Whiskered Tern – Cape May, NJ

The ABA area’s 3rd record of a Whiskered Tern was found early this afternoon by Louise Zemaitis and Alec Humann, flying around Cape May Point. Cape May has actually hosted the first two records as well; in 1993 and 1998. One of the former records eventually flew over the Delaware Bay and went to a collection of impoundments in Delaware for a month. When I got the KEEKEEKERR text this afternoon, I was only an hour and 45 minutes away so shot down to Cape May right away and enjoyed watching the tern showing off by flying all around bunker pond and along the beach at Cape May Point. The Whiskered would join up with a Black Tern on bunker pond, but mix in with the Common Terns on the beach. Good luck to anyone planning to chase the bird this weekend! For more information on the tern, check out these links to the View from the Cape blog and the #ABArare posting. Also lots of photos are popping up on Flickr.

Whiskered Tern (molting adult)--3rd ABA record, Cape May Point SP, NJ (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Whiskered Tern (molting adult)–3rd ABA record, Cape May Point SP, NJ (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Whiskered Tern (molting adult)--3rd ABA record, Cape May Point SP, NJ (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Whiskered Tern (molting adult)–3rd ABA record, Cape May Point SP, NJ (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Whiskered Tern (molting adult)--3rd ABA record, Cape May Point SP, NJ (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Whiskered Tern (molting adult)–3rd ABA record, Cape May Point SP, NJ (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Whiskered Tern (molting adult)--3rd ABA record, Cape May Point SP, NJ (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Whiskered Tern (molting adult)–3rd ABA record, Cape May Point SP, NJ (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Whiskered Tern (molting adult)--3rd ABA record, Cape May Point SP, NJ (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Whiskered Tern (molting adult)–3rd ABA record, Cape May Point SP, NJ (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Whiskered Tern (molting adult)--3rd ABA record, Cape May Point SP, NJ (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Whiskered Tern (molting adult)–3rd ABA record, Cape May Point SP, NJ (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Whiskered Tern (molting adult)--3rd ABA record, Cape May Point SP, NJ (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Whiskered Tern (molting adult)–3rd ABA record, Cape May Point SP, NJ (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Whiskered Tern (molting adult)--3rd ABA record, Cape May Point SP, NJ (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Whiskered Tern (molting adult)–3rd ABA record, Cape May Point SP, NJ (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Whiskered Tern (molting adult)--3rd ABA record, Cape May Point SP, NJ (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Whiskered Tern (molting adult)–3rd ABA record, Cape May Point SP, NJ (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Whiskered Tern (molting adult)--3rd ABA record, Cape May Point SP, NJ (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Whiskered Tern (molting adult)–3rd ABA record, Cape May Point SP, NJ (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Whiskered Tern (molting adult)--3rd ABA record, Cape May Point SP, NJ

Whiskered Tern (molting adult)–3rd ABA record, Cape May Point SP, NJ

Whiskered Tern (molting adult)--3rd ABA record, Cape May Point SP, NJ (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Whiskered Tern (molting adult)–3rd ABA record, Cape May Point SP, NJ (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Of course, being fall migration and Cape May Point, there were plenty of other cool birds around. A Black Tern would join up with the Whiskered Tern when it would fly around bunker pond, and many raptors were migrating overhead including all three falcons.

Black Tern--Cape May Point SP, NJ (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Black Tern–Cape May Point SP, NJ (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

An added bonus of chasing a rarity in Cape May is that there are always raptors overhead - here's one of 2 Merlin we saw! (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

An added bonus of chasing a rarity in Cape May is that there are always raptors overhead – here’s one of 2 Merlin we saw! (Photo by Alex Lamoreaux)