jaegers can soar remarkably well. I saw a Parasitic at Davis Lake in late
summer many years ago that left the lake surface and soared more or less
straight up until I could not see it at all WITH 8x binoculars. It hardly moved
a wing.
How high was it then? Maybe 6,000 feet? I’m sure that the wonder of physics
would give us an answer but I don’t do math.
Alan Contreras
acontrer56@xxxxxxxxx
Eugene, Oregon
www.alanlcontreras.com
Attending Christmas Bird Counts with good weather forecasts.
On Nov 29, 2019, at 5:46 PM, Bob Archer <rabican1@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I can't say I have ever seen a skua of any type soaring for any extended
period of time. However, I have no real experience with such birds over land.
Bob Archer
pdx
On Fri, Nov 29, 2019 at 4:37 PM <t4c1x@xxxxxxxx <mailto:t4c1x@xxxxxxxx>>
wrote:
Many years ago I saw a skua/jaeger species over Thornton Creek (Lincoln).II
know it was a jaeger or a skua, because it was dark and had the white
primary patches typical of that family. I saw those marks clearly as the bird
was overhead, Howver,I did not have binoculars at the time, and the bird was
several hundred feet above me, so I had (and have) no way of determining its
specific i.d. But I do have a question. The bird was soaring in circles,
like a buteo. I have seen quite a few (not lots) of jaegers, and have never
seen one soar. I have seen precisely one skua in my life, so nothing about
them. Are either jaegers or skuas known to soar? Are both? Just curious.
Darrel.
