Two Southeastern Rarities in Ocean County NJ, September 2017

I used to bird in NJ quite a bit while growing up in Maryland - when I moved away from the Mid-Atlantic region for good in 1993 I had a respectable 240 on my NJ statelist.  And then over the next several years I would have frequent business trips to the Garden State, allowing me to add a few birds here and there, increasing my list to 277 by 2009.  But then my work responsibilities changed and I had no more NJ trips for quite a while. 

Then in September 2017 an impromptu trip to Princeton came up.  These meetings were actually supposed to be in Houston, but the location was changed due to all the flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey.  I would likely have a free morning during the trip, plus I would be coming in the evening before, so I would have a little free birding time in the area.  As soon as my trip was confirmed my thoughts went to pursuit of the most common NJ bird that I still needed for my statelist – Barred Owl.  In fact, missing Barred Owl in NJ may well be the most glaring gap in any of my statelists.  Per my statebird map below, I’ve seen or heard Barred Owl throughout almost all of its eastern range, plus in WA and OR in its expanding western range.  But I still needed it in NJ!

I planned to arrive in northern NJ in the evening, and with some eBird research for likely Barred Owl locations, decided to try for it at dusk at the Great Swamp NWR.  I’ve birded Great Swamp in the past, even trying for Barred Owl there, but this time I hoped for a more successful visit.  After all, it is a quite common bird in the proper habitat.

As for my free morning, I first thought about trying for passerine migrants at spots near Princeton.  But my eBird Needs Alerts didn’t come up with too many realistic possibilities.  Then I noticed multiple records of Mississippi Kite at a “stakeout” hotspot in Ocean County.  I was hoping to stay closer to Princeton, but this location was only about an hour and 15 minutes away, and this likely represented the most reliable possible statebird for me.  That is assuming the Kites hadn’t migrated south yet.  And just before my trip a pair of Wood Storks were reported at a wetlands just 10 minutes from the Kite location.  Despite the longer drive time, I would still have plenty of time to try for both the Kite and Storks and still get back to Princeton before my meetings started.  That gave me 3 targets to pursue – my plan was set.

The day of my drive to NJ was hot and muggy, with the possibility of evening thunderstorms.  As I got close to the New York City area the skies were looking ominous, though the storms seemed to be mostly north of the city.  But then as I got into NJ storms were now just to the west – I crossed my fingers they would hold off until after dusk.  When I arrived at Great Swamp right around sunset the good news was it hadn’t started to rain yet; the bad news was it was extremely windy – miserable conditions to try to hear an Owl.  I got out of my car and with the noise of the wind blowing through the trees I didn’t even give owling a try.  And then it started to rain, so I just cut my losses and headed to my hotel, once again unable to fill the biggest gap in my NJ (or any) statelist.  Hopefully the next day would be more successful.

My first target that morning was a stakeout location in Waretown where Mississippi Kites had bred at least since 2015.  Up to 3 birds had been reported at this spot up through the day before my trip, so I was hopeful that I could find them quickly.  The problem was finding the correct location.  Not surprisingly these birds were “old news” by the end of their third breeding season there, and few eBird reports gave detailed locations for the birds.  I also read about a preferred roost tree, which photos showed to be a tall dead deciduous tree, but I couldn’t be sure of the location of the tree.  Plus the Kites were reported from literally dozens of different locations in the general vicinity.  So my plan was to head to the GPS coordinates of the eBird stakeout hotspot, and then keep my eyes open as I arrived in the area. 

Morning traffic was a bit tough that morning, but I eventually got to the general area and slowly drove through the suburban neighborhood that the Kites had called home – it looked a lot like the neighborhood where Kites have nested in NH for the last several years.  I got to the location of the hotspot (at the corner of Walker Lane and Elizabeth Avenue), and prepared to pull over to park.  Just then I looked up and saw a tall dead tree, and spotted a small raptor flying from the tree and heading down the road in front of me – it was the Mississippi Kite.  I had apparently pulled in right beneath its preferred roost tree and unfortunately flushed it from its roost.  That certainly wasn’t my plan. 

NJ was my 23rd state for Mississippi Kite.  Although I still need it AL and VA within its regular southeastern range, I’ve seen it in a number of states in the Midwest and Northeast as part of this species’ apparent attempt at range expansion.

