A BLACK TERN was over the Lake in Prospect Park this morning around 8:45. I picked it up while scanning a fairly dense flock of swallows (mostly Barn) shortly after arriving at the shore near the base or west end of the Peninsula. My first thought was “what’s wrong with that Laughing Gull?” but I was able to get good looks as it made a few passes back and forth, dipping once to the surface of the water, displaying continuous dark gray across the mantle and wings, shading to black on the head, with the black extending below through the belly, with white at the tail. It was over the central part of the Lake, tending east where it passed out of my view. When I moved down the Peninsula to a better vantage point I was unable to relocate it. This bird is very rare for Prospect; the 2001 checklist indicates 7 sightings prior to 1960; I’m not aware of any reports in the 6+ years I’ve birded the park. Presumably this appearance is related to the ongoing wet weather pattern, which conversely resulted in a poor showing for passerine migrants, with a modest 13 warbler species seen on a date when one might have hoped for peak activity.
Good birding, Alex Wilson Brooklyn, NY -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
