Pubnico Pelagic 2015

The annual Pubnico Pelagic is the birding highlight of the year for me. A visit offshore offers wonderful opportunities for close up views of species that are typically kilometres away when observed from the mainland. A trip report of the previous year's pelagic can be found at Pubnico Pelagic 2014.

Northern Fulmar at German Bank, Nova Scotia on August 29, 2015. I consider fulmars to be one of the best looking seabirds. Photo by Alix d'Entremont.

Ronnie d'Entremont once again organized the trip this year. The vessel was the Captain Derek, a commercial lobster fishing boat, with Rodney d'Entremont at the helm. All 25 birders are listed below.

Ronnie d'Entremont

Ted d'Eon

Raymond d'Entremont

Paul Gould

Eric Ruff

Barbara Ruff

Eric Mills

Ian McLaren

David Currie

Bruce Stevens

Richard Stern

Rick Whitman

Jake Walker

Judy O'Brien

Gisele d'Entremont

Alan Covert

Ken McKenna

Mike King

Kevin Lantz

Larry Neily

Mark Dennis

Mike MacDonald

Jane Alexander

Keith Lowe

Alix d'Entremont



The route for this year's pelagic trip. The water depth at German Bank was from 50 to 70 metres.

I had been checking the sea surface temperature maps prior to departure. On August 21 the nearshore waters were up to 20°C, but this warm water abruptly left a few days before the trip along with the high hopes of spotting more southern warm water species (Audubon's Shearwater, White-faced Storm-Petrel, Black-capped Petrel...).

SST on August 21 from Rutgers Coastal Ocean Observation Laboratory

SST on August 29 from Rutgers Coastal Ocean Observation Laboratory

We left Dennis Point Wharf in Lower West Pubnico shortly after 5 am on August 29, 2015. Out of Pubnico Harbour, we took a hard right and headed west towards the Mud Islands. We passed near to Round Island where we were able to see Black Guillemots and Atlantic Puffins in the water and Black-bellied Plovers and Whimbrel on the island.

Kevin Lantz (upper right) armed with the chum chucker as the rest of the group scans for birds of interest at German Bank, Nova Scotia on August 29, 2015. Photo by Alix d'Entremont.

As we headed past the Mud Islands, out of Lobster Bay, we were surrounded by fog. This is when Mark Dennis spotted the first Great Shearwater. At 8:23 am we peered through the fog at a dark figure on a direct path with strong wing beats. David Currie and Kevin Lantz were the only two that were lucky enough to snap a few shots of this bird. Most were thinking skua, but no one called it out at the time. A quick view of the photos after this brief encounter made it obvious that we just had a skua. The bulky body, short tail and thick, hooked bill were clear. The thick fog and low light made it so that the characteristic white flash on the skua's wings were invisible. The photos are simply silhouettes and confident identification is likely not possible. There are primary molt timing differences between South Polar Skua and Great Skua, but the age of the bird must be known for this information to be useful. The Sibley Guide to Birds 1st ed. (2000) provides details on these molt timings.



Skua species at German Bank, Nova Scotia on August 29, 2015. Photo by Kevin Lantz.

Skua species at German Bank, Nova Scotia on August 29, 2015. Photo by Kevin Lantz.

Skua species at German Bank, Nova Scotia on August 29, 2015. This photo shows the white bases to the primaries that were invisible to the birders observing with binoculars. Photo by David Currie.

After the skua encounter we ran into a Cory's Shearwater which provided life list ticks to a few aboard. We examined photos of all Cory's seen and none showed the required amount of white on the underside of P8-P10 to be Nova Scotia's first Scopoli's Shearwater. Scopoli's Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea diomedea) is currently considered by the American Ornithologists Union at subspecies of Cory's Shearwater and is much rarer in the w. Atlantic Ocean than is Cory's Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea borealis). A bird photographed on July 4, 2015 off of Grand Manan, New Brunswick has been confirmed by Steve N.G. Howell as being a Scopoli's Shearwater. A later issue of NS Birds will contain an article that will provide more details on this taxonomic issue as well as discuss identification.

