NH Bird Records
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New Hampshire Bird Records FALL 2016 Vol. 35, No. 3 IN HONOR OF Rob Woodward his issue of New Hampshire TBird Records with its color cover is sponsored by friends of Rob Woodward in appreciation of NEW HAMPSHIRE BIRD RECORDS all he’s done for birds and birders VOLUME 35, NUMBER 3 FALL 2016 in New Hampshire. Rob Woodward leading a field trip at MANAGING EDITOR the Birch Street Community Gardens Rebecca Suomala in Concord (10-8-2016) and counting 603-224-9909 X309, migrating nighthawks at the Capital [email protected] Commons Garage (8-18-2016, with a rainbow behind him). TEXT EDITOR Dan Hubbard In This Issue SEASON EDITORS Rob Woodward Tries to Leave New Hampshire Behind ...........................................................1 Eric Masterson, Spring Chad Witko, Summer Photo Quiz ...............................................................................................................................1 Lauren Kras/Ben Griffith, Fall Fall Season: August 1 through November 30, 2016 by Ben Griffith and Lauren Kras ................2 Winter Jim Sparrell/Katie Towler, Concord Nighthawk Migration Study – 2016 Update by Rob Woodward ..............................25 LAYOUT Fall 2016 New Hampshire Raptor Migration Report by Iain MacLeod ...................................26 Kathy McBride Field Notes compiled by Kathryn Frieden and Rebecca Suomala PUBLICATION ASSISTANT Loon Freed From Fishing Line in Pittsburg by Tricia Lavallee ..........................................30 Kathryn Frieden Osprey vs. Bald Eagle by Fran Keenan .............................................................................31 ASSISTANTS Peregrine Patriarch in Lawrence, MA by Chris Martin .....................................................31 Jeannine Ayer, Zeke Cornell, Crossbill? – Not! ..............................................................................................................31 David Deifik, Elizabeth Levy, Long-eared Owl in Seabrook ............................................................................................31 Susan MacLeod, Marie Nickerson, Carol Plato, Tony Vazzano Two Saw-whet Owls at the McLane Center in Concord, NH by Rebecca Suomala ..........32 Injured Eastern Whip-poor-will .......................................................................................32 PHOTO QUIZ Field Trip Report David Donsker Adventure Birding by Dan Hubbard ................................................................................33 PHOTO EDITOR Birds and Beer Wrap-Up by Paul Lacourse .......................................................................33 Wendy Chatel The Birds and the Bees of Ponemah Bog by Phil Brown ...................................................34 WEB MASTER White Wagtail in Rye, NH Kathy Barnes Discovering a White Wagtail by Josh Gahagan .................................................................35 FIELD TRIP REPORTS A White Wagtail! by Katherine Towler .............................................................................35 Phil Brown Joining in on the White Wagtail Fun by Jon Woolf ..........................................................35 WHERE TO BIRD White Wagtail in Coastal New Hampshire – A First New Hampshire Record…and more. Scott Heron by David B. Donsker .......................................................................................................36 EDITORIAL TEAM Volunteers and Research – A Plastic Diet: Is Our Plastic Addiction Ending Up in Our Seabirds? Phil Brown, Wendy Chatel, Hank Chary, by Dr. Gabriela Bradt .......................................................................................................39 David Deifik, David Donsker, Ben Griffith, Backyard Birder – Chukars – What Are They Doing in New Hampshire? by Brenda Sens .......42 Dan Hubbard, Pam Hunt, Lauren Kras, Iain MacLeod, Eric Masterson, Answer to the Photo Quiz by David B. Donsker .....................................................................42 Robert A. Quinn, Rebecca Suomala, Tony Vazzano, Jon Woolf www.nhbirdrecords.org Cover Photos: White Wagtail by Josh Gahagan (top) who discovered the bird on 11-2-2016 at Rye Harbor SP, Rye, NH, and Steve Bennett (bottom), 11-3-2016, Hampton, NH. New Hampshire Bird Records is published quarterly by New Hampshire Audubon’s Conservation Department. Thank