New Mexico, September 29-October 6

This is a time of seasonal transitions whether in New England or the Southwest. We recently returned from a week in New Mexico preparing our home there for winter and fitting in some fall birding in the western mountains region. Certainly not as stunning as Vermont's foliage change, nonetheless New Mexico offers its own version which can be just as breathtaking when contrasted against the dominance of varied earthtones characterizing the landscape much of the year. Late summer rains have added a pastel green tint to the grasslands and mountain slopes not unlike the all too brief period of misty green Vermont's terrain displays during early spring. On top of this green tapestry are accents of southwestern flora in full bloom, including the bright yellows of chamisa (rabbitbrush), plains zinnia and daisies, the silvery-white plumes of winterfat, blues and purples of asters, and orange-reds of globemallows.

Within a day or two of our arrival the bird feeders were replenished and in no time were rediscovered by a variety of birds affiliated with the surrounding pinyon-pine woodlands. Ten species were observed visiting the feeders over the week: Eurasian Collared-Dove, Western Scrub-Jay, Pinyon Jay, Mountain Chickadee, Juniper Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Chipping Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed (Gray-headed, Pink-sided, Oregon) Junco, Cassin's Finch, and House Finch. Others seen in the "yard" but not at the feeders included Northern (Red-shafted) Flicker, Common Raven, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Western Bluebird, Townsend's Solitaire, American Robin, Green-tailed Towhee, and Spotted Towhee. A couple straggler hummingbirds (Selosphorus spp.) were spotted all too briefly to nail down identification, but I suspect they were Rufous Hummingbirds. As back here in New England virtually all the resident nesting neotropical species have already departed for Mexico and beyond.

On Sunday, October 4 we made a day trip to Glenwood 105 miles south of our home in Datil and hiked into Whitewater Canyon in the Gila National Forest. The canyon is known for the Catwalk, a metal walkway bolted to the canyon walls and formerly a 3-mile long pipeline constructed in 1893 to deliver water to generate electricity for the short-lived mining town of Graham. The present day Catwalk trail follows a perennial stream that flows through riparian woodlands dominated by cottonwoods, Arizona sycamore and walnut. The easy hike can offer productive birding including specialties like American Dipper and Painted Redstart. Time of the year and windy conditions made for challenging bird watching this visit with only 11 species sighted: Sharp-shinned Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Northern (Red-shafted) Flicker, a vireo ("Solitary" group, possible Cassin's Vireo), Common Raven, Bridled Titmouse, Canyon Wren, Yellow-rumped (Audubon's) Warbler, Townsends Warbler, Chipping Sparrow, and White-crowned Sparrow.

The most noteworthy sighting was not that of a bird but rather a rare, nonvenomous snake, the Narrow-headed Gartersnake Thamnophis rufipunctatus (photo below), a state threatened species in New Mexico and a U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service species of special concern. As far as gartersnakes go, this species is very atypical in that it lacks the long stripes along the body, instead being spotted, and having an unsual head shape. The individual we sighted measured about 18-20 inches in length and was crossing the trail within several yards of Whitewater Creek. The Narrow-headed Gartersnake is a highly aquatic species associated with clear-water, rocky streams having abundant streamside vegetation (NMDGF 2007). It is primarily a fish-eater, although amphibians are also consumed. When alarmed it typically dives to the stream bottom and takes refuge under stones.

At the end of our hike we were treated to a group of five Javelinas (Collared Peccaries) foraging in the dry river bed. Among the group was an adult female with two young. They casually munched on vegetation and from time to time where heard overturning stones presumedly looking for prey. As the sun sank behind the horizon we continued our trip back home along the way spotting another larger group of javelinas, Mule Deer and and Elk. An enjoyable and rewarding day.

Now back in Vermont, we're enjoying the fall foliage season at its peak and getting caught up on fall chores (moving fire wood inside, putting the vegetable garden and flower beds to rest, and soon raking an almost endless crop of leaves). Following photos: Western Scrub-Jay, Mountain Chickadee, "Pink-sided" and "Gray-headed" Juncos, Javelina with barely noticable young, and Greater Roadrunner.

