Common Shelduck (of Unknown Provenance), Rye, NH - August 2017

An interesting report of an immature Common Shelduck came across my eBird NH Needs Alert.  Of course I needed Shelduck for my NH list – not only are there no accepted records in NH, there are no records accepted by the ABA.  Not surprisingly, my initial thought was this bird was an escapee from a local waterfowl breeder.  Slowly additional details came to light – first of all the bird was unbanded and not pinioned.  And then came a report that a local breeder was contacted and he had not lost any Shelducks.  Eventually photos showed the bird had both hind toes.  And there were reports that wild Shelducks in Europe are indeed migrating this time of year.  With this information, several birders were starting to think that it could be a wild bird.  So although I was still very skeptical, not wanting to take any chances, I decided to head out to try to find it.

I pulled up to the pools just south of Odiorne Point State Park where the Shelduck had been hanging out for the last week, and instantly spotted a large, pale duck at the edge of the southernmost pool.  With a quick binocular view it was obvious that it was the immature Common Shelduck.  I headed over to the pool and watched the bird for the next hour as it fed in the shallows with a slow side-to-side sweeping motion.  As I continued to study this very attractive bird, I couldn’t help but think I would have had no idea what species it was if I had discovered it.  Although lighting was harsh, I got these passable phonescoped photos of the bird. 

This isn’t my first encounter with Shelducks in the ABA.  Back in the 70’s there were breeding populations of both Common and Ruddy Shelducks in DE at Bombay Hook NWR, and I saw them on several trips to the region.  Needless to say everyone thought those local populations were from escaped birds and not wild countable birds.

Now some thoughts on whether the NH bird might be a wild migrant from an expanding population in Iceland, or an escaped feral bird -

First of all, one can only prove with 100% certainty that a bird is wild if it has been banded as a wild bird likely in its native land.  Though you can prove that a bird is an escapee in multiple ways such as if the bird is pinioned, missing hind toes, or banded by a breeder.  This bird is unbanded, unpinioned, and has its hind toes.  So without any feature to conclusively determine the provenance of the NH bird, one has to use a "weight of evidence" approach - is there more evidence that the bird is wild than it is an escapee? 

I’ve read a report that native Common Shelducks in Europe are indeed migrating at this time of year.  But it’s unclear if juveniles are migrating now, or just adults, or both.  Plus, how far are they migrating this early in the season?  For instance we might call a mid-summer Yellow Warbler at Odiorne a "migrant", but it may just be a post-breeding wanderer from a nesting location a mile away.  By comparison, the Stilt Sandpiper seen recently in the same pools the Shelduck is frequenting is certainly a long-range migrant - its closest breeding area in Manitoba is 1,300 miles away, and its breeding area in Nunavut is 2,300 miles (as the sandpiper flies). 

Could the Iceland Shelducks be "migrating" from their nest sites but still staying in country, going to a post-breeding feeding area still in Iceland?  For instance there is an eBird report of 120 birds at the Andakill mudflats in Iceland on 6/27/17 – perhaps a post-breeding dispersal site?  Or could they be migrating a greater distance, say to somewhere in the UK?  That would be about 1,200 straight-line miles to the southern end of England.  Or maybe they've already arrived in southern Spain, one of their typical wintering grounds - the straight-line distance is 2,000 miles.  They typically winter no farther south than coastal Morocco and Algeria - 2,200 miles away on a straight line. 

By comparison, the minimum straight-line distance from Iceland to the NH coast is something like 2,400 miles.  In other words - for this to be a truly wild migrant in NH, the distance the bird would have traveled would be roughly the same distance that a bird could have migrated from the species' farthest northwest breeding area (Iceland) to its farthest southwest wintering area (coastal Africa) - all before mid-August.  That is assuming that birds breeding in Iceland would winter all the way south to Africa in the first place (instead of birds breeding closer to Africa being the source of the individuals wintering in Africa). 