Cory's Shearwater at German Bank, Nova Scotia on August 29, 2015. Photo by Alix d'Entremont.

Cory's Shearwaters molt their primaries outward towards P10 from the inner feathers (Howell, 2012). Wing molt is evident in photos of the Cory's above. Below are expanded views of the wing. Monteiro and Furness (1996) explain that breeding Cory's Shearwaters (C. d. borealis) spend from late-Feb to late-Oct at the breeding sites. This would mean that any Cory's seen in Nova Scotia at this time of the year is a non-breeding individual. Howell (2012) states that non-breeding birds start molting their primaries mid-Jul to mid-Oct and likely finish Dec-Feb after having left North American waters.

Cory's Shearwater at German Bank, Nova Scotia on August 29, 2015. This photo clearly shows a molt limit in the primaries and primary coverts. The new feathers are much more grey than the old ones that are more solid brown. Photo by Alix d'Entremont.

An underside view of the wing of the same Cory's Shearwater. This perspective gives a better appreciation of the amount of wear on the tips of the outer primaries. Photo by Alix d'Entremont.

The most amazing encounter of the day for most was of the Pomarine Jaeger that appeared shortly after 9 am and kept circling the boat offering amazing views. The all-dark unbarred underwing coverts of this jaeger indicate that it is an adult. Prebasic molt in Pomarine begins soon after leaving the arctic (Haven Wiley and Lee, 2000). Primary molt is visible in that it has dropped P1 and P2. The sharply demarcated facial pattern and yellow nape have been replaced by a more mottled and less contrasting appearance.

Pomarine Jaeger at German Bank, Nova Scotia on August 29, 2015. Photo by Alix d'Entremont.

Pomarine Jaeger at German Bank, Nova Scotia on August 29, 2015. Photo by Alix d'Entremont.

Pomarine Jaeger at German Bank, Nova Scotia on August 29, 2015. Photo by Alix d'Entremont.

This Pomarine Jaeger has straight and short central tail feathers compared to the relatively longer central rectrices that are twisted 90° of a Pomarine that I photographed in 2012 (see below). Pomarines in alternate plumage show longer (7-11 cm past the rest of the tail) and twisted central rectrices while birds in basic plumage have ones that are shorter (1-6 cm past the rest of the tail) and straight (Haven Whiley and Lee, 2000). It can then be assumed that the 2012 bird had not molted its central rectrices while the 2015 bird has already replaced them.

Pomarine Jaeger at Southeast Bank, Nova Scotia on August 25, 2012. Photo by Alix d'Entremont.

The first of two Manx Shearwater were seen at 9:22 am. This my first view of a Manx on the water. I paid attention to the short bouts of flapping and quicker wing beats compared to the larger Great Shearwater as it took flight. Observed on the water, the bird showed the white undertail and wings projecting past the tail (unlike Audubon's).

Manx Searwater at German Bank, Nova Scotia on August 29, 2015. This photo shows the wing projecting past the tail and the white undertail coverts. Photo by Alix d'Entremont.

We got nice views of hundreds of Great Shearwaters and had up to 6 Northern Fulmars that were visible at the same time. The southern hemisphere breeding Wilson's outnumbered Leach's Storm-Petrel, as is expected.

Great Shearwater at German Bank, Nova Scotia on August 29, 2015. Photo by Alix d'Entremont.

The upperparts of Northern Fulmars always look like they are in a state of disrepair. This one shows wing covert molt and is growing the outer two primaries. Photo taken at German Bank, Nova Scotia on August 29, 2015. Photo by Alix d'Entremont. 

Leach's and Wilson's Storm-Petrels at German Bank, Nova Scotia on August 29, 2015. Photos by Alix d'Entremont.

I had to capitalize on the chance of getting my photo taken with Dr. Ian McLaren, a man that I admire greatly. He continues to inspire and contributes immensely to birding in Nova Scotia. If you don't already own a copy of his tremendous publication named All the Birds of Nova Scotia, I suggest that you do yourself a favour and add it to your birding book shelf.

