Winter 1989 Contents Volume IX Number 1 January 1989 THE 1 Species Composition of Food Brought to RoseateTern Chicks on Falkner Island, Connecticut in Summer 1984 CONNECTICUT Sarah Richards and William Shew 6 More on Snow Bathing Donald Hopkins WARBLER 7 Connecticut Field Notes Summer: June 1 -July 31, 1988 Clay Taylor 14 An Editorial on the Evolution of Birding Roland C. Clement 18 Connecticut Bird Specimens in the State Museum of Natural History George A. Clark, Jr. 20 Third Report of the Connecticut Rare Records Committee The Connecticut Ornithological Association 314 Unquowa Road Non-Profit Org. Fairfield, CT 06430 U.S. Postage PAID Fairfield, CT Permit No. 275 J Volume IX No.1 January 1989 Pages 1-24 THE CONNECTICUT ORNITHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION SPECIES COMPOSITION OF FOOD BROUGHT TO ROSEATE TERN CHICKS President Carl J. Trichka, Fairfield ON FALKNER ISLAND, CONNECTICUT Vice-President IN SUMMER 1984 Debra M. Miller, Franklin, MA 1 2 Secretary Sarah W. Richards and William A. Schew Winifred Burkett, Storrs ABSTRACT Treasurer Food of Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii) chicks in 32 nests was Gary Palmer, Cos Cob identified between 14 June and 25 July 1984 at a nesting colony on the Board of Directors north end of Falkner Island, Connecticut, in central Long Island Sound. The Sand Lance (Ammodytes american us) accounted for 55% of 1986-1989 1987-1990 all individual fish brought to the chicks while Anchovy (Anchoa spp.) Robert A. Askins, New London Raymond E. Belding, Harwinton made up 27%; 11% of the fish was divided between Bluefish (Po­ Frank W. Mantlik, Westport Julia Arab Rankin, Wethersfield matomus saltatrix), Silversides (Menidia menidia), Menhaden (Brevoor­ Robert Moeller, Sharon Dwight S. Smith, New Haven Frederick Purnell Jr., Darien Todd Weintz, Stamford tia tyrannus) and Pipefish (Syngnathus fuscus). Seven percent of all fish Fred C. Sibley, Guilford Christopher S. Wood, Woodbury brought to the colony were unidentified. Julie Zickefoose, Hadlyme Joseph Zeranski, Greenwich During the month of June, Sand Lance clearly were easily avail­ 1988-1991 able, while in the month of July this availability appeared to decrease Milan G. Bull, Fairfield simultaneously with an increased availability of other species. Pos­ George A. Clark, Jr., Storrs Roland C. Clement, Norwalk sible reasons for these differences are discussed. Jay B. Kaplan, Canton John P. McDonald, Storrs INTRODUCTION threatened and now federally George W. Zepko, Middletown The food of Roseate Terns listed endangered species Rose­ (Sterna dougallii) has been ana­ ate Tern. Ex Offtcio lyzed by Jones (1903) and Nisbet Neil W. Currie, Sandy Hook (1981) for Buzzards Bay and STUDY AREA AND METHODS other areas near Cape Cod, Mas­ In 1984, between 175 and 200 About our Cover Artist: sachusetts, byCooperetal (1970), pairs of Roseate Terns nested and Hays et al (1973), for Great along with 2500 pairs of Com­ Michael DiGeorgio, Middletown Gull Island; and by Safina (1985) mon Terns (Sterna hirundo) on "Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)" for Cedar Beach on the south Falkner Island 5 km south of Again we are pleased to present the work of Michael DiGiorgio, who shore of Long Island, New York. Guilford, Connecticut in central is an illustrator for Field Publications and is known as a field painter. To date, however, no observa­ Long Island Sound. Roughly half He works directly from nature and tries to capture the feeling of the tions have been published on the of the Rosea tes nested on a spit on birds and other wildlife. His illustrations have appeared in Audubon food of this species in colonies the northern end of the island Magazine, Nature Conservancy, National Wildlife and The Living within Long Island Sound. Since and could be observed easily Bird. He has exhibited at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Phila­ there have been so few observa­ from a blind erected on a bluff 15 delphia, Northeastern Wildlife Exposition, Ballard Mill Gallary, tions of the food of many carnivo­ m above the colony. The blind Massena, NY and he helped to illustrate the National Audubon Society's Master Guide to Birding. Inquiries about commission work rous seabird species within the was sufficiently close to the col­ andotherworkavailableshouldbeaddressedtohimat18BrettonRd., Sound, this study was under­ ony to allow us to identify and A pt. 1W, Middletown, CT 06457. taken to determine the food determine approximate lengths brought to the colony of the then of the fish brought to the chicks. THE CONNECTICUT WARBLER VOLUME IX, NUMBER 1 1 THE CONNECTICUT ORNITHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION SPECIES COMPOSITION OF FOOD BROUGHT TO ROSEATE TERN CHICKS President Carl J. Trichka, Fairfield ON FALKNER ISLAND, CONNECTICUT Vice-President IN SUMMER 1984 Debra M. Miller, Franklin, MA 1 2 Secretary Sarah W. Richards and William A. Schew Winifred Burkett, Storrs ABSTRACT Treasurer Food of Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii) chicks in 32 nests was Gary