Muddying the waters - not all Shelducks leave Iceland for the winter - note an eBird report of 160 birds on 1/29/17 in Grunnafjordur, Iceland.  And Shelducks are breeding in Spain and Portugal - they are reported every month of the year in eBird.  So could birds breeding in Spain and Portugal be the source of those wintering in Africa, rather than birds from farther north?

Then there is the issue of when Shelducks normally appear on their wintering grounds in northern Africa.  Using eBird data, the first scattered reports are in October, and they don't seem to arrive in any real numbers until December.  Note that there are 4 reports of 26 to 46 birds in central Algeria in summer last year and since May of this year - likely a local feral flock I would imagine rather than migrants.

One point to note though is that there aren’t nearly as many users of eBird in Europe and Africa as there are in the States.  So one has to use a grain of salt when evaluating data from those regions. 

In summary - for the NH bird to have migrated from the closest breeding area in Iceland in August, it would have had to migrate a distance roughly equal to the distance the species might take from its farthest northwest breeding area (Iceland) to its farthest southwest wintering area (coastal Africa), and it would have had to do this migration at least a couple months before the first birds normally appear in coastal Africa.  Not to mention all of this migration would be along a route not typically taken by wild birds.

Can more eBird research shed additional light on the bird?  I'm sure it can, but with my limited effort it seems that the possibility that this is a true wild migrant is remote.  I wouldn't say 0%, but certainly a low probability.  But as I said initially - one cannot be 100% sure on this unbanded/unpinioned bird, so probabilities are the best we can work with.

Now for local sources of Shelducks - I’ve heard that a local waterfowl breeder has not lost any Shelducks.  But I found a couple websites that sell Shelducks - anyone could go online and purchase a pair for just $135.  So it would be easy enough for anyone to buy one – you wouldn’t just have to be a breeder to own Shelducks.  And if a breeder somewhere nearby in say MA or ME lost a bird, it sure could have wandered easily enough to the NH coast.  This is obviously the time of year when post-breeding dabbling ducks wander and congregate in favorite feeding locations.  In summary – it’s plausible that the NH bird is a local escapee - though again I can't say 100%.  But it is certainly a higher probability than the wild migrant option.

And a further complication – an adult Common Shelduck was discovered in far northeastern NY at about the same time the NH bird was discovered.  Were both of these two birds blown off-track from Iceland by the same forces?  Or were both birds escapees from the same breeder?  Or maybe the two sightings were just a coincidence?  Seems like this last option is the least likely, but who is to say.

In conclusion, given the weight of evidence as I know it now, I could not accept the NH Common Shelduck as a wild vagrant.

Now show me a bird in suitable habitat in December and I could change my mind.  Oh wait a minute - that's exactly what happened in MA in 2009 and even that record was rejected.  Though it’s notable that there was a group of 3 adult Shelducks seen in New Brunswick this past winter that local birders are thinking could be wild birds.  And apparently at least one older record from the east coast of Newfoundland (on 4/2/14 per eBird) has been accepted by the province’s committee.  So perhaps if this is the beginning of a future pattern of accepted wild Shelducks, the NH and MA rare bird committees could come back and re-evaluate the recent New England records. 

Two Pelagic Species in Long Island Sound, NY – but not CT, August 2017

Each of the last few summers there have been scattered reports of pelagic species seen from the Cross Sound Ferry that passes between New London, CT and Orient Point, NY.  Any pelagic species is a good find in Long Island Sound, which is certainly the only locale to try to add these species to one’s CT list.  Back in August 2015 while on the ferry to NY to drop my daughter off at school I spotted 3 Cory’s Shearwaters in NY waters.  Or at least I think I was in NY waters since at the time I didn’t have an app on my cellphone that showed the location of the NY/CT stateline.  They were new for my NY list, but I sure wish I could have seen them in CT, and still wonder if they could have been in CT waters after all. 

I’ve taken two ferry trips since that time solely as a birding passenger.  In September 2015 I spotted a Pomarine Jaeger flying along with the boat, and luckily I was able to see it fly from CT to NY, adding it as a statebird in both states.  And then I went again in summer in 2016 though I didn’t see any pelagic species on that trip. 

