Book Reviews (Feb 2014), Part II

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Part I, which includes The World’s Rarest Birds, Lost Animals: Extinction and the Photographic Record, and Birdwatcher: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson can be found here.

Rare Birds of North America by Steve N.G. Howell, Ian Lewington, and Will Russell.

This long-awaited and much-anticipated book “offers the first complete synthesis of the occurrence and distribution of” every vagrant recorded in North American through July of 2011. These birds aren’t necessarily rare in a global context as with “World’s Rarest Birds” but they are most certainly rare in the United States (not including Hawai’i) and Canada.

The meat of the book is the species accounts, covering 262 species from around the world. First and foremost – and certainly the most eye-catching aspect – is the artwork. This book marks North American unveiling of the remarkable artwork of Ian Lewington, and for many readers, it will be the first introduction to one of the best bird artists of our time. Simply put, the plates are gorgeous. The birds appear amazingly life-like, yet technically sound. There is a lot of detail, but they are not exaggerated schematics. In addition to be a sheer joy to look at, they are incredibly accurate and useful depictions that will go a long way in aiding identification, especially in cases where they are – and fostering appreciation. For many of these birds, these are the definitive drawings, and in some cases far surpassing the rendition in those species’ “home” field guides. The traveling birder will gain a lot of information from studying the plates in this book when heading to that respective corner of the world. Some of the best and most helpful plates are when similar species are painted side-by-side (such as with many of the albatrosses) and/or on adjacent pages (as with Willow Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, and Wood Warbler).

For each species account, there’s a short analysis of world distribution, North American records and their patterns, and a discussion of taxonomy. The catch-all “Comments” section includes discussions ranging from origin and patterns to unanswered questions. Not surprisingly, I enjoyed the various postulations about patterns and provenance. And last but certainly not least is the “Field Identification” section, which might be one of the most important for people who want to find these rare birds. If you think you have discovered a new state record, this is probably the first place to go to confirm your identification, for example. I found it quite helpful when “similar species” were thoroughly compared, although at times, I felt that the authors skipped over potential confusion species, especially when those confusion species were very real and regular features of birding discussions (i.e. domestic waterfowl and bona fide Graylag Geese; considering how often domestic geese are reported as true Graylags, it seems ridiculous to claim “Similar species: none if seen well.”) But these complaints are relatively few.

My one over-arching quibble with the text is simply a pet-peeve of mine: the use of counties as the sole reference to rare bird records. I have no problem with the specific locations of the records being left out (the ABA Checklist is a quick and easy place to find that info) but it seems to me that counties are one of the least valuable references. Perhaps out West, where counties are the size of eastern states, this reference is more useful from a geographic standpoint, but in many parts of the East, in our small counties with irregular borders, many birders probably don’t even know what county they are standing in at a given time. So why not be just a little more specific? For example, when looking at the entry for Variegated Flycatcher, type in “York County, Maine” to Google Maps or your favorite mapping website or software. OK, you have an idea as to where in Maine the bird was. Now, type in “Biddeford, Maine,” the town the bird was in. I bet it won’t take much time (especially after reading the intro material!) to picture where this bird probably occurred – that long, narrow peninsula that sticks straight out into the water…yup, that’s where the bird was. In other words, towns/townships/territories (or counties in unincorporated areas when necessary) provide a whole lot more information and more specifics with little additional information, space, or even typed characters: In this case “Biddeford” is two characters shorter than “York County” but provides a significant amount more of information and relevance geographically.

While the vast majority of the book is the species accounts, the introductory material is far from superfluous. In fact, it should not be missed. In addition to the utilitarian aspects of using the book and defining exactly what a “rare bird” is, the instructive sections “Migration and Vagrancy in Birds” and “Where do North American Vagrants Come from?” are chock full of useful and interesting information about the mechanisms and geographic origins, respectively, that produces the “Mega” rarities that birding dreams are made of. The “Molt and Aging” section is a concise introduction to this complicated topic, but one that is often important to identifying vagrants and their origin.

I must, however, disagree with their use of the term “reverse migrant” in the section “Migration and Vagrancy in Birds” to describe what is more accurately referred to as “180-degree misorientation” or “reverse misorientation” (which the entry confusingly uses in a couple of instances). Reverse migrant is usually used to describe an entirely different phenomena where birds – from few to massive flocks – undertake a seasonally-opposite movement based on local and current conditions. For example, a warm spell in the fall might cause thousands of swallows to move north along the west coast, or a cold snap could send Red-winged Blackbirds in a southbound retreat in spring. These are not “mistakes” by a few as misorientation suggests, but rather a coordinated response to seasonal conditions and its impact on food supplies, regardless of age and experience.

This book is a must-own for any student of vagrancy and rare birds, and it helps to teach everyone how to find more rare birds. Meanwhile, birders of all levels will simply appreciate flipping through its pages and marveling at Lewington’s artwork and the unbelievable diversity of species that is out there waiting for us.

The Devil’s Cormorant: A Natural History by Richard J. King. (University Press of New England, 2013).

I saved the best for last. In fact, this is one of the best natural (and cultural) history books that I have read in quite some time. Various species of cormorants are found on all continents (yes, including Antarctica) and in all corners of the world, we find these birds to be vilified, hated, and sometimes even cherished.

The author seamlessly integrates fascinating hard science and extensive research with personal anecdotes from his cormorant-centric travels around the world. At the same time, he explores the interaction between humans and these birds. From the sacred cormorant fishing in Japan to the guano deposits of Peru, we see how cormorants are an important part of some cultures. On the other hand, from the catfish farms Louisiana to the stocked fishing holes of England, we see how people have come to misunderstand or even downright hate – and often woefully mis-manage – cormorants. The author does an excellent job of remaining objective even when explaining human actions that seem completely insane and inane, but strives to educate the reader about the realities – including when the realities are negative for the cormorant.