Citation:

New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. 2007. Narrow-headed Gartersnake (Thamnophis rufipunctatus) recovery plan. NMDGF, Conservation Services Division, Sante Fe, NM. 22 p.

September 8 Pelagic Grand Slam

This past Tuesday I participated in a nine hour pelagic birding trip off the New Hampshire coast organized by the Massabesic Audubon Center. It was likely the last pelagic outing I will take in this year, and if that proves to be the case, for myself I cannot possibly imagine this trip being outdone anytime soon. Simply stated last Tuesday was fantastic! The weather and sea conditions were near perfect, and the seabirds and other marine life presented an exciting spectacle.

About 40 or so birders boarded Granite State Whale Watch out of Rye Harbor and headed out past the Isles of Shoals towards Jeffrey's Ledge mostly birding New Hampshire water, more specifically Old Scantum and Jeffrey's Basin, with a couple brief forays into Maine. Spending most of the day chasing down birds and whales, the boat headed back to the Isles of Shoals in late afternoon checking out activity there before returning to port.

The undisputed highlight of the day was sightings of all three jaeger species: Pomerine, Parasitic and Long-tail, constituting for me a life bird hat-trick. This was followed by a sweep of the four shearwaters likely to be encoutered in the Gulf of Maine. In total 21 species of birds was observed. Most notable sightings with estimated counts of each were Cory's Shearwater, 31; Greater Shearwater, 940; Sooty Shearwater, 210; Manx Shearwater, 58; Wilson's Storm-Petrel, 260; Northern Gannet, 17; Great Cormorant, 1; Red-necked Phalarope, 28; Pomerine Jaeger, 1; Parasitic Jaeger, 5; Long-tail Jaeger, 1 juvenile; unidentified jaegers, 5 (likely Parasitic); and Black Guillemot, 1.

Marine mammal diversity (7 species) and numbers were also impressive: Gray Seal, 6 or more; Harbor Seal, several; Atlantic White-sided Dolphin, 150 including calves; Harbor Porpoise, 1; Finback Whale, 20 or more; Minke Whale, 4; and Humpback Whale, 5. And among all these, we also got close-up views of a large Basking Shark; two large, bizarre looking Ocean Sunfish; and several Bluefin Tuna.

Photos of some of our sightings, including jaegers and shearwaters, were taken by Len Medlock and can be viewed at http://www.pbase.com/lmedlock/nhpelagic09.

In closing, I want to thank to Jon Woolf of MAC for coordinating the trip; Steve Mirick for being the trip 'MC' and collating and posting the species counts; Len Medlock for his photographs; Lance Tanino (driver) for getting Cliff Seifer, Phil Brown and me to and back from the coast; and the crew of Granite State Whale Watch.

Fall Dragonfly Migrations

My last three posts have dwelled on recent outings along and off the New Hampshire coast taking in migrant shorebird and pelagic seabird activity. Indeed it is the time of year when birds are on the move and this is only the beginning of more to come over the next month or so. This past weekend reminded me, however, that fall migrations are not limited to birds but also include some insects. Of course there is the well-followed mass exodus of Monarch butterflies, but last Saturday while visiting with friends in Maine, I was reminded of dragonfly migrations that more or less coincide with the southbound passage of raptors later in September. While perhaps less known and understood than that undertaken by Monarchs, dragonfly migrations are no less amazing natural phenomena.

During the early evening of our visit we observed a horde of dragonflies hawking over our hosts' lawn presumedly preying on mosquitoes that otherwise would have turned the table by dining on us. The numbers of dragonflies darting here and there within 5 to 6 feet of the ground defied an accurate estimate. Most conservatively there were no fewer than 50 and perhaps may have approached or even exceeded 100. When twittering Chimney Swifts diverted my attention skyward, another layer of dragonflies at a higher elevation was revealed. I believe it was too early in the season to be witnessing dragonfly migration but rather it may have been the prelude to the upcoming flight: fattening up for the long journey on an abundance of insects namely mosquitoes given the wetter than usual summer. If this was the case then the darners were effectively reducing mosquito numbers as well as the itchy welts we otherwise might have received. Like birds preparing to migrate, dragonflies have a need to build up energy reserves to fuel their autumn southbound migration.

