Newsgroups: rec.birds
Path: utzoo!rising
From: rising@utzoo.uucp (Jim Rising)
Subject: Forster's and Common terns
Message-ID: <1988Dec9.151927.702@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Date: Fri, 9 Dec 88 15:19:27 GMT

Forster's Tern is the usual medium-sized tern in Kansas and Missouri,
where the Common Tern is rare (though perhaps overlooked).

In the Great Lakes region, however, Common Tern is the commonest one,
although Forster's also occur.  I don't know about Detroit, but Forster's
seems to be increasing in SW Ontario, esp. around Lake St.Clair, and I
would expect that on any given day you could see either or both at
Detroit.  In the spring at Pt. Pelee it seems that sometimes there are
mainly Forster's and at others, mainly Common---though others would know
more about this than I.  Common may be a little later in the spring.

I, too, have trouble indentifying these birds.  However, I find the 
white on the dorsal surface of the primaries to be a useful mark,even
on sitting birds.  Voices differ too, if you get used to them.

P.S., for people interested in birding in Kansas and Mo., I recommend 
a new book, "A Guide to Bird Finding in Kansas and Western Missouri"
by John Zimmerman (of K State U.) and Sebastian Patti, which can be
obtained from:  Univ. Kansas Press
                Lawrence, KS  66045
I've forgotten price, but it is not expensive (in paper or cloth).  As
bird finding guides go, this is the best illustrated, and thickest that
I have seen.  Kansas ain't the Rio Grande Valley or SE Arizona, but is
a good place to see prairie birds (all 4 longspurs; both prairie-chickens;
snowy plover; Henslow's Sparrow; Sprague's Pipit) as well as a mixture of
both eastern and western stuff.  Don't go there looking for Common Terns,
though.

--Jim Rising
-- 
Name:     Jim Rising
Mail:     Dept. Zoology, Univ. Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada    M5S 1A1
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BITNET:   rising@utzoo.utoronto.bitnet