Storm-petrels, jaegers and lingering loons - 21 Jun 2009

It rained off and on all morning but the visibility on the eastern tip of the South Fork was much better than yesterday. I seawatched from several spots and it was a case of 'boom-or-bust', meaning it was reasonably birdy in some spots and completely dead in others. Highlights included four Parasitic Jaegers, my first Cory's Shearwaters of the season, good numbers of Wilson's Storm-Petrels off Amagansett (but oddly nowhere else) and some very late Red-throated Loons.

**Amagansett** (6:50-7:15 am)
RED-THROATED LOON - 1 (alt. plumage, flying east)
Common Loon - 1
Northern Gannet - 6
WILSON'S STORM-PETREL - 55

**Montauk Point** (7:55-9:15 am)
Northern Gannet - 17
CORY'S SHEARWATER - 2
PARASITIC JAEGER - 3+ (all subads. seemed focused hounding on Laughing Gulls)
Laughing Gull - 100+
several hundred Common & Roseate Terns

**Amagansett** (10:20-11:20 am)
RED-THROATED LOON - 2 (one alt. flying east and one basic type on water)
Common Loon - 1
Northern Gannet - 7
CORY'S SHEARWATER - 1
WILSON'S STORM-PETREL - 125 (max. count on single sweep)
PARASITIC JAEGER - 1 (sub ad., at times close inshore. Successfully robbed Common Terns and Laughing Gulls but also chased storm-petrels)
Laughing Gull - 15
Eastern Willet - 2

Didn't spend much time looking inland because of the soggy and overcast conditions. A TURKEY VULTURE over Fort Pond and a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL (3rd summer?) on the Montauk Town beach were the one things of note.