Posted by Evan Obercian (168.191.63.56) on July 22, 2000 at 12:09:32:
All,
I think the oriole is a Hooded. I don't know the status of Orchard in California, but in any case I think the legs and bill are too heavy for that species.
The tern is indeed more difficult. Juvenile commic terns can be difficult unless very fresh or if seen in flight. However, I believe it is a Common. I can base that on a few things that just don't add up for Arctic. First of all, a juv Arctic with that much color in the bill would have to be very fresh, which this bird is not judging by the largely unmarked upperparts and immaculate white forehead. The color of the bare parts is also wrong - Arctic should be deeper red, not peachy orange. Bill size is close to useless on juv commic terns, since they have not fully developed. Leg length is not easy to judge, but just looking at how far this bird is above the ground one could almost eliminate Arctic. Arctics look like they are sitting on their bellies! The carpal bar seems to be largely hidden by the scaps, though I agree it looks faint. This is the only plumage of commic terns where the primaries are completely useless, since it is the only time in a Common's life where they are all the same age!
I'll admit that I first thought this bird was an Arctic, and I am intrigued by the possibility of a hybrid. The faint carpal bar, the very round head and "soft" expression, and the very dark area around the eye (no eyering visible at all) are all points for Arctic, as is the neat scaley effect on the tertials and outer greater covs. I am confident, however, that this is NOT a pure Arctic - too many things are just wrong for that species.