I observed an interesting jaeger this morning during my monthly
third-Sunday nature walk at Point Defiance Park. The bird in question
was soaring at about the same height as the bluff I was standing on, off
at a distance of at least 300 yards and flying away from me. I could
clearly see the dark bib and dark top of the head, and a hefty bill, and
as the bird continued flying away from me I could see the trailing tail
feathers. What I couldn't see was whether those tail feathers twisted
toward the end.

Given what I could see through my binoculars, my first estimation was
that the bird was a Pomarine Jaeger, but I know that a Parasitic Jaeger
is more likely in Puget Sound. However, unlike the other Parasitic
Jaegers I have seen in Puget Sound, this bird was not closely following
the gulls that were hunting in the area, and there were no terns around
either. If anyone is in the area around the Tacoma Narrows and
Commencement Bay, it may be worthwhile to keep an eye out for jaeger
species.

Other birds of note that were seen by the four of us on the walk this
morning included two Varied Thrush, Orange-crowned and Townsend's
Warblers, and a lingering Pacific-slope Flycatcher.

Happy birding!

Rob McNair-Huff
Tacoma, Wash.
rob at whiterabbits.com