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MASSBIRD for Monday, April 14, 2008
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Subject: 4/13 Duxbury Beach ISS - Kestrels
From: Rick Bowes <rbowes(AT)bowesweb.com>
Date: 14 Apr 2008 1:46am
Sun. 4/13 3:00-6:00pm; High tide 6:47pm; Overcast w/occ. misting;
Temp: 44; no wind; bay and ocean calm.
The transition continues with small flocks of several varieties of
wintering water birds heading north offshore while many others
continue present in small flocks.
Highlights:
American Kestrel: (3 or 4) At Gurnet there were 2 (poss 3) in among
the houses. Just after one flew right over me with a small rodent in
its talons, I saw two on chimneys without prey . I had seen another
individual a few minutes earlier at a distance flying toward Clark's Island.
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Springfield Addendum
From: NEaton <nancyeaton(AT)sbcglobal.net>
Date: 14 Apr 2008 7:09am
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4/13/08 Springfield (Forest Park):
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Nancy Eaton
Enfield, CT
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[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Woodcock Flight Displays ~ PRNWR ~ 4/13/08
From: newburyportbirders(AT)comcast.net
Date: 14 Apr 2008 7:46am
Birders,
I led a small group of birders this evening on an American Woodcock flight
display program and the winds gratefully settled down. The group included
a middle-school student from Lawrence. We heard our first "peent" at 7:37pm.
The birds took flight, and we heard the wing-twitter on the ascent and then the
flight song during the descent; the final portion of the descent is silent. The
"peent "
then broke silence.
We saw several birds in flight and listened to and witnessed multiple displays.
We got good, full scope looks at birds in the field. We all heard the gurgling
"Tuko"
call prior to "peenting" and a "kakak" call given during a flight chase. As we
gathered
for our summary, the woodcock's chorus at Hellcat continued.
Good birding,
Sue
Sue McGrath
Observe ~ Appreciate ~ Identify
Newburyport Birders
Newburyport, MA 01950
978-462-4785
newburyportbirders(AT)comcast.net
www.newburyportbirders.com
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: bolton sightings
From: "Pam Kaminski" <pam.kaminski(AT)comcast.net>
Date: 14 Apr 2008 9:14am
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
----INCLUDING text/plain MIME SECTION----
I had 25 species in my yard today including my first chipping sparrow for
the season. Additional birds included white throated sparrow, house finch,
three purple finches, a yellow bellied sapsucker (been here for 3 days) and
a lone tree sparrow. At one point a hairy woodpecker was chasing the yellow
bellied around.
Pam Sowizral
Bolton
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[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Black's Nook Goldeneye continues
From: stevensimpson(AT)comcast.net
Date: 14 Apr 2008 9:26am
This morning I had the female Common Goldeneye previously reported at Black's
Nook (Fresh Pond in Cambridge).
OK it's not a drake, but still, that's one beautiful bird on a sunny morning!
There were also 2 female merganser (species) in the shadows at the back of the
pond too.
--
Steven A. Simpson (Arlington)
Fine art site: GallerySimpson.com
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: E-bird and Europe
From: "Dany Sloan/Exitfare" <exitfare(AT)gmail.com>
Date: 14 Apr 2008 9:14am
----INCLUDING text/plain MIME SECTION----
Last night I just finished entering what data I have from 17 years of
birding and while I really like the site and all it has to offer, but I do
have a question for those who may have more knowledge of the site:
When can we expect an option for entering sightings in
Europe/Asia/Africa/Australia? I do a fair amount of business in Europe, so
there are chunks of data which I can't enter and I want to have all of my
data in one place.
Cheers,
Dany Sloan
Allston, MA
----DELETED text/html MIME SECTION----
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: possible immature Fork-tailed Flycatcher -
Brighton
From: Barbara Volkle and Steve Moore <barb620(AT)theworld.com>
Date: 14 Apr 2008 10:02am
Thanks to Jean Dunlavy for this report.
Perhaps someone can get over ASAP and check out this bird!
Barbara Volkle
Northboro, MA
barb620(AT)theworld.com
* * *
>My friend Doug Kierdorf spotted a possible immature fork-tailed
>flycatcher
>yesterday afternoon at his daily walk spot in Brighton; I went with
>him this
>morning and we saw the bird again. Try as I might, I couldn't
>identify it
>as any more likely species of flycatcher or swallow. Description
>and
>location follow. Perhaps someone on MassBird will have the interest
>to
>confirm this or identify the bird as something else.
