Sooty Terns, Royal Tern, & others (Inland)

Interestingly, I checked the current Annotated Checklist for Georgia Birds to get the status of the birds that we found on 7/11/05. Here is what I found:

Magnificent Frigatebird - accidental inland, high count for GA is 3 on coast

Parasitic Jaeger - accidental inland and accidental in summer

Royal Tern - accidental inland, inland high count is 1 or 2, I believe

Sooty Tern - accidental inland (more reports lately though). Our 26 inland should be the new inland high count.

Least Tern - this is one day earlier than the extreme early date in the checklist.

Forster's Tern - listed as accidental at this time in the interior in summer.

Laughing Gull - listed as rare inland

Boat-tailed Grackle - has not been reported from this area before.

Here is what we found:

From Lake Seminole, Georgia side:

Magnificent Frigatebird (6)
Parasitic Jaeger (1)
Sooty Tern (26)
Royal Tern (4)
Least Tern (2)
Laughing Gull (5)
Forster's Tern (8)
Boat-tailed Grackle (3)
Cliff Swallows

From Lake Walter F. George, Georgia side:

Magnificent Frigatebird (2)
Sooty Tern (17)
Black Tern (8)
Royal Tern (1)
Forster's Tern (2)
Laughing Gull (10)

One of twenty-six Sooty Terns we discovered at Lake Seminole.

Royal Tern at Lake Seminole

Laughing Gull at Lake Seminole

Michael Beohm and I had a fun and productive day at Lake Seminole and Lake Walter F. George. Despite having lots of rain and having to share a pair of binoculars and a scope, we were blessed to find the following birds yesterday:

From Lake Seminole, Georgia side:

Magnificent Frigatebird (6)
Parasitic Jaeger (1)
Sooty Tern (26)
Royal Tern (4)
Least Tern (2)
Laughing Gull (5)
Forster's Tern (8)
Boat-tailed Grackle (3)
Cliff Swallows

From Lake Walter F. George, Georgia side:

Magnificent Frigatebird (2)
Sooty Tern (17)
Black Tern (8)
Royal Tern (1)
Forster's Tern (2)
Laughing Gull (10)

Gopher Tortoise (1 Early County)

All birds were seen on the Georgia side of the lakes. From Lake Seminole, all of the species crossed over into Florida as they would circle around the lake. Also, all of the species from Lake Walter F. George crossed over into Alabama as they circled. The Cliff Swallows were at the Lake Seminole Dam which is at the Florida line.

Eric Beohm