It was exciting to hear of the Long-tailed Jaeger delivered by Fed-Eagle to Judy Roan's house on Mercer Island on Sept 21st. It was an adult Long-tailed Jaeger which I saw on a sunny afternoon, Oct 7,1977 from my front yard. The house is on Leschi Ridge and looks directly east towards the I 90 bridge, Mercer Island and Snoqualmie Pass. The Jaeger was in amongst a flock of Common Terns and was first picked out by its different wing-beat and then the long tail and different patterning. It seems highly likely that this was the same bird seen by Ernie Sprague et al at West Point next morning.

It is easy to surmise that this group may have flown from the Columbia River, over Snoqualmie and down into Puget Sound. There must be other reports of Jaeger species over Lake Washington. I seem to be remember a record of a Parasitic Jaeger seen in earlier decades by either Zella Schultz or Martha Flahaut.Then there is of course the record for Marymoor from certain stalwart WOS members.

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David Hutchinson, Owner
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