Given my fleeting looks at the bird, I was hoping that it would soon come back to its roost tree.  So I stepped a short distance away to wait its return.  Unfortunately a couple minutes later several cars arrived dropping kids off to a school bus stop at that same intersection.  Finally, fifteen minutes later the bus arrived and the moms headed out of the area.  And now that it had quieted down, I was once again hopeful the Kite would return.  As I waited a pair of local birders arrived, but despite 3 pairs of eyes, we had no other sightings of the Kite in its tree or overhead. 

I was beginning to run short of time, and started to think that I should head out to try for the Wood Storks.  I mentioned the Storks to the other birders, and they were planning to look for them as well.  So with no additional Kite sightings, we decided to give the Storks a try, and we could then come back to try for the Kites again if there was time. 

I followed the local birders to the Bayshore Drive Impoundments section of Forsythe NWR.  We first went to an observation deck on the north side of the impoundments, and found quite a number of waders, but no Storks.  I then mentioned that one sighting the day before mentioned seeing the birds “from the north end of the public beach deck”, and if the eBird location was correct, that would be just a mile or so around the bend on the east side of the impoundments.  So we decided to try to find that spot.

As we got to the public beach we could see a long deck paralleling the beach that was 4 or 5 feet above the parking lot.  We walked up on the deck and looked toward the impoundments to the west, and although the extra elevation was helpful, we still only had limited line of sight into the wetlands.  But since the post mentioned the north end of the deck, we walked to the far north end and looked from there.  Sure enough we had a much better view of the impoundments, and we all simultaneously spotted a pair of large white waders in the far distance.  I got them in the scope and sure enough they were the Wood Storks.  Despite being roughly a half mile away, I got this barely passable phonescoped photo of one of the Storks with a much smaller Egret in the foreground.

NJ was my 10th state for Wood Stork, and my second as a rarity along with MA.

With that one checked off pretty quickly, I still had time to give the Kites one last try.  I headed back to the roost tree, and waited around for a few minutes, but with no luck.  It turns out that my sighting was the last one at this site on eBird for the year before.  Luckily that last bird decided to wait to begin its southbound migration until I was able to see it.    

Adding the Kite and Stork brings my NJ statelist up to 279.  And although I sure would have loved to finally get a Barred Owl in NJ, all things considered, I’d rather add the rarities to my list.  The Barred Owl will have to wait until another trip.

MacGillivray’s Warbler, Odiorne Point State Park, First NH Record, September 2017

“Probably MacGillivray’s Warbler at Odiorne along east side of Boy Scout Trail” – that was the text that came across on Steve Mirick’s rare bird text chain.  Then a few minutes later I received this text – “DEFINITELY a MacGillivray’s Warbler”.  A first NH state record!  It was early Labor Day morning and I wanted to run right out of the house to give it a try.  But I had all day commitments at home and couldn’t break free. 

But what about tomorrow?  If it stuck around I could head out pre-dawn, and maybe even get back home before anyone was awake.  But that would be a big if.  Sometimes fall migrants stick around for a few days, but often they are one-day wonders.  The bird continued to be seen off and on into the early afternoon so that was good news.  And with southerly winds predicted overnight, perhaps the bird wouldn’t want to continue to migrate south.  That is if this western rarity even wanted to migrate south at all.  So I planned for an early trip to Odiorne Point State Park the next morning, optimistically hoping for the bird to continue at least into that next day.  Not surprisingly the MacGillivray’s had spent much of its time skulking in low vegetation, especially patches of goldenrod, right along the trail.  And most importantly, it was often quite vocal, giving series of sharp chip notes reminiscent of a Cardinal.  So I had a good idea where to look and what to listen for.

I arrived at Odiorne at about 7 AM and quickly headed to the beginning of the Boy Scout Trail as it’s called just off the southern tip of the parking lot.  As I arrived at the first patch of goldenrod I could see 3 other birds up ahead – they hadn’t had the bird but had just arrived.  It was a pretty chilly morning and likely this insect-eater’s food wouldn’t be active yet, so perhaps the target bird wouldn’t be moving around yet either.

