Georgia Birding and Nature

Sooty Terns, Royal Tern & Sandwich Tern (Inland)

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GA Birding Year 2004-6
Yellow-billed Loons
Red-throated Loons (24 Inland)
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California Gull, Glaucous Gull, Iceland Gull, Thayer's Gull
Little Gull
Black-legged Kittiwake
Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Inland)
Sooty Terns, Royal Tern & Sandwich Tern (Inland)
Arctic Tern (Inland)
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Parasitic Jaeger (Inland)
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Upland Sandpipers 52 seen
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31 Species of Warbler in 1 Day
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Texas Birds

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)
 

sooty_tern_1.jpg
One of twenty-six Sooty Terns we discovered at Lake Seminole.

sooty_tern_3.jpg

sooty_tern_2.jpg

royal_tern_1.jpg
Royal Tern at Lake Seminole

laughing_gull.jpg
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

sandwich_tern_2.jpg
Sandwich Tern

We found 3 Sandwich Terns at Lake Seminole 08/31/2005.  Perhaps only the second inland record for GA.