White-winged Tern at the Manitowoc Impoundment in Manitowoc Wisconsin on May 21, 2016

I saw the report of the rare White-winged Tern at the Manitowoc Impoundment in the later afternoon. I had to make the run and try to see the extremely rare bird for the state. It was said today that this is the 2nd state record for this bird in Wisconsin and the previous record goes back to 1873. The normal range for this bird is throughout Eurasia. The White-winged Gull, was formally known as White-winged Black Tern. How nice to have this visitor stop in Wisconsin. When I arrived I just looked for the crowd out on a pier, that was the place I had to go to. The bird was present when I arrived and took to flight a few times. The Bonaparte’s Gulls present did not seem to like having it around. Lots of Terns and Gulls were present, with numbers well into the 100’s maybe a 1,000. A couple of Little Gulls were also present. Thanks to Charles S and Jeff H for finding this bird, id-ing the bird, and Tom S for getting the word out to others. It just might be a once in a life time to see this bird here in Wisconsin. It was a fun time with birding friends and meeting some new on a beautiful late May evening. These are distant images but the bird was always a long ways off. Images were taken on May 21, 2016.

White-winged Tern

White-winged Tern

Binomial name: Chlidonias leucopterus

Category: Gulls, Tern, and Skimmers

Size: 9.5” long, 23” wing span

Weight: 2.2 oz

Bonaparte’s Gull with the White-winged Tern, in front

White-winged Tern, in the middle with Caspian Terns

Bonaparte’s Gulls with the White-winged Tern, in front

White-winged Tern

White-winged Tern

Bonaparte’s Gull with the White-winged Tern, in front

White-winged Tern with a Bonaparte’s Gull

White-winged Tern on the shore

White-winged Tern, in the middle just after takeoff from the shore

Little Gull

Little Gull