BIRDSJournal Publication • February 9th, 2015
Contract Type FiledFebruary 9th, 2015Following in the wing beats of the unbelievably rare Brown Booby (Sula leuco- gaster) observed one month earlier in the Buffalo, New York/Fort Erie, Ontario area was the similarly unexpected sighting of an Elegant Tern (Thalasseus elegans) in the region. On 20 November 2013, western New York and Ontario birders were astonished, perhaps flabbergasted, with the discovery of this exceptionally rare Sterninae on the Niagara River at the southern tip of Grand Island, NY. The next day, 21 November, the Elegant Tern re-located to Squaw Island Park in Buffalo, where it was seen until the evening of 23 November. During that time, it was viewed by hundreds of observers from across New York and Ontario. On 24 November, the fourth and final day of its occurrence, it was only seen on two brief visits to the Niagara River shoreline in Fort Erie, Ontario.