Black Tern

I just got back from a little over a week in Seattle visiting friends and family. The visit was great and I wish I could've stayed much longer, but as soon as I got home I knew I needed to get my bird fix. I had missed four potential new species while I was gone, and it was time to play catch-up again. My housemate Jake and I headed to the Mitigation Ponds to look for the Semipalmated Plovers and Sage Thrasher that were reported there about a week ago, just after I had left the area. Not surprisingly, the birds had left the area, too - they're probably well south of here by now. Coincidentally, Craig arrived there just when Jake had to leave, so Craig and I went to the Polishing Ponds to look for the Solitary Sandpiper he had seen there last week. We also couldn't find the Solitary Sandpiper, but we lucked out in finding another bird I had given up on, a Black Tern (photo above). One of these was spotted in the spring migration but I missed it and I thought I wouldn't get another chance, so this was a pleasant surprise.