Date: 9/9/26 4:54 pm From: Marcus Roening via Tweeters <tweeters...> Subject: [Tweeters] Dune Peninsula and the Parasitic Jaeger show
Hi Tweets,
It is once again time for the Parasitic Jaeger show at the Dune Peninsula at Point Defiance Park in Ruston/Tacoma WA. Several hundred Caspian Terns showed up in late August and anywhere from 2-6 Parasitic Jaegers of all age classes have shown up daily to check on the Terns ability to hold on to juvenile salmon. Quite a bit of fancy flying occurs by both parties until the Caspian Terns usually drop the fish. The Caspian Terns tend to stay to the end of September in large numbers, which should keep a couple of Jaegers around, as well.
On the final drive into the Park, you’ll see a fenced in parking lot above you with multitudes of Caspian Terns and California Gulls. You can look through the fence, but it does slope down and away, so you can’t see all of the Terns from there. If you’d like to scope them and see if there are any smaller Terns, such as Common Terns, among them, back up a block and look from the top of the parking structure.
Continue down the drive to parking, restrooms and a waterfront park. Yes, it is a popular place on a nice day, so you may have to wait for parking to open up if you arrive later in the day. Or, there is paid parking a block earlier and a walking trail back.
A scope is not needed to see the Parasitic Jaegers chasing the Caspian Terns back to the fenced parking lot, but it does let you view birds further out on the Sound. The last few days have seen fair numbers of Common Terns flying through (with a few roosting in the lot), a few Arctic Terns, Red-necked Phalaropes, juvenile Sabine’s & Franklin’s Gulls and fair numbers of Rhinocerous Auklets. All of the last birds listed really require a scope to enjoy as the birds tend to be at least 1-2 miles out. If you come in the morning, there’s bound to be someone doing a seawatch from one of the Dune hills!