During the course of the year, the author follows the life of the Double-crested Cormorants breeding on a small island in Long Island Sound, through all of the trials and tribulations of surviving in a cruel, unforgiving world. In between, he travels the globes to get to know others species on an intimate level, from spending time with researchers to visiting museums. I particularly enjoyed his self-deprecating and humorous portrayal of his visit to the Natural History Museum in Tring, England and his travels through the population and species of the “blue-eyed shag group” of the sub-Antarctic, a trip that I have had the privilege of experiencing.

Personally and professionally, I find myself often defending the cormorant, rejecting the vitriol directed towards it. Heck, we even have a giant photograph of the face of a Double-crested Cormorant on our dining room wall: a face that includes a vivid turquoise-green eye – that I feel is one of the most beautiful colors in the world – and the bright and vivid orange facial skin and gular patch that contrasts magnificently with the dark black feathering, the dirty gray and flaky, “ugly-looking” imposing bill. In other words, I was exceptionally happy when a friend of mine handed me a copy of this book. It’s a fair treatment of the cormorant – and like most things, when nature is treated fairly, the natural world – including its cormorants – is defended. I guarantee you will have a new-found understanding and appreciation for this remarkable group of birds.

Of course, most of these titles are available at Freeport Wild Bird Supply, and a shipment of A Devil’s Cormorant has just arrived and is the featured “Derek’s Choice” at the moment. Also, look for our next installment of “Birds, Books, and Beers” to feature Will Russell, co-author of Rare Birds to take place in early May. More on that soon.

And speaking of new, “must-have” books, the new and completely updated Sibley Guide is coming out in March! We’re currently taking discounted pre-orders here at the store.

Scarborough through South Portland: Signs of Spring!

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I decided to blog about my birding outing today, if only to give people a little hope that spring is around the corner. As temperatures plummet once again this week, perhaps the knowledge that spring migration has actually begun will provide a little comfort…and warmth.

Phil McCormack and I birded from Scarborough Marsh into South Portland today, enjoying a very spring-like day (highs in the mid-40’s) and some great birding. A few “new arrivals” and continuing wintering species combined for a respectably tally of 54 species without trying – and with ending our birding at 1:30.

We began on the Eastern Road Trail. Within mere seconds of saying to Phil, “I expect some early migrant waterfowl like pintail and Gadwall today,” three drake Northern Pintails came cruising by. I love the look of pintails in flight; they’re so elegant. The long tail, thin neck, and long, relatively narrow wings suggest a miniature loon, and they have one spiffy pattern. The sense of spring really kicked in when a Killdeer sounded off and came cruising in to an exposed muddy bank – my first of the spring, and a bit on the early side considering the abundant snow cover.

A pair of Gadwall (first of the year – although they were actually southbound) flew over Pine Point, as did at least one Snow Bunting. Twenty-eight Common Loons were in the channel, while over on Western Beach, the dredging operation was pumping sand onto the beach, collecting a nice concentration of gulls. Sifting through them yielded two 1^st-winter Iceland and 1 1^st-winter Glaucous Gull. American Robins – overwintering birds, not northbound spring migrants – were widespread today, with a high count of 50-75 around Seavey’s Landing.

Rounding the north side of the marsh, we checked a couple of neighborhoods for frugivores, before arriving at Kettle Cove. At Two Lights State Park, a raft of 150 Black Scoter loafed offshore, with 18 Harlequin Ducks in the surf. A Porcupine at the edge of the parking lot was the star of the show, however.

Ten more Harlequin Ducks and a Northern Shrike (an immature; my 6^th of the winter) at Dyer Point were signs of the continuing winter, but a Black Guillemot in full breeding plumage was suggestive of the advancing season.

Moving into South Portland, a Red-bellied Woodpecker was among the usual denizens at Trout Brook Preserve, but Mill Creek and Mill Creek Cove were hopping! 286 Mallards and a growing legion of American Black Ducks were joined by a single drake Green-winged Teal, our third “FOY” of the day! Meanwhile, the gull turnover in the cove eventually amounted to eight 1^st-winter Iceland Gulls and two or three 1^st-winter Glaucous Gulls.

But perhaps our last stop provided the “bird of the day:”
…the fried chicken and waffle from Hot Suppa!

Book Reviews (Feb 2014), Part I.

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I don’t usually review books in this blog, but there has been such a plethora of offerings recently that deserve a word or two. We are most definitely in the Golden Age of bird books, from field guides to natural history tomes to coffee-table picture books. Like many birders, I read a lot more in the winter, and this winter has provided ample opportunity to stay inside with a good book – at least between visits with Snowy Owls and white-winged gulls! This is what I have been reading of late. I’ll post it in two parts.

The World’s Rarest Birds by Erik Hirschfeld, Andy Swash, and Robert Still (Princeton University Press, 2103).

Wow, simply wow. Sobering and inspiring, exciting and depressing, this is a comprehensive treatment of the 590 Endangered and Critically Endangered species from around the globe – the world’s rarest birds. Increasing awareness is the first step to improving the conservation odds of many of these poorly-known and highly imperiled species.

515 photographs plus 75 paintings cover each species, and each species entry includes estimates of population size, threats, and a paragraph of interesting and important natural history information. It’s impressive to just flip through the pages and marvel at the wonders of avian diversity, but then to step back and contemplate the myriad of threads that will dictate whether or not future generations will have these birds to marvel at.

