2014 Year In Review - The Rarities

Now that a new year has begun, I'd like to look back at the birding highlights of the last year. My best birds of the year were Gyrfalcon, Swainson's Hawk, Dusky Flycatcher and Eurasian Kestrel. The rarest was the Eurasian Kestrel with an ABA code of 4 which represents a bird recorded less than annually in North America. My most memorable photographic moments were with the Yellow-headed Blackbird, Cattle Egret, Black Skimmer and Little Blue Heron.

2014 provided me with 36 lifers! It seems like a lot when they are all presented together. Here is the list from latest to earliest. The self-found species are annotated with an asterisk (*).

Eurasian Kestrel (2nd record for NS)

Dusky Flycatcher (4th record for NS)

White-eyed Vireo*

Red-shouldered Hawk*

Marsh Wren

Cattle Egret

Swainson's Hawk*

Hooded Warbler

Lincoln's Sparrow*

Cooper's Hawk*

Northern Wheatear

Blue-winged Warbler*

Mourning Warbler*

Northern Goshawk*

Manx Shearwater

American Avocet

Yellow-headed Blackbird* (with Ronnie and Ellis)

Royal Tern

Purple Martin

Black Skimmer

Laughing Gull*

Forster's Tern*

Common Murre

Chimney Swift

Great Crested Flycatcher

Veery

Willow Flycatcher*

Bank Swallow*

Tricolored Heron

Little Blue Heron*

Snowy Egret

Northern Saw-whet Owl*

Thayer's type Gull*

Gyrfalcon*

Carolina Wren

Ruddy Duck

Below are some photos of the interesting birds that I took during the last year.



Carolina Wren - Arcadia - February 2, 2014.



Thayer's Gull - Pubnico - February 15, 2014.



Gyrfalcon - Yarmouth - March 5, 2014.





Snowy Egret - Melbourne - April 19, 2014.





Little Blue Heron - Port La Tour - April 26, 2014.

Tricolored Heron - Cape Sable Island - May 8, 2014.

Willow Flycatcher - Belleisle - June 17, 2014.

Great Crested Flycatcher - Middleton - June 19, 2014.

Western Kingbird - The Hawk, Cape Sable Island - June 28, 2014.

Forster's Tern - Cape Sable Island - July 5, 2014.

Royal Tern - Cape Sable Island - July 6, 2014.

Laughing Gull - Pubnico - July 6, 2014.

Gull-billed Tern - Cape Sable Island - July 6, 2014.

Black-Skimmer - Mavilette - July 6, 2014.

Bonaparte's Gull - Pubnico- July 20, 2014.

Immature Yellow-crowned Night Heron - Pinkney's Point - August 3, 2014.

Yellow-headed Blackbird - Cape Sable - August 10, 2014.

American Avocet - The Hawk, Cape Sable Island - August 10, 2014.

Great Skua - German Bank - August 16, 2014.

Great Egret - Bon Portage Island - August 23, 2014.

Olive-sided Flycatcher - Goodwin's Island - August 24, 2014.

Blue-winged Warbler - Brier Island - August 30, 2014.

Northern Wheatear - Yarmouth - September 3, 2014.

Warbling Vireo - Cape Forchu - September 7, 2014.

Philadelphia Vireo - Rocco Point - September 16, 2014.

Prairie Warbler - Cape Forchu - September 21, 2014.

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

Stilt Sandpiper - Cape Sable Island - October 5, 2014.

Rusty Blackbird - Pubnico - October 7, 2014.

Nashville Warbler - Rocco Point - October 16, 2014.

Orange-crowned Warbler - Rocco Point - October 16, 2014.

Hooded Warbler - Duncan's Cove - October 25, 2014.

Red-bellied Woodpecker - Tusket - October 29, 2014.

Yellow-breasted Chat - Yarmouth - November 5, 2014.  Swainson's Hawk - Pinkney's Point - November 8, 2014.   Dickcissel - Halifax - November 9, 2014.



Western Marsh Wren - Miner's Marsh - November 10, 2014.

Cattle Egret - Pubnico - November 11, 2014.

