My First Swainson's Hawk

Ervin Olsen and I were driving on the Melbourne Road in Pinkney's Point on November 8, 2014 when we spotted an interesting hawk flying above the road. My initial impression was of an Osprey. It had the characteristic "M" shape that an Osprey often shows. I stopped the car and took a few photos as it flew by. By then I had noticed that this bird was in fact not an Osprey and I couldn't make it match with any raptor that I knew.

 

It was only once I put it on the computer and lightened the image to see the details that I knew I had something great. I searched through Sibley and landed on Swainson's Hawk. I sent the image to David Currie and was pleased to hear that he agreed with the ID.

 

Swainson's Hawk - Pinkney's Point - November 8, 2014

The Swainson's Hawk is a rare buteo for Nova Scotia. It breeds in western North America and is rare further east. All the Birds of Nova Scotia by Ian McLaren which is current until the end of 2010 describes only 11 sightings of this hawk in Nova Scotia. 

 

The following are the diagnostic characteristics that are discernible from the photos that were taken on November 8 accompanied by an annotated photo afterwards.

 

1. Light patch at the base of the tail

2. Body and underwing linings are a light buffy colour
3. Patchy chest markings (differing from an adult's solid chest bib)
4. Flight feathers darker than underwing lining.
5. Pale outer primaries

 

Annotated Photo

 

This bird, as all other Swainson's that have been found in Nova Scotia has not yet reached adult plumage. See below for a photo of a light morph juvenile Swainson's Hawk from Hawks in Flight by Dunne et al showing an Osprey-like "M" shape.

 

 

There have been two other fall 2014 sightings of Swainson's Hawks in Nova Scotia. Both were of light morph juvenile birds at Brier Island. The first sighting was on September 25th by Rick Whitman and the second on October 31st by Richard Stern, Rick Whitman and Bernard Forsythe. We may be able to better compare my November bird with the October bird since flight shots of both were obtained.

 

All photos of the Oct. bird were taken by Richard Stern. The comparison below seems to show that my Nov. bird has lighter markings on the underside than the Oct. bird.

 

My Nov. bird (L) vs. the Oct. bird (R)

 

The next composite shows that the Nov. bird has much cleaner flanks than the Oct. bird.

 

My Nov. bird (L) vs. the Oct. bird (R)

 

My distant photos certainly don't allow for accurate colour and contrast comparisons, but we can

accurately compare moult between the two birds. My Nov. bird shows more moult.

Swainson's Hawks take 2 years to reach adult plumage. This gives us the possibility of distinguishing between 3 ages in the field - juvenile, sub-adult and adult. [Nemesis Bird]

The Oct. bird looks like a bird born this year (juvenile) because of the lack of a dark trailing edge to the wing and tail and its very fresh plumage. Juvenile plumage is retained on most birds for their first year of life [Nemesis Bird]. For these reasons I believe that the Oct. bird is a freshly plumaged juvenile born in 2014.

We can clearly see that the Nov. bird is moulting because of the missing feathers. The trailing edges of the wing and tail appear much less neat as opposed to crisp as would be seen in a juvenile. During fall migration, Swainson's Hawks showing symmetric wing and tail moult, while exibiting juvenile body plumage, are sub-adults [Hawks at a Distance, Ligouri]. Since my Nov. bird does show symmetric wing moult, I believe that my sighing on Nov. 8th is of a sub-adult. A flight feather where the primaries meet the secondaries (it looks like P1 to me) seems to be missing from both wings on my Nov. bird. The Nov. bird also looks to have dropped P7 in both wings.

 

This kind of primary dropping is attributed to stepwise moult which involves simultaneous waves of primary moult. Birds with stepwise moult have one or more of the following characteristics: long distance migrants, spends time in open habitats, are relatively long-winged and large mass [Molt in North American Birds, Howell]. Ninety percent of after hatch year (AHY) / after second year (ASY) birds show this stepwise moult in the primaries and secondaries [Identification Guide to North American Birds, Pyle]. This moult pattern is also known as staffelmauser moult (in Pyle) or serial moult (this paper).

 

Nov. 8th bird - left wing and right wing moult

 

Molt in North American Birds by Howell mentions that Swainson's Hawks suspend their wing moult during migration so it is unlikely that the Oct. bird with all its flight feathers would start moulting before reaching its wintering grounds. The time period of one week between sightings isn't enough to produce the feather wear and moult differences between the Oct. and Nov. birds.