Dr. Ian McLaren and myself during the Pubnico Pelagic on August 29, 2015. Photo by Mike King.

The following day (August 30) we all headed to Yarmouth County's warbler hotspot to see if we could find any interesting migrants or vagrants. We were not disappointed. Three (and maybe four) Warbling Vireos, a Prairie Warbler, a Cape May Warbler, two Baltimore Orioles and an Orchard Oriole were great finds on the Thomas and Gerry Roads at Cape Forchu.

Standing left to right: Jake Walker, David Curie, Alan Covert, Mike King, Bruce Stevens, Ian McLaren, Ellis d'Entremont, Richard Stern, Ken McKenna, Rick Whitman, Judy O'Brien, Sharron Marlor, Ronnie d'Entremont and Keith Lowe. I am kneeling on the ground. Not all participants of the pelagic are present in this photo. A few that did not take part had joined our group at Cape Forchu. Photo by Gisele d'Entremont.

Jake Walker had the difficult task of record keeper for the trip. He was the right man for the job. eBird checklists (ordered chronologically, 24 hour clock) are found below.

0600-0730 Pubnico Harbour to the Mud Islands
0730-0900 Mud Islands to German Bank
0900-1300 German Bank
1300-1400 German Bank to Mud Islands
1400-1500 Mud Islands to 2 miles offshore
1500-1600 2 miles offshore to Pubnico Harbour

Next is a list of all species seen with counts.

American Black Duck  1

Common Eider     11

Common Loon   1

Northern Fulmar 12

Cory's Shearwater 8

Great Shearwater 227

Manx Shearwater 3

Sooty Shearwater 2

shearwater sp. 4

Wilson's Storm-Petrel 13

Leach's Storm-Petrel 3

Northern Gannet 60

Double-crested Cormorant 80

cormorant sp. 80

Great Blue Heron 1

Bald Eagle 1

Black-bellied Plover 4

Greater Yellowlegs 9

Willet 1

Whimbrel 1

Sanderling 5

Red-necked Phalarope 32

Red Phalarope 46

Phalarope sp. 180

skua sp. 1

Pomarine Jaeger 2

Black Guillemot 9

Atlantic Puffin 20

Herring Gull 300

Great Black-backed Gull 150

Common Tern 2

Sterna sp. 17

Ruby-throated Hummingbird 3

Common Raven 2

References:

Howell, S.N.G. 2012. Petrels, Albatrosses & Storm-Petrels of North America. Princeton University Press, Princeton and Oxford.

Monteiro, L.R. and R.W. Furness. 1996. Molt of Cory's Shearwater during the breeding season. Condor 98:216-221.

Haven Wiley, R. and David S. Lee. 2000. Pomarine Jaeger (Stercorarius pomarinus), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/483

Blackbeards Cove

My co-pilot, Bertin d'Eon, and I had been discussing a trip to Blue Island, Shelburne County, for a while. We often fly virtually around Nova Scotia on Google Maps in search of interesting coastal areas and islands to visit. Online we could see that Blue Island is a 1 km by 0.5 km island with a great landing area on the northern side and large cliffs the rest of the way around. The most interesting features are the deep crevices on the eastern cliffs and Blackbeards Cove on the southern shore, facing the open Atlantic.

On July 5, 2015, Bertin and I left the wharf at West Green Harbour, passed the tiny rocky island named the Thrum Cap and after a short, but choppy ride, we reached the northern beach of Blue Island. We lugged the 200 pound inflatable Zodiac up far enough so that we could leave it for a few hours without risk of it washing away. It was decided to try to circle the island clockwise by foot. Once we left the northern open area, the woods constituted of short coniferous trees and short grass. We noted the fact that there was no understory and that walking was easy. We thought that this island likely has sheep on it, or at least had in the past. There is a narrow trail that led the way south along the eastern coast that we were happy to follow. We soon made it to the tall cliffs that we had seen from above on Google Maps.

