Folks,
I and others studied the Cherry Creek jaeger for a couple of hours this afternoon. It never approached very close so observations and photos were of a distant jaeger. I have attached the link to the ebird checklist containing photos. Some of the photos are 200 % crop for the sake of detail.
Here are some of my observations. In good light, the bird appeared warm brown. Others commented it appeared almost golden at one point. This is something I would not expect to see in either of the other two jaegers (Pomarine, Long-tailed), but especially Long-tailed. This lead us to eliminate LTJA quickly. A large, white patch in the underwing due to the pale basal half of the primaries was evident. Photos confirm this as well as the seemingly lack of pale bases to the primary coverts (which create the double white flash in Pomarine Jaeger). The bill was longish and dark at the tip appearing PAJA-like. I did not think the bill was heavy enough, with a large enough nail for POJA. So Parasitic Jaeger seems to fit this bird. Although I am a bit confused about the seemingly pale P9-P10 shafts (indicative of LTJA). Also, these photos do not depict the warm tones that were observed in the field, likely due to cloud cover. Comments are welcome, but I suggest a visit to Cherry Creek before conclusions are made based on these photos.
Glenn Walbek
Castle Rock, CO
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