Palmer, Cos Cob identified between 14 June and 25 July 1984 at a nesting colony on the Board of Directors north end of Falkner Island, Connecticut, in central Long Island Sound. The Sand Lance (Ammodytes american us) accounted for 55% of 1986-1989 1987-1990 all individual fish brought to the chicks while Anchovy (Anchoa spp.) Robert A. Askins, New London Raymond E. Belding, Harwinton made up 27%; 11% of the fish was divided between Bluefish (Po­ Frank W. Mantlik, Westport Julia Arab Rankin, Wethersfield matomus saltatrix), Silversides (Menidia menidia), Menhaden (Brevoor­ Robert Moeller, Sharon Dwight S. Smith, New Haven Frederick Purnell Jr., Darien Todd Weintz, Stamford tia tyrannus) and Pipefish (Syngnathus fuscus). Seven percent of all fish Fred C. Sibley, Guilford Christopher S. Wood, Woodbury brought to the colony were unidentified. Julie Zickefoose, Hadlyme Joseph Zeranski, Greenwich During the month of June, Sand Lance clearly were easily avail­ 1988-1991 able, while in the month of July this availability appeared to decrease Milan G. Bull, Fairfield simultaneously with an increased availability of other species. Pos­ George A. Clark, Jr., Storrs Roland C. Clement, Norwalk sible reasons for these differences are discussed. Jay B. Kaplan, Canton John P. McDonald, Storrs INTRODUCTION threatened and now federally George W. Zepko, Middletown The food of Roseate Terns listed endangered species Rose­ (Sterna dougallii) has been ana­ ate Tern. Ex Offtcio lyzed by Jones (1903) and Nisbet Neil W. Currie, Sandy Hook (1981) for Buzzards Bay and STUDY AREA AND METHODS other areas near Cape Cod, Mas­ In 1984, between 175 and 200 About our Cover Artist: sachusetts, byCooperetal (1970), pairs of Roseate Terns nested and Hays et al (1973), for Great along with 2500 pairs of Com­ Michael DiGeorgio, Middletown Gull Island; and by Safina (1985) mon Terns (Sterna hirundo) on "Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)" for Cedar Beach on the south Falkner Island 5 km south of Again we are pleased to present the work of Michael DiGiorgio, who shore of Long Island, New York. Guilford, Connecticut in central is an illustrator for Field Publications and is known as a field painter. To date, however, no observa­ Long Island Sound. Roughly half He works directly from nature and tries to capture the feeling of the tions have been published on the of the Rosea tes nested on a spit on birds and other wildlife. His illustrations have appeared in Audubon food of this species in colonies the northern end of the island Magazine, Nature Conservancy, National Wildlife and The Living within Long Island Sound. Since and could be observed easily Bird. He has exhibited at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Phila­ there have been so few observa­ from a blind erected on a bluff 15 delphia, Northeastern Wildlife Exposition, Ballard Mill Gallary, tions of the food of many carnivo­ m above the colony. The blind Massena, NY and he helped to illustrate the National Audubon Society's Master Guide to Birding. Inquiries about commission work rous seabird species within the was sufficiently close to the col­ andotherworkavailableshouldbeaddressedtohimat18BrettonRd., Sound, this study was under­ ony to allow us to identify and A pt. 1W, Middletown, CT 06457. taken to determine the food determine approximate lengths brought to the colony of the then of the fish brought to the chicks. THE CONNECTICUT WARBLER VOLUME IX, NUMBER 1 1 From 14 June to 25 July 1984, fish Lance (Ammodytes americanus), strates (Richards, unpubl. data). 11% of the items brought to the fed to chicks in 32 nests were iden­ and juvenile Bluefish (Po­ Anchovy was the second most colony. tified during randomly selected matomus saltatrix). Sand lance common prey, ~ccotlnting for hourly periods each day during accounted for 55% of the items 27% of the total catch. One spe­ DISCUSSION the morning (OS(X)-1300) and after­ fed to chicks during the two cies of Anchovy,Anchoa mitchilli, Jones (1903), Nisbet (1981) noon (13(X)-2200). During this 41 months of observations (Table is the most abundant spawner in and Cooper, et al. (1970) found day period, 8 days of rain or fog 1). They were almost the only Long Island Sound during the that Sand Lance constituted 70- prevented clear identifications. prey brought to the island dur­ summer (Wheatland, 1956). 100% of the food items brought Fish species composition was de­ ing courtship and early chick Menhaden, Silversides, Pipefish during courtship and to chicks in termined from a total of 327 feed­ rearing. and Bluefish together made up various colonies within the Cape ings. The majority of Sand Lance approximately 10% of the total Cod, Massachusetts area and fed to the chicks were 0-year catch. With the exception of eastern Long Island Sound. RESULTS (between 4 and 6 months old) Pipefish, these species were Apparently,SandLancewasutil­ Roseate Terns from Falkner Is­ and 1-year olds, varying in thicker dorso-ventrally than ized more heavily by Roseate land fed more offshore, arriving at length from 5-10 em and weigh­ Sand Lance.