Each biogeographic region begins with a stunning photograph before getting to work, with pages dedicated to geography, conservation challenges (general and specific), threatened bird hotspots, and a summary of the most threatened bird families. The introductory material to the book is equally chock-full of valuable information, including yet more stunning photography, discussions of each of the threats, and calls for conservation.

This book is a must-have for all birders and any nature lovers who care about conservation and appreciate the wonders of biodiversity. And hopefully, inspire you to act to keep this list from getting any larger.

Lost Animals: Extinction and the Photographic Record by Errol Fuller. (PrincetonUniversity Press, 2013).

In contrast to The World’s Rarest Birds, this is not directly a call to action. For these 28 bird and mammal species, it is too late. They are gone. Extinction is forever. One could easily get depressed from reading this book, and it is a real challenge to fight off some tears, especially when reading the supportive text that explains the circumstances of the species extinction and the last known photos. The photographs are evocative, and Errol’s engaging and accessible text tells a small part of the species story for posterity.

I particularly appreciated his blunt but accurate assessment of the false report of the rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. Hope is a great thing, but hope is not science. I sure do hope that this bird still exists, but there’s no scientific evidence that it does. False hope is not always helpful, and takes conservation attention – and funding – away from the existent species that need it the most.

The final section of the book is an appendix which features artwork of some of the birds featured in the book whose photographs are of low quality. There is something about a photograph – an actual moment in time caught forever on a piece of film – that is more haunting than colorful artwork showing a species in its full glory. Considering many of these birds are painted by referencing specimens (which in some cases added to the journey to extinction) doesn’t help, either. However, some of the art is truly fantastic, and historical in their own right…and certainly part of the stories of these lost species.

It’s important to learn and understand history so that we don’t repeat it. There are 590 species in The World’s Rarest Birds that could conceivably end up in the next edition of this book. Are you willing to let this happen without a fight? I for one, most definitely am not. Lost Animals can be taken as nothing more than a history book summarizing some of what is lost. Instead, I hope you will be motivated by it and help to prevent a second volume.

Birdwatcher: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson by Elizabeth Rosenthal (The Lyons Press, 2008).

Yes, this is an older book, but one I simply never read until recently when a friend passed on a copy. Roger Tory Peterson (RTP) was a revolutionary. Without him and his field guide(s), many of us would not be birders. Like many birders, I started with a “Peterson’s,” and he was the single inspiration for the next several generations of birders, bird artists, and field guides.

Exhaustively researched, the other chronicles the life of this great man. In addition to being an artist, birder, and photographer, he was also an inspiring conservationist. Like me, if you consider yourself a “fan” of RTP, you need to read this book to find out more about his remarkable life.

Unfortunately, I found it a real challenge to get through, despite my desire to learn more about him. The book is overwhelmingly a compilation of quotations from people who knew RTP or were inspired by him. While this was quite interesting, I found the extensive use of quotes – including nearly page-sized block quotes with small italicized font – a bit of a challenge to read and follow. More paraphrasing and synthesis of the quotes in the author’s gentle prose would have made this an easier read.

I was also left looking for a deeper dive into RTP’s creative process, including how he goes about his art, his chosen materials, and his philosophies. I also felt the bias in the book was slightly overwhelming, such as what at times felt like an attempt to give RTP nearly sole credit in beginning the conservation movement (yes, he was a large part of it, especially in an indirect way) and the book basically blew off his critics and detractors as mere “haters,” which for the most part is unfair.

RTP is worth knowing, understanding, and appreciating – and this book will definitely help you do that. My criticisms are mostly based on a style preference, and although I found it very hard for me to read and get “into,” the wealth of information kept me motivated to the end.

In Part II, which I will post next week, I’ll review Rare Birds of North America and The Devil’s Cormorant.

Gull Identification Workshop Wrap-Up

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You may have noticed that my blog has been a little quiet in the last couple of weeks. Mostly, that has been due to my birding being mostly about photographing gulls every chance I get! And in between, accumulating and sorting photos from friends. What was planned to be a 95-slide PowerPoint program became an exhaustive (literally), 180+ slide dissertation. Not only was I impressed by how many people signed up, but how many stayed until the bitter end – even though I strongly urged people who were new to this to depart before the section on Thayer’s Gulls and hybrids!

Come Sunday morning, 13 people joined me for the field session of the two-day workshop – no doubt reduced by the 12-degree temperatures that greeted us to start the day. We began with close studies of the various ages of Ring-billed Gulls at Back Cove…aided by a little “incentive,” of course.

Sorting through Herring Gulls was up next, and then we made our way over to the Fish Pier in OldPort, for some “real” gulling. And it did not disappoint. The endless variation of “Kumlien’s” Iceland Gulls was readily apparent with eleven 1st-winter, two 2^nd-winter, and 2 adults – many of them close and in direct contrast with each other. A total of three 1^st-winter Glaucous Gulls were added to the mix, along with ample opportunities to practice aging Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls.

I really couldn’t ask for anything more…well, I could, and of course, did. And shortly thereafter a particular gull-of-interest put in an appearance. Widely being reported as a Thayer’s Gull, this odd individual was a bird I wanted to study closely (Jeannette and I only saw it in the distance on Tuesday), and it was indeed a very instructive bird for a gull workshop. Having been looking at thousands of gull photos over the last two weeks, I have been a bit negligent with studying and addressing this bird. Besides, I had not seen it in the field and even some very good photos are of secondary value to time with a bird in the field.

Doug Hitchcox got some decent photos of the bird on Sunday, but the best photos to date have been from Noah Gibb. I will therefore use these photos as our reference.

One of my take-home messages during my workshop is that a good “guller” has to be able to say “I don’t know,” and leave some individuals as “Gull sp.” This is probably the best answer to this bird, but what I think we can say is that this cannot be “counted” as a Thayer’s Gull.

