Field Notes as March Winds Down...

The following are some highlights from the field covering a numbers of sites that I birded over the past few weeks in March. This Peregrine Falcon put on quite a show (looks like a male), while taking a bath in a freshwater puddle.

Although not a year bird, this Piping Plover was my earliest PIPL migrant in Queens on March 12th. For the curious, my year PIPL was in January when I saw an overwintering bird at Point Lookout, Long Island NY, with Doug Futuyma and later with Tom Burke and Gail Benson.

Female ducks don’t often get the recognition they deserve and I recommend spending some time studying them in the field as often times birders get tripped up when confronted with a difficult ID due to unfamiliarity or poor looks. This female Northern Pintail was quite the delight to see at Oakland Lake in Queens NY.

And right after I mention giving the females their due, I am suckered right back into focusing on a drake, but I have an excuse. How could I not with this handsome Wood Duck (right) who was guarding his female companion (not pictured) from the aggressive overtures from 3 other drake Wood Ducks. Those lads were serious about making a move on his girl, but he was having none of it.

Not many reported as yet locally, but I was lucky to pick up my first of the year, Blue-winged Teals, this past weekend. A pair and I managed to pick them out despite their low presence on the water and hiding amongst a group of Mallards.

With all the Red-necked Grebes being reported, I found two this past weekend while exploring new sites to bird. They showed more breeding plumage than any of the other Red-necked Grebes that I have seen at other location this year. Here is one for your viewing pleasure.

Tags: Peregrine Falcon, Piping Plover, Blue-winged Teal, Red-necked Grebe, Wood Duck, Queens

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Wordless Wednesday...

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Hybrid "Presumably" Brant X Cackling Goose in New York City...

A hybrid goose was reported at Randall’s Island by Anya Auerbach, on March 16th. Apparently it was not a first time visitor, but rather a repeat one with the first documented sighting in 2003 by Angus Wilson. Subsequent to Angus' report, it showed up intermittently in the New York City area with all previous observations at Corona Park Queens. In 2008, it was observed, and photographed by birder/photographer Pete Chen and in 2011, by Steve Walter. Shai Mitra, one of our state’s foremost expert on all things with feathers, did some analysis on the photos from Pete Chen back in 2008 and suggested then, that the bird looked good for a hybrid Brant X Cackling. His proposed identification was based on the following features that he noted:

1. The breast is concolorous with the flanks and decidedly browner than the black neck--just as in Cackling and Canada geese, but differing markedly from Brant's (and Barnacle Goose's) extensive, black neck stocking.
2. The characteristic white neck markings of Brant are absent. 
3. There is a hint of whitish cheeks, on both sides of the face, as in Cackling and Canada geese. 
4. The tail is extensively black beyond the coverts, as in the white-cheeked geese, but unlike Brant.

Here you could see the extensive black beyond the coverts (see # 4 above for more details).

Shai, further suggested that even if the identification was correct, both proposed parental species were polytypic, so questions surrounding which taxa were involved are unanswered. He proposed that hrota x hutchinsii would seem the best bet, purely on geographical grounds, but then brings our attention to the bird’s ventral plumage, which is much darker than in either of the forms mentions. He also uses the structure of the bird suggesting that the petite and small billed look was perhaps too much for one of the parents to be hutchinsii. However, if the bird originated farther west, then perhaps nigrans x minima could plausibly produce such a hybrid of this appearance. He rounds out the possibilities for Brant parentage by referencing, “Gray-bellied Brant,” which breeds in the western Canadian high arctic, and which has possibly occurred on Long Island as a vagrant, suggesting it ought to be considered, as should bernicla, which has been reported several times on the East Coast, including long Island.

This was an excellent analysis from Shai, but before deciding if you agree, you should read this equally top notch analysis from Angus Wilson, when he first documented this bird in 2003.  Angus, presents the theory of a Brant x Canada with solid reasons. You should also take a look at the comments area where birders from around the world offered their opinion.

When I first saw the photo of this bird, I thought the breast was too dark for it have Cackling parentage and like Angus thought it looked more like the presence of Canada,  but after studying it in the field and getting photos of my own, I am leaning towards a hybrid of Brant x Cackling.  This is a a fascinating bird and one that was worth standing over an hour in the freezing cold and windy conditions at Randall’s Island before I was able to study it at length and obtain some photos, which I have provided for your viewing pleasure. Thoughts on this bird are most welcome. Tags: Randall's Island, Brant x Cackling Goose, Brant, New York City

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Photo study of Green-winged vs Common Teal...

