Firstrecord of Long-tailed Long-tailed Jaeger(Skua), Ster- HIScorariu$NOTE[ongicaudu$, REPORTSTHEfor theFIRST is- land of South Georgia in the south Jaegerfor SouthGeorgia Atlantic Ocean. In light of the recentdocumentation oœLon&tailed Jaegersightings in the Falkland (Veit, 1985), the RonNaveen South Georgia sighting representsa s•gmficant, albeit not totally unex- pected, southeastward range exten- sion for this species.Details of the Long-tailed sighting and supporting photographswere submitted to the British Antarctic Survey (B.A.S.) in on this particular ledge, but it was extensively dark bellies. Cramp and Cambridge,and the identification was impossible to see whether or not it Simmons(1983) indicate that Long- confirmed by Peter Prince of the was guarding eggsor chicks; in any tailed Jaegeradults that were success- B.A S. staff. As a result, the Long- event, it was paying closeattention to ful breedersgenerally complete their tailed Jaeger has been added, offi- the swoopingalbatross overhead. post-breedingmolt (complete, pri- cially, to the South Georgia bird list. In the course of nudging upward, maries descendant,head and most of A summary of the detailsfollows. and closer,to the sittingalbatross, and the the body) October to December, On January 15, 1984, I was search- trying to photographboth it and its with larger scapulars,back, rump, tad, •ng for nesting Light-mantled Sooth swoopingsuitor, a much smaller - and wing November to February or Albatrosses(Phoebetria palpebrata) in bird, which was clearly a small jaeger March, and with a pre-breedingpar- an area called Horsehead, southeast (skua),appeared from behindthe clif- tial molt of head, body, and central of Grytviken, South Georgia, and on face. It rose quickly, almost directly rectrices,mainly March to April, with the perimeter of Cumberland . over the site where I was perched, the central rectrices needing 30-40 Grytviken is the siteof one of the most shaking its extremely long and ob- daysto becomefull-grown. famous, but now abandoned, south- vious tail streamers, then, within 30 Lacking the benefit of a long obser- ern ocean whaling stations; Horse- seconds, dropping back behind the vation and a seabird-in-the-hand,the head is located about two to three ridge, never to reappear. It was un- apparentlyfresh, adult plumageof the mdes from this station, on the north- questionably a Long-tailed Jaeger SouthGeorgia Long-tailed Jaeger sug- westernedge of Moraine , adja- (Skua), and a few "grab-shots"were gestsan early molter, perhapsa failed cent to Cumberland Bay. Horsehead obtained.(VIREO/n04/1/001 &002.) breeder. Conclusions must be •s an area of tussockhillside and cliffs, The jaeger's central rectriceswere guarded,however, pending future ob- rising to a few hundred meters, with substantiallylong and unbroken, and servations of this species in and numerousoutcrops on which, accord- there was no juvenile or basic-plu- around South Georgia. •ng to membersof the residentBritish mage-streakingvisible on the seabird's Specialthanks to Peter Prince,Brit- md•tary contingent, the albatrosses underparts, upperparts, or axillades. ish Antarctic Survey, for his com- were rumoredto be courtingand, per- It possesseda small, black cap, with a ments and analysisof notesand pho- haps, nesting. However, the outcrops white upper breastand a gray quarter- tographsregarding this sighting. were only accessibleby hiking up- collar around the neck; dark lower wards from the shingle outlin- belly and vent; dark underwings;the ing the rim of the fjord, and good white color on the upperwings was LITERATURE CITED v•ewsof albatrossactivity on the out- confined to the two outer primaries; CRAMP, S. and K. E. L. SIMMONS cropscould not be assured. and, the seabird showed no signs of (eds.), 1983. The Birds of the Western After proceedinga few kilometers molt on the body, the remiges,or the Palearctic,Vol. III. 913pp. Oxford. south of Horsehead, toward the head rectrices. It appeared to be an adult HARRISON, P., 1985. Seabirds:An Iden- of the fjord, a Light-mantled Sooty bird in rather fresh plumage. tiffcation Guide (Second Edition) was encountered,gliding and soaring Veit (1985) encounteredfew adult Croom Helm. overhead, and regularly swooping Long-tailedson his winter cruises,and VEIT, R. R., 1985. Long-tailed Jaegers down past a particular cliffsideledge. these resembled alternate-plumaged wintering along the Falkland Current American Birds, 39: 873-878. After climbing 100 metersup the tus- adults, except that they lacked elon- sockslope to get a better view, another gated central rectrices and had pale -2378 Rt. 97, L•ght-mantledSooty was found sitting edgesto the mantle feathersand more Cooksville,MD 21723

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