For better or for worse, Thayer’s Gulls on the East Coast receive extensive scrutiny. Birds that would be passed over in coastal California are analyzed to death in New England. Likewise, birds that look like “Kumlien’s” Iceland Gulls on the West Coast get extensive scrutiny, while here in Maine we pass some of these off as typical variation. And I think this is a good thing – rare birds are rare, and vagrants to opposite coasts should warrant extreme care.

Therefore, this current rash of “Thayer’s Fever” – a common affliction of East Coast gull-watchers – needs to be tempered a bit. There is a reason that there are only two accepted records ever in Maine of this challenging, and variable, species. Therefore, extreme caution is necessary when placing this desirable label on funky gulls.

Like the Shawmut Dam gull reported by many as a Thayer’s a few weeks ago, I believe that the Portland “Thayer’s” is well outside the range of variation of what we can accept as a bona-fide Thayer’s Gull on the East Coast. While there are a number of characteristics that suggest this bird could be a Thayer’s, there are a number of significant “strikes” against it. While I think the Shawmut Dam birds suggests a Iceland-Thayer’s intergrade (I am not going to get into the muddled and controversial taxonomy here today), the Portland bird looks to me more like an abnormally dark-winged “Kumlien’s” Iceland Gull. Sure there could be Thayer’s genes in there…which there probably are in all Kumlien’s Gulls . . .oh wait, I said I wasn’t going to get into taxonomy. Never mind. Moving on.

So where was I? Oh yes… while the dark secondary bar (and upon closer inspection showing a distinct contrast between dark outer webs and pale inner webs) and the similarly distinctly two-toned outer primaries are important Thayer’s features, there are a serious amount of non-Thayer’s like features shown by this bird. Again, like the Shawmut Dam bird, there are just too many things “wrong” with this bird to safely label it a Thayer’s Gull, in my opinion.

First and foremost, there’s the Portland bird’s incredibly white overall appearance. While a first-summer or some 2^nd-cycle Thayer’s can look this pale overall, this bird IS a first-cycle bird. Since no second-cycle feathers are evident (the bird has a very uniformly-marked plumage typical of a bird less than a year old) and none of the feathers suggest any abnormal wear, we cannot call this anything other than a 1^st-cycle bird. It is not overly worn, and bleaching would affect all of the most-exposed parts of the bird – like the mantle, upperwing, and especially the primaries (and it is those primaries that are abnormally dark, not pale). The mostly-dark bill is also highly suggestive of a 1^st-cycle bird, as is the fairly dark eye. Perhaps that is a bit of an over-simplification, but for now, that should suffice.

With that (fairly well) established, we can look at this bird more closely. Again, those outer primaries and “picket-fence” secondaries are very Thayer’s-esque. Unfortunately, the similarities pretty much end there. The bird is not very big, and similar in size to most of the “Kumlien’s” Iceland Gulls we see it with. It is also has the somewhat short and thin-billed appearance, with a gently rounded head and large eye that are typical of Iceland Gulls; this bird does not get any subjective gestalt points. More importantly, in my opinion, are more tangible issues, from head to tail (and in no particular order of importance):
–          The overall pale appearance to the entire bird give that “white” impression at a distance; Thayer’s (THGU) usually look “dirtier” or even “brown.”
–          The pale face doesn’t have that nice dark smudge that we like to see on THGU.
–          The bill is clearly becoming pale at the base already. The pattern looks good for Iceland (ICGU), and is certainly on one end of the bell curve for THGU.
–          The tertials are wholly marbled, and look perfect for ICGU. “Classic” THGU show mostly dark tertials with marbled distal ~1/3^rd or so.
–          On the folded wing (and on some flight shots), the primaries definitely have dark outer webs, but they also have a pale fringe that not just rounds the tip, but continues down the length of the most of each feather’s outer web. That is more consistent with dark-winged “Kumlien’s” Gulls.
–          While the tail is mostly dark, the bases are fairly extensive white with lots of marbling. The extent of marbling is a good fit for ICGU.

While absolutely none of these factors eliminate a THGU on their own, the sum of all of them taken together makes for a most unusual THGU. Considering the range of variation in “Kumlien’s” ICGU combined with hybridization – and by some accounts extensive intergrading – put this bird well outside the possibly-artificially-delineated box that we currently label a Thayer’s Gull. At the very least, this is far short of a bird that could be “good enough” to constitute a third state record.

Can you see why I was so impressed that so many people stayed to the bitter end of my program on Saturday (and Sunday, for that matter!)? So there, I said it – the OldPort mystery gull is not a “good” Thayer’s, despite the wishes of many-a-birder! Sorry.

So anyway, after the Fish Pier, we ventured over to Mill Creek Cove in South Portland. Two more 1^st-winter Iceland and a 1^st-winter Glaucous were present (some are all likely birds we saw on the other side of the harbor) to reinforce our new-found skills.

And finally, some of the group joined me for a field trip extension over to Westbrook to look for the “Westbrook Gull,” a bird that, as I explained in the workshop, still defies identification and therefore is also quite instructive. Unfortunately, it was not present today (I see it less often on the weekend), but we finished up with a great showing for here of 4 Iceland Gulls (three 1^st-winter and 1 2^nd-winter) with the Herring and Ring-billed Gulls near the falls. Meanwhile, while we did look at other birds all day, the open water behind downtown Westbrook yielded the surprise of the day – a pair of Ring-necked Duck that has just been found by Colin Chase. Whether they are southbound, northbound, are somewhere in between, this was a great winter find, and a nice way to bring our workshop to a close.