>
>Description: At first glance it appears to be a kingbird with the
>wrong
>tail. Body size about that of a kingbird (we saw it at one point
>near a
>phoebe, which was slightly smaller); black head, bill, and eye; pure
>white
>underparts that reach up and around neck. Back feathers light gray;
>wing
>and tail feathers appear cool brown or gray, depending on light. No
>wing
>bars. Tail long and distinctly forked, apparent in flight. Outer
>tail
>seemed to have a very thin white streak down the sides.
>
>Location: Chandler Pond (Gallagher Park) on Lakeshore Road (between
>Kendrick and Lake Streets, near St John's Seminary) in
>Brighton. The bird
>was flycatching yesterday afternoon on the eastern side of this
>small pond,
>and this morning was doing the same on the western side. Clear,
>easy views
>of it perching on bushes and lower branches of trees at pond edge.
>
>If someone can ID the bird, Doug and I would love to know; s/he can
>email me
>at bluesky6(AT)bu.edu.
>
>Thank you!
>
>Jean Dunlavy
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: possible immature Fork-tailed Flycatcher -
Brighton
From: "Matt Garvey" <mattpgarvey(AT)gmail.com>
Date: 14 Apr 2008 10:46am
----INCLUDING text/plain MIME SECTION----
Marshall Iliff just called, and we can delete the possible--he's looking at
a Fork-tailed Flycatcher on the west side of Chandler Pond in Brighton, MA!
Matt Garvey
Brookline, MA
mattpgarvey(AT)gmail.com
On Mon, Apr 14, 2008 at 10:00 AM, Barbara Volkle and Steve Moore <
barb620(AT)theworld.com> wrote:
> Thanks to Jean Dunlavy for this report.
>
> Perhaps someone can get over ASAP and check out this bird!
>
> Barbara Volkle
> Northboro, MA
> barb620(AT)theworld.com
>
> * * *
>
>
> My friend Doug Kierdorf spotted a possible immature fork-tailed flycatcher
> > yesterday afternoon at his daily walk spot in Brighton; I went with him
> > this
> > morning and we saw the bird again. Try as I might, I couldn't identify
> > it
> > as any more likely species of flycatcher or swallow. Description and
> > location follow. Perhaps someone on MassBird will have the interest to
> > confirm this or identify the bird as something else.
> >
> > Description: At first glance it appears to be a kingbird with the wrong
> > tail. Body size about that of a kingbird (we saw it at one point near a
> > phoebe, which was slightly smaller); black head, bill, and eye; pure
> > white
> > underparts that reach up and around neck. Back feathers light gray;
> > wing
> > and tail feathers appear cool brown or gray, depending on light. No
> > wing
> > bars. Tail long and distinctly forked, apparent in flight. Outer tail
> > seemed to have a very thin white streak down the sides.
> >
> > Location: Chandler Pond (Gallagher Park) on Lakeshore Road (between
> > Kendrick and Lake Streets, near St John's Seminary) in Brighton. The
> > bird
> > was flycatching yesterday afternoon on the eastern side of this small
> > pond,
> > and this morning was doing the same on the western side. Clear, easy
> > views
> > of it perching on bushes and lower branches of trees at pond edge.
> >
> > If someone can ID the bird, Doug and I would love to know; s/he can
> > email me
> > at bluesky6(AT)bu.edu.
> >
> > Thank you!
> >
> > Jean Dunlavy
> >
>
>
>
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[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Bohemians still in Groton - April 13
From: Barbara Volkle and Steve Moore <barb620(AT)theworld.com>
Date: 14 Apr 2008 11:42am
Thanks to Sandy Selesky for the following report.
Barbara Volkle
Northboro, MA
barb620(AT)theworld.com
* * *
I went to check for the Bohemian Waxwings in Groton Center
yesterday, Sunday, around 3:00. Just as I parked my car they
flew in and proceeded to fly back and forth from the crab apple
trees to behind Dunkin' Donuts until about 4:00. After gorging
themselves for about 10 minutes in the trees and on the ground
around 4:00, they went up to close bigger tree to rest and then flew
off again. I checked a few times behind Dunkin' Donuts and Ace
Hardware and back to the trees until about 5:45 p.m. but they
never returned in that time frame. There were about 22 of them.
I heard from the Stage Coach chef that they were around at times
on Saturday as well (also infrequently) though I was unable to
check that day.