The first view of the eastern coast cliffs on Blue Island.

Bertin looking down one of the many crevices on the eastern side of Blue Island.

Most large wooded islands that I visit in s.w. Nova Scotia are home to Swainson's Thrushes, this island was no exception. As we approached the southeast corner of the island we got a brief glimpse of two goats as they vanished around the bend. I was later informed that these goats as well as a sheep were placed on the island by Leroy d'Entremont.

The vista at the southeast corner of Blue Island.

The most impressive feature of the island is Blackbeards Cove. It is a large cove created by a grassed headland to the east and a formidable, almost vertical, rock structure to the west. This western border is almost unnaturally straight. This is very evident in the satellite image above once it is zoomed in.

The impressive Blackbeards Cove on Blue Island.

Bertin on a swing crafted from a large buoy at Blackbeards Cove on Blue Island.

We completed our trek around the island before 10 am, so we decided to head towards Jordan Bay Gull Rock. This is a substantial sized rock and is similar in length to Yarmouth County's Gannet Rock, but looks much taller. On our way we got great looks at a sunfish which wasn't much smaller than our boat. Gull Rock is home to hundreds of Double-crested Cormorants. I was pleased to also find four Razorbills and a colony of Great Cormorants also using this impressive rock. I've submitted a checklist to eBird with all of my observations.

Razorbills on Jordan Bay Gull Rock.

Great Cormorants on Jordan Bay Gull Rock.

Eric Mills had sent me a paper a while back entitled The Nesting of the Great Cormorant (Phalcrocorax carbo) and the Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) in Nova Scotia in 1971 (A.R. Lock and R.K. Ross). Jordan Bay Gull Rock was known as Blue Gull Rock back then and the paper states that there were 20-30 Great Cormorants and 400-430 Double-crested Cormorants. It is wonderful to know that the Great Cormorant colony on this gigantic rock of an island still has numbers on par with the 1970s.

Before summer's end I'd like to visit another Gull Rock east of Ingomar. It looks like more good habitat for Great Cormorants. Click here to view this island on Google Maps.

A Second-Year Least Flycatcher

On May 25, 2015, I photographed a Least Flycatcher at Cape Forchu, Yarmouth County. Since it was silent, I had to scrutinize the images to confirm its identification. Confident identification of Empidonax flycatchers that are not vocalizing is one of the toughest challenges for birders. A helpful article entitled Identifying Empidonax Flycatchers: A Ratio Approach by Forrest Rowland illustrates important proportional differences between these very similar species. Kenn Kaufman's Field Guide to Advanced Birding also provides useful descriptions and comparisons.

Why is it a Least?

This flycatcher is clearly an Empidonax, and not an Eastern Wood-Pewee due to its relatively short primary projection and lack of dusky chest sides. It is not a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher since it is lacking a yellowish throat. The most likely candidates based on our location that we are left with are the Alder and Least Flycatchers.

This flycatcher was found in a habitat better suited for an Alder Flycatcher. Cape Forchu is predominantly covered by young coniferous trees with sections of alders. Leasts are typically found in mature deciduous forests.

A few key features separate this bird from the similar Alder Flycatcher. Compared to an Alder Flycatcher, the Least has a more conspicuous eye ring and a shorter primary projection (Alderfer & Dunn, 2014). Rowland (2009) describes the Least Flycatcher as a short-winged and long-tailed Empidonax. This structure may be appreciated in Fig. 1. The wing chord of the Least appears shorter in comparison to the Alder Flycatcher.

The tail of an Alder Flycatcher looks broad compared to that of other smaller Empidonax. Kaufmann (2011) describes the tail of the Least Flycatcher as narrow (see Fig. 1). The Alder's wing contrast is lessened by the dull wing bars and tertial edgings in comparison to the typically more white wing bars and tertial edgings of the Least (see Fig. 1). In fresh spring plumage, Alder shows olive upperparts with a contrastingly gray face. The Least Flycatcher has fairly uniform brownish gray upperparts with darker crown and forehead and is washed olive only on the back. This difference in  colour between the head and back in Leasts is visible in Figure 1, Alders appear to have more similar coloured heads and backs. Leasts also appears to have a relatively larger head than Alders (Alderfer & Dunn, 2014).