I started to head back to the car to get a light jacket, and just as I neared the beginning of the trail I heard several sharp chip notes coming from the brush.  I stopped in my tracks, and listened intently – there it was again.  I got another birder on these chip notes, which soon became louder.  We both peered into the vegetation where they were coming from, but saw no movement.  Then it was silent.  I turned to the other birder and remarked that I thought that was the MacGillivray’s.  The birder I was with happened to have heard and seen the bird yesterday, and she agreed that those call notes sounded like what she had heard yesterday. 

So the bird was still around, but now I wanted a visual.  Unfortunately I had no other activity from the thicket for quite some time – no visuals or other chip notes.  It was now 8 AM and there were at least a dozen birders there with me searching for the bird.  But no one had any sightings.  Then I heard the sharp chip notes again, and got another birder on the calls.  We listened as the MacGillivray’s gave a series of 12-15 call notes from low in the goldenrod thicket.  Then it was quiet again.  The calls were coming from just 15 feet away but we saw no movement at all.  Very frustrating…  I stayed until about 8:45 when I had to head home, confident in the fact that I had heard the bird, but disappointed that I didn’t have a visual.

Later in the day there was one brief visual sighting of the MacGillivray’s from this area, and another sighting the next day as well.  And then amazingly the bird was re-sighted about a week later elsewhere in the park, a good half mile away!  Maybe it will stick around well into the fall.

MacGillivray’s Warbler was #364 for my NH list, joining MA as my only New England state for this rare western vagrant.  I’ve also seen this species throughout much of its regular western range in the US and Canada, though I still need it in AZ and MT as a regular breeder.  Not to mention I found one years ago as a rare spring migrant in ND.  (see my state and province maps below)

Baird’s Sandpiper and Northern Gannet, August 2017 - Can you Guess the Unlikely Location?

If you had to guess – what state would I be in to add both Baird’s Sandpiper and Northern Gannet as new statebirds in August? 

Baird’s Sandpiper is a rather common migrant throughout the middle of the country, and a rarer but regular migrant elsewhere across the US.  As shown in my Baird’s statebird map below, I’ve seen this species throughout most of its regular migration range, except for LA.  Plus I need it in several southeastern and southwestern states, and NY, where it’s a rarer migrant.

By comparison Gannet is typically only seen in summer along the north Atlantic coast, but is a regular winter bird throughout the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.  I’ve seen Gannet in each of the Atlantic coast states but only in the Gulf in FL and AL. 

So perhaps the most likely single location to add both of these birds as new statebirds would be LA, though it would require a very rare summer sighting of the Gannet.

But the real answer is – I was birding in CA, and added both stakeout birds to my CA statelist in August 2017 at the end of a business trip to the San Francisco bay area.  Now for the story –

An extremely rare Gannet had been reported recently at Devil’s Slide County Park, most often seen perching on Egg Rock off-shore with Cormorants.  This is likely the same Gannet that was found earlier in the year farther down the coast at Ano Nuevo State Park, which preferred to perch on a rock some 2.2 miles offshore among a colony of Western Gulls.  That is except for the day I was there in March 2017.  At least Egg Rock was much closer to shore – a mere 1,400 ft or a quarter mile away.

Up to 4 juvenile Baird’s Sandpipers had been reported at Venice Beach a short distance south of the Gannet location.  I had birded that spot back in March, finding a pair of Glaucous Gulls to my CA list, plus finding an impressive flock of 23 Snowy Plovers.  The Baird’s were reported near the outlet of Pilarcitos Creek. 

My plan was to finish my last day of my business trip, and in route to the SFO airport, first stop at Devil’s Slide.  Then I would head south to Venice Beach, accessing the beach from the end of Venice Boulevard, and then drive to my hotel near SFO.

I arrived at Devil’s Slide right on schedule in the late afternoon, and walked right to the spot where I could see Egg Rock.  It was a cloudy day so I wouldn’t have to contend with looking into the western sun.  Plus earlier I had traded e-mails with local birders to make sure the rock was close enough to be able to spot the Gannet with binocs.  That was all good news.  The bad news was that there were almost no birds perched on the rock at all – at most only about 25 Cormorants and obviously no Gannet, presumably because the birds were out feeding instead of roosting.  So I began to scan the water in the area hoping to find the bird foraging nearby.  The water was covered in an impressive number of Murres, Cormorants, and gulls, but still no Gannet.  I continued to search the water and the rock for about an hour, but the best highlight was 3 whales that passed by quite close to the coast. 