you to the many observers who submit their sightings to NH eBird (www.ebird.org/nh), the source of data for this publication. Records are selected for publication and not all species reported will appear in the issue. The published sightings typically represent the highlights of the season. All records are subject to review by the NH Rare Birds Committee and publication of reports here does not imply future acceptance by the Committee. Please contact the Managing Editor if you would like to report your sightings but are unable to use NH eBird. New Hampshire Bird Records © NHA September, 2017 Published by New Hampshire Audubon’s Conservation Department Printed on Recycled Paper Rob Woodward Tries to Leave New Hampshire Behind From Sandy and Mark Turner, birders from Lyman, NH (at times). added to his bird library was The Arizona Breeding Bird Atlas. (Too bad he wasn’t in New Hampshire for the fieldwork One day in January in Sierra Vista, Arizona — here.) “Hi. I see you’re from New Hampshire.” (looking Sierra Vista has wonderful birding and many excellent, at our license plate) fun birders. As one American Birding Association former “My name is Rob ..... Rob Woodward.” board member said, “Rob will be such an asset to our birding “Hi back. Sandy and Mark Turner.” (looking at his community.” binoculars) ...and missed here in New Hampshire. Happy Trails, Rob. “I know your names”.... “from the NH Bird List and New Hampshire Bird Records.” Thank You Rob! “I know your name!” In the fall of 2016, Rob Woodward retired and left the “How come we never met?” (together) state for better year round birding pastures. Rob has led For the next three months, we neighbors in Sierra Vista, countless birding field trips, especially for NH Audubon’s Arizona enjoyed birding together. Rob was considering Capital Area Chapter. He did regular bird surveys at Turkey retiring to this locale and Mark and I had been snowbirds Pond and led a nighthawk watch in Concord each fall (see his over several winters there, so we knew the area and many article on page 25). He has been a member of the NH Rare of the local birders. By the time we left for our cottage in Birds Committee and a regular reporter to New Hampshire Lyman, NH, he had become comfortable; helping lead bird Bird Records and NH eBird. He will be greatly missed and walks at the San Pedro Riparian Area, climbing Hunter we’re not surprised to hear that he has already been tapped to Canyon several times for the Rufous-capped Warbler, joining lead field trips in Arizona. the Spring hawkwatch at Tubac where Common Black Hawk Thank you to those who donated towards this issue in is the target, and watching thousands of Sandhill Cranes at Rob’s honor: Whitewater Draw. The hairy, scary Carr Mountain Road was Kathleen Brockett, Phil Brown, Capital Area Chapter of conquered for wonderful views of Buff-bellied Flycatchers and NH Audubon, Common Nighthawks Forever, Dorothy Tufted Flycatchers, sometimes in the same binocular view. Currier, George Green, Sylvia Hartmann, Dan Hubbard, As many New Hampshire birders know, Rob enjoys Pam Hunt, Stephanie and Bill Parkinson, Robert A. looking for nests. He commented to us that it seemed easier Quinn, Andrea and George Robbins, Fern Schneider, to find them in southeast Arizona. One of the first books he Mark Suomala, Rebecca Suomala, Ruth White PHOTO QUIZ Can You Identify This Bird? Answer on page 42. Photos by Scott Heron. NH Bird Records. Vol. 35, No. 3 1 FALL SEASON August 1 through November 30, 2016 by Benjamin Griffith ew Hampshire experienced and Lauren Kras Nwidespread drought during 2016, with severe to extreme drought covering the southern part of the state throughout the fall season. This extremely dry weather may have contributed to a relatively slow fall migration in several ways. Birds may have departed the breeding grounds Brant by Leo McKillop, 10-23-2016, Rye Harbor SP, NH. early if their nests failed due to to photograph any reported Cackling Goose. Critical drought, there may have been fewer identification marks are the smaller, more triangular bill, hatch-year birds for similar reasons, and birds may have been shorter stouter neck, and squarer head. The occurrence of less likely to stop if the dry conditions made the area less small but otherwise typical Canada-type Geese in New productive. A rainy October contrasted with the otherwise