Figure 1. Least Flycatcher (L) versus Alder Flycatcher (R). Photos by Alix d'Entremont.

How old is it?

After analysis of this Least Flycatcher, I conclude that it is a second-year bird, born in 2014. Below are supportive arguments.

A bird born in 2014 (typically in July) would have gone through a first prebasic molt from Jul-Oct 2014 on the breeding grounds. The extent of this molt is variable, but it typically involves the body plumage and occasionally the secondaries and a few upper wing coverts. The primaries, primary coverts and a variable number of secondaries and secondary coverts will not be replaced during this molt. (Tarof & Briskie, 2008)

The first prealternate molt would have occurred on the wintering grounds from Feb-May 2015 and involves the body plumage, some inner secondaries and their corresponding greater and middle coverts along with a variable number of rectrices. Again, no primaries, primary coverts and outer secondaries and secondary coverts are not replaced. (Tarof & Briskie, 2008)

Pyle (1997) describes Least Flycatchers in their second year (SY) during Apr-Sep as having marked contrast between the retained, outer coverts that are brown and abraded compared to the duskier and lemon-tipped, replaced inner coverts. Second year birds also show strong contrast between the tertials and the adjacent secondaries. These features are clearly visible in Figure 2. After second year (ASY) birds show less contrast.

The primaries of this Least Flycatcher also appear very worn and brown as compared to the relatively fresh primaries that would be seen in an ASY bird. The rectrices appear tapered, also indicating a SY bird. The primary coverts are worn, brown and have no green edge. An ASY would show broader green edging to fresher and duskier primary coverts.

Figure 2. Least Flycatcher. Photos by Alix d'Entremont.

SY birds can replace 1-3 tertials during their prealternate molt. This bird appears to have replaced the longest tertial. There is slight, but apparent differences between this longest tertial and two inner ones. The inner tertials show slight wear on the feather edges while the longest shows a smooth edge (Fig. 3).

Figure 3. Least Flycatcher. Photos by Alix d'Entremont.

Summary

The retained juvenile feathers that were not replaced during the prebasic (Jul-Oct 2014) or prealternate (Jan-May 2015) molts show strong contrast with the newly replaced feathers. The primary coverts show no green edging. The rectrices are apparently tapered. These features indicate that this Least Flycatcher is a second-year bird, born in 2014. The differences between a SY bird and an ASY bird in spring arise due to the partial first prebasic molt compared to the complete prebasic molt of an AHY (after hatch year) bird.

References:

Alderfer, J. & J.L. Dunn. 2014. (Ed). Complete Birds of North America, 2nd Edition. National Geographic Society. Washington DC, USA.

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

Pyle, P., S.N.G. Howell, R.P. Yunick, and D.F. Desante. 1997. Identification guide to North American Birds, Part 1, Columbidae to Ploceidae. Slate Creek Press, Bolinas, California.

Rowland, F. 2009. Identifying Empidonax Flycatchers: the Ratio Approach. Birding 41(2): 30-38

Tarof, Scott and James V. Briskie. 2008. Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/099
doi:10.2173/bna.99

A Little Egret in Nova Scotia

On May 14, 2015 Rachel Hoogenbos found a small white egret behind her house at Daniel's Head, Cape Sable Island, Shelburne. Johnny Nickerson was notified and he identified it as a rare Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) which is very similar to the relatively more common Snowy Egret (Egretta thula).

Figure 1. Little Egret at Cape Sable Island on May 15, 2015. Photo by Alix d'Entremont

Little Egrets are common and widespread in Eurasia and Australia (Alderfer & Dunn, 2014). These white egrets have bred in Barbados since the mid-1980s, and 15-20 pairs currently breed there each year and fledge 3-4 young per nest. In 2008 they were also found to be breeding on Antigua (Howell et al., 2014).

