Hi all:
The recent report of a Magnificent Frigatebird at Lake Granby is interesting. However, the photo provided in the eBird checklist does not rule out any other species of frigatebird. One photo I've seen suggests that the bird has a white axial spur, which suggests Lesser Frigatebird (LEFR) or, even less likely, Christmas Island Frigatebird (CIFR).
There are zero records of CIFR in the ABA Area, although the great wanderings of many frigatebird species suggest that almost any species could occur almost anywhere. However, there are six previous ABA-Area records of LEFR, including Wyoming's only frigatebird record.
Given that another photo I've seen of the Lake Granby frigatebird does not show a white axial spur, the bird might not sport that feature, but none of the photos I've seen are anything close to what we might call good photos, so any specific ID one might want to paste upon the bird is suspect. It's certainly a frigatebird, but its specific identification is well beyond certainty given the photos available.
Who knows where that bird went after visiting Lake Granby, but it could be almost anywhere... including Wyoming, so keep watching the sky.
Sincerely,
Tony
No comments:
Post a Comment