Sandy Selesky
Westford, MA
selesky(AT)fas.harvard.edu
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Swallow-tailed Kite - Nantucket
From: "Ken Blackshaw" <kenandcindy1(AT)comcast.net>
Date: 14 Apr 2008 11:46am
Hi All - Just wanted you to know that Trish Pastuszak spotted a
Swallow-tailed Kite over Blue Heron Way on the west end of Nantucket
yesterday afternoon - April 13th.
The rest of us didn't get the word until this morning and it has not
reappeared yet as I'm writing this.
Strangely enough this species is the subject of my column this week in the
Nantucket Independent, to be published Wednesday and written last week --
title -- "The Ultimate Beer Bird -- The Swallow-tailed Kite." Good timing!
Ken Blackshaw -- (Better, Better & Better)
Amateur Radio W1NQT (Never Quits Talking)
Nantucket Island -- 30 miles at sea
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Fork-tailed Flycatcher at 1145Am
From: "Scott Haber" <scotthaber1(AT)gmail.com>
Date: 14 Apr 2008 11:54am
Matt Garvey and I just left Marshall Iliff, Jeremiah Trimble, Bob
Stymeist, and Rob Furrow watching the Fork-tailed Flycatcher at
Chndler Pond in Brighton. See earlier post for directions.
Cheers,
Scott Haber, Boston
--
Scott Andrew Haber
Center for Energy and Environmental Studies
Boston University, Boston, MA
Cell: 201-615-3307
Email: scotthaber1(AT)gmail.com
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: RE: Fork-tailed Flycatcher at 1145Am
From: "Jeremiah Trimble" <jtrimble(AT)oeb.harvard.edu>
Date: 14 Apr 2008 12:48pm
Dear Massbirders,
As Scott and others mention, we just returned from seeing the
Fork-tailed Flycatcher in Brighton. Some images by myself and Bob
Stymeist can be seen at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jrtrimble
More to follow!
Good birding,
Jeremiah Trimble
Cambridge, MA
-----Original Message-----
From: massbird-approval(AT)world.std.com
[mailto:massbird-approval(AT)world.std.com] On Behalf Of Scott Haber
Sent: Monday, April 14, 2008 11:52 AM
To: massbird(AT)theworld.com
Subject: [MASSBIRD] Fork-tailed Flycatcher at 1145Am
Matt Garvey and I just left Marshall Iliff, Jeremiah Trimble, Bob
Stymeist, and Rob Furrow watching the Fork-tailed Flycatcher at
Chndler Pond in Brighton. See earlier post for directions.
Cheers,
Scott Haber, Boston
--
Scott Andrew Haber
Center for Energy and Environmental Studies
Boston University, Boston, MA
Cell: 201-615-3307
Email: scotthaber1(AT)gmail.com
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Fw: eBird Report - IBA - Mt. Auburn Cemetery ,
4/14/08
From: "rstymeist(AT)juno.com" <rstymeist@juno.com>
Date: 14 Apr 2008 1:56pm
Location: IBA - Mt. Auburn Cemetery
Observation date: 4/14/08
Number of species: 33
Mallard 4
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Herring Gull 3
Mourning Dove 3
Eastern Screech-Owl 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
Downy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 5
Eastern Phoebe 5
Blue Jay 2
American Crow 1
Black-capped Chickadee 8
Tufted Titmouse 4
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
Hermit Thrush 1
American Robin 19
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling X
Cedar Waxwing 63
Chipping Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 1
Fox Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 2
White-throated Sparrow 4
Dark-eyed Junco 10
Northern Cardinal 4
Red-winged Blackbird 4
Common Grackle 18
Brown-headed Cowbird 5
American Goldfinch 4
House Sparrow 2
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
Bob Stymeist
Arlington
_____________________________________________________________
Click to get information on the ultimate Bahamas relaxation vacation.
http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2121/fc/Ioyw6i3nJs5wXB1uRKCejXz1cwS5Kuv298ev3KKB4xQ5JPWjVwWOHo/
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: It's spring! Northern Rough-winged Swallows in
Waltham
From: Carol Jeffery <aves2watch(AT)yahoo.com>
Date: 14 Apr 2008 2:25pm
----INCLUDING text/plain MIME SECTION----
Spring is here! A small group of Northern Rough-winged Swallows have returned
to the office park where I work. Late last week, I watched as a Tom Turkey
strut his stuff for over an hour to a group of seemingly uninterested females -
great fun to watch their behavior.
Good birding!
