticus. A cinnamon-buff nape and extensive cinnamon-buff edging on its scapulars, upper wing-coverts, and tail-coverts are typical of juvenile Parasitics.

Peder H. Svingen