In my last blog post, I promised readers additional images of the Common Teal that I found on March 1st in Brookville Park Queens, NY.  In this post, I present photos of both American Green-winged and Common or Green-winged Teal (Eurasian) for comparison and walk through some of the field marks.  While Green-winged Teal is considered a single species by the AOU (American Ornithologists' Union), 2 of its subspecies are very distinctive in adult plumage and are recognized as two separate species by many authorized ornithology bodies. Hence, we have American Green Winged Teal (Anas crecca carolinensis) and Eurasian Green-winged Teal or Common Teal (Anas crecca crecca).  The Common Teal is a rare visitor to North America, with records showing that the best chances of seeing one is in late winter early spring. It is important to note the time of the records; chances are Common Teal in non breeding plumage are overlooked or just unidentifiable in the field (now there is a nice challenge).

American Green-winged Teal. Note: The vertical stripe.

This is not the first one that I have seen or found in Queens, NYC, but it is the first that I got very close up looks of, which I took advantage in getting in some good field study time. One of the first field marks that stood out when I spotted this duck as it made its way out of Phragmites was how well marked the facial pattern appeared to be and how paler the breast was in comparison to a nearby American Green-winged Teal. At that time, I was not sure it was a Common Teal. However, once the duck turned slightly in side profile and I saw the white horizontal stripe in the lower scapulars and no sign of a vertical stripe. I began thinking, it was possible that I had found a Common Teal.

Common or Green-wing Teal (Eurasian) Note: the prominent facial marks and lighter breast.

I carefully studied the bird to ensure there was not a trace of anything like a vertical stripe, which would mean it was more of an intergrade (American X Common Teal) instead of a pure Common Teal.  After studying the bird for a bit, I was convinced it was a pure Common Teal and so put out a post to the list serves before trying to obtain additional documentation in the form of field notes and photos.  Coincidentally, following this bird, I saw an intergrade American X Common Teal last Sunday at Saggaponak Pond on Long Island with friends Tom Burke, Gail Benson, Douglas Futuyma, and others but it was too far out for even a digiscope attempt.  That would have been nice to include here for comparison as well.

Common or Green-winged Teal (Eurasian) with a nice side profile showing the horizontal stripe.

Common or Green-winged Teal (Eurasian). Note: the nicely marked facial pattern.

Tags: Brookville Park, Common Teal, American Green-winged Teal, Queens

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Field Notes as February Winds Down...

Some images to share with readers from a a few outings in the field.  This Red-headed Woodpecker continues in Kissena Park Queens at least as of February 24th when I last saw it.  I think this could be the immature bird that was seen back in October of 2013 that has matured nicely.  Note the forehead still shows some brown feathers from the immature plumage.

This Brown Thrasher, was also observed and photographed at Kissena Park. I find this bird to be very difficult to get out in the open, so I was very grateful to get this semi decent photo. I should add; this is one of my favorite birds.

While many Snowy Owls have pulled out, there are still some around. Like this beauty, I stumbled upon who was quite fine with me taking a photo before I silently thanked her (I think it was a girl) and moved on

Last Sunday, I found a Common Teal or Eurasian Green-winged Teal at Brookville Park in Rosedale Queens. At some point, I will do a separate post with additional images, but here is one showing the horizontal stripe on the lower scapulars, which is a key field mark for Common Teal.

Tags: Kissena Park, Common Teal, Brown Thrasher, Red-headed Woodpecker, Snowy Owl, Queens

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Book Review: Rare Birds of North America...

"Use Grammarly for proofreading online because without proper grammar, readers might have a hard time telling the difference between a cat and a comma!"

Written by the legendary Steve N.G. Howell and co-authored by Ian Lewington and Will Russell, "Rare Birds of North America" is a gem; not perfect but a gem nonetheless. Let me say right off that this book's introductory chapter alone, is worth the sticker price. Especially, the section that covers "Migration and Vagrancy in Birds." That is how good I thought it was!   While some birders might find it hard to wrap one's head around the information covering vagrancy, others looking for a little more information that will help them prep for or understand vagrancy will love this section. I predict that the pages of this chapter will definitely get some wear for those who are into this sort of information.

The book covers 262 species originating from the Old World, the New World tropics and the world's oceans.  It goes into details, the plumage, habits and more importantly the possible reasons behind avian vagrancy patterns. The authors were very detailed in breaking the processes of vagrancy into 6 categories which they discuss in depth with examples.

The species in the book are broken up into groups such as Waterfowl to Songbirds. In these groups, there are subgroups broken up into species originating in the Old World and the New World. This area can get a little confusing, so it requires careful attention to the text in understanding the distinction and the reasons. The biggest weakness with this book is the little effort given to areas of "similar species." I understand that there is only so much a book could hold before a project gets out of hand, but a little more on similar species with text and comparison plates would have made this book much more useful.

This book is already outdated in terms of a reference for North American Rarities - an example would be the 2012 Gray-tailed Tattler found by Jeremiah Trimble an MA and 1st East Coast record, which is missing from table 3 on page 19. Nevertheless, it is a welcome, overdue work on NA rarities and the reasons behind their vagrancy.  One that deserves a read and who knows may even help you in finding your own North American MEGA rarity!
Tags: Book Review, Rare Birds of North America

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The Conundrum of Identifying Sharp-tailed Sparrows to Subspecies in the Field...

