White-winged Tern, Fairhaven, September 2nd 2026
I hate the conspiratorial lean in a conversation, that attempt to gather support through getting closer and offering a furtive opinion. Conspiratorial was the only word I could use to describe how he leaned into me and offered a three-field-whisper: "Can you believe this was originally identified as a Black Tern?" "Hmm?" "I suppose it's fairly easily done for the more inexperienced birders." "Well," I said, watching this beautiful juvenile White-winged Black Tern sweep at high speed through a cloud of hirundines, "I can see how hard it might be to separate them." This wasn't the answer my conversation partner, a total stranger - and I mean that in more ways than one - expected. Clearly, I had disappointed him by not knowing the difference between White-winged and Black Tern juveniles off the top of my head. He moved on soon after, to my very great relief; when a man stands that close to you and talks in that sergeant-major-on...