So with Cory’s Shearwater still haunting me in CT, I was excited to see a post from Dan Rottino in August 2017 that he had Cory’s on a ferry ride - both in CT and NY.  And he had Wilson’s Storm-Petrels in both states too.  Although I have Wilson’s in CT, it would be new for my NY list.  So with two possible statebirds to aim for, I made plans to head out on the ferry the next day.

As I boarded the 2 PM “Mary Ellen” ferry out of New London, joined by CT birder Alex Delehanty, I was optimistic that we would get some pelagic birds.  A birder on an earlier boat that day had Cory’s and Storm-Petrels in CT, but not NY.  And a birder on a later trip only had the Cory’s in NY, though Storm-Petrels in both states.  So certainly not a slam dunk.  As we got to the mid-Sound area where most of the sightings were concentrated, we picked up the first Wilson’s Storm-Petrels “fluttering” along in CT waters.  Soon we picked up a couple more single birds, along with a flock of 5 others, giving us 8 total.  I occasionally glanced at my app, and was sad to see us reach the NY stateline without seeing any Shearwaters.  But as we crossed into NY we picked up the first of 9 Wilson’s Storm-Petrels in NY waters, though no other pelagics.

Wilson’s Storm-Petrel is a regular species for NY, but much more often seen looking south from Long Island onto the Atlantic rather than in Long Island Sound.  Wilson’s was #280 for my NY statelist, and my 8th northeast state for this common pelagic species (see my statebird map below).

Though we struck out on Cory’s in CT on the trip south, we of course still hoped for one on the way back to CT.  Not too long after we left the Orient Point, NY harbor I spotted an adult Parasitic Jaeger flying right across the bow.  I quickly checked my app and we were well within NY waters.  But would it fly north into CT?  We continued to watch the Jaeger in flight but it unfortunately flew almost directly east and disappeared in the distance.  Despite our best efforts we couldn’t will it into CT waters.  Certainly a good bird for the Sound (the first to be reported from the ferry this summer), but in the “wrong” state if you’re trying to concentrate on your New England lists.  But could that be my first Parasitic Jaeger for NY?  I’d have to check my lists after I got back to my car.

We continued to search the waters around the boat on our way back, and spotted 5 Storm-Petrels in NY and 1 more in CT.  But there were no Shearwaters in sight in either state.

Once we got back to land I checked my lists and the Parasitic Jaeger was indeed new for my NY list - #281.  NY was my 11th state for this species – 7 from the Atlantic and 4 from the Pacific.  Plus I have a “Jaeger, sp.” in VT.

So although I wasn’t able to add anything to my CT list, it was certainly nice to add 2 new ticks in NY.

And now a postscript –

After the ferry ride I got a hotel nearby, and went out on a boat the next morning for my second try for a Bridled Tern that had spent a couple weeks on Falkner Island off the CT coast.  Unfortunately, though the Bridled Tern was seen the evening before, it and 90% of the colony left the island by the time we arrived the next morning.  An extremely frustrating missed opportunity at a life bird, let alone dipping on another possible CT statebird.

Caspian Tern, Hills Beach, Biddeford, Maine, July 2017

In recent years Biddeford has been a key spot for sightings of both Caspian and Royal Terns in ME.  And more specifically, perhaps the Hills Beach section of Biddeford has been THE spot in ME for these large terns in late summer and early fall.  Back in July 2014 I made two trips to Hills Beach to try for both Royal and Caspian Terns (along with Skimmers – though I didn’t need that one for ME) that had been spotted there following the passage of Hurricane Arthur.  After dipping on my targets on the first trip, I was successful in finding 2 Royal Terns on my second visit there, though I missed the Caspian Tern and Skimmers.  At the time I reflected that if I could only find 1 of my targets it was nice that I found the rarer Royal Tern.  After all, Caspians are seen there every year.  Plus after two trips to Hills Beach I finally figured out how to successfully bird this spot.