This Little Egret at Cape Sable Island represents the seventeenth record of this species in Nova Scotia. The last was one at Eastern Passage, HRM present April 21-27, 2013 (NS Birds Vol 55, No 3 Spring 2013). Birds occurring in North America could be from Western Europe or the Caribbean. Little Egrets will likely be found in greater numbers in e. North America as the Caribbean population increases. Individuals from this recently established population could reach us by migrating north in association with returning Snowy Egrets, Little Blue Herons and Tricolored Herons (Howell et al., 2014).

I was privileged to have seen a Snowy Egret at Melbourne on April 19, 2014, so photos of that bird will be used to compared to the Little Egret. For most of the year, Little Egrets have grayish to greenish-yellow lores compared to bright yellow on Snowy. At the height of courtship (only for a short period), the lores of Little Egrets are bright red and rarely bright yellow (Howell et at., 2014). Snowy Egrets also show red lores in high breeding (Alderfer & Dunn, 2014). Both of the birds below do not show bare part coloration consistent with breeding flush. The Cape Sable Island Little Egret shown in Fig. 2 shows grayish lores with a reddish tinge to the anterior region and maybe a slight blueish tinge to the posterior area. This coloration is consistent with the description of the lores as blue-pink at the onset of breeding given by Parsons & Master (2000). This contrasts strongly with the bright yellow lores shown in the Snowy Egret from 2014. Two more field marks to notice in Fig. 2 are the longer bill of the Little Egret and facial feathering that seems to project further at the base of the bill (Howell at al., 2014).

Figure 2. Pale lores and longer bill of the Little Egret compared to the yellow lores of the Melbourne Snowy Egret and its slightly shorter looking bill. Photos by Alix d'Entremont

The two white occipital plumes are clearly visible in Fig. 3 as they are blown about by the wind. Compare this to the numerous breeding plumes of the Snowy Egret that look much more bushy and filamentous. (Howell at al., 2014)

Figure 3. The two lancelot plumes of the Little Egret compared to the bushy, filamentous head feathers of the Melbourne Snowy Egret. Photos by Alix d'Entremont

Svensson et al. (2009) describe the Little Egret as having black legs and dull yellow toes while the Snowy Egret invariably shows distinctly yellowish rear to the lower tarsus and more saturated yellow feet. The extent of the foot colour can be appreciated in Fig. 4. We see the the Little Egret shows only yellowish toes, while the Snowy has the entire foot as well as a small portion of the rear tarsus coloured in a saturated orangish-yellow.

Figure 4. Little Egret and Melbourne Snowy Egret legs and feet. Photos by Alix d'Entremont

On April 11, 2014 during an NSBS field trip led by James Hirtle, an interesting Snowy Egret was discovered at Blanche, Shelburne. It initially caused some excitement due to its atypical lore colour. All other features appear typical of Snowy Egret. Fig 5 shows the similarity in lore colour in both the Cape Sable Island Little Egret and the Blanche Snowy Egret.

Figure 5. Little Egret at left and Blanche Snowy Egret at right with somewhat similar coloured lores. The Snowy Egret photo has been flipped horizontally to allow for easier comparison. Photos by Alix d'Entremont (L) and Keith Lowe (R)

Another interesting Snowy Egret was photographed in Newfoundland on May 14, 2015 which again showed the variability in lore colour of Snowy Egrets. Check Bruce Mctavish's blog post for photos and some discussion.

We should also entertain the possibility of hybrids for these non-characteristic birds. When discussing the Blanche egret, Ian McLaren commented on the typological thinking that a certain species, subspecies or hybrid must have a well defined list of features. Hyrbids may show different characteristics than what are currently documented in the literature. The genetic dilution of the first filial generation of hybrids by further breeding can introduce further complications.

References:

Alderfer, J., J.L. Dunn. 2014. (Ed). Complete Birds of North America, 2nd Edition. National Geographic Society. Washington DC, USA.

