The White-winged Tern was studied by Fenton Day, Bev Leeuwenburg, Larry=20
Lynch, and at least a half-dozen other VSO folks this afternoon after 6:00=20
p.m. at Swan Cove. It was in flight during the entire observation, but its=20
field characters were all seen to good advantage. Hopefully, the bird (and=20
the Black Tern group) will stay here at least over the course of the weekend=
.=20
Some notes on Virginia records are appended below.
Ned Brinkley
Cape Charles, VA =20
A rare visitor to Chincoteague NWR, 1963-1980, with numerous records in that=
=20
period of single birds and one record of two birds: 1, 16 May 1963 (F. G.=20
Scheider) through early August 1963; 16 May through 9 August 1964 (the latte=
r=20
date on the VSO field trip; F. G. Scheider; Raven 35: 49; Murray 1966); 8-30=
=20
May 1965; 7-8 July 1974 (L. K. Malone, C. P. Wilds, C. R. Vaughn; Scott and=20
Cutler 1974d) through 17 September 1974 (P. Stoddard, D. L. Hughes et al.,=20
ph.); 10 July 1975 (L. K. Malone; Scott 1975c) through 17 August 1975 (B.=20
Williams, C. P. Wilds et al.; Scott 1977x); and 7-13 July 1980 (D. F. Abbott=
,=20
J. M. Abbott, R. F. Ringler, F. R. Scott et al; Armistead 1980c). Two birds=
=20
were present 25-27 August 1975 (D. F. Abbott, J. M. Abbott et al.; Scott=20
1976a, 1977x). =20
An annual visitor in similar numbers to the Delaware refuges and=20
management areas to the north 1990-1994 but no confirmed records there since=
=20
then. Only 1 Maryland record: 1, Point Lookout, 15-21 August 1994 (Blom et=20
al. 1995). It appears that strays of this Palearctic species remain in Nort=
h=20
America, at least during the warmer months, over periods of several years, i=
n=20
which time they associate with Black Terns. It is likely that the=20
Chincoteague and Delaware birds showed strong site fidelity to their stopove=
r=20
habitat on migration and that no more than a few birds were involved in both=
=20
cases. In at least 2 (3?) cases, White-winged Terns in North America have=20
nested with their closest relative, Black Tern: in 1992 in New York State=20
(Mazzochi and Muller 1992) and in Qu=E9bec in 1985? (AB 40: 477, 1181).
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