In my opinion it seems clear that there have been at least 2 Swainson's Hawks in Nova Scotia in 2014. There is a continuum of plumages from light to dark in Swainson's Hawks [Hawks at a Distance, Ligouri]. I believe that the Oct. bird has slightly more and darker markings than my Nov. bird. A more convincing argument is that the Oct. bird is a juvenile and my Nov. bird is sub-adult.

Cere position on Sharp-shinned & Cooper's

On September 23, 2014 with the sighting of a Cooper's Hawk in Argyle, Yarmouth County, I could finally say that I've seen all three North American accipiters - the Sharp-shinned Hawk, the Cooper's Hawk and the Northern Goshawk.

 

Juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk - Cape Forchu - Sept. 24, 2014

 

In Nova Scotia the Sharp-shinned Hawk is our most numerous accipiter and it breeds throughout the province. The Cooper's does not regularly breed in Nova Scotia and thus is quite rare (a handful of sightings per year). Northern Goshawks breed throughout the province as well but in smaller numbers than the Sharpie. [All the Birds of Nova Scotia, Ian McLaren]

 

Differentiation between these three species can be challenging. They all have similar shapes - short, rounded wings with long and narrow tails. Goshawks are largest followed by Cooper's and then Sharp-shinned. Juvenile birds in all three species are brown above and streaked below. The adult Northern Goshawk is quite unique compared to an adult of the two smaller accipiters. [Hawks in Flight, Dunne et al.]

 

Cooper's Hawk - Argyle - Sept. 23, 2014

 

Many reference books discourage observers from relying too much on size differences for ID purposed in the field. Female Sharp-shinned Hawks approach the size of a male Cooper's [Hawks in Flight, Dunne et al.]. Below are dimensions as given by the website All About Birds.

 

	Length (in)	Wingspan (in)
Sharp-shinned	9.4 - 13.4	16.9 - 22.0
Cooper's	14.6 - 15.4	24.4 - 35.4
Goshawk	20.9 - 25.2	40.6 - 46.1

 

For accipiters it is always best to use as many field marks as possible to come to a conclusion in its ID. Birds with contradictory field marks should be ID'd using all of its characteristics as a whole placing more weight on the stronger field marks. For example, Sharp-shinned Hawks can show a rounded tail when in flight. [Hawks in Flight, Dunne et al.]

 

Northern Goshawk - Brier Island - Aug. 30, 2014 

 

There are many great texts that provide wonderful field marks to help to differentiate these three confusing birds so I won't repeat them all here.

 

There is one field mark that I haven't yet found any direct mention of in any of my reference materials. This field mark was passed on to me by a very accomplished Nova Scotia birder named Fulton Lavender. The yellow coloured part at the base of the maxilla of a raptor is named the cere, as shown in the image below.

 

Sharp-shinned Hawk showing the yellow "cere"

 

According to this field mark, the top of the cere on a Sharp-shinned hawk is lower than that of a Cooper's Hawk. I've done some searching through images of these two birds on Flickr and it does look very consistent. The following is the same Sharpie as above with lines showing the height of the cere with the lines adjusted for the head position of the bird (looking up). The line on the top of the head is used to get an idea for the positioning of the head (looking up or down).

 

Sharp-shinned Hawk cere position in relation to the eye (mid-eye)

Sharp-shinned Hawk cere position in relation to eye (mid-eye) - photo by Sheila Briand

 

The top of the cere in the above Sharpies seems to pass through the middle of the eye. Below are photos of two Cooper's Hawks - one photographed by myself and the other by my uncle Ellis d'Entremont.

 

Cooper's Hawk position of cere compared to the eye (above eye)

 

Cooper's Hawk position of the cere compared to the eye (above eye) - Photo by Ellis d'Entremont

 

The newest version of The Sibley Guide to Birds also shows this field mark. The beak of the Cooper's seems pushed up as compared to the Sharp-shinned.

 

The Sibley Guide to Birds, David Sibley

 

Determining the position of the cere relative to the eye is somewhat subjective. The angle of the head must first be estimated. This process introduces a risk of error right from the start. A more relaxed bird may provide more accurate assessment of head angle due to flattened head feathers.