Lesser Black-backed Gull - Pubnico - November 15, 2014.

Red-shouldered Hawk - Cape Sable Island - November 16, 2014.

Lesser Black-backed Gull - Pubnico, November 21, 2014.

Northern Shoveler - Pubnico - November 21, 2014.

Hybrid HERG x GBBG - Pubnico - November 22, 2014.

Northern Shoveler - Cape Sable - November 29, 2014.

Ipswich Sparrow - Cape Sable - November 29, 2014.

White-eyed Vireo - Pubnico - December 7, 2014.

American Coot - Cape Sable Island - December 26, 2014.

Glaucous Gull - Pubnico - December 26, 2014.

Eurasian Kestrel - Hartlen Point - December 29, 2014.

Oregon Junco - Deerfield - December 31, 2014.

A Twitchable Eurasian Kestrel

On Dec. 26, Mark Field of Ontario was browsing through the Nova Scotia Bird Society Facebook page when he found interesting kestrel photos from Hartlen Point, HRM, posted by Kyle Shay earlier that day. We both thought it looked like an American Kestrel from the neck down. The head was rather puzzling though. It didn't take long for Mark to message me back suggesting that it was a Eurasian Kestrel. After consulting Birds of Europe and All the Birds of Nova Scotia, we were confident in the identification and Mark proceeded to share the good news on the Facebook page.

 

Eurasian Kestrel - Hartlen Point, HRM - Dec. 29, 2014

 

This very rare bird was seen again on Dec. 27 and 28. This was enough to convince me to make the 6 hour return drive to Halifax on Dec. 29 to get myself a lifer, and a darn good one too. The bird was seen again while I was on my way to Halifax. I arrived at around 9:30 am but it took until 12:06 pm until I saw it.

 

It was seen once at MacCormack's Beach on Dec. 28 by Chris Peters and Fulton Lavender. All other sightings have been between the corner of Shore Rd & Caldwell and the Hartlen Point Golf Course. It was also seen a few times flying over the hill from Shore Rd towards Murray Rd. The map below shows the bird's usual path (red line) and one occurrence at MacCormack's Beach (red 'x'). Most have observed it either in the field at the corner of Shore and Caldwell or at the golf course.

 

Google Map showing where the Eurasian Kestrel has been seen

 

This was my first real twitch to see a very rare bird. Vagrants like a Eurasian Kestrel tend to attract birders from great distances. Dozens of birders were in the area as well as Global TV. It very exciting and fantastic to meet many other birders for the first time.

 

This was truly an extremely rare bird, and a mega bird for Nova Scotia and even North America. Nova Scotia's only other record of this species was present from January 23 until February 18, 1988. This bird is reported in detail in NS Birds Vol 30, number 1 Winter 1988. In fact, this is only Canada's third Eurasian Kestrel. The other was collected at Alkali Lake, BC in 1946. This bird is so much larger than our American Kestrel that the 1946 specimen was originally misidentified as a Prairie Falcon (First Record of the Eurasian Kestrel for Canada).

 

Once the news broke that this European vagrant was present, David Currie found out that it was photographed on Nov. 21 by Wayne Hyland. This long staying bird has precedence. The first NS record was originally identified at Beausejour, NB on Jan. 18. On Jan. 23, Eric Mills spotted it at Minudie, Cumberland Co., NS. This bird was last seen at Beausejour on Feb. 26. It is thought that the 1987-1988 bird was present at least a month before it was identified, based on observations of a large falcon on the Amherst Christmas Bird Count. The 1987-1988 bird could have spent as much as 2 months around the NB-NS border.

 

Our American Kestrel is superficially similar to its Eurasian counterpart, but striking differences emerge with some study. The Eurasian Kestrel shows one moustache while the American has two. A Eurasian Kestrel is also missing the dark hind margins to the wing tips found on the American. See a comparison of a photo that I took on Dec. 29 of the Hartlen Point kestrel vs. an American Kestrel (photo by Ronnie d'Entremont).

