500 km From Shore

Might as well be in a homemade raft as a modern day seismic vessel when it comes to internet connection 500 km NE of St. John's, Newfoundland. This posting is tenuous at best.  Day Six of 35 at sea.  Standard fare seabirds so far.  Skuas are the standard highlight of the standard fare on an average day anywhere off eastern Newfoundland in summer.  South Polar is most numerous and the easiest of the two skua species to identify with certainty in the summer months. So far just two but it may be just a little early. Their main target species, the Great Shearwater is out here in numbers so the skuas can't be far behind.  The three commonest species are Great Shearwater, Northern Fulmar and Leach's Storm-Petrel.

A classic looking South Polar Skua showing the solid dark chocolate back and smooth pale neck.

Same SPSK directly over head looking directly down for any lunch option.

 

South Polar Skuas are more sociable than Great Skuas and never miss a chance to chase one another.

 

Franklin's Gull at Witless Bay June 8, 2013

Saturday was a nice day to be out but it was a fairly lack luster Avalon Loop trip birdwise until I heard about a Franklin's Gull at Witless Bay being found my Chris Ryan. Witless Bay was right on the way home.  Got to the little tidal cove on the west side of the road across from the Needs convenient store. Nothing there. Got out of the car for a more thorough look and it flew right in over my head and landed on the sand. Amazing, a genuine Franklins Gull. An adult in perfect plumage.  Too good to be true. Franklin's Gulls used to be more regular in Newfoundland, especially in early May. Recently it is seen in the province maybe every second year.

It began rapidly poking its bill in the water. Photos would show it seemed to be getting little crustaceans (gammarids).   Chris Ryan showed up and we watched if for 20 minutes before it flew back over the road.  The tide was rising.  The following are some of the pictures of this beautiful gull.

 

 

 

 

Short-tailed Swallowtail at St. Shotts lighthouse where there were many on the dandelions. Why are they most numerous at lighthouses?

 

 

Alberta Teal - Cinnamon and Blue-winged (May 2013)

The most exotic duck in Alberta to an easterner is the Cinnamon Teal.  The intense BBQ red colour of the drake is over the top.  Seeing the drakes is mind blowing but looking at the females is mind expanding. The age old challenge of separating female Cinnamon and Blue-winged Teal remains.

The female Cinnamon Teal is most confidently identified when guarded by a possessive male.

When you come from Newfoundland where even the Blue-winged Teal is on the rare side, it is difficult not to stare at the stunning male Cinnamon Teal.

The standard field marks (quite a judgemental challenge in a real life situation) listed in the bird guides for separating female Cinnamon from female Blue-winged Teal are richer brown with less distinct pale lore spot, eye line and eye ring and a longer more spatulate bill. This picture shows what species??? Yes - Cinnamon.

Another view of the same female Cinnamon Teal. The long spatulate bill and plain face look a little more obvious in this photo.  A feature I have not read about so may not be a valid field mark is that female Cinnamon Teal usually (always?) show broader pale edges to the wing coverts and individual flank feathers.

A female Blue-winged Teal with its mate at Pakowki Lake.  The dark eye line, contrasting pale lores. and shorter bill are apparent.  Also note the finer, narrower pale edges to the wing coverts and flanks giving a trimmer, neater look to the Blue-winge Teal.

The male Blue-winged Teal is not a bad looking duck in the spring.

 

Weekend of Mini Rarties

The first few days of June has a history of producing excellent rarities on the Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland. For example Black-necked Stilt (St Shotts), Pacific Golden Plover (Cape Race), Brewer's Blackbird (Long Beach) and Violet-green Swallow (St. John's).  Something significant happened this weekend. There was a distinct influx of birds from the southwest that presumably came up on the rather gentle SW winds originating from the mid East Coast of the US. Most notably were swallows - record numbers of Purple Martin (3) and Barn Swallows (dozens).  While there was lots of evidence of an influx of birds from southwest of us there was no big rarity - at least not yet. I am expecting something to be reported from a feeder or a marsh over the next 48 hours that will send us running.

Here is a summary of the numerous mini rarities found over the weekend.

 

PURPLE MARTIN - one Cape Race followed by three at nearby Long Beach on June 1. There is perhaps an average of 1-2 seen per year in Newfoundland and sightings of more than one at a time are exceptional.

 

CHIMNEY SWIFT - one at Renews June 2 feeding low over harbour with swallows.  (a handful seen in the province in a typical year)

 

Barn Swallow - several dozen observed over the weekend including 25! at Renews on the morning of June 2.  The cold weather concentrated swallows desperately looking for flying insects. This one of the largest concentrations of Barn Swallows for the Avalon at least. Barn Swallow is a very regular spring and fall stray to the  Avalon but it does not nest on the Avalon and in fact might not be any more than a sporadic breeder anywhere in the province - usually Codroy Valley.

 

Eastern Kingbird - one Cape Race road, two Renews.  Regular late spring stray to Newfoundland. Rarely breeds in province, maybe just the one breeding record.

 

Indigo Bunting - two Cappahayden feeder, one Ferryland feeder. Regular spring and fall vagrant.

 

All these birds are 'southern flavour birds'. We need that bigger rarity to cap it all off. It is out there somewhere.  Below are some photos of the weekend highlights. Note the poor photo quality as is often case when getting the actual rarity in the spur of the moment.

