Could Saunder's Tern be regular in Eilat?Observations of small Sterna terns during 14th-16th July 2003.Saunder's Tern Sterna saundersi appears on the Israel bird list by virtue of just three definite records. All were of adults/3rd summers in June 1988, June 1989 (Shirihai 1996) and 2 in May 2001 (IRDC unpublished report in prep. 1995-2002). The fact that so few records of this species exist is remarkable since this is a Red Sea breeding species, with known colonies along the Saudi Arabian coast, some of which are less than 800 kilometres south-east of the Bay of Eilat. White-cheeked Tern Sterna repressa is also a regular summer visitor to the Red Sea and can found be at Eilat almost daily in the summer months. In the Middle East it has a distribution that is not dissimilar from that of Saunder's Tern, so why are there so few records of Saunder's Tern in Israel? Summering Little Terns Sterna albifrons are quite common at Eilat, and this year I've noted flocks of up to 60 at the north beach including some just inland at the southern salt pans, or at the north sewage pools (just 6 km from the north beach). The separation of Little and Saunder's Terns in known to be notoriously difficult, not helped by the fact that many of the Little Terns summering at Eilat are actually grey rumped, which is a commonly mentioned feature of Saunder's Tern! During 14th - 16th July, I found that several small terns were resting at Eilat's north sewage pools and I spent many hours watching them and taking images. Grabbing images of these small sterna terns was far from easy since they were always extremely skittish due mainly to the regular presence of Barbary and Sooty Falcons, but also from some very bold Golden Jackals that were active during the day. However, there is a very good chance that I photographed at least two Saunder's Terns, one 2nd-summer and one adult/3rd-summer. The identification of Saunder's Tern is only lightly covered in most of the regular field guides for the region, though I've able to glean some information on the first Israeli record from a paper published in the 'Sandgrouse' by Hadoram Shirihai (Fifty species new to Israel 1979-1998). The six images included with this report draw direct comparisons with adult Little Terns featured in the same shots. Could Saunder's Tern be regular in Eilat? Observations of small Sterna terns during 14th-16th July 2003. Saunder's Tern Sterna saundersi appears on the Israel bird list by virtue of just three definite records. All were of adults/3rd summers in June 1988, June 1989 (Shirihai 1996) and 2 in May 2001 (IRDC unpublished report in prep. 1995-2002). The fact that so few records of this species exist is remarkable since this is a Red Sea breeding species, with known colonies along the Saudi Arabian coast, some of which are less than 800 kilometres south-east of the Bay of Eilat. White-cheeked Tern Sterna repressa is also a regular summer visitor to the Red Sea and can found be at Eilat almost daily in the summer months. In the Middle East it has a distribution that is not dissimilar from that of Saunder's Tern, so why are there so few records of Saunder's Tern in Israel? Summering Little Terns Sterna albifrons are quite common at Eilat, and this year I've noted flocks of up to 60 at the north beach including some just inland at the southern salt pans, or at the north sewage pools (just 6 km from the north beach). The separation of Little and Saunder's Terns in known to be notoriously difficult, not helped by the fact that many of the Little Terns summering at Eilat are actually grey rumped, which is a commonly mentioned feature of Saunder's Tern! During 14th - 16th July, I found that several small terns were resting at Eilat's north sewage pools and I spent many hours watching them and taking images. Grabbing images of these small sterna terns was far from easy since they were always extremely skittish due mainly to the regular presence of Barbary and Sooty Falcons, but also from some very bold Golden Jackals that were active during the day. However, there is a very good chance that I photographed at least two Saunder's Terns, one 2nd-summer and one adult/3rd-summer. The identification of Saunder's Tern is only lightly covered in most of the regular field guides for the region, though I've able to glean some information on the first Israeli record from a paper published in the 'Sandgrouse' by Hadoram Shirihai (Fifty species new to Israel 1979-1998). The six images included with this report draw direct comparisons with adult Little Terns featured in the same shots. Images 1 a-c show a presumed adult/3rd-summer Saunder's Tern (centre) in direct comparison with an adult/3rd summer Little Tern (left). For the time being, the rest of the small sterna terns in these images should be left unidentified. They were photographed on 16th July. Features in favour of Saunder's Tern include the smooth grey upperwing contrasting with the solid, 'matt' black of the primaries. The Little Tern shows more diffuse dark greyish primaries with less contrast. The head patterns of the two are different, with the (presumed) Saunder's showing rounded corners to the white forehead patch, as opposed to the obviously triangular shaped forehead patch of Little. On Little, the white corners taper to point above and well behind the eye. This difference is well seen when viewed head-on, giving Little Tern a much 'meaner' facial impression. Also, notice how straight the upper edge of the white forehead patch appears in direct comparison with Little, again accentuating the 'mean' expression of Little Tern. On the (presumed) Saunder's Tern, the black loral line is much broader than in Little, appearing as wide as the black surrounding the eye. The reverse is apparent in the accompanying Little Tern. Finally, many references point to bare part colours and especially leg colour as being important for the identification of Saunder's Tern. Note how the dull red-brown legs of this bird compare to the bright orange legs of Little, and how much duller the bill of Saunder's appears in direct comparison with Little. In my opinion, the combination of these features point very favourably towards Saunder's Tern. Images 2 a-c (taken in poor light on 15th July) show a presumed 2nd-summer Saunder's Tern (right) with an adult Little Tern (left). The quality of the images are not as good as those in the first set, but again the presumed Saunder's Tern shows similar differences in head pattern and dull reddish brown legs. The colour and tones of the upperparts are not so relevant in this case as the bird is still immature. Most field guides refer to extreme difficulties in separating immatures of these two species, but the direct comparison here with a Little Tern is compelling, especially in terms of the head pattern. It would certainly be interesting to here from any readers that have good experience, and hopefully images of Saunder's Tern. If nothing else, these images will certainly give some much needed exposure to the very 'thorny' issue of the small sterna terns summering at Eilat. Good birding, James P. Smith & The Birdingisrael Team |