In the summer of 2006, a wayward Red-Billed Tropicbird was reported among the nesting terns on Matinicus Rock off the Maine coast. Maine Audubon runs trips to that island to show off the nesting tern and puffin colonies, and the Tropicbird was seen on each of their first 3 trips that summer. I went on the fourth trip in 2006, which turned out to be the first Maine Audubon boat that did not see the bird that year. As the bird continued to be seen over the next couple years, my interest continued to grow. In 2008, I took another Maine Audubon boat trip to Matinicus Rock. When we arrived a worker from the island rowed out to our boat to report on the results of that year’s nesting activities. When I asked about the Tropicbird she said that it had relocated to nearby Seal Island. Although that island was visible from our boat, it wasn’t on our itinerary so no attempt was made to look for the bird. The following year I signed up for another Maine Audubon trip but ended up not going due to a prediction of rough seas. It turns out they didn’t see the Tropicbird on that trip anyway. That meant through 2009 I was 0 for 3 (or maybe just 0 for 2) on attempts at seeing this tropical vagrant.
Although I didn’t make any other attempts at seeing the Tropicbird the next couple years, I kept watching for reports from the islands to see if it was still around. It continued to return each summer to Seal Island, though most reports were from the staff working on the island. Many (most?) birders who tried for it from a boat were not successful. But then came word of a new way to try for it – John Drury, an owner of a converted lobster boat, would take birders from Vinalhaven to Seal Island, for a reasonable fee of $80/hr. Better yet, with all his runs to the island, he had become an expert on the bird, knowing the best times and places to see it. Then came an e-mail in early summer 2012 mentioning that it was back again for its 7th year, but who knows how much longer it would return. That gave me the sufficient “activation energy” to give it yet another try. I contacted my birding friend Don Mairs from Maine to see if he had seen the bird yet. It turns out he had missed it no less than 9 times, but was willing to try again. So along with another Maine birder, Louis Bevier who had tried unsuccessfully 5 times, we made plans for another trip to Seal Island.
We took the 10:30 ferry from Rockland, arriving at Vinalhaven at about noon. John said there was no need to get there before 3 PM, so he met us at the dock in Vinalhaven at 2, and we headed to sea. Winds were almost calm, and the ocean was as smooth as glass – which was most appreciated given that we had to cross 12 miles of ocean in a lobster boat. We made a couple stops along the way for things like a pair of Parasitic Jaegers and some most cooperative Gannets on the water.
We arrived at Seal Island at about 3:30 and headed toward the spot where the Tropicbird hangs out. Within a couple minutes, John motioned that he had the bird. A minute later there was the Tropicbird – sitting on the water among the bathing Common and Arctic Terns. Over the next hour we had the bird in sight virtually non-stop as it seemed to have fun harassing the terns. It would interrupt their bathing time by flying amongst the birds on the water, fly over the colony which put them all into the air, and strafe the small freshwater pond where they bathed (it called during two of these strafing runs). A couple times it even harassed a cormorant. Maybe after 7 summers without a mate it was in a foul mood.
On the way back to Vinalhaven we stopped at one of the islands to check out a leucistic Great Black-backed Gull that John had found. At least I don’t think it was an albino.
The Red-Billed Tropicbird was #730 for my ABA list, and #320 for me in Maine.
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