Long-tailed Jaeger over Williamsport
9/3/17
By David Brown
On the evening of August 26th I was birding with a friend on the Susquehanna river walk in Williamsport near the Market Street bridge. As we were watching a northern harrier circling over the river another bird flew over us. At first I thought it was a common nighthawk because of the way it was flying but as I looked through the viewfinder of my camera I could tell it was not. My next thought was that it was a black tern but that did not seem quite right either. I quickly reviewed a photo on my camera and realized that it was a jaeger! Any jaeger is extremely rare in Pennsylvania so I immediately began taking more photos but the bird was flying directly away and was soon out of sight. Even though I knew there was only a small chance the bird would be seen again I quickly posted my sighting and called others that I knew would be interested.
Long-tailed Jaeger
There are three species of jaegers and they can be difficult to identify because they all look similar. They are mostly distinguished by shape, size, and a few plumage traits. Long-tailed jaeger is the smallest of the three and has the most buoyant flight. Parasitic jaeger is medium-sized and pomarine jaeger is the largest.
Based on the flight style, photographs, and help from a few experts I was able to identify the bird as a long-tailed jaeger. The name comes from the long central tail feathers of the adult. This bird was a juvenile and did not have this trait. This was the first Lycoming County sighting of this species and one of less than a dozen sightings ever in Pennsylvania. Most long-tailed jaegers migrate far offshore and it is rare to see one anywhere inland in the United States.
It was quite unusual to find a jaeger on such a sunny and calm evening. They are usually found during storms. I was part of a group of birders that found a parasitic jaeger at Rose Valley Lake last year during a morning rain storm. A bird that was likely a pomarine jaeger was photographed at Rose Valley Lake after Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
I will submit my sighting to the Pennsylvania Ornithological Records Committee (PORC). This committee reviews sightings of rare birds and makes a decision on whether to officially accept the sighting. They will look at my description and my photographs and decide if there is enough evidence for it to be unquestionably identified as a long-tailed jaeger.
This sighting is a perfect example of how luck and timing can be a big part of birding. If we had been a minute earlier or later we probably would have missed the bird. It also makes me wonder how many great birds I have missed by only a minute or two!