Some people added Iceland and Glaucous Gull to their life list this day – and I think one person deleted Thayer’s Gull from their life list! – but more importantly, everyone left with a little more knowledge about how to identify gulls, and more importantly, hopefully a new-found appreciation for these remarkable, adaptable, and successful creatures.

With the success of this weekend (and some refinement due to the slide show portion of the program), I think it is safe to say that you can look for this workshop again in the future. Until then, good gulling everyone!

“The Westbrook Gull” Returns for Year 4…and Remains Unidentified. I think. Maybe.

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As you well know by now, I enjoy looking at gulls. I especially enjoy looking at white-winged gulls in winter here in Maine. From the seemingly-endless range of variation of first-winter “Kumlien’s” Iceland Gulls to the stately elegance and dominating demeanor of adult Glaucous Gulls, I can’t get enough. And there’s one particular white-winged gull that I have studied more than all of the others.

For the fourth year in a row, a relatively-small white-winged gull has spent the winter at Riverbank Park in Westbrook. This has afforded me the opportunity to study the bird’s progression, and to one day, hopefully, identify it! Yup, after four winters, I am still not certain as to what it is! And that is both fun and frustrating.

First of all, I have no doubts that the bird is indeed the same individual – despite the lack of a band or any sort of unique marking – due to the bird’s behavior and overall very pale plumage each year. While other “Kumlien’s” Iceland Gulls occasionally visit the river here, most of the birds just head up to the base of the falls for a bath with the other gulls, and then head back down the river. Once in a while, another Iceland Gull will spend some time at Riverbank, but they don’t tend to linger long. The bird’s behavior is also more than suggestive – not only does it sit in the same three spots (including a church steeple that rarely has any other gull) whenever it is near the park, but it is the only white-winged gull that is almost always present and comes down to feed on handouts with the contingent of Ring-billed Gulls. The chance that a similarly-super-pale bird would do exactly the same things for four years in a row at a place that usually doesn’t have any other white-winged gulls seems rather far-fetched. It also tends to show up at about the same time – early to mid-January each year. I think it is safe to assume that this is the same bird.

Therefore, what we now have is a record of the bird over four years of life, showing the plumage progression of each year. Now, I never recommend using only one photo to describe a given bird (in this case, in a given year), especially with gulls, as gray scale in particular changes so much with lighting (and how badly I butchered the ISO) among other factors ranging from time of the season to how recently the bird ate. Therefore<a href=”http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.350344068328887.95540.198877036808925&type=3“>, I recommend taking a look at the photo gallery on our store’s Facebook page here.

But for sake of conversation, let me simply include one photo from each of the past three winters.
2010-11:

2011-12:

2012-13:

And now, it has returned, in full-adult plumage. Here are a series of photos that I took at Riverbank on Monday (1/27):

In that aforementioned Facebook gallery, I included some of the thought process that I have had about exactly how old this bird is, and what subspecies of Iceland Gull that it might be. From an identification perspective, now that is in “adult” plumage, the exact age is moot – all adult plumages look the same, with minor differences between winter (especially streaking on the head and neck) and summer (white head and more vivid bare part coloration). It is safe to say that this bird is “at least” 4 years old, and now it is in the plumage that should allow us to more-safely identify it to subspecies. In theory.

But before we delve into the Iceland Gull subspecies question, I think it is worth taking a moment to be sure it is in fact, and Iceland Gull. The case has been made that this bird could be a runt Glaucous Gull (or one of the very small subspecies) or even an Iceland x Glaucous Gull hybrid.

The basis for the argument has revolved around the exceedingly pale plumage, the bird’s rather bulky size and shape, its dominance over even larger Herring Gulls, and especially the length of the wing. Here, I blew up a photo from Monday of the primaries. I extensively manipulated it to try and bring out the detail of the edges of each feather – so ignore the color.

Iceland Gulls are usually readily identifiable by their longer wings. Those wings extend well beyond the tail, and usually at least 4 primaries are visible beyond the tail. Olsen and Larson reference this projection as being “equivalent (to) the bill length or longer.” It’s not a perfect photo above, but I definitely don’t see four primaries beyond the tail, and the primary projection does not look as long as the bill in any of the photos. In fact, this “unusually short-winged impression” was consistent in every year that we have seen the bird. Take a look at the photo gallery over the years – you never see a “long-winged” Iceland Gull with four primaries extending beyond the tail.

Another clue for Iceland vs. Glaucous is the relatively short legs of Iceland: the tibia (upper part) is usually mostly covered by body feathers, while on Glaucous, the tibia is more exposed – at least when the bird is alert. To me, this bird sometimes looks short-legged, with little exposed tibia, which is in line with Iceland Gull, but other times looks oddly long-legged, in line with Glaucous (see above and additional photos). This is a fairly subjective (like so many other gull ID characteristics) point, and one that I am not putting much weight in either way.

On the Westbrook bird, the forehead usually appears gently rounded, and the eye looks fairly big on the head – as it should on an Iceland Gull. However, other photos show a very sloping forehead – this feature changes significantly with posture and “attitude,’ but I must say that I have never seen a Glaucous Gull that appeared truly “round-headed.”

While the bill is not dainty, it is not as formidable as Glaucous usually looks, and it shows little in the way of a gonydeal angle. Howell and Dunn state that Glaucous’s “bill base often has slightly expanded culmen that creates distinctive shape (especially males), with a depth at the base greater than the depth at the gonydeal expansion.” I don’t see that on this bird. In fact, their description for Iceland Gull of “relatively short and slender, parallel edged with a shallow to moderate gonydeal expansion,” seems to match this bird much better, although it’s not the most slender, nor the shortest, bill that I have seen on Iceland Gulls.
HEAD

The fleshy orbital ring is pink on this bird at the moment. Howell and Dunn describe Glaucous Gull as having an orange orbital ring, “Kumlien’s” Gull as having it “purplish-pink,” with the nominate Iceland showing a “pink to reddish.”