Like all other field marks used to differentiate between all three accipiters, the relative position of the cere should be used as one of the many supporting field marks. Like a Sharpie showing a rounded tail in flight, a Sharp-shinned can also have a tall cere or a Cooper's can have a low cere. These contradictions would be exceptions, but they do occur.

All the Birds of Nova Scotia by Ian McLaren makes reference to comparing the relative size of the bill (height) versus the eye diameter to help differentiate between Sharpies and Cooper's. The relatively larger bill of a Cooper's may contribute to the appearance of a taller cere which does contribute greatly to the Cooper's head shape. Dr. McLaren prefers to use the relative size of the bill compared to the eye (easily measured on a digital image). With these confusing accipiters we often need as many field marks as we can get and the cere height may be useful as another of the many characteristics that contribute to the overall look of these birds.

I'd love to hear if anyone else has heard of or is using this field mark.

Cape Forchu - A Vagrant Hotspot

Cape Forchu is a headland community in Yarmouth County. This headland creates Yarmouth Harbour. Although you can drive to Cape Forchu, it is only connected to the mainland at Yarmouth Bar by bridge making it an island. Cape Forchu is most famous for Yarmouth's iconic Cape Forchu Lighthouse. Below is a photo that I took in 2013 of the rugged southern tip of Cape Forchu showing the Town of Yarmouth and Yarmouth Harbour to the right and the lighthouse near the sea cliffs.

Cape Forchu Lighthouse - June 9, 2013

From Yarmouth, Vancouver Street leads you from the Golden Horse Fountain past the Yarmouth Regional Hospital to Highway 304 which leads you through the communities of Overton, Yarmouth Bar and then to Cape Forchu. To view directions from Starrs Road, Yarmouth to Cape Forchu on Google Maps, click here.

In years past there have been many good birds seen at Cape Forchu. One of the local birders named June Graves used to report good migrants and vagrants from that area.

Islands, peninsulas and headlands serve as resting places for migrant birds that have been displaced over the ocean by the winds. A southern bird can end up in Nova Scotia due to a misjudgment in orientation combined with non-favorable wind strength and direction. [All the Birds of Nova Scotia, Ian McLaren]

Prairie Warbler - Cape Forchu - September 21, 2014.

Below is an aerial photo sourced from Bing Maps showing Cape Forchu. Both Gerry Lane and Thomas Road have been excellent places for interesting birds. There are many large patches of alders on both the sides of the dirt roads that should be checked for migrants and vagrants. Both roads are public roads maintained by the provincial department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal.

Cape Forchu - Bing Maps

Below is a list of the interesting migrant and vagrant birds seen at Cape Forchu this fall. The items annotated with a double asterisks (**) breed south of NS and therefore are considered vagrants to this province. Observers are presented as: Alix d'Entremont (AD), Ronnie d'Entremont (RD) and Ervin Olsen (EO).

Species	Date	Observer
Warbling Vireo	Sept. 7	AD
Wilson's Warbler	Sept. 7	AD
**Prairie Warbler**	Sept. 9	EO
**Blue-winged Warbler**	Sept. 11	RD
Nashville Warbler (3)	Sept. 11	RD
Wilson's Warbler	Sept. 11	RD
**Prairie Warbler**	Sept. 21	AD
Blackpoll Warbler (4)	Sept. 21	AD
Nashville Warbler (3)	Sept. 21	AD
Cape May Warbler	Sept. 21	AD
**Prairie Warbler**	Sept. 25	AD
Eastern Wood-Pewee	Sept. 25	AD
**White-eyed Vireo**	Oct. 9	EO
**House Wren**	Oct. 9	EO
Chipping Sparrow	Oct. 10	EO
**Eastern Towhee**	Oct. 11	AD
Wilson's Warbler	Oct. 11	AD
Orange-crowned Warbler	Oct. 11	AD

On October 9, Ervin Olsen found a White-eyed Vireo. The northern limit of the breeding range of the White-eyed Vireo is Massachusetts.

 

Ervin Olsen Photo: Juvenile White-eyed Vireo - October 9, 2014.

 

Overnight on October 8th there were moderately strong SW winds blowing directly from Massachusetts to NS. These winds could have been a factor in this bird's vagrancy to NS. See the wind map below with the black arrow showing the direction of the wind.

Wind map at 9 pm, October 8, 2014

Here are a few more photos from Cape Forchu.

Warbling Vireo - Cape Forchu - September 7, 2014.