Carol A F Jeffery
aves2watch(AT)yahoo.com
Framingham, MA 01701
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[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: NEW chickadee song
From: "Martha Schwope" <schwopes(AT)msn.com>
Date: 14 Apr 2008 2:50pm
A chickadee in my friend's backyard advanced chickadee song-writing by 50%
with a new-new-new-note to it's "Hi, Sweetie!" song.
You know how it goes "Do-la?"
This one had three distinct pitches, all whistled with the same time and
intensity: "Do-la-sol." It sang it several times, flew to a different tree,
sang it again. Then we went inside.
My friend could NOT understand why I was SO AMAZED at the song.
But I'm sure that a few of you out there in bird-land would have been as
thrilled as I was.
Has any one else ever heard a three-pitch chickadee song?
(Probably all of you. I wouldn't be surprised if I'm way behind the scene.)
Martha Schwope, Concord, MA
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Fork-tailed Flycatcher (Patagonia picnic table
effect)
From: "rstymeist(AT)juno.com" <rstymeist@juno.com>
Date: 14 Apr 2008 3:58pm
Exciting morning at Chandler Pond- a Fork-tailed Flycatcher was found yesterday
by Doug Kierdorf - only a very few state records and even rarer in Spring (2
records= May 3, 1990 in Concord and May 8, 1968 on Plum Island.) Also noted by
others: Barn Swallow, and Pine Warbler. Also, a possible White-eyed Vireo was
heard singing- only very briefly, so keep an ear out. With so many birders
there- who knows what will turn up!
Location: Boston, Suffolk County, MA, US
Observation date: 4/14/08
Notes: All birds from Chandler Pond, Brighton<br>Fork-tailed Flycatcher was
found Sun Apr 13 at Chandler Pond, Brighton, well photographed
Number of species: 39
Canada Goose 4
Mallard 8
Bufflehead 8
RUDDY DUCK 12 (some nice males)
PIED BILLED GREBE 1
Double-crested Cormorant 4
Great Blue Heron 1
Turkey Vulture 1
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Ring-billed Gull X
Herring Gull X
Rock Pigeon X
Mourning Dove 2
Belted Kingfisher 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
Eastern Phoebe 2
FORK TAILED FLYCATCHER 1
Blue Jay 3
American Crow 2
Tree Swallow 4
NORTHERN ROUGH WINGED SWALLOW 2
Black-capped Chickadee 4
Tufted Titmouse 1
Carolina Wren 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
American Robin X
European Starling X
Cedar Waxwing 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 3
Song Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco 2
Red-winged Blackbird 6
Common Grackle 8
Brown-headed Cowbird 2
House Finch 1
American Goldfinch 2
House Sparrow X
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
Bob Stymeist
Arlington
_____________________________________________________________
Click for your daily horoscope, learn about money, love & family.
http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2121/fc/Ioyw6i3ly8k4ZHfAhjBsJAykiLQVJ7ZLflKaNJFwvKUQ7S6fgrBfNV/
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Oystercatchers in Manchester-by-the-Sea
From: "Christine Corley" <sawwhet(AT)verizon.net>
Date: 14 Apr 2008 4:40pm
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
----INCLUDING text/plain MIME SECTION----
Nancy Bachman found a pair of oystercatchers about 3 pm this afternoon =
at Black Beach (Ocean Street) in Manchester.
Chris Corley
Manchester
sawwhet(AT)verizon.net
----DELETED text/html MIME SECTION----
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Hawks today
From: James MacDougall <jm3(AT)mac.com>
Date: 14 Apr 2008 5:26pm
Hi,
I saw a few new hawks in the neighborhood today that I didn't see
yesterday.
In the yard in Topsfield:
Male Am. Kestrel
N. Harrier
Bradley Palmer
male Am Kestrel
Osprey
other species seen throughout week:
Yardbirds:
2 Barred owl
2 Coopers Hawks, one is a 2nd year bird
2 Red-tails
Great Egret fly-overs
2 Wood Duck
9 Mourning Dove
2 Eastern Bluebirds
Many Tree Swallows
6 Eastern Phoebes
3 Northern Flicker
2 Red-bellied Woodpeckers
2 Hairy Woodpeckers
4 Downy Woodpeckers
3 Pine Warblers
Also of note, we have a colony of solitary ground nesting bees in the
horse pasture. Many hundreds of bees, with individual excavations
for, I assume, the female which is in the hole and looking out. Many
hundreds of holes in one section of the field. Last year we had
Cicada Killers later in the season making excavations in the same
area. This year's species I have never seen before.