Howell, S.N.G.,  I. Lewington & W. Russell. 2014. Rare Birds of North America. Princeton University Press

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

Parsons, Katharine C. and Terry L. Master. 2000. Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/489

Svensson, L., K. Mullarney & D. Zetterstrom. 2009. Collins Bird Guide. 2nd Ed. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey.

Two Ross's Geese in Nova Scotia

Ross's Geese (Chen rossii) breed in northern Canada and winter in a fragmented range from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast of the US. It typically migrates through central North America. Since the 1950s, this small white goose's breeding and wintering grounds have been expanding eastward. This expansion is thought to have resulted in more contact with Snow Geese and thus more hybridization. (All About Birds, n.d.)

The first Ross's Goose in Nova Scotia was found by Mike King at Hartlen Point, HRM and was present from Dec 31, 2012 to Jan 13, 2013 (King, 2013). The next was at Truro and was found by Cliff Sanderson on Oct 10, 2013. This second bird is likely the same that was spotted at Windsor from Oct 19 - Dec 3 (Hall, 2013).

On April 3, 2015, Karel Allard noticed two small white geese from his home at Mavilette, Digby. Further inspection with his scope confirmed his suspicion, these were two Ross's Geese that represented the third and fourth records of this species in Nova Scotia (Fig. 1).

Figure 1. Two Ross's Geese with two Canada Geese at Mavilette, Digby 5 April, 2015. Photo by Alix d'Entremont.

Johnny and Sandra Nickerson picked me up later in the day on April 3 and we met Karel Allard and Ervin Olsen at Mavilette (Fig. 2). Soon after, Laurel and Kevin Amirault arrived and we all got to see these very rare birds.

Figure 2. Johnny Nickerson, Karel Allard and myself (Alix d'Entremont) at Mavilette, Digby 3 April, 2015. Photo by Ervin Olsen.

The Ross's Goose is very similar to the Snow Goose, but smaller with a relatively small bill, round head and short neck. Hybrids between Ross's Goose and Snow Goose also occur, and these should be considered when presented with a small white goose. In comparison to a Snow Goose, the Ross's Goose has a rounder head with a steeper forehead, no grin patch, a blueish/gray bill base, and a more vertical border at the base of the bill (Fig. 3). Hybrids are intermediate between the two species. (Sibley, 2014)

Figure 3. Ross's Goose at Mavillette (left) and Snow Goose in Pubnico (right). Photos by Alix d'Entremont.

The head shape of the Ross's Geese seemed to change between photos. Some images show a less steep forehead. The birds seemed to flatten their foreheads when actively feeding, making the bill look larger (Fig. 4).

Figure 4. Variability in head shape shown by one of the Ross's Geese at Mavilette, Digby 3 April, 2015. Photos by Alix d'Entremont.

The relatively short necks, rounder bodies and less elongated heads shown by the Ross's Geese are apparent in Figure 5.

Figure 5. The two Ross's Geese at Mavillette, Digby 5 April 2014. Photo by Alix d'Entremont.

Nova Scotia saw its first ever Ross's Goose at the end of 2012 and less than 2 and a half years later we've added another 3 to the provincial total. We can likely attribute the eastwards expansion of this goose's range to the spike in recent records.  


References:

All About Birds (n.d.) Ross's Goose. Retrieved from http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Rosss_Goose/id                                                                            

King, M. (2013) The Discovery of Nova Scotia's First Ross's Goose. Nova Scotia Birds. 55(2), 64-65

Hall, R. (2013) Waterfowl. Nova Scotia Birds. 56(1), 12

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

Common Gull

The Mew Gull complex (Larus canus) is comprised of four subspecies. The New World representative, referred to as the Mew Gull (L.c. brachyrhynchus), breeds in n.w. North America and winters mainly on the Pacific Coast and is exceptionally rare on the Atlantic Coast during the non-breeding season (one has been confirmed nearby in New Brunswick). The Old World birds are the Common Gull (L. c. canus & L. c. heinei) and the Kamtchatka Gull (L. c. kamtschatschensis). (Howell et al., 2014)

The canus Common Gull is regular in NS in winter in small numbers. The province's first was discovered on March 9, 1969 on Sable Island. (McLaren, 2012)

Analysis of this winter's photos of the canus Common Gulls in the Dartmouth area suggest that there have been 4 individuals. I was able to photograph the gull that was frequenting the Sobeys parking lot on Tacoma Drive in Dartmouth on February 27, 2015 (Fig. 1).