Having no luck with the Gannet, I decided to head south for a quick try for the Baird’s, and then come back to Devil’s Slide for a second attempt at the Gannet.  Just 15 minutes later I had parked my car at Venice Beach and walked toward the mouth of Pilarcitos Creek.  But there were no shorebirds in site.  And in fact there was no habitat that would support foraging Baird’s.  Nothing looked like the habitat in the photos I had seen on eBird so I figured I must be in the wrong spot.  I looked to the south and saw much better habitat in the stretch of the creek that paralleled the coastline.  But how do you access that area?  On GoogleMaps I could see what looked like a trail leading to the coast from the end of Beach Avenue so I decided to give that a try.

After a short drive I was on Beach Avenue and sure enough found a trail heading to the coast.  And soon I was on top of the bluff looking down to the creek bed.  I quickly spotted some shorebirds down below me but they were just Western Sands, Semi Plovers, and Killdeer.  Now I was wishing I had brought my scope to look farther south.  I continued to walk a bit farther south and got a different viewpoint and quickly spotted a larger peep standing on a drier part of the creek bed – a Baird’s Sandpiper!  Although I wanted to stay to look for the other Baird’s, it had taken me an hour to find the right spot at Venice Beach, and I still needed to make a second try for the Gannet.  So I decided to head back to the car, but first got this distant picture of the Baird’s holding my phone up to my binocs.

Twenty minutes later I was back at Egg Rock, but unfortunately there were still just a few Cormorants perched there.  Then I spotted a bit of white on the rock which was most likely just a partially obscured Western Gull.  But since it was the only white bird there I focused on it to be sure.  Just as I was concentrating on the Gull the Gannet flew right through my binocular field – between me and the rock.  I watched it fly around near Egg Rock for the next 5 minutes, though it never landed.  I was able to get several videos of the bird holding my phone up to my binocs – here is the shortest one.

I have to ask myself how would a Gannet get to the CA coast from its regular range in the Atlantic?  Would one fly to the Pacific via the Arctic?  Or would it perhaps take a more direct but landlocked route somewhere across North America?  Who’s to say.

In any case, sure is nice when it all comes together, especially for the extremely rare Gannet.  And adding 2 new birds brings my CA statelist to 389. 

Little Stint, Chatham, MA, August 2017

Little Stint is a great bird for MA – in fact it’s a great bird anywhere in the Lower 48.  So daily reports of a seemingly reliable bird from Morris Island in Chatham should have gotten my attention.  But despite how rare it is, I hadn’t tried to pursue it for two key reasons – it was discovered while I was focused (in fact obsessed) on trying to get out to see the Bridled Tern in CT (including two unsuccessful boat trips), plus I had thought you needed a boat to get to the Stint’s offshore location making it a logistical challenge.  Then there were the slight complications that I discovered that most of my MASSBIRD e-mails were going into my spam folder and my MA eBird Needs Alerts had been turned off.  So I wasn’t getting many of the regular updates on the Stint, or any other rarity that might be found in MA. 

But then while chatting with another birder as we watched the Common Shelduck in NH, he mentioned he had just seen the Stint.  And it simply required a short walk along the shoreline; no boat was needed.  The next morning I started to wonder if I should try for the Stint after all.  The problem was my window of free time was limited to just that day, and I had planned to head out on the Cross Sound Ferry that afternoon for a second try at Cory’s Shearwater on Long Island Sound (in CT waters of course).  In fact I had already made my reservation on the ferry, though with a bit of research I realized I could cancel the reservation.  I started to piece together directions for finding the Stint, and soon realized tides were a key issue – the bird was principally only showing up at mid to low tides.  I checked the tide cycle and high tide that day was at 11:30 AM, so an afternoon visit would work well. 

With Little Stint being a lot rarer than Cory’s Shearwater, and presumably more likely as well, I cancelled my ferry reservation, and planned my 2 ½ hour drive to arrive in Chatham at about 12:45 PM – more than an hour after high tide.  My hope was that I would find the bird on the falling tide soon after I arrived, and be able to start my drive home shortly thereafter.  It was a summer Sunday after all, and departing the Cape would be a nightmare if I couldn’t get out quickly that afternoon. 