Jim MacDougall
Campmeeting Road
Topsfield, Mass.
978-857-6826
http://web.mac.com/jm3/
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Fork-tailed Flycatcher comments
From: "Marshall J. Iliff" <miliff(AT)aol.com>
Date: 14 Apr 2008 5:28pm
All,
Marj Rines has now posted some of my Fork-tailed Flycatcher photos along
with photos from Jeremiah Trimble to www.massbird.org. Although
identification to species is straightforward, Jeremiah and I were focused on
trying to get to the next step to understand a bit more about this bird.
This bird is heavily worn, with entirely brown and frayed wing and tail
feathers (the outermost tail feathers are broken off). Although this bird
was initially reported as an immature, and although this conclusion is
logical based on the short tail, this is in fact an ADULT MALE. The three
outermost primaries are modified in most kingbirds (Fork-tailed and
Scissor-tailed Flycatchers ARE kingbirds, after all) and the strong notching
visible on this bird (see Jeremiah's first photos, and some of the flight
shots) reveal that this is an adult male. Furthermore, the fact that the
outer three primaries are strongly notched is DIAGNOSTIC for the
southernmost subspecies, Tyrannus savana savana, which breeds from central
Brazil and Bolivia south to central eastern Argentina and winters in
northern South America! This actually comes as no surprise, since it has
long been known that this subspecies is the one that tends to occur as a
stray to the United States and Canada; only a few winter records from south
Texas and (recently) Louisiana have been ascribed to the more proximal T. s.
monachus, which breeds from Veracruz, Mexico, to northern South America.
Interestingly, T. s. savana undergoes a complete molt on its northern South
America "wintering" grounds (April-July; Pyle 1997), so our April bird has
feathers that are almost a year old (and look it!).
So what is this bird doing here? Much has been written on the vagrancy of
Fork-tailed Flycatcher, including the following articles, with the McCaskie
and Patten article a personal favorite:
Lockwood, Mark. 1999. Possible anywhere: Fork-tailed Flycatcher. Birding
31:126-139.
Monroe, B. L. and A. Barron. 1980. The Fork-tailed Flycatcher in Nroth
America. Am. Birds 34:842-845.
McCaskie, G. and M. A. Patten. 1994. Status of the Fork-tailed Flycatcher
(Tyrannus savanna) in the
United States and Canada. Western Birds 25:113-127. Available online
through SORA
(http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/)
My personal opinion, informed by these articles, is that these spring birds
are simply overshoots. Spring overshooting is most frequent in males (e.g.,
Kentucky Warbler, Hooded Warbler), but in this case remember that this is
actually a FALL OVERSHOOT, since it is an austral breeder. Basically, this
bird was migrating north from Argentina (perhaps) to coastal Brazil and was
a bit too ambitious and ended up over the Atlantic. From the north coast of
South America to Boston it is a little over 2000 miles. I suspect that many
coastal USA Fork-tailed Flycatchers have flown directly from South America
after being caught offshore in Spring (May-June peak) or Fall (September
peak) and then flying downwind. I am no expert on these windflow patterns
but imagine that, if I am correct (that this bird's first landfall was in
Massachusetts, and not Alabama), windflow patterns are crucial to the
survival of these birds and necessitate an interaction between a high to
the east of South America and a low moving in from mainland North America.
This could help bring such a bird north and would explain why Fork-tailed
Flycatcher records have such a strong coastal bias.
This species is often referred to as a "reverse migrant". For example,
Lockwood (1999) says: "It has been hypothesized that Fork-tailed Flycatchers
arrive in the fall as a result of misoriented "mirror-image" migration
(Monroe & Barron 1980, McCaskie and Patten 1994). In other words, these
birds fly northward instead of following their normal migration path to the
south."
I do believe that some birds show a tendency to occur as a reverse
migrants--heading north when they should head south. However, I am not sure
I believe that USA vagrant Fork-tailed Flycatchers are "mirror-image" or
"reverse" migrants at either season. Other fall birds that we consider
"reverse" migrants, such as Tropical Kingbirds, Ash-throated Flycatchers,
and others, tend to be young birds heading north instead of south. If an
immature Fork-tailed Flycatcher was a reverse migrant it would presumably
migrate to Antarctica in April/May...not to the Northeast USA. Thus, I don't
think fall immatures in the East are reverse migrants since they are a)
probably T. s. savana; b) would have needed to first migrate successfully in
their "fall" before straying to North American in our fall. I think it is
more likely that these fall migrants also get caught offshore as do spring
birds and make next landfall on the North American continent. However, this
fails to explain why vagrant Fork-taileds predominate in fall, since it
would seem that the converse would be true when the entire population is
already moving north...
