Jaegar sp. Cherry Creek SP (Arapahoe county)

[Ben S]

Hi all -

Went to Cherry Creek Res around 10 AM today. Unfortunatly I didn't see the Red-necked Grebe, although I didn't see the post about until I got home. Jaegar was swimming on res near flock of gulls off Lake Loop, seen from Pelican Pt. Suprisingly, gulls were the ones who attacked it. I moved to Lake Loop and then Prairie Loop hoping for a closer view. Jaegar moved  to SW side of res then to the dam. Was about ring-billed gull sized, pale brown torso, darker near tail, yellowish side of neck + some rufous-brown. Pale bill, dark tip, dark crown. Saw it flying, had white wing patches  and I'm pretty sure light rump patch. Also worth noting were a dozen Blue-winged Teals, about one hundred Western Grebes, and a male Bufflehead in bright winter plumage. All the pics I got were digiscopped at high power, and are really bad. However, I hope these photos confirm it is a jaegar, and possibly will ID the species. Here is a link to my ebird checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S39917451. Here are the pics:

           

Ben Sampson

Centennial, CO