Wilson's Warbler - Cape Forchu - September 7, 2014.

Cape May Warbler - Cape Forchu - September 21, 2014.

Nashville Warbler - Cape Forchu - September 21, 2014.

Blackpoll Warbler - Cape Forchu - September 21, 2014.

First Cycle Lesser Black-backed Gull

One of my goals for this fall/winter was to find a first cycle Lesser Black-backed Gull (LBBG). I've been able to find adult LBBGs during the last two winters but a first cycle bird is more difficult to find due to similarities with both Herring (HERG) and Great Black-backed Gulls (GBBG). On October 7, 2014 I ended up finding a first cycle bird at Dennis Point Wharf in Lower West Pubnico, Yarmouth County.

Alpha codes (LBBG, HERG, GBBG...) for all Nova Scotia birds can be found on the Birds of NS page of this website.

First Cycle Lesser Black-backed Gull - Pubnico - October 7, 2014.

Versus Great Black-backed Gull

Our most similar gull to an adult LBBG in NS is the GBBG. See the list below for a few major differences between these two species. Compared to a GBBG, a LBBG is:

• Overall smaller
• Thinner billed
• Lighter mantled
• Longer winged (longer wing projection past the tail)
• Yellow legged (vs. flesh pink)
  [Gulls of the Americas, Howell & Dunn]

The photo below helps to compare an adult LBBG (photographed on Feb. 23, 2014 in Pubnico) with an adult GBBG. Notice structure and colour differences.

LBBG (L) vs. GBBG (R)

Finding a first cycle LBBG among the hundreds of first cycle HERG and GBBG is a trickier task. The differences are more subtle. Compared to a GBBG, a LBBG is/has:

• Darker winged (plain, dark, unpatterned greater secondary coverts)
• A wider, more solid dark tail band
• An overall colder colour
  [Gulls of the Americas, Howell & Dunn]

LBBG (L) vs. GBBG (R)

Versus Herring Gull

Compared to a first cycle HERG, a first cycle LBBG is/has:

• More contrast between the uppertail coverts and dark tail band
• Darker winged (plain, dark, unpatterned greater secondary coverts)
• Lacks the pale inner primaries of a HERG
• An overall colder colour
  [Gulls of the Americas, Howell & Dunn]

LBBG (L) vs. HERG (R)

I've just covered some of the major identification field marks. More information can be found here:

Gulls of the Americas (book)

Gull Research Organization (website)

Lesser Black-backed Gull - Pubnico - October 7, 2014.

Western Willet

The Willet breeds from Nova Scotia to California and has two distinct subspecies. The Eastern Willet breeds on the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico and is known as Tringa semipalmata semipalmata (nominate subspecies). The Western Willet breeds from southern Manitoba to northern California (the Great Plains) and bears the binomial name Tringa semipalmata inornata. Some have argued that these two populations should be considered separate species [Birding - May/June 2006].

The Eastern Willet winters in South American while the Western Willet spends the non-breeding season on both the Pacific and Altantic coasts. The northern extreme of the Western's wintering range on the Atlantic Coast is New Jersey. Willets sighted in Nova Scotia after early September are found to be mostly of the Western subspecies as most of our breeding birds have already left. [All the Birds of Nova Scotia, Ian McLaren]

I found my first Western Willet on October 4, 2014 on the flats in Pubnico Harbour. The following is a distant photo of this bird. If they do ever decide to split this species I'll have another NS lifer up my sleeve.



Western Willet - October 4, 2014 - Pubnico, Yarmouth County

Western Willets are usually noticeably larger (10% larger) than Easterns but there is overlap due to the size variability in the Westerns. Some male Westerns overlap with Easterns in size. Westerns are lighter and less brown in all plumages and have a heavy chest. Easterns have a shorter, heavier and thicker tipped bill. [The Shorebird Guide, O'Brien, Crossley & Karlson]

The difference in bills can be compared in the next two photos where the Westerns looks much thinner with a pointed tip. Structural differences can still be compared even if the Western (L) is in basic plumage while the Eastern (R) is in alternate plumage.

Western (L) vs Eastern Willet (R)

The following photo is of an Eastern Willet in breeding plumage. Eastern Willets in full non-breeding plumage are undocumented in North America as they complete their pre-basic moults in South America.

