What Species of Bird Dive Bomb Boils at Willard?

[Old_Coot]

A question I have had for years; What is the name of the species of the small white birds that dive bomb into the schools of shad at Willard during the wiper boils?

If you are quite certain of the name of those birds, I'd like to know. I've heard them called terns. I've heard them called egrets. All I know for sure is that they are NOT sea gulls.

A picture of the species would be cool too because I can clearly see them in my mind.

Thanks,

--- Coot ---
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[LIL_FISH]

Most likely it is a Caspian Tern, we also have a Foster's Tern in Utah as well but they are a bit smaller. They are fascinating to watch. They dive bomb their prey which are fish hitting the water with enough force that sometimes you wonder how they don't break their necks.

Both have a black cap on their head and an orange bill. The Foster's Tern has a prominent black tipped bill while the rest of the bill is orange.
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[RockyRaab]

I posted this in the other thread as well. I think our Willard birds are Forster's Tern. Caspians are the size of a large gull, and the Willard birds are nowhere near that size.

More info here: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Forsters_Tern/id

This is a Forster's Tern


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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]One good tern deserves another.

One good turn gets all the covers.
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[Old_Coot]

[quote TubeDude][#0000ff]One good tern deserves another.
One good turn gets all the covers.[/#0000ff][/quote]

And with that, I think I'll be able to remember the name of the bird. [sly]
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[fishinfool]

I have actually observed two types of Terns one type is very large and the other small, and a small seagull i think is a circle bill gull, I only started noticing it at Willard about 7 years ago it also dives into the shad. Of course every one knows what the good old seagull looks like and they join in when they can but skim the surface rather than dive bombing the school.

You know when the shad have hatched when you see the snowy egrets along the dike feeding on the newly hatched fry.

fnf[cool]
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[Old_Coot]

[quote fishinfool]You know when the shad have hatched when you see the snowy egrets along the dike feeding on the newly hatched fry.[/quote]

Interesting Tony
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[Old_Coot]

Thanks everyone for the good info. Boy, after looking at pictures of both the egrets and the terns, it is VERY clear to me which one I was seeing diving into the shad ... the terns.
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[joevanoni]

I surprised myself when I saw the pic and told myself Tern.
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[RockyRaab]

Just remember, Roger: Tern about is fair play.
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[r2u2]

OK! Just for fun i'm going to jump in. First off Forster's Turn is the most common turn in our area and is smaller ( 13" in length) than Caspian (21" in length). During migration we also see Black Turns, they are 9.5"

Look at the pic Rocky posted, it shows The Forster's Turn has a deeply forked tail. Caspian is not that extreme. Kinda like looking at a cat fish tail compared to a Crappie tail.

The Caspian is more Gull like.

If you are able to see legs, the Forster's has orange. Caspian has grey to black.

It's very common to see either flying over the water looking for a meal

And one other thing! There is no such thing as a seagull. What people call a seagull is a California Gull. There are however many other gulls that we will see in our area. Most are smaller than the California Gull.

And they are not Egrets. Egrets are wading birds.

Hope that gets you started.

Richard J
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[albinotrout]

Sorry I couldn't resist.


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[Flounder70]

I've noticed that the birds work way better than my fish finder. [fishon]
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[FishSlayerJT]

osprey near the ocean dive for fish, pretty awesome to watch. They hover 100' over the water then dive straight down full speed. But ive never seen one dive in utah.
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[DKStroutfitter]

There are also Western Grebes at Willard Bay.
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[RockyRaab]

Yes, but Western grebes dive from the water's surface, like cormorants. They don't fly and dive. Heck, they hardly fly at all!
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[Old_Coot]

Speaking of osprey, this is [url "https://www.youtube.com/embed/nA3LtXnNIto?feature=player_embedded"][#800080][size 4]one cool video[/size][/#800080][/url]

Hard to believe this Osprey got 5-6 fish at a time and then got a flounder under 3 feet of water and made off with what looks to be a 5+ lb. fish.

Have you ever seen a bird shake water off like a dog does?

Wouldn't want to get in its way when its eyes are locked onto you and his talons in the "load" position! It's talons are amazing!

There are 3 sequences in this one video:


[indent]1st sequence - catches half a dozen fish in one strike.

2nd sequence - plunges talons into deep water to grab the prey.

3rd sequence - captures a big old fish that looks as if it weighs more than he does!

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A pretty cool watch!
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[doggonefishin]

[quote FishSlayerJT]osprey near the ocean dive for fish, pretty awesome to watch. They hover 100' over the water then dive straight down full speed. But ive never seen one dive in utah.[/quote]


If you would like to see ospreys fish and dive, spend an evening fishing at Rock Cliffs at Jordanelle. There is a nesting pair in the nest boxes each year. I will see them make a dive and catch fish 2-3 times a year. I've also seen them fish and dive in several other waters as well.

One time at Payson Lake, I was out in the tube fishing and an osprey came in, dove, and caught a nice trout. Some "well lubricated" shore anglers then started filling the air with expletives about the bleeping osprey catching all their fish. (apparently, they had been skunked up to that point)
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[castnshoot]

Old Coot, cool video with the Osprey.

I have tried my hand at capturing birds of prey in action.

Here is one I call nothing but feathers.

http://s268.photobucket.com/user/blaineb...20Feathers
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[FishSlayerJT]

ive seen that one.. That is a great video! awesome birds! an osprey pair did some some work on the weber last year. Perfect way to control the population and keep everyone happy.
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