Dania Beach Terns

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Posted by Bryant Roberts on 20:40:08 05/25/04

I got a message from Ted Hendrickson at lunch today that he'd
seen an unusual tern on the beach north of the Dania Beach
Fishing Pier this morning He wasn't sure if it was a Common or an
Arctic Tern thought I'd be interested. I went there after work and
soon spotted a tern flying around the fishing pier that looked like
the one Ted described, it was a medium sized tern with medium
gray mantle and underparts, white rump and tail with dark on the
outside of outer tail feathers. From above the primaries showed no
apparent dark wedge and from below there was only a narrow dark
margin to the all white underwings. The gray on the underparts
extended into the neck where it ended at a white patch below the
eye and black crown and nape. This terns bill was all or mostly
orange-red and appeared smaller in proportion to that of another
tern that I believe was a first or second summer Common Tern that
it sometimes stood near. But here is the rub, the tern that looked
like an Arctic Tern looked larger than the apparent Common Tern,
and this should not be so. All my books describe the Arctic Tern
as being smaller and less robust than most of the medium sized
terns but that was not my impression of this bird. Both terns were
hunting around the fishing pier and sat on the railings and on the
concrete platform west of the pier entrance gate.

Dania Beach is located at the east end of Dania Beach Blvd. which runs east from US 1 between Sheridan Street and Griffin Road. There is a $1.25/hr parking fee and the pier has a $1.00 spectator fee.

Follow Ups:

Re: Dania Beach Terns - Marie Gonsalo 09:55:59 05/30/04 (0)
Re: Dania Beach Terns - John Boyd 06:37:31 05/26/04 (1)
- Re: Dania Beach Terns - Bryant Roberts 21:14:52 05/26/04 (0)

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Comments:	: : I got a message from Ted Hendrickson at lunch today that he'd : seen an unusual tern on the beach north of the Dania Beach : Fishing Pier this morning He wasn't sure if it was a Common or an : Arctic Tern thought I'd be interested. I went there after work and : soon spotted a tern flying around the fishing pier that looked like : the one Ted described, it was a medium sized tern with medium : gray mantle and underparts, white rump and tail with dark on the : outside of outer tail feathers. From above the primaries showed no : apparent dark wedge and from below there was only a narrow dark : margin to the all white underwings. The gray on the underparts : extended into the neck where it ended at a white patch below the : eye and black crown and nape. This terns bill was all or mostly : orange-red and appeared smaller in proportion to that of another : tern that I believe was a first or second summer Common Tern that : it sometimes stood near. But here is the rub, the tern that looked : like an Arctic Tern looked larger than the apparent Common Tern, : and this should not be so. All my books describe the Arctic Tern : as being smaller and less robust than most of the medium sized : terns but that was not my impression of this bird. Both terns were : hunting around the fishing pier and sat on the railings and on the : concrete platform west of the pier entrance gate. : : Dania Beach is located at the east end of Dania Beach Blvd. which runs east from US 1 between Sheridan Street and Griffin Road. There is a $1.25/hr parking fee and the pier has a $1.00 spectator fee.
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