Unfortunately my dragonfly species identification skills are not particularly good even with one in hand not to speak of those zipping about erratically in flight. That said, I'll speculate they may have been Anax junius, the Common Green Darner, a common species in the Northeast, one of about nine or so North American species reported to be migratory, and typically one of the most abundant species observed indulging in such flights.

Studies done in recent years reveal some similarities between dragonfly and bird migrations (Russell et al. 1998; Wikelski et al. 2006), i.e. (1) both undertake spring and fall migrations; (2) the bulk of migrants tend to follow topographic features, such as lake shores, ocean coasts, and ridgelines; (3) spring northward flights are assisted by southerly warm fronts, and autumn flights generally occur after the passage of a cold front out of the north; and (4) a flight day during the fall migration season occurs the day following an evening that was colder than the preceding one. Wikelski et al. (2006) projected that Green Darners monitored for their study may be capable of migrating over 400 miles during their two month migration period. However, the possible record distance traveled by dragonflies may be undertaken by those originating in India migrating across the Indian Ocean to Africa and back, a distance estimated to be between 8,680 to 11,160 miles, more than doubling the roundtrip migration of Monarchs (BBC Earth News, 14 July 2009). If such intercontinental dragonfly migrations are more substantiated this would truly rival those undertaken by birds and no less by an insect weighing not much more than a gram.

Citations:

Russell, R. W., M. L. May, K. L. Soltesz, and J. W. Fitzpatrick. 1998. Massive swarm migrations of dragonflies (Odonata) in eastern North America. The American Midland Naturalist 140(2):325-342.

Wikelski, M., D. Moskowitz, J. S. Adelman, J. Cochran, D. S. Wilcove, and M. L. May. 2006. Simple rules guide dragonfly migration. Biology Letters 2:325-329.

August 8, More Pelagics & Whales

While waiting for shorebird and other early fall migrant activity to pick up here in the Green Mountain State (but not necessarily looking to rush into winter), I've been passing the mid summer birding doldrums by concentrating on the New Hampshire coast. Frankly, I have been having some great experiences there this season. Yesterday was my most recent trip to the coast birding primarily Hampton Harbor in the morning and taking in a five hour afternoon whale/pelagic seabird boat trip aboard the M/V Granite State, based at Rye Harbor, NH, out to Jeffrey's Ledge. Accompanying me to the coast was Lance Tanono, who I rendezvoused with in Keene, NH,; we arrived on the coast at about 8 a.m. We soon linked up with birders Steve and Jane Mirick, Len Medlock, Lauren Kras, Ben Griffith, and Jason Lambert.

Shorebird abundance continues to pick up steadily with good numbers of Black-bellied Plovers, Semipalmated Plovers, Sanderlings, Semipalmated Sandpipers, and Short-billed Dowitchers staging on the mudflats. Less numerous were Greater Yellowlegs, and on the seaward rocky coastline Ruddy Turnstones and a single Spotted Sandpiper. The usual assortment of gulls, terns and egrets continue in the harbor and surrounding marshes. The highlight sighting of the morning was two Hudsonian Godwits viewed from Hampton Harbor State Marina. One of the pair caused some temporary excitement and discussion, as it was a more washed out more grayish bird with a somewhat longer, straighter bill suggesting a possible Black-tailed Godwit than the other bird (an adult male, below photo in foreground). This tentative identification, however, was quickly dashed when both birds took flight revealing black underwing coverts and the mystery bird was concluded to be a juvenile female Hudsonian.

Later in the day Steve, Jane, Len, Lance and I took in the whale watch trip hoping for some good pelagic bird activity and for me getting first-time views of Red-necked Phalarope and Manx Shearwater, both reported seen offshore by others earlier this week. The leg between Rye Harbor and the Isles of Shoals was fairly void of pelagics, but once past the Isles actitivy steadily increased. Winds were from the SSE, skies clear and sunny. The following more notable counts of our observations were tallied by Steve: Cory's Shearwater, 9; Greater Shearwater, 628; Sooty Shearwater, 309; Manx Shearwater, 4; Wilson's Storm-Petrel, 330; Northern Gannet, 6; Red-necked Phalarope, 7; phalarope sp., 12; Common Tern, 45; and jaeger sp., 1. For most of the passengers, anticipation was focused on whales, and they (as we) were not disappointed. A total of 8 Humpback Whales were seen at close range bubble feeding and tail breaching. Surface feeding behavior was a cue to shearwaters in the area that leftover food was present. This was a great asset to me in identifying my first Manx Shearwater after missing the three previous birds sighted that afternoon. The fourth Manx of the day passed just ahead of the boat bow gliding to the shearwater feeding frenzy. Photos below: Top - Greater Shearwater; Bottom - Greater and Sooty Shearwaters cleaning up the spoils following a Humpback Whale feed.