Purple Martin at Cape Race in the early morning fog.

 

 

The three Purple Martins taking a rest from flycatching at Long Beach.  They are probably first year males in this mixed and messy plumage.

Chimney Swift at Renews feeding among a flock of Barn Swallows low over the harbour.  The temperature was about +6C and insects were scarce.

Two Eastern Kingbirds at Renews going pelagic in search insects over the warmer rocks ahead of the rising tide.

One of the Cappahayden Indigo Buntings. You don't really need to see the head to identify this bird!

Not part of the weekend event but a highlight for several groups of birders was finally connecting with the elusive Tundra Swan that has been using the main pond at Portugal Cove South as part of its daily routine for the last week. This is true Newfondland rarity with barely a handful of records.

 

Alberta May 2013 - The Blackbirds

You know you live in a bird impoverished province when seeing blackbirds on a mainland trip is good. Alberta has a full suite of Canadian blackbirds including prairie specializing species the Yellow-headed and Brewer's Blackbird. In Newfoundland when you say Redwing you are talking about the thrush.  The full name Red-winged Blackbird is required for that species which is only marginally more numerous.

The male Brewer's Blackbird is a smart looking bird when you look at it closely.  It is common and widespread in Alberta covering a variety of habitats ranging from open prairie to more wooded areas.

 The song and display of the male Brewer's Blackbird is nothing to rave about.

 

The female Brewer's Blackbird is a plain brown bird but with the sleekness of the male.
 

A male Brown-headed Cowbird does its best banana shape pose to impress a nearby female. 

Red-winged Blackbirds are a part of every slough and wet ditch in Alberta.
 

Yellow-headed Blackbirds are abundant being semi-colonial in the richer cattail marshes in Alberta.  Like breeding plumage Atlantic Puffins in Newfoundland, they are so gaudy that you become blase about them in short order. 

 

 

 

 

Alberta Birding in May 2013 - Post # 2

The memory of fabulous birding for nine straight days in Alberta at the beginning of May 2013 is already being placed in storage on the dusty top shelf of my brain. The best of the trip photos are in danger of being buried for good without ever being looked at again. That is the way in this day and age where there isn't as much time as there once was for looking back on what you just did.

Tonight I made time to tackle Alberta grebes. There wasn't a big selection of photos to look through. Eared Grebes were just getting back to breeding colonies on selected sloughs in early May when I was there.  Horned and Red-necked Grebes were migrating north but stopping to rest on flooded fields that would be grazed by cattle in a few weeks. Western Grebes were also just getting back but it was with this species  that I had one my euphoric Alberta photo moments.

Eared Grebe is so common in southern Alberta that it might as well be the slough starling. This one is wet after a session of active diving for food. 

The Horned Grebe is a common breeder in isolated pairs in the deeper ponds among the aspen belt of central Alberta and other areas farther north.

My only close encounter with the Red-necked Grebe was during mid-day when lighting conditions were tough for proper exposure with the camera.

The Western Grebe is the favourite  grebe of east coast birders. Not just because it is so rare but also because of its unique long, black and white neck. 

I lucked into a Western Grebe situation at famous Lake Pakowki in southeast Alberta. The water was high on the shoulders of Hwy 885 crossing the western finger of the lake. Some of the Western Grebes were interested in diving under the bridge allowing for good photo opts from within the car.  It must be the male with the larger bill in this photo. There was lots of  vocal and physical interaction  between the 15 or so birds brave enough to dive near the bridge. Over all a blissful show for an east coaster. 

Part of the display of Western Grebes involes stretching the neck.  They must have elastic tendons holding the neck vertebrae together..

The Western Grebe is a classy bird.

 

Codroy Valley Birding Retreat - May 16-20, 2013

John Wells, Ken Knowles and I made a five day holiday out of the Victoria Day Weekend.  We drove 900+ km across Newfoundland to the Codroy Valley.  The cold weather (including snow flurries and sleet) had delayed migration by about 5-7 days. This resulted in many of the warblers and most of the Codroy Valley specialities that we went for not being in yet.  The birding was still OK and we had a good time overall.  Photo opportunities were few.

An Eastern Phoebe was the only rare bird we found in the Codroy Valley area.  It is barely annual in the province. It was so cold it was picking up earthworms off the road.  This was my only shot of the fleeting bird.

Warbler photography is a highlight of a Codroy trip in spring, but we saw a mere six species of warbler.  Palm Warblers were still in full migration. 

The only place the Great Blue Heron nests in Newfoundland is the Grand Codroy River valley. We saw up to 11 per day.

Not a Codroy speciality but when there is nothing else to fire the camera at there is always a cooperative Gray Jay.

Piping Plovers nest at nearby Cheeseman Prov Park.  We watched a pair feeding on wet sand on the barachois side of the beach.

They became rather tame walking up to us while feeding. 

When the birding gets slow these introduced birds start to look attractive.

We had a chance encounter with a Codroy Samsquatch on the loose.  We retreated to the safety of the car and let this fearless, demented animal walk past us.

The rarity excitement of the trip was saved by two Little Egrets that showed up in Fair Haven, Placentia Bay while we were in the Codroy Valley.  We saw them on the drive back home and got lucky with a good photo opportunity.