Eastern Willet - July 7, 2013 - Pubnico, Yarmouth County

Westerns are less angular, longer bodied and heavier chested. At rest Westerns look more rounded compared to the more oval shape of the Easterns. Westerns are said to have a more godwit-like structure. [Birding - May/June 2006]

Western (L) vs. Eastern (R)

Below is a comparison of silhouettes created by Michael O'Brien taken from Birding - May/June 2006.

Western (L) vs. Eastern (R) from Birds May/June 2006

The white wing stripe both above and below are usually more extensive in Westerns. As with size differences, there is also overlap in this wing characteristic as well. This along with other traits such as size, structure and overall colour should be combined to identify to subspecies. [Birding - May/June 2006]

Below is a comparison photo from Michael O'Brien's article in Birds May/June 2006.

Western (R) vs. Eastern (L) from Birds May/June 2006

Ian McLaren has provided me with some head/bill ratios comparing both Western and Eastern Willets. Once I review my old statistics notes and if I can make sense of the numbers I'll share them.

See the following links for additional information plus many comparison photos.

Michael O'Brien's Article in Birding May/June 2006

The Birds of Post-Tropical Hurricane Arthur

I haven't been birding very long so I had only experienced one storm induced bird fallout before Arthur hit NS in 2014. In late April of 2012 there was an influx of southern breeders to Nova Scotia. High winds were experienced overnight on the 23rd and into the morning on the 24th. The maximum wind gust was measured at 85 km/h at Yarmouth. The sustained overnight winds were between 37 and 57 km/h and almost consistently at around 160 degrees (~SSE). The large southerly component to these winds would have assisted spring migrants heading north and facilitated an overshoot further north of their intended destinations. The weather systems had created a south-westerly flow of wind up the east coast of the US bringing the birds towards NS. Some analysis can be found in a message by Ian McLaren on the NS-RBA.

The highlights of this fallout for me were a Baltimore Oriole, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, a Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Buntings, a Yellow-throated Warbler, a ROCK WREN and a Summer Tanager.

Summer Tanager

Yellow-throated Warbler

Blue Grosbeak

The July 2014 event was much different from the April 2012 fallout. In early July there is very little migration so no migrating songbirds were brought to NS. Hurricane Arthur reached Category 2 status and hit North Carolina with 160 km/h winds. It then passed just off of Cape Cod and was downgraded to a post-tropical storm before hitting NS. The force of Arthur's winds was enough to scoop up many coastal breeding birds in North Carolina and carry them towards NS. The different circumstances of this weather event provided an entirely different list of species for the awaiting birders in NS. A similar storm hit NS in 1968 and is described in Vol. 11, Spring 1969 of the NSBS Newsletter. In September of 2010, Hurricane Earl brought a similar list of rare birds to NS (see Sept. 2010 NS-RBA posts) as did Hurricane Wilma in 2005 (NS-RBA posts). Post-Tropical Storm Arthur of 2014 and its birds will also be analyzed in a future edition of Nova Scotia Birds, the quarterly publication by the Nova Scotia Bird Society.

Hurricane Arthur's track - Wikipedia

On Saturday morning (July 5, 2014) a few groups of birders headed out to the coasts of SW NS in the hopes of seeing some interesting birds brought in by the storm. Post-Tropical Storm Arthur was forecast to hit NS that morning and we wanted to be ready for it. On Friday night a radar image was being circulated around showing a large number of birds stuck in the eye of the storm.

Radar image showing birds in the eye

Bertin d'Eon and I headed to Ingomar, Ronnie d'Entremont and Sharron Marlor were at Baccaro Point and David Bell was at Cape Sable Island (CSI) along with the local CSI birders. The first report of a storm bird was a Laughing Gull at Baccaro by Ronnie and Sharron. Soon after that the reports were coming in fast. Bertin and I had found a few Storm-Petrels in Ingomar but the many reports from CSI by David Bell were too much so we headed to the island. David had been texting me sightings of both Storm-Petrels, Purple Martins, Laughing Gulls, Forster's Terns and jaegars.

Our first stop on CSI was Cripple Creek Wharf. Within minutes we had spotted a few Laughing Gulls and 2 Forster's Terns. Both of these species were lifers for me. I slowly crawled to a group of Laughing Gulls on the sandy beach to get some photos. To my amazement, a few of them were walking directly towards me and were within 3 feet of me. They must be accustomed to people and were probably not as wary as usual due to their fatigue after fighting the storm.