 

Eurasian Kestrel (L) vs. American Kestrel (R)

 

Detailed descriptions and many photos of Eurasian Kestrels can be found at Indentification Atlas of Birds of Aragon.

 

This bird was born in 2014 due to the retention of its buff edged juvenal primary coverts and bold pale tips to the secondaries. First year birds go through a partial post-juvenal moult that includes body feathers, scapulars and sometimes, some secondary coverts (not the flight feathers and primary coverts). This moult is completed by January. The photo below shows the pale (buff) edging to the primary coverts.

 

Juvenal primary coverts on the NS Eurasian Kestrel - photo by Kyle Shay

 

The relatively thick underside streaking, evenly coarse barring from scapulars to mantle, and lack of substantial gray uppertail coverts make me believe it is a first year female. Some photos may show slight gray on the uppertail of this bird (which can be found on first winter females). The following photo shows the consistent upperside barring from the mantle to the coverts.

 

Eurasian Kestrel - Hartlen Point, HRM - Dec. 29, 2014

 

Graham Williams was able to get excellent video using his smart phone paired with a spotting scope. It is available here.

 

References:

 

McLaren, I.A. 2012. All the Birds of Nova Scotia: status & critical identification. Gaspereau Press Ltd, Kentville, N.S., Canada

 

Sibley, D.A. 2014. The Sibley Guide to Birds 2nd Ed. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, N.Y.

Nova Scotia's 4th Dusky Flycatcher

Our Fourth Dusky

On Dec. 2, 2014, Bernard Forsythe found what was later identified as a Dusky Flycatcher in Greenwich, Kings County. The Greenwich Empid spent its time at field edges and in orchards owned by Harold Forsyth. It was observed by many Nova Scotia birders over the next few weeks.

Greenwich Empid on Dec. 13. 2014 - Photo by Keith Lowe

This bird is only the 4th confirmed Dusky in Nova Scotia. Information about the previous three records is found below.

Oct. 6, 2014 - banded on Bon Portage Island, Shel. Co. (NS-RBA post)

Oct. 12, 2012 - banded on Bon Portage Island, Shel. Co.  (NS-RBA post)

Nov. 26 - Dec. 27, 1996 - Near Port Williams, Kings Co.

Details of early observations of the Greenwich Empid can be found at NS-RBA and a blog post by Owl and Marmot.

Challenging Empids

Identification to species of members of the genus Empidonax can be troublesome. Our North American empids are all small, gray (tinged olive, brown or yellow) birds with wing bars and eye rings.

NS has a history of hosting western flycatchers in late fall and early winter. The overall structure and colour of the Greenwich Empid points to one local breeder (Least Flycatcher) and 2 western vagrants (Dusky and Gray Flycatchers) as potential candidates. As compared to the other empids, these three have relatively short primary projections, and similar wing length divided by tail length ratios. This wing length (wg) over tail length (tl) ratio (wg/tl) supplies us with a number that represents how long winged, and thus, how sleek or stubby the bird appears. Below are these ratios for our three candidates.

Wing over tail ratios (wg/tl)

1.17 - Least

1.12 - Dusky

1.17 - Gray

Other empids such as Alder Flycatchers are relatively longer winged and short tailed, giving them a wing over tail ratio of  1.26. These ratios were calculated using average measurements as given in Identifying Empidonax Flycatchers: The Ration Approach found in the March 2009 edition of Birding. This Birding article makes use of differences between wing and tail lengths. Ratios are more useful when measurements aren't available.

Some early participants in the discussion on identification of this bird have suggested Hammond's Flycatcher. Due, in part, to the quality of the initial photos and videos, Hammond's Flycatcher was also a contender. Bruce's Dec. 9 photos showed a bird with drooped wings which made assessment of primary projection difficult.

Not a Hammond's

Hammond's Flycatchers are described as a relatively colourful empid. All individuals (HY or AHY) would already have completed their body moults by now. This means that a Hammond's would be at its most colourful at this time of year. Plumage colour can be difficult to assess, but the photo below does show the Greenwich Empid as looking less vibrant in comparison to a Hammond's.