So in the end, the day was a fantastic outing: both targeted life birds were seen and my day spent with the other birders was enjoyable and entertaining. Special thanks to Steve and Len for their efforts and patience in helping me with Red-necked Phalarope and Manx Shearwater. For readers of this post, especially my fellow Vermont birders, I encourage you to make the trip to the coast and utilize Granite State Whale Watch. It has been a fantastic season for offshore pelagics and whales, and the cost for the five hour trip, morning or afternoon, is only $31 person and ask about the birders' discount offer.

New Hampshire Coast, July 25

Yesterday, the New Hampshire coast provided some fantastic birding despite being my second unsuccessful attempt this season to see the Sabine's Gull which has been seen off-and-on at Hampton Harbor over the past several weeks. Nonetheless, a small group of birders got excellent views of two other unusual gull species that have been frequenting the N.H. coast as of late: a Little Gull and a Black-headed Gull.

Undoubtedly the highlight of the day was a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron. The immature bird was spotted and identified by Len Medlock as he stood at a vantage point in the vicinity of Hampton Harbor State Marina looking northwest toward The Willows (near the mouth of the Hampton River). The bird's upright posture; long neck and legs; and stout bill set it off from any of the resident Black-crowned Night-Herons. Len cell phoned the group, who were scanning the harbor for gulls from the public use area next to the Yankee Fishermans Cooperative in Seabrook, setting us all dashing to link up with him. Everyone got distant views of the bird, but it was decided a more satisfying look could be had if we drove to The Willows and were able to approach it on foot within safe range without causing the bird alarm. By the time our small group arrived we were joined by two other local birders hearing about it via the cell phone network. Everyone got great views of the heron and it was photographed by some before it took flight and headed north over the saltmarsh.

From that point on our attention refocused on locating the three gulls. Several locations on the seaward side known for gull congregations were checked out but produced only Herring, Ring-billed, Bonaparte's and Great Black-backed gulls. But then Laura Kras phoned one of the group informing us that she had located a Little Gull at the Rye Ledges. Setting us all in motion again we arrived just minutes before the gull had "disappeared." Not to give up so quickly everyone scanned the many gulls resting on either the water or tide exposed the rocks. The gull (below) was quickly relocated and observed by all at close range until it again flew out of sight. One last time the bird was spotted by Steve Mirick and all got to view it in flight as it passed out of sight. Based on the partial carpal bar, whitish inner primary wing tips and black outer primaries suggests to me that this individual is in second pre-basic molt. Other opinions are welcome.

The day wrapped up with everyone returning to Seabrook to checkout Hampton Harbor again with hopes of the Sabine's and/or Black-headed gulls. While observing the usuual gulls, terns, some early migrant shorebirds, as well as a couple Least Terns, high tide was rapidly closing in vanquishing exposed mudflats and sand bars. The Black-headed Gull was spotted about mid harbor drifting on the incoming currents. Unlike any previous encounters I have had with adult Black-headed Gulls, this individual had a decidely mocha brown colored hood rather than dark brown to nearly "blackish." Perhaps this was due to the light conditions at the time (bright sunlight) or this bird simply has a lighter brown hood. As poor an image as the one below is, the brown hood is nonetheless evident. Eventually the gull flew to and landed on a spit of sand. In a repeat performance of the birders' scramble to get a closer view and photos of it, we got a new observation point literally seconds before it seemed to vanish into thin area and nowhere to be seen in the harbor.

Other notable sightings of the day included Northern Gannets, Wilson's Storm-Petrels, an immature Black Guillemot, Roseate Terns, and a couple Fish Crows.