But despite their regular occurrence, 3 years later I still needed Caspian Tern for my ME list.  In fact, Caspian was perhaps the most common bird I still needed for ME (along with others like Connecticut Warbler and Western Kingbird).  Of course Caspian Tern is still a rarity in the state since ME sightings are likely to be of a limited number of birds migrating along the coast to and from small breeding colonies far to the northeast in Newfoundland and nearby Quebec.  Although there are also larger inland colonies in Ontario and upstate NY, plus the sole New England colony on Lake Champlain, it’s unlikely that those birds make their way far to the east on the ME coast during migration.

Right on cue as we entered mid July 2017, the first Caspian Tern report was posted from Hills Beach.  Although it was reported on just one day, it sure got my attention.  And when another was spotted in downeast ME a week later, that was enough of a catalyst to make me start planning my next attempt for Caspian Tern at Hills Beach.  I contacted Mike Beck, a birder and former co-worker who retired to ME, and we planned to meet at Hills Beach the next morning.  Although we wouldn’t be chasing after a specific reported bird (it had been over a week since the last one was reported at Hills Beach), the timing was right for us to try to find the next one.

We arrived at 8 AM and parked along the shoulder of Hills Beach Road opposite Bufflehead’s restaurant in the only area where you can legally park and gain access to the beach.  And with a short walk we were overlooking the sandflats at full low tide.  There were a bunch of Common Terns perched on the flats and flying about, but no large terns were to be seen.  We continued to scan the area, picking out a number of feeding Bonaparte’s Gulls and several small flocks of Dowitchers, but the diversity was pretty limited.

Then at about 8:30 I spotted a larger bird flying out over the water in the distance which was flying like a larger tern.  Could it be a Caspian?  I continued to watch this bird for a couple minutes, and became convinced it was a tern, and it had a heavier more gull-like flight of a Caspian instead of the more buoyant flight of the thinner-winged Royal Tern.  But it was too far away and I couldn’t be 100% sure. 

I returned to scanning over the flats, and not five minutes later I heard a single call of a Caspian Tern coming from somewhere close nearby.  I would have sworn I was about to see it right away flying out over the flats somewhere.  But alas, I never did spot it despite much anxious scanning.  I was sure it was the call of a Caspian, but why did I only hear it once?  And why did we not see the bird afterwards?

Mike and I then walked out on the sandflats to get closer views, and especially to be able to see the area to the east.  We began to find more shorebirds, including quite a number Semi Plovers and Semi Sands.  We also spotted a rare pair of Oystercatchers flying across the flats – only my third for ME.  But we couldn’t come up with any large terns.

A short while later we saw another birder on the flats and were able to compare notes.  He said he too had a larger tern flying out over the water at about 8:30.  Sounds like he saw the same bird I had seen. So that made me feel better about my ID of that sighting, but certainly not the best of sightings.

Since we didn’t see the target bird perched on the flats at lower tide, my strategy was to stay at least until the tide had risen to about mid-tide when there would be only limited amounts of flats still exposed.  In theory, that would concentrate the foraging birds, and hopefully force the Caspian to perch in just a few remaining exposed areas.  But even at mid-tide I couldn’t re-find the Caspian.

As I left the area I recalled in past years that birders have mentioned that they’ve had the large terns flying directly overhead, going back and forth between Biddeford Pool and Hills Beach.  So I wonder if the bird I heard calling was actually over my head and on its way to Biddeford Pool.  Its next calls (if any) would then be behind me so I didn’t hear them.

In any case, certainly not satisfying observations, but good enough to count for my ME list.  As a post-script – the next 2 days a single Caspian Tern was spotted perched on the flats at Hills Beach – potentially the same bird I had, though mine certainly wasn’t nearly as cooperative.

Caspian Tern was the 340th species for my ME statelist, and the 246th species I’ve seen in all 6 New England states.  Given that Caspian Tern has a range that spans much of the continent, it’s not too surprising that ME was the 41st state where I’ve seen this species, not to mention 3 Canadian provinces (see my statebird map and province bird maps below).