As I headed to Chatham I checked my e-mails a couple times hoping for positive reports from the low tide that morning, but there were no reports at all.  Was no news bad news?  Then as I got onto the Cape I saw that Route 6 was already backed up for 5 miles – and it wasn’t even Noon yet - yikes.  I was starting to have that sinking feeling, though I tried to remain positive.  Then I remembered the best access to the bird required parking in the lot at the Monomoy NWR headquarters.  I remembered that that lot is pretty small.  So on a nice Sunday beach day would there even be a place to park?  Sure enough as I got to the lot it was completely full, with two other cars circling along with me looking for a spot.  But just a minute later a couple walked up from the beach into the lot and I was able to take their parking space – things were looking up.

The best directions I found on-line said to take the stairs from the lot down to the beach, and then walk about ½ mile west of the Morris Island access to areas of marsh grasses and mudflats.  Minutes later I was descending the steps and found 3 birders on the landing down below.  They had been there all morning, and perhaps had a sighting of the Stint, but wanted to wait till the lower tides that afternoon to get a better view.  And apparently that was the only possible sighting that morning.  I looked to the west and the tide was high enough that no beach was exposed at all.  Then a birder appeared in the distance wading toward us from the west – he had been out in the proper area but there was still no exposed mudflat.  So we all decided to wait a bit longer for the tide to drop further. 

At 1:30 (2 hours after high tide) we all decided to head to the west, requiring just ankle deep wading in one area.  We got to the area where the bird might have been spotted that morning, but there was still next to no habitat.  Finally at 2 PM there was a bit of mud, and a couple peeps and Semi Plovers flew in.  The peeps were mostly the expected Semi Sands, but then I spotted one bird that was smaller and rustier that the Semi Sands, and had dark legs.  I pointed it out to another birder, but we both eventually decided it was just a Least – in the harsh lighting conditions it was very difficult to see the pale legs (plus the overhead sun meant the bird’s body was shading its legs making them look dark).  And there were no white braces on the scapulars – a feature that was quite visible in most of the pictures of the Stint.  We were trying too hard…

We waited a bit longer at this spot but still had no more than a dozen peeps and Semi Plovers, even though more flats were now exposed.  Sure didn’t seem very promising.  I then remembered one post mentioning that the bird was seen “past a creek”.  We hadn’t come to a creek yet, so I decided to head a bit further west and sure enough came to a small creek discharging water into the bay from the nearby saltmarsh.  And up ahead was another mudflat with perhaps 50 shorebirds.  Maybe this was the spot.

I set up my scope at this western location, and started to scan through the shorebirds.  There was better diversity here, including a Short-billed Dowitcher, a pair of Yellowlegs, and a Black-bellied Plover mixed in with the Semi and Least Sands and Semi Plovers.  But no Little Stint.  Then on another scan I spotted a Buff-breasted Sandpiper on a drier part of the beach – a nice find but still not the target.  More scans yielded presumably the same birds over and over again. 

It was now 3 PM and I was starting to think our target was going to be a no-show.  And my mind started to wander - think how awful the traffic would be getting off the Cape.  Then all of a sudden I picked up a peep that was brighter – so bright in fact that it seemed nearly orange.  Obviously much brighter than the Leasts that I had earlier tried to turn into the Stint.  Within seconds I could see the rusty cap and truly dark legs.  Then it tipped to feed and I saw the white braces.  Little Stint!  It must have just flown in.  I got the birder next to me on the bird, and seconds later the other birders spotted it as well.

Over the next few minutes I got a couple barely passable phonescoped photos of the Stint.  And although these shots don’t do a good job capturing the rusty color of the bird, I was lucky enough to get a couple pictures of the bird next to a Semi Sand (on the left) showing the Little Stint’s white braces.

As we all headed back to our cars we compared notes regarding our upcoming drives to head home.  The other birders were from the central coast of Maine, Pennsylvania, and Ontario.  And one birder we passed heading out to the spot had just flown in from Florida.  Although my drive back would be a long one, even with the extra 30 minutes to get through the 7 mile backup getting off the Cape, my trip home would be the shortest of them all.

Little Stint was #413 for my MA list, and the 517th species I’ve photographed.  But it was not a lifer – my only other Little Stint was in NH in 2003, in the same pool the Common Shelduck has been frequenting.

And as for that missed chance for Cory’s Shearwater in CT – as of this writing, no more Cory’s have been reported from the ferry.  I’ll just have to try for them again next summer.

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).