Figure 1. Common Gull in Dartmouth - 27 Feb 2014. Photo by Alix d'Entremont

Common Gulls are superficially similar to Ring-billed Gulls. In comparison, a Common Gull has a thinner, less blunt tipped bill that lacks a distinct black ring. Its eyes are dark brown compared to the pale lemon eyes of a Ring-billed as seen in Fig. 2. (Howell et al., 2014)

Figure 2. Common Gull (L) vs. Ring-billed Gull (R). Photo by Alix d'Entremont

Common Gulls have a slightly darker mantle that is clear in Figure 3, along with wider and more contrasting scapular and tertial crescents. The wider scapular crescent on the Common Gull is obvious in Figure 3 as well. (Howell et al., 2014)

Figure 3. Common Gull (L) vs. Ring-billed Gull (R). Photo by Alix d'Entremont

The relatively more extensive white mirror on P10 of the Common Gull is visible in Fig. 4. (Howell et al., 2014)

Figure 4. Common Gull (L) vs. Ring-billed Gull (R). Photo by Alix d'Entremont

The Dartmouth Common Gull was my first Nova Scotian sighting of this bird. I had previously seen Common Gulls in the fjords of Norway in July 2007. Figure 5 shows a number of them with pristine white heads and in the process of moulting their inner primaries. These would also be L.c. canus based on range.

Figure 5. Common Gulls near Flåm, Norway - July 21 2007. Photo by Alix d'Entremont

References:

Howell, S.N.G. and J. Dunn. 2007. Gulls of the Americas. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, N.Y.

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

Fieldfare

The Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris) is a nomadic thrush breeding in temperate and boreal forests from Iceland to e. Russia. There is also a small, fluctuating population breeding in sw. Greenland since the late 1970s. Fieldfares are also regular winter visitors to Iceland from Europe. Birds that arrive to our region are thought to originate from northern Europe, Iceland or Greenland. Cold weather winter movements of this nomad align well with Atlantic Canada sightings that are mostly in late Dec–Feb. (Howell et al., 2014)

Nova Scotia previously had 3 reports in Oct, one each in Dec, Jan and Feb and one late bird that was found in Apr. Our latest bird was discovered by Kathleen Spicer in an apple tree in her yard in Apple River, Cumberland on 31 Jan 2015, representing Nova Scotia's 8th report. (McLaren, 2012)

Figure 1. Fieldfare in Apple River, Cumberland - 27 Feb 2014. Photo by Alix d'Entremont.

This rare North American visitor scores a Code 4 (Casual) on the ABA Checklist equating to less than annual occurrence in North America. I made the 1000 km trip from Pubnico to Apple River to see the Fieldfare (Fig. 1) at the end of Feb, and was about the 100th birder to so at the time. Listers flew in from as far as the southern US to see this vagrant bird. We are all very grateful for the kindness of both Kathleen and her husband Blaine for being so accommodating to the many birders visiting their private home.

Howell et al. (2014) describe first year Fieldfares as typically duller than adults with whitish tips to retained juvenal greater coverts. The Apple River bird appears fairly vibrant but early photos do show what looks like moult contrast in the greater coverts indicating that it is likely a first-winter bird.

This European visitor (Turdus pilaris) is closely related to our American Robin (Turdus migratorius), both are members of the genus Turdus. They are structurally similar (Fig. 2), but the Fieldfare is slightly larger.

Figure 2. American Robin (L) vs. Fieldfare (R). Photos by Alix d'Entremont.

References:
Howell, S.N.G.,  I. Lewington & W. Russell. 2014. Rare Birds of North America. Princeton University Press

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