Of these characteristics, the only thing that suggests that this is not anything other than a pure Iceland Gull of one or the other subspecies is what appears – and has consistently appeared over the years – to be a short wing. Personally, I have a hard time relying on any one single field mark to rule a species in or out, but I can’t completely ignore how short this wing is.

So assuming for a second that this is indeed an Iceland Gull, it comes down to which subspecies it is: the nominate glaucoides or kumieni. I’m not going to get into the taxonomic debate here, so I will discuss this based on the current most-widely-used taxonomy that includes two subspecies of Iceland Gull: the nominate glaucoides that breeds in Greenland and winters mostly in Iceland and Northern Europe, while kumlieni breeds on Baffin Island and adjacent areas of northeastern Canada, and winters largely in the Northeastern US and Atlantic Canada. Birds that seem perfect for glaucoides are regularly seen in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, but in the Northeast US, the conventional wisdom suggests that glaucoides is very rare, and some argue that most if not all birds that appear to be glaucoides are actually just the pale extremes of kumlieni.

The extensively pure white wingtips, very pale gray mantle, and very white appearance as a youngster are all points in favor of glaucoides. However, most features overlap with kumlieni. What’s troubling is that the Westbrook bird never appears as small and dainty as a textbook glaucoides; sometimes described as “cuter” with a big eye, more rounded head, and small size than most kumlieni. This bird is more along the lines of a big kumlieni, which few plumage characteristics at any age have been overly consistent with.

If I saw this bird for the first time this week, I think I would call it a “probable glaucoides” and move on. But I have spent so much time with this bird over the years (“You are a little obsessed with this bird,” Jeannette just said.) that I prefer to still answer “I don’t know,” that I stubbornly want to keep pondering this bird. Its appearance in preceding years and those short wings continue to bother me, even though my gut tells me that this is just an Iceland Gull.

Essentially, the problem with this gull for each of the last four years is that it’s never been seen (to my knowledge) side-by-side with another white-winged gull. We’re therefore left with conjecture, comparing this bird to Herring and Ring-billed Gulls. What we really need is photos of this bird next to another Iceland-type gull. A direct comparison would do wonders for figuring this thing out for sure. Or a DNA test.

Short of that, this is, essentially, only an exercise. I don’t think anything can be said definitively. Hopefully, by spring, this bird’s bare part coloration (orbital ring and the bill in particular) will develop a little further, which may shed further light on the birds’ identity. More importantly, I – and others – will be trying to get more photos of the bird and especially photos of the bird with other Iceland Gulls. Until then, I will continue to ponder, enjoy, study, and yes, be frustrated by “The Westbrook Gull.”

Now for those who are truly gluttons for punishment, I will be discussing this bird as part of my upcoming Gull Identification Workshop for York County Audubon on February 8^th and 9^th. But don’t worry, we’re not going to spend too much time with the unidentifiable…I promise. Instead, we’ll spend most of our time learning that MOST gulls are actually fairly easy to identify. I believe the Westbrook Gull is the exciting and challenging exception to the rule. And once you are comfortable identifying just about every gull just about every time, you’ll be ready to accept and excel such challenges. I hope you will join me for this workshop. For more information, and a link to register, visit the Tours, Events, Workshops, and Programs page of our website.

References:
Howell, Steve N.G. and Jon Dunn. 2007. The Reference Guide to Gulls of the Americas. Houghton Mifflin Company: New York and Boston.

Olsen, Klaus Malling and Hans Larsson. 2004. Gulls of North America, Europe, and Asia. Princeton University Press: Princeton and Oxford.

Trinidad and Tobago!

2014 Maine State List Predictions

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About this time each year on my blog, I make two lists of predictions for the coming year in Maine birding. The first is my (somewhat-educated) guesses of the next 25 birds to be added to Maine’s state list. The second is my predictions of the next 25 birds that I will add to my own personal state list.

But first, let’s recap 2013. This past year, only one new species was added to the Maine list (although there was a report of a Rock Wren in Washington County this fall; I know little of the details): Eurasian Collared-Dove that appeared at a Falmouth feeder on 5/28. This was my #1-ranked bird for each of the last two years. I was hardly going out on a limb with this one, as this bird continues to rapidly colonize North America. While reports in New England continue to be sparse, we can only foresee these becoming much more regular and eventually colonizing much of Maine.

For 2014, I added Neotropical Cormorant to the list, based on the expanding population in the interior of the continent and increasing vagrancy to distant corners of the continent. I also replaced Bermuda Petrel with Barolo Shearwater. Recently split from Little Shearwater, this pelagic waif has been detected near the mouth of the Gulf of Maine. It seems it’s only a matter of time before a research vessel or even a whale-watch trip (especially following a tropical system) finds one within Maine waters. I also shuffled around a few species based on increasing populations and/or trends in vagrancy.

