Birding Dude: Arctic Tern at Nickerson Beach LI, NY

This was a long overdue Nassau County bird and fitting that I found my own at Nickerson Beach LI, NY. On June 7th, I was scanning a group of Common Terns when I detected an Arctic Tern (ARTE). Having seen a 1st Summer Arctic Tern at Cupsogue LI on June 2nd, it was nice to get an adult for my 1st Nassau County ARTE. The Tern colonies at Nickerson Beach, makes for a nice study if they are not disturbed. I managed a few photos before this bird was subsequently flushed by a jogger and I could not re-find it again during my time there.

Arctic Tern: A new Nassua County bird and an adult at that.

Some photos are posted for studying purposes. In these photos, we have standing birds - mostly Common Terns with the 1 Arctic. A couple of things to look for are: Note the deep chested look of the Arctic vs the Common Tern. Also the head shape of the ARTE is more rounded with the peak just above the eye. The Arctic Tern, lacks the dark primary wedges one would see in a Common. The legs are quite shorter on an Arctic but be wary of depressions in the ground that could make a bird look like it has shorter legs than it really has. There are other field marks that I will get into in another post which will include flight shots. For now, these are just a few handy tips that I am sharing to use in your search.