Hammond's Flycatchers have the longest primary projection of the 4 species in question. This is quite obvious in the following photo.

Greenwich Empid by Keith Lowe (Left) and Hammond's Flycatcher on Seal I. on Sept. 30, 2014 by David Bell (Right)

A Hammond's usually shows a steep forehead and un-curved crown. These features are shown by the Seal I. Hammond's in the photo above. The Greenwich Empid typically shows a continuous curve from the forehead through the crown.

The bill of a Hammond's is the shortest of the four species in question at 6.0-8.0 mm (tip to nares). Least, Dusky and Gray are 6.3-8.4, 6.5-8.9 and 7.6-10.4 mm respectively. Without measurements and from photos, bill length differences in millimeters or fractions of a millimeter are tough to estimate. According to an article in the March 2009 issue of Birding by Forrest Rowland called Identifying Empidonax Flycatchers: The Ratio Approach, even bill length differences of only two millimeters can translate into discernible differences in the field. Bill size contributes to the overall impression of a bird's head. A small bill makes the empid's head appear large and rounded.

I am of the opinion that this bird has a medium length bill. It does not give the impression of a large, rounded head caused by a very short bill.

Greenwich Empid on Dec. 13, 2014 - Photo by Keith Lowe

There is a relatively long gap between the 5th and 6th primaries of the Hammond's folded wing. A Dusky Flycatcher shows two long gaps of equal length between P4/P5 and P5/P6. This characteristic of wing morphology in favour of Dusky can be seen in the following image.

Greenwich Empid on Dec. 13. 2014 - Photo by Keith Lowe

On Dec. 13, 2014, I was able to record audio of the Greenwich Empid's call. The files were sent to Andrew Horn at the University of Dalhousie in Halifax for analysis. He concluded that my recordings best matched the calls of a Dusky Flycatcher.

Listeners in the field described it as sounding like "whit" - this looks like a simple upsweep on a sonogram. The Hammond's call is described as a "peep" or "pip", which is represented on a sonogram as an upside-down "v". We can conclude that the Greenwich Empid's call is dissimilar to that of a Hammond's.



Audio Spectrograph comparing the Greenwich Empid with a Hammond's Flycatcher

All audio spectrographs were created using the free software Audacity. The y-axis is frequency in Hz and the x-axis represents time in seconds. The Hammond's call was sourced from XenoCanto.



The strongest arguments against Hammond's are most likely the dissimilar calls and lack of a long primary projection.

Not a Gray

On Dec. 9, Bruce Stevens was able to capture excellent video of the empid in question. This video clearly shows that the bird's tail movements are not similar to that of a Gray. Gray Flycatchers show a very distinctive down flick of the tail. From rest, the tail is usually raised ever so slightly then lowered slowly. It is then, more quickly, brought back up to its rest position.

The video clearly shows the tail being flicked upwards from rest. Below are two stills taken from the Dec. 9 video. The left photo shows the tail at rest while the photo at right shows the tail at the very top of the upwards flick.

Stills from a Dec. 9, 2014 video by Bruce Stevens

Below is the Dec. 9, 2014 video recorded by Bruce Stevens.

It terms of colouration, Grays generally look paler than any other empid. In Identification guide to North American Birds, Pyle describes the upperparts of a Gray Flycatcher as uniformly pale grayish or brownish gray (adult) to grayish olive (juv-HY). Kaufman (2011) states that Grays have upperparts and face as medium gray, with faint olive wash on the back but not on the head. This can be compared to a Dusky, in which Pyle describes as having a usually grayish head contrasting with grayish-olive or grayish-brown back.

A Dec. 9 photo by Chris Peters below shows obvious contrast between the darker olive back and grayish nape and face. Photos on the internet show Grays as a much paler bird than our Greenwich Empid (see All About Birds).

Greenwich Empid on Dec. 20 - Photo by Chris Peters

A Gray will always show a distinctly defined dark tip. This feature is missing on the Greenwich Empid, as seen below.