So here goes my Top 25 Next Species for Maine list:
1)   California Gull
2)   Ross’s Gull
3)   Graylag Goose
4)   Roseate Spoonbill
5)   Little Stint
6)   Fieldfare
7)   Hammond’s Flycatcher
8)   Black-chinned Hummingbird
9)   Spotted Towhee
10) Audubon’s Shearwater (on “hypothetical” list)
11) Neotropic Cormorant
12) Black-tailed Gull
13) Anna’s Hummingbird
14) Redwing
15) Allen’s Hummingbird
16) Barolo Shearwater
17) Long-billed Murrelet
18) Common Ground-Dove
19) Western Wood-Pewee (my gut still tells me a bird I found on Monhegan last fall was actually this species, but a good voice recording is going to be necessary to confirm identification).
20) Spotted Redshank
21) Yellow-legged Gull
22) Brown-chested Martin
23) Bermuda Petrel
24) Gray Flycatcher
25) Common Scoter

As for me personally, 2013 was a productive year. I added eight birds to my state list (with last year’s rankings):
a) Hoary Redpoll (#2), Bowdoinham feeder, 2/4.
b) Northern Lapwing (honorable mention), Range Hill Road, Poland, 5/6.
c) Acadian Flycatcher (#22), FortFoster, 5/21.
d) Mew Gull (#21), Thomaston, 8/8.
e) Black-necked Stilt (honorable mention), Eastern Road, Scarborough Marsh, 6/23.
f) Kentucky Warbler (#12), East Point, Biddeford Pool, 9/9.
g) Bell’s Vireo (#23), Bailey Island, Harpswell, 10/23.
h) Hermit Warbler (honorable mention), Harpswell feeder, 12/12.

Of those, only the Acadian Flycatcher and Bell’s Vireo were “self-found,” which is always the more fulfilling way to add to one’s state list. I’ll have to do better with this in 2014. Unfortunately, it brings my self-found list down to 88.7% of my total state list (363).

I also “dipped” on the St. George American White Pelican in September, waiting until it was no longer being seen before going to look for it. I chased enough in 2013, but I could have chased much more. In fact, I never made the effort, was away, or just didn’t get lucky enough for some other potential state birds (American Three-toed Woodpecker, the collared-dove, Great Skua, Yellow-headed Blackbird, and Bullock’s Oriole all immediately come to mind).

There are lots of options for birds to add to my own list in the coming year(s), so narrowing it down to 25 and ranking them is really just a guessing game. Of course previous records and trends are taken into account.
1) Slaty-backed Gull
2) American Three-toed Woodpecker
3) Great Skua
4) Eurasian Collared-Dove
5) Gyrfalcon
6) Graylag Goose
7) Say’s Phoebe
8) American White Pelican
9) Western Grebe
10) Boreal Owl
11) Fork-tailed Flycatcher
12) Tundra Swan
13) Yellow Rail
14) Ivory Gull
15) Franklin’s Gull
16) Sabine’s Gull
17) Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
18) California Gull
19) Calliope Hummingbird
20) Ross’s Gull
21) Roseate Spoonbill
22) Sage Thrasher
23) Hammond’s Flycatcher
24) Yellow-headed Blackbird
25) Loggerhead Shrike

So there ya have it. Now, let’s go birding and see what 2014 will bring!

Tuesday Twitching in Bath

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Jeannette and I went in pursuit of three “good” birds in Bath on Tuesday. We don’t “twitch” (chase a rarity) very often, and when we do, we always expect the worst. Therefore we were shocked when not only did we get all three birds that we sought, but they all came quickly, were all photographed, and all were seen – at least at first – from the comfortable confines of our car.

In fact, one of the reasons we chose this particular endeavor this day was to avoid spending too much time out in the -20 wind chills. Good birds, and a little warmth, made for a very good day.

First up was the Bath landfill, where a Golden Eagle has been present now for a couple of weeks. Other than one quick late-afternoon visit in which we didn’t see the Golden, I hadn’t gotten around to visit it. Jeannette didn’t have photos of a Golden in her library, so this seemed like a good opportunity. And within a mere ten minutes of our arrival, the Golden – a 1-year old (first-cycle) bird – appeared from the north and circled over the landfill, harassing some Bald Eagles and causing consternation among the gulls.

We spent about a half-hour with the Golden, positioning ourselves for the best photos. Unfortunately, when it was closest, thick clouds blocked the sun, making for backlit photos. I think Jeannette did pretty well, however.

This photo is also an excellent comparison of the different size and shape of Common Raven (left) and American Crow (right), as both birds engaged in mobbing the Golden!

And we took some time to study the various ages classes of Bald Eagles, such as this 4^th-cycle bird.

After a chilly – and not overly birdy, as expected in the woods right now – hike with Sasha down the Whiskeag Creek Trail, we pulled up to Telephone Pole #24 on Whiskeag Creek Road, where an immature Red-headed Woodpecker has been caching seed and suet. Seconds later, the bird arrived.

We watched it for a while, flying east to a feeding station out of sight and returning with various foodstuffs to save for later. Perhaps most interesting was the 3/4-piece of a saltine cracker that the bird jammed into a linear crack on another pole. Not sure how well this cache will hold up to the next rain, however.

Last, and certainly not least, was a real oddity – a leucistic Black-capped Chickadee that is coming to a feeder easily visible from the road only a short distance away. First reported by some as a Boreal Chickadee due to its brownish crown and bib, this bird is clearly a Black-capped Chickadee that is lacking melanin and other pigments. It’s not a pure albino (lacking all pigment), but the sandy-buff body color is classic of leucistic birds – it certainly doesn’t have the gray back and peachy flanks of a Boreal Chickadee. Also, it is the same shape and size as the Black-caps that it associates with. Here’s a perfect example of the foible of identifying birds based on a single field mark!

The relatively dark brown cap and bib is fascinating, as it shows that the bird definitely has some melanin. Of all of the birds that we were looking for today, this was actually the birds that I wanted to see and photograph the most! And I was pretty excited with the shots that Jeannette scored once again.

So while I most certainly prefer bird-finding over bird-chasing, a good chase now and again is never a bad thing. Plus, it was cold out. Really cold. And we saw three great birds and still made it to the matinee of The Hobbit. I’d call that a successful day!

