 |
Parasitic Jaeger (Stercorarius parasiticus)
Above and below: A Parasitic Jaeger permits stunning views offshore of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina (5/28/2011).
Below: Parasitic Jaegers off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina (5/28/2011).
Below: The highlight of a fishing (and, of course, birding) trip on San Francisco Bay was an unexpected number of jaegers and their harassment of the abundant Elegant Terns. For anyone new to jaegers, this group of birds specializes in kleptoparasitism, stealing other seabirds' meals. I often tell people that jaegers are where gull meets hawk. Skuas would be where gull meets eagle.
Above and below: Juvenile Parasitic Jaegers over San Francisco Bay, California (9/24/2010).
Below: More juvenile Parasitic Jaegers shaking down Elegant Terns for their lunch money. I usually don't cheer for the bully, but jaegers are just too damn cool. Also, those terns are fast.
Below: An unexpected Parasitic Jaeger roosting at Bolsa Chica, California (10/6/2011).
Below: A distant Parastic Jaeger off Assateague Island (10/16/2011) - an overdue new photo species for me in Maryland (#370).