Food for thought for those enjoying this remarkable rarity.
Best,
Marshall
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------
All East Coast April-May records I am aware of are below.
Fork-tailed Flycatcher 1 ad male 4/13/2008 thru 4/14/2008
Brighton MA
Fork-tailed Flycatcher 1 5/2/1990 thru 05/3/90
Concord MA
Fork-tailed Flycatcher 1 5/4/1968 thru 05/8/68 Plum
I. MA
Fork-tailed Flycatcher 1 5/7/1989
Oak Beach Suffolk NY
Fork-tailed Flycatcher 1 ad 5/18/1994 thru 05/28/94
Kittery, Fort Foster ME
Fork-tailed Flycatcher 1 5/18/1984 thru 05/20/84 Cape
May Cape May NJ
Fork-tailed Flycatcher 1 5/19/1985 thru 05/22/85 Long
Bay NR Bermuda
There are a number of April/May records from the Florida, the Gulf Coast and
Texas, and a very few in the interior (e.g., Illinois).
--
-------------------------------------------------
Marshall J. Iliff
West Roxbury, MA
miliff AT aol.com
-------------------------------------------------
eBird/AKN Project Leader
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
159 Sapsucker Woods Rd.
Ithaca, NY 14850
http://www.ebird.org
http://www.avianknowledge.net
-------------------------------------------------
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Re: [BostonBirds] Fork-tailed Flycatcher comments
From: "Dany Sloan" <danymsloan(AT)gmail.com>
Date: 14 Apr 2008 7:20pm
----INCLUDING text/plain MIME SECTION----
The Fork-tailed Flycathcer was still there and very cooperative at 18:50.
Directions in earlier post today. Easy walk from Boston College B line
subway.
Thanks for the analysis, Marshall -- a perfect way for me to nerd out
tonight.
Cheers,
Dany Sloan
Allston, MA
On Mon, Apr 14, 2008 at 5:26 PM, Marshall J. Iliff <miliff(AT)aol.com> wrote:
>
> All,
>
> Marj Rines has now posted some of my Fork-tailed Flycatcher photos along
> with photos from Jeremiah Trimble to www.massbird.org. Although
> identification to species is straightforward, Jeremiah and I were focused
> on
> trying to get to the next step to understand a bit more about this bird.
>
> This bird is heavily worn, with entirely brown and frayed wing and tail
> feathers (the outermost tail feathers are broken off). Although this bird
> was initially reported as an immature, and although this conclusion is
> logical based on the short tail, this is in fact an ADULT MALE. The three
> outermost primaries are modified in most kingbirds (Fork-tailed and
> Scissor-tailed Flycatchers ARE kingbirds, after all) and the strong
> notching
> visible on this bird (see Jeremiah's first photos, and some of the flight
> shots) reveal that this is an adult male. Furthermore, the fact that the
> outer three primaries are strongly notched is DIAGNOSTIC for the
> southernmost subspecies, Tyrannus savana savana, which breeds from central
> Brazil and Bolivia south to central eastern Argentina and winters in
> northern South America! This actually comes as no surprise, since it has
> long been known that this subspecies is the one that tends to occur as a
> stray to the United States and Canada; only a few winter records from
> south
> Texas and (recently) Louisiana have been ascribed to the more proximal T.
> s.
> monachus, which breeds from Veracruz, Mexico, to northern South America.
> Interestingly, T. s. savana undergoes a complete molt on its northern
> South
> America "wintering" grounds (April-July; Pyle 1997), so our April bird has
> feathers that are almost a year old (and look it!).
>
> So what is this bird doing here? Much has been written on the vagrancy of
> Fork-tailed Flycatcher, including the following articles, with the
> McCaskie
> and Patten article a personal favorite:
>
> Lockwood, Mark. 1999. Possible anywhere: Fork-tailed Flycatcher. Birding
> 31:126-139.
> Monroe, B. L. and A. Barron. 1980. The Fork-tailed Flycatcher in Nroth
> America. Am. Birds 34:842-845.