A Very Jersey Christmas

A HERMIT WARBLER in Harpswell – BELATED.

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A warbler arrived at a Cundy’s Harbor, Harpswell feeding station on November 18th. Any non-Yellow-rumped Warbler is exciting in Maine by the end of November, but most turn out to be Pine Warblers – a rare but regular “half-hardy” that often winters outside of its usual winter range, and often takes advantage of feeders to do so. This particular bird was identified as a Black-throated Green Warbler – an outstanding late-November record but not one without precedence. Intriguingly, on the first day, it appeared with a second warbler that may have been a Black-throated Blue Warbler, but that bird was not seen again. However, on December 11^th, the homeowner brought in an iPhone snapshot of their visitor to the store to confirm the identification. Distant and blurry through a window, the bright yellow face and black beady eye immediately stood out. “Um, can I come over?” I inquired.

I arrived at 6:55 the next morning, as the bird was regularly being seen just after 7. And sure enough, it showed up at 7:02! It remained for just a few minutes, eating hulled sunflower seeds at the feeders with a small band of Black-capped Chickadees. And as I surmised, this was definitely a Hermit Warbler – only the second-ever to be seen in Maine!

The light was low, and the feeders were still in the long, early-morning shadows, so my photos were pretty poor. I asked to stay a little longer, and after a brief visit at 7:35, the bird returned and fed extensively between 7:55 and 8:03, in which time I was able to photograph the bird extensively.

The bright yellow face was readily apparent, which sets off the seemingly-large dark, beady eye. There’s a very limited amount of dusky green on the auriculars, and the greenish crown tapers to a “widow’s peak” on the forehead. The back is greenish-gray and the gray wings are set off by two bold whitish wingbars and pale-fringed secondaries. The throat was almost wholly yellow, except for a small white chin and a couple of dusky smudges.

I aged this bird as an immature female due to the overall relatively drab colors and lack of black almost anywhere in the plumage. However, I was not familiar with this plumage in the field, and some photos online and in some books concerned me a bit, so I sent a couple of the photos to a friend in California for confirmation. He forwarded them to Kimball Garrett, the Ornithological Collections Manager for the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and the co-author of Warblers in the Peterson field guide series.

His response was straightforward, it was an immature female, born this past summer: “I certainly wouldn’t have called it anything other than a female Hermit Warbler. The yellow across the uppermost throat is fine for female Hermits (shown to various degrees in all 3 of our skins of HY [hatch year] females). I would worry about prominent streaks on the flanks and undertail coverts, but I really see almost nothing there (and what there is could be explained by darker feather shafts that sometimes lend the impression of streaks).”

This is truly a remarkable record. The first state record, found by Scott Surner on MonheganIsland between September 29^th and October 1st was seen by only a handful of birders – not including yours truly despite my presence on the island at the time, and eventually much effort, but that’s a long story for another day. Breeding in the mountains of the Pacific Coast from the Olympic Peninsula of Washington south through the Sierra Nevada range to about south-central California, Hermit Warblers normally winter in southwestern Mexico through the mountains of Central America down to Nicaragua.

Therefore, for this bird to arrive in Maine it likely had to fly 90-degrees in the wrong direction. While “180-degree misorientation” in which birds fly north when they “should” be flying south (for example) is a fairly well-established pattern that results in far-flung vagrancy, 90-degree misorientaton appears to be even rarer. In other words, this bird was not “blown here,” (although it could certainly have been facilitated in its arrival by a strong storm or persistent westerly winds) but was somehow “miswired” to fly in a very wrong direction. Although it is fun to ponder (at least for me!), how and why vagrants arrive in certain places, we obviously can’t know for sure what mechanism(s) delivered this bird to a feeder along the shore in Harpswell, Maine.

As I enjoyed this bird, and a wealth of other activity at the feeders, the homeowners and I discussed the significance of this sighting. Of course, I broached the topic of “visitation,” as many birders would love the opportunity to see this bird as well. I was exceptionally grateful for the chance to see this fantastic bird, and I knew other birders would be grateful as well.

Sometimes, rare birds at feeders are “easy” to share, such as when they are at a feeder visible from a road with ample parking nearby. For a variety of reasons, some birds simply cannot be made public. After much discussion, it was decided that this bird would not be publicized. A small, private dead-end dirt road with virtually no parking, close neighbors, and no visibility from the road made this a challenge. Simply put, you had to be in the kitchen…and with life schedules and all of the above considerations, it was, unfortunately, in the best interest of the homeowners to keep this bird under wraps even though everyone regretted this conclusion.

The bird was seen regularly through the 13^th of December, but after the homeowners were out of town for the weekend, they came back on the 16^th and have not seen the bird again. A heated birdbath and live mealworms were deployed upon their return, but the bird is nowhere to be found. Seeing that it has now moved on, I post this blog to document this “Mega” rarity for the permanent record, as per my agreement with the lucky homeowners who were graced by this special visitor from the “other” coast.

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Maine Birding Field Notes

Trip Reports, Essays, Rare Bird Reports, and More from Derek Lovitch's and Freeport Wild Bird Supply's birding in Maine and beyond.

Book Reviews (Feb 2014), Part II

Scarborough through South Portland: Signs of Spring!

Book Reviews (Feb 2014), Part I.

Gull Identification Workshop Wrap-Up

“The Westbrook Gull” Returns for Year 4…and Remains Unidentified. I think. Maybe.

Trinidad and Tobago!

2014 Maine State List Predictions

Tuesday Twitching in Bath

A Very Jersey Christmas

A HERMIT WARBLER in Harpswell – BELATED.