Special thanks to Steve Mirick and Len Medlock for making the day a success and freely escorting three "in-landers" (Lance Tanino, Cliff Seifer and yours truly) in our pursuit of gulls. Kudos to Len for finding the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron and to Lauren Kras for the Little Gull, and to the others who added to the excitement of the day.

Chicken Soup for the Summer Blues

I have an admission to make: the wet weather northern New England has experienced so far this summer has really gotten me down. Since returning from New Mexico over two weeks ago, nearly every day has been punctuated by downpours more often than not occurring after work dashing any hopes of squeezing in home chores or even some birding during the remaining hours of daylight. As a life long New Englander I'm certainly accustomed to our fickle climate but we're stuck in a rut and my overall attitude is showing it. So when last Friday was forecast to be a splendid day weatherwise, it did not take a second of thought to decide to escape to the New Hampshire coast with Lance Tanino to take in a morning whale watch cruise out of Rye Harbor with the hopes of observing pelagic birds. Conditions were fantastic: sunny, warm, nearly cloudless skies, and a light southeast wind. The birds did not disappoint us nor did the whales.

Arriving at the coast an hour or so before the boat's scheduled departure we checked out Hampton State Park, Bicentennial Park and Seabrook Harbor, all locations from which a first-cycle Sabine's Gull has been reported. No luck!

The Granite State Whale Watch cruise began at 8:30 a.m. with the boat returning to port at 1:30 p.m. During the five hours we headed out past the Isles of Shoals to Jeffrey's Ledge and then south to off Rockport, Massachusetts. Lance was the "official" note keeper with species observations and counts as follow: Greater Shearwater, 26; Cory's Shearwater, 12; possible Sooty Shearwater, 2; Wilson's Storm-Petrel, 250 (conservative count); Northern Gannet, 17; Double-crested Cormorant, no count; Parasitic Jaeger, 1 adult; other possible jaeger sp., 3; Herring Gull, no count; Great Black-backed Gull, no count; and Common Tern, no count. In addition to the birds we got close-up views of 3 Humpbacked Whales, 7 Minke Whales, and a Fin Whale. Passengers were treated to several of these behemoths blowing bubble rings and breaching the water surface to feed (photo).

After getting back we had the afternoon and early evening to bird the New Hampshire coast beginning at Odiorne Point and ending at Hampton Harbor. Species of particular note included Common Eiders; Mute Swans, 2; Wilson's Storm-Petrels; Double-crested Cormorants; Great Blue Herons; Great Egrets; Snowy Egrets; Black-crowned Night-Herons, 2; Ospreys, 2 adults and 2 immatures; Willets, 12; Whimbrels, 2; Short-billed Dowitchers, 126; Laughing Gulls; Bonaparte's Gulls; Ring-billed Gulls; Herring Gulls; Great Black-backed Gulls; a Caspian Tern; and Common Terns. And again no Sabine's Gull or the Little Gull also recently sighted in the area.

So, did the day lift my spirits? You bet! Besides a great weather day, Cory's Shearwater was a lifer for me, and as a side Lance returned to the coast on Sunday and added Little Gull to his life list.

Henslow's Sparrow, LB #477

Last Friday (July 3), Lance Tanino and I drove south on I-91 to Montague, MA with hopes of seeing the Henslow's Sparrow that was firsted reported the previous Saturday and continued to be seen and heard singing every day since then in an unmowed hay field just north of the intersection of Meadows and Upper Taylor Hill roads. Observing the bird was not nearly as challenging as finding our way to it on roads unfamiliar to us. Fortunately there was already a birder on the road shoulder peering into a field fitting the description of our destination, so little time was wasted and we got onto the bird almost immediately. The sparrow's song (tsi-LICK) was distinctive and seemed to project some distince giving the impression that the bird was alot closer than it really was. Actually the bird was hanging out 50-70 yards from the road near the center of the field. When not taking refuge down in the grasses, it perched on one of several green oat stems that protruded above the surrounding vegetation. Soon we were joined by a half dozen or so other birders, including two from Delaware. Henslow's Sparrow is now a rare sighting in New England, so Lance and I were both very satisfied to add it to our life lists here.