Immature Forster's Tern - Cripple Creek Wharf, CSI - July 5, 2014.

Adult Forster's Tern - Cripple Creek Wharf, CSI - July 5, 2014.

Many exciting birds were found on July 5th but the weather didn't allow for any great photography. Late in the day on Saturday reports started coming in about Black Skimmers at Mavilette and in Yarmouth. Ronnie and I woke up early on Sunday and drove to Yarmouth where we found 5 Black-Skimmer and later to Mavilette where there were 14 Black Skimmers, 2 Gull-billed Terns and 4 Laughing Gulls.

Black Skimmer - Overton - July 6, 2014

Black Skimmer - Mavilette - July 6, 2014

Black Skimmer - Mavilette - July 6, 2014

On Sunday night I headed back to CSI and got some photos of the vagrant terns that had first been seen the day before.

Gull-billed Tern - The Hawk Beach - July 6, 2014

Gull-billed Tern - The Hawk Beach - July 6, 2014

Royal Tern - The Hawk Beach - July 6, 2014

By Sunday night there was a large grouping of Laughing Gulls that had amassed in West Pubnico on a resident's lawn. The property owner was feeding them pork chops that night and they were very pleased to get such great service.

Adult Laughing Gull - West Pubnico - July 6, 2014

In the end, Arthur added another 4 birds to my life list. The new additions were Laughing Gull, Forster's Tern, Royal Tern and Black Skimmer. Many other rarities were reported throughout the province. Below is a list of interesting birds that appeared in NS in the days following the storm.

1. Laughing Gull
2. Black Skimmer
3. Parasitic Jaeger
4. Long-tailed Jaeger
5. Purple Martin
6. Leach's Storm-Petrel
7. Wilson's Storm-Petrel
8. Royal Tern
9. Sandwich Tern
10. Least Tern
11. Gull-billed Tern
12. Forster's Tern
13. Black Tern
14. Caspian Tern
15. Harlequin Duck
16. Glossy Ibis
17. Red-necked Phalarope
18. Black-necked Stilt (reported July 13 at West Head, Shelburne County - may not be attributable to the storm. See comments by Eric Mills on the NS-RBA)

David Bell spent a lot of time seawatching and birding Cape Sable Island on that weekend. Here are his eBird checklists.

July 5, 2014 - Cape Sable Island eBird Checklist
July 6, 2014 - Cape Sable Island eBird Checklist

A similar event also occurred in 2010 with Hurricane Earl. See below for eBird checkists from Shelburne County from Olivier Barden.

Sept. 5, 2010 - Cape Sable Island eBird Checklist
Sept. 5, 2010 - Baccaro eBird Checklist

In late October of 2005 Hurricane Wilma brought, Laughing Gulls, rare terns, swifts, Black Skimmers and even 3 Magnificent Frigatebirds (reported by Raymond d'Entremont) in Pubnico. Information can be found on the NS-RBA for October of 2005.

The terns were noted throughout most of the atlantic coast of NS from Halifax to Yarmouth but the Black Skimmers were only reported at Mavilette, Yarmouth, Seal Island, Surette's Island, Pinkney's Point and Cape Sable Island. These locations match up quite well to where the storm's eye made landfall. From this we should be able to conclude that the Black Skimmers were in the eye of the storm.

It has now been 2 months since Hurricane Arthur and most birds have either returned to the south or have died. I've heard of a few dead Laughing Gulls and Black Skimmers around SW NS. The most numerous of the rarities were the Laughing Gulls. I had monitored one grouping of these gulls in the days after the storm and took note of the numbers. See the chart below for the count of individuals near the war memorial in West Pubnico in the days after the storm.

The Laughing Gulls from the area were grouping together for a few days until they peaked at 100 individuals on July 8, 2014. The number shrank quickly and by July 12, 2014 there were no Laughing Gulls left at that location. The last gull that I observed was on September 7, 2014 in Yarmouth Harbour. In the days just after the storm there was a very small percentage of immature Laughing Gulls (maybe 5%), this percentage grew as time passed and the most mature birds returned to the south. A group of 18 birds that I had found on August 3 in Yarmouth were made up of 15 immatures and 3 adults (83%). By that date the mature birds were beginning their moult into basic plumage.

I will eagerly be awaiting the next hurricane and its vagrant birds. All of my photos of the storm birds can be found at my Flickr page.