Last weekend after a terrific Pelagic on Saturday (more on that in another post), I was out in the field on Sunday doing my best to act as a field guide to West Coast Pelagic Leader, Todd McGrath, who was visiting our area and co-led on our Saturday NY Pelagic.  Todd and I had gotten off to a great start to the day when we heard first and then saw the Jones Beach LI Northern Shrike.  The way we both keyed in on the mostly elusive Northern Shrike brought a chuckle and a nice complement from Todd.

I decided that we should then head out to Shinnecock Inlet LI, to look for Gulls, which would also give Todd an opportunity to photograph some of our Gull species like Great Black-backed Gull which is not a common bird in Texas.  While Gulls were the target species, it was the discovery of Sparrows along Dune Road that encouraged me to do this post.  On our way to Shinnecock Inlet, we ran into some of my friends, Tom Burke, Gail Benson, Shai Mitra and Patricia Lindsay.  They were Sparrow searching and had a Seaside Sparrow all lined up for us when we arrived.  Full credit goes to Pat who had scouted the bird the day before and probably bribed it to stick around for us the next day.

We then began looking for Saltmarsh Sparrows which were known to be in the area.  Shai and I while searching near the edge of one of the marsh areas, kicked up one Sparrow which when it flew and landed, definitely looked good for a Nelson's and then as I moved to angle for a better look.  Spotted another Nelson's type closer to where I was standing just before it flew, joining the other bird in a low brushy area that was in the marsh itself.  Before I go further with our search in the field.  A bit on the history of Sharp-tailed Sparrow. 

Since the split of the Sharp-tailed Sparrows in 1995, field guides have identified some of the important distinctions between Saltmarsh and Nelson’s Sparrow.  However this has been a top level approach and a more granular level approach digging into the more subtler distinctions is sorely lacking in field guides.  Nevertheless, more research, including studies of skins and digital photography has helped further the understanding of these subtle distinctions within the subspecies.  With this in mind, the 6 of us spent about 2 hours working the area on Dune Road, patiently trying to get sufficient looks at the Saltmarsh Sparrows.  During this time the discussion turned to subspecies identification and as such I attempted to document our findings with some field notes and photographs which I am sharing in this post with some comments on what the subspecies type were deemed to be.

This bird was spotted by Shai Mitra, as it came out on the opposite side of the brushy area where 5 of us were standing. I carefully worked my way over to Shai without disturbing the bird.Then  studied and took a few photos for review. Here, we see that this bird looks nicely marked for a Nelson's Sparrow, possibly Alterus which I am cautiously id'ing to subspecies based on range but keeping in mind that Subvirgatus cannot be ruled out. Do you see what is happening here? This stuff while it can be quite frustrating is exciting and a welcome challenge to try and decipher. At least that is what I think. What do you think?

A side profile of the same bird, shows all the field marks associated with a Nelson's Sparrow. The ochre (orange color)on the face surrounding the gray auricular, the orange on the throat that goes down onto the breast, diffused streaks on the breast and along the sides.

In this next photo, it gets even more interesting. A second bird that popped into view in the same area and luckily captured in the same frame, appears to be a Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow, very possibly caudacutus which I am really calling based on range. Note how with this bird the streaks continue well marked on the breast and the sides. All good for a Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow.

The same two birds but not labeled and here the Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed candidate further solidified its ID as such with a better view at the throat area and breast. Note, how the throat is cleaner/clearer without the orange/ochre color that we see in the photo of the Nelson's candidate. A more frontal look at the breast streaking also show no diffusion as with the Nelson's. All solid traits for an ID of Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow. Compared to Saltmarsh Sparrows, Nelson’s Sparrows show more continuity between the colors of the face and the breast/sides. Nelson’s also have more pure-toned facial triangles, lacking the dusky tones within this area, especially in the rear of the supercilium, shown by Saltmarsh.

This image shows the back of the candidate for Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow.

As luck would have it, we had yet another Nelson's candidate this one was very nicely marked and perhaps makes a case for Nelsoni. But again I say this cautiously since David Sibley and James Rising, both authorities on Sparrow identification caution on attempting to differentiate Alterus from Nelsoni.  During this exercise, I learned that identifying to subspecies these birds in the field is quite a challenge and near to impossible.  Obtaining photographs can be helpful but still makes the job quite tough.  Although, I took a crack at trying to identify the candidates to subspecies, it was done in a cautionary manner acknowledging that I could be wrong on all counts.  However, unless more discussion on difficult topics such as this one is encouraged, we will never learn.
Tags: Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow, Nelson's Sparrow, Saltmarsh Sparrow

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