- Dec 04 6:28 pm
#86726
I haven’t posted for a long time. The site was appearing to be moribund, but a quick look today reveals some life in the website.
These photos are from the end of September at Point Roberts. (I’m just finalizing this batch now.)
Several species of ocean-going birds are seen at Point Roberts, but seldom if ever seen at other nearby locations. One of these rare species is the Parasitic Jaeger. They breed in the far north, but sometimes come south after breeding season. Many other birds hate them as they rob nests and steal eggs.
They tend to harass small birds like Common Terns and Bonaparte’s Gulls. In the sequence below, two light morph Parasitic Jaegers are harassing a Bonaparte’s Gull. The Gull has given up some food and it is floating down in the air. The white spot. The Jaegers immediately give up the chase and go after the food, with one catching it in the air.
This species is an outstanding flyer, capable of rapid turns and high speed chases.
I wonder how the Gull learned to take this action. Akin to a bank robber throwing cash out of his car in order to distract chasing police. Both the Jaegers and the Gulls and Terns must have learned this behaviour.
Very distant photos, but they illustrate this event. On this outing there were at least 4 Jaegers flying about, perhaps as many as 6.
There are some additional “Prelim” photos of this outing on the Flickr page. In one shot a Gull is attacking a swimming Parasitic Jaeger.
These photos are from the end of September at Point Roberts. (I’m just finalizing this batch now.)
Several species of ocean-going birds are seen at Point Roberts, but seldom if ever seen at other nearby locations. One of these rare species is the Parasitic Jaeger. They breed in the far north, but sometimes come south after breeding season. Many other birds hate them as they rob nests and steal eggs.
They tend to harass small birds like Common Terns and Bonaparte’s Gulls. In the sequence below, two light morph Parasitic Jaegers are harassing a Bonaparte’s Gull. The Gull has given up some food and it is floating down in the air. The white spot. The Jaegers immediately give up the chase and go after the food, with one catching it in the air.
This species is an outstanding flyer, capable of rapid turns and high speed chases.
I wonder how the Gull learned to take this action. Akin to a bank robber throwing cash out of his car in order to distract chasing police. Both the Jaegers and the Gulls and Terns must have learned this behaviour.
Very distant photos, but they illustrate this event. On this outing there were at least 4 Jaegers flying about, perhaps as many as 6.
There are some additional “Prelim” photos of this outing on the Flickr page. In one shot a Gull is attacking a swimming Parasitic Jaeger.