Hello all
I've been referred to some additional info on the topic of Whiskered
Tern shoulder patches in Hanzab that I overlooked or 'under-read'
(thanks to those who responded in that regard). The impression I've
gained though is still that where a Whiskered Tern has a shoulder
patch it is unlikely to be 'black' or 'bold'.
And still, the question of whether anyone on Birding-Aus has seen
this plumage feature in the field remains unanswered. My reason
for enquiring is as follows:
On Saturday at Palmerston (near Darwin) sewage works I was with
a group of birders watching a mixed group of Whiskered and White-
winged Black Terns feeding when I saw a tern that had a bold black
shoulder patch. I watched it briefly until it went out of my view, but
it was then picked up by two other observers watching from further
down the pond. The possibility of Black Tern came rapidly to mind.
The tern flew to a different pond and was lost to view by all
observers. Unfortunately due to restrictive access to the sewage
works we had only been watching through the fence and could not
follow the bird when it moved to a different area.
Subsequently I saw a Whiskered Tern (I think adult non-breeding)
with an indistinct greyish shoulder patch, feeding over another
pond, and two others with greyish shoulder patches the following
day at McMinn's Lagoon (adult non-breeding) and Sanderson
Sewage Works (bird showing clear traces of juvenile feathers on
the back), both sites also in the Darwin region. None of these birds
showed the obviously black patch of the original bird.
Clearly the Palmerston bird is more likely to be Whiskered than
Black Tern, though due to the brevity of my views I would not rule
out the rare option. Indeed, one of the other observers commented
that the bird would not have looked the slightest bit out of place
amongst the numerous Black Terns he had been observing at his
UK home a few weeks previously.
I guess at this stage the tern must be considered a potential 'mega'
that got away, though I also consider it a good example of why we
can't too rapidly jump to conclusions on IDs.
Happy Birding
Niven
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