> McCaskie, G. and M. A. Patten. 1994. Status of the Fork-tailed Flycatcher
> (Tyrannus savanna) in the
> United States and Canada. Western Birds 25:113-127. Available online
> through SORA
> (http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/)
>
> My personal opinion, informed by these articles, is that these spring
> birds
> are simply overshoots. Spring overshooting is most frequent in males
> (e.g.,
> Kentucky Warbler, Hooded Warbler), but in this case remember that this is
> actually a FALL OVERSHOOT, since it is an austral breeder. Basically, this
> bird was migrating north from Argentina (perhaps) to coastal Brazil and
> was
> a bit too ambitious and ended up over the Atlantic. From the north coast
> of
> South America to Boston it is a little over 2000 miles. I suspect that
> many
> coastal USA Fork-tailed Flycatchers have flown directly from South America
> after being caught offshore in Spring (May-June peak) or Fall (September
> peak) and then flying downwind. I am no expert on these windflow patterns
> but imagine that, if I am correct (that this bird's first landfall was in
> Massachusetts, and not Alabama), windflow patterns are crucial to the
> survival of these birds and necessitate an interaction between a high to
> the east of South America and a low moving in from mainland North America.
> This could help bring such a bird north and would explain why Fork-tailed
> Flycatcher records have such a strong coastal bias.
>
> This species is often referred to as a "reverse migrant". For example,
> Lockwood (1999) says: "It has been hypothesized that Fork-tailed
> Flycatchers
> arrive in the fall as a result of misoriented "mirror-image" migration
> (Monroe & Barron 1980, McCaskie and Patten 1994). In other words, these
> birds fly northward instead of following their normal migration path to
> the
> south."
>
> I do believe that some birds show a tendency to occur as a reverse
> migrants--heading north when they should head south. However, I am not
> sure
> I believe that USA vagrant Fork-tailed Flycatchers are "mirror-image" or
> "reverse" migrants at either season. Other fall birds that we consider
> "reverse" migrants, such as Tropical Kingbirds, Ash-throated Flycatchers,
> and others, tend to be young birds heading north instead of south. If an
> immature Fork-tailed Flycatcher was a reverse migrant it would presumably
> migrate to Antarctica in April/May...not to the Northeast USA. Thus, I
> don't
> think fall immatures in the East are reverse migrants since they are a)
> probably T. s. savana; b) would have needed to first migrate successfully
> in
> their "fall" before straying to North American in our fall. I think it is
> more likely that these fall migrants also get caught offshore as do spring
> birds and make next landfall on the North American continent. However,
> this
> fails to explain why vagrant Fork-taileds predominate in fall, since it
> would seem that the converse would be true when the entire population is
> already moving north...
>
> Food for thought for those enjoying this remarkable rarity.
>
> Best,
>
> Marshall
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> -------------------------
> All East Coast April-May records I am aware of are below.
>
> Fork-tailed Flycatcher 1 ad male 4/13/2008 thru 4/14/2008
> Brighton MA
> Fork-tailed Flycatcher 1 5/2/1990 thru 05/3/90
> Concord MA
> Fork-tailed Flycatcher 1 5/4/1968 thru 05/8/68 Plum
> I. MA
> Fork-tailed Flycatcher 1 5/7/1989
> Oak Beach Suffolk NY
> Fork-tailed Flycatcher 1 ad 5/18/1994 thru 05/28/94
> Kittery, Fort Foster ME
> Fork-tailed Flycatcher 1 5/18/1984 thru 05/20/84 Cape
> May Cape May NJ
> Fork-tailed Flycatcher 1 5/19/1985 thru 05/22/85 Long
> Bay NR Bermuda
>
> There are a number of April/May records from the Florida, the Gulf Coast
> and
> Texas, and a very few in the interior (e.g., Illinois).
> --
>
> -------------------------------------------------
> Marshall J. Iliff
> West Roxbury, MA
> miliff AT aol.com
> -------------------------------------------------
> eBird/AKN Project Leader
> Cornell Lab of Ornithology
> 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd.
> Ithaca, NY 14850
> http://www.ebird.org
> http://www.avianknowledge.net
> -------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
>
> --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
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> "Boston Birds" group.