Greenwich Empid on Dec. 13, 2014 - Photo by Keith Lowe

The photo below is of the Dusky Flycatcher that was banded on Oct. 6, 2014 on Bon Portage. It shows the same mandible colouration as the Greenwich Empid. It shows gradual fading to a dark tip on the lower edge.

Dusky Flycatcher on Bon Portage - Oct. 6, 2014 - Photo by Avery Bartels

Birds of North America Online describes the Gray's call as a dry "pit" or "wit", with less of the thick, initial "wh" quality in calls of Least and Dusky. The Greenwich Empid shows a gradual upsweep that is missing in Gray. The Gray's call was sourced from XenoCanto. The second line that is parallel to the primary call for the Gray is a harmonic at twice the frequency of the main call.

Audio Spectrograph comparing the Greenwich Empid with a Gray Flycatcher

Our best anti-Gray arguments are incorrect tail movement, lack of defined dusky tip and differences in calls. 

Not a Least

One difference between a Least Flycatcher and the three western empids (Hammond's, Gray and Dusky) is the wing contrast. A Least has relatively dark flight feathers that contrast more with the pale edging and wing bars than the western species. The composite photo below demonstrates how the Greenwich Empid has less wing contrast that the Least Flycatcher to the right. 

Greenwich Empid by Keith Lowe (Left) and Least Flycatcher on Aug. 30 by Ronnie d'Entremont (Right)

The Greenwich Empid also shows a grayish head that contrasts with a grayish olive back. In comparison, the Least is fairly uniform olive above (see above photo).

Hammond's, Dusky and Gray Flycatchers all have bills with fairly straight sides. Least Flycatchers have bills with curved sides. The photo below shows that the Greenwich Empid has a straight sided bill.

Greenwich Empid on Dec. 9, 2014 - Photo by Bruce Stevens

A Least Flycatcher's call is described as sounding like "pwit" or "pit" (or "whit" by Birds of North America Online). The sonogram for the Least's call below shows more than a simple upsweep. There is another element to the call that is not shown by the Greenwich Empid. The Birds of North America Online's sonogram shows the Least's call as an upwards sloped line followed by a shorter down sloped line. The Least's call below was sourced from XenoCanto.

Audio Spectrograph comparing the Greenwich Empid with a Least Flycatcher

Strong arguments again Least are the contrast between the back and head, a straight sided bill and differences in call. 

Definitely a Dusky

We are now left with Dusky Flycatcher as the best fit for this bird. Wonderful photos, audio and video of this bird's behavior, sound, structure and colour have enabled us to be confident in our identification. The composite image below shows the Greenwich Empid with a Dusky that was banded and measured on Bon Portage in 2014.

Greenwich Empid by  Keith Lowe (Left) and Dusky Flycatcher by Avery Bartels (Right)

The final supporting argument lies in the audio recording. Both the Greenwich Empid and Dusky Flycatcher calls below show a gradual upsweep. This upsweep is what produces a "whit" instead of a "wit". The Greenwich Empids sonogram matches the Dusky Flycatcher's call very nicely as seen below. Again, the second line that is parallel to the primary call and higher in frequency for the Dusky is a harmonic at twice the frequency of the call.

Audio Spectrograph comparing the Greenwich Empid with a Least Flycatcher

 Note: A robust sonogram analysis would require comparing a large sample of recordings. The limited analysis of sound in this post should be taken simply as further evidence and not diagnostic due to the possible variability in calls.

References:

Rowland, F. 2009. Identifying Empidonax Flycatchers: The Ration Approach. Birding. March 2009.

Birds of North America. Online. http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/

Pyle, P., S.N.G. Howell, R.P. Yunick, and D.F. Desante. Identification guide to North American Birds, Part 1, Columbidae to Ploceidae. Slate Creek Press, Bolinas, California.

McLaren, I.A. 2012. All the Birds of Nova Scotia: status & critical identification. Gaspereau Press Ltd, Kentville, N.S., Canada

Sibley, D.A. 2014. The Sibley Guide to Birds 2nd Ed. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, N.Y.

Kaufman, K. 2011. Field Guide to Advanced Birding. Understanding What You See and Hear.Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, New York, NY.