Galen Frantz

I knew I should have cropped the photo before posting.

So...size-wise are common terns about the size of royals?

Photos from Cape May, NJ 18 AUG 2020

Photographed at Cape May, NJ on 18 AUG 2020.

Please confirm that these are also Forster's Terns. This photo was taken at Cape May, NJ 18 AUG 2020. I think there are several stages present.

Is this a Forster's Tern? Photos are from Palmetto, FL APR 2018

You know...at the time I was actually enjoying the interaction between the little girl and the swan.

Photographed at Versailles in August 2016

Photographed at Versailles in August 2016

I have gotten a bit gun-shy after years of working with thrips. I have used dichotomous keys since high school. Yet after running unfamiliar species through a key and feeling pretty confident about the results, I have been surprised a few times when I submitted a voucher specimen to another expert. So I like to get confirmation on the identity of a bird that I have identified from a photograph taken a few years ago in a location that I am unfamiliar with and where I do not have easy access for repeated observations.

Thanks for all your help! This was the only usable image I got of this individual, and I am pleased it captured the needed detail.

Photo taken in T or C, NM in August 2018.

Not the best photo, but I think it captures the barring on the back and the extent of the red on the head. Photograph was taken at the Contra Loma Regional Park in Antioch, CA in March 2017.

Thanks for the discussion. I have worked as an entomologist for the past 40+ years, and having to translate insect biology to professors on one hand and farmers on the other, I can definitely appreciate that words make a difference. From the insect world, immature is pretty accepted for all non-adult stages, but the terms larva, pupa, sub-imago, etc., definitely transfer more information than the more general term. I have been using the heck out of the AAB site, but recognize that it has limitations. I also haven't bought a field guide since I got a copy of RT Peterson's book many years ago (now falling apart). I am open to suggestion regarding a good field guide, if for no other reason than I feel a bit guilty coming to you guys every time I have a question. ...that and I still enjoy learning. I also have a question about posting photos to topics on this site (especially related to European birds) where the posting needs to have a URL. WTF?? How do I do that???

I worked in the area between Fresno and Brentwood between spring 2015 and fall 2017. Sadly, the client discontinued the service, so I have not had a good excuse to get back out to CA since then. I will be taking an Alaska cruise this May, and will be looking for all those good West Coast birds while at sea and on shore excursions. In the meantime, my camera and binocs are my traveling buddies here at home in FL and on the road wherever.