> To post to this group, send email to BostonBirds(AT)googlegroups.com
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>
>
--
Dany Sloan
Planetary Group/Stranded in Stereo/Exitfare
http://www.planetarygroup.com
http://www.strandedinstereo.com
http://exitfare.blogspot.com
(m) +1.617.888.4198
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[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Birds Manchester MA4/14/
From: <winterwren2(AT)verizon.net>
Date: 14 Apr 2008 8:40pm
Location: 01944 Manchester MA Observation date: 4/14/08
Notes: I feel like I hit the birding lottery today. Working on my Breeding Bird
Atlas I went into the woods this afternoon with low expectations. It started out
rather quiet, slowly started to find some
birds:phoebes,kinglets,woodpeckers,Hermit Thrush,winter wren singing.
As I was ending my outing, a Pileated Woodpecker flew quite nearby. It was
calling loudly and landed on a dead snag. Seconds later I hear a tapping noise
and another Pileated pops out of a hole in the tree. It flys away and the other
bird quickly hops into the hole. In total awe, I realize I have just seen a pair
of pileated woodpeckers do a swap on incubation duties.
WOW! Visualize a Monty Python illustrated God that smiles down on me! I stay a
while longer and watch the nest hole resident peek out. I even got looks at it's
tongue. Total birder utopia. As I am watching this snag, I also spy a Kestrel
in the distance. This is perfect Kestrel habitat, swampy dead snag woods along
with farm fields. Now I have an additional goal, to find A. Kestrel nesting
evidence.
What a fabulous start to my BBA 2008 season!
Number of species: 31
Canada Goose 26
American Black Duck 2
Mallard 2
Ring-necked Duck 1
Bufflehead 2
Pied-billed Grebe 1 Still in pond by railroad bridge
Double-crested Cormorant 3
Great Egret 2
Turkey Vulture 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
AMERICAN KESTREL 1
Mourning Dove 2
Downy Woodpecker 2
Hairy Woodpecker 1
PIELATED WOODPECKER 2 nesting pair of pileated woodpeckers!
Eastern Phoebe 3
Blue Jay X
American Crow 2
Black-capped Chickadee 4
Tufted Titmouse 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Winter Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 6
Hermit Thrush 1 MY FIRST OF YEAR
American Robin X
European Starling X
Song Sparrow X
Red-winged Blackbird X
Common Grackle X
Brown-headed Cowbird X
American Goldfinch X
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
winterwren2(AT)verizon.net
Susan Hedman, Gloucester
"I believe in God, only I spell it Nature." Frank Lloyd Wright
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: Purple martin return
From: Raymond Marr Jr <rmarr2(AT)cox.net>
Date: 14 Apr 2008 8:56pm
1st Purple Martin return today 04/14
To the Crestwood Country Club Rehoboth
Raymond Marr Jr
Pawtucket, RI
rmarr2(AT)cox.net
[ << | >> | ^^ ]
Subject: HSR: Plum Island MA (14 Apr 2008) 70 Raptors
From: reports(AT)hawkcount.org
Date: 14 Apr 2008 11:46pm
Plum Island MA
Newburyport, Massachusetts, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 14, 2008
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 25 25
Osprey 2 22 24
Bald Eagle 0 0 0
Northern Harrier 2 52 56
Sharp-shinned Hawk 6 14 15
Cooper's Hawk 2 4 4
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
Red-tailed Hawk 0 1 2
Rough-legged Hawk 0 3 3
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 57 495 503
Merlin 1 11 11
Peregrine Falcon 0 3 4
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0
Total: 70 630 647
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 6 hours
Official Counter: Craig Jackson
Observers: David Goodine, Ted Mara, Ursula Goodine
Weather:
Wind -- mostly NW (2-4); Temperature -- 10-16-14°C; Clouds -- 0-50%
Raptor Observations:
Good movement - paling only in comparison to yesterday (as would any
count); Flight was heaviest in morning with 49/70 raptors coming through
in first two hours; though not counted a ranger estimated he had seen 40-50
kestrels pass by before observers were on site.
2 Bald Eagles (one near adult and one juvenile) -- not migrating
Non-raptor Observations:
Counts were made by observers -- official counter was not on site and is
only submitting the data
Predictions:
If winds continue flight may continue
========================================================================
Report submitted by Craig Jackson (crleja(AT)yahoo.com)
Plum Island, Parker River NWR, MA information may be found at:
http://massbird.org/EMHW/
Site Description:
coastal barrier island
Directions to site:
Site is Parking Lot #1 of the Parker River National Wildlifee Refuge on
Plum Island, Newburyport, MA
Take Plum Island Turnpike, cross bridge and take first right onto road
leading to refuge. Parking Lot 1 is on left, shortly after passing refuge
entrance
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