White-winged Tern! - 30 Jun 2023

 

Michigan's 1st State Record White-winged Tern (Chlidonias leucopterus) was found today by the super trio of Adam Byrne, Scott Terry and Phil Chu. At 1:42 pm this afternoon Adam posted on the Michigan-wide RBA that a White-winged Tern was flying around in the Vermet Unit of Pt. Mouillee SGA in Monroe Co. I was on the back deck with Robin after just finishing a cup of coffee and doing some plastering of screen material for an art project when the news flashed. And I was out the door.

The White-winged Tern was first reported flying near the northeast end of the Vermet, but when I arrived at the Siegler Rd. parking lot it was reported on the south end near Pelican Island. So, I took off for the Mouillee Creek parking lot and headed out the Middle Causeway. It was hot and humid and storm clouds threatened to the north; I was hoping to see the bird before possible thunderstorms might move it on.

Arriving at the Vermet Unit I saw no flying birds over the Vermet. Leaving the bike I walked through the vegetation to the south shore of the Vermet and began to scan Pelican Island for a possible tern. Overhead I started seeing terns flying toward me so I took a few images: Forster's Terns.

I finally saw the White-winged Tern when I put the scope on the north causeway and saw birders pointing cameras to the southwest. Scanning left of their position I saw flashes of white wings on a black body next to two other Black Terns and concluded that I had seen it! I then ran back to the bike thinking I'd have better luck along the North Causeway.

Riding east to the Banana I turned north and rode along the east shoreline of the Vermet until I ran into Phil Chu and Scott Terry scoping the tern from the east shoreline about a ½ mile from the North Causeway. They quickly put me on the tern, which was roosting on the ground among several Forster's Tern just out of view behind a clump of cattails. Luckily, it didn't stay long a lifted off and settled back down in the open.

Better than a quarter-mile away the White-winged Tern was only visible through the scope. As I digiscoped it with the Sony a1 + 40/2.5 + Digidapter™ I could see the light gray wing patch diagnostic of the bird. It was associating with a flock of more than ten Black Terns (adults and juveniles) and several Forster's Terns on a strip of mud in the middle of the Unit. Nearby muskrat dens and small pockets of open water provided perching and foraging locations. Distance, haze, and mid-afternoon glare made for problematic imaging, but a good tripod and a steady hand helped record sufficient information to verify ID. Best photos came from the Sony a1+600/4+1.4TC+1.5 crop mode on the tripod.

As I started digiscoping I decided to videorecord the bird at 4K/120p. Within a minute the Forster's Terns next to it took flight, and the White-winged Tern followed. I took a 4-minute video of it as it flew around before settling down again:

 

Within minutes it had lifted off again, so I started firing away at 30 fps to try to capture some images of it in flight. You can see the black wing lining (underwing coverts) to go with the black body and head, white wings and tail, and tiny black bill. Upperwing was white-gray with bright white forewings. P8 - P10 primaries were visibly darker than the remaining primaries and secondaries.

Forster's Tern (left) and juv Black Tern (right) of the White-winged Tern (middle)

WWTE and FOTE taking flight

juv Black Tern for scale

Below is my only comparison shot with an adult Black Tern. Note the all-white underwing coverts of the adult Black Tern (left) compared to the White-winged Tern (right) and its black underwing coverts. The Black Tern is also starting pre-basic molt as it shows a small white patch on the forehead. Otherwise the two birds are identical in size (23–27 cm; 42–79 g (mean 66 g in Ukraine, 54 g in winter in Transvaal); wingspan 58–67 cm - Birds of the World, Cornell).

Added 7/2/2023: An adult Black Tern in flight. Note the all white underwing coverts, gray tail w/ white undertail:

For the next two hours, as more birders showed up, we tracked the tern through scopes and hoped that it would drift closer, but it never did. Big shout-out to Adam Byrne for taxiing people from the Siegler Rd. parking lot to our location. 

At 4:15 pm I had to pack it in and ride back to the car. The tern would remain visible until almost 9 pm when it was reported to have flown NE over the Huron River. It would return in the morning (01 Jul 2023) and be visible most of the day in the same location as originally found:

According to Cornell (Birds of the World) the White-winged Tern (C. leucopterus) is found from NW Italy and C & E Europe E through Siberia, Transbaikalia and N Mongolia to SE Russia (Amurland) and adjacent NE China; has apparently bred in New Zealand. Winters in Africa, and from S Asia to New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand. So this bird is considered a rare vagrant to North America with only a handful of records reported along the east coast of the US and the St. Lawrence seaway / Great Lakes. As mentioned above it is the first record for the State of Michigan.

Its global status is considered "stable" with 2.5 - 4.5 million birds. 

Again, thanks to Scott, Phil and Adam for finding this incredible bird, and congratulations to all who got to see it today (and tomorrow).

Pte. Mouillee SGA, Monroe, Michigan, US
Jun 30, 2023 2:00 PM - 4:10 PM
Protocol: Traveling
6.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Hot, humid, hazy (wildfilres), breezy
29 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  2
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)  4
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)  2
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  6
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)  2
Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata)  1
American Coot (Fulica americana)  2
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)  2
Black Tern (Chlidonias niger)  16     Large flock of ~50/50 adult and juveniles in middle of Vermet Unit. Black bodies on adults, juveniles dark backs w/ light heads/chest and spot behind ears. This are was where the White-winged Tern was reported.
White-winged Tern (Chlidonias leucopterus)  1     Found by Scott Terry, Adam Byrne, Phil Chu among flock of Black Terns in middle of Vermet Unit. Adult bird with black body, wing linings and head w/ white wings and tail, and orange feet, small bill. Photos show P10, P9, and P8 dark gray against white primaries and white/gray secondaries. Photos taken w/ Sony a1+600/4+1.4TC+Super Resolution AI in Lightroom/Photoshop. Video of bird in flight also at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkKCaxSnCvY
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri)  8
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum)  12
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)  40
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  1
Great Egret (Ardea alba)  2
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  2
Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii)  1
Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)  1
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)  2
Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia)  2
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)  2
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris)  1
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  2
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  2
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)  1
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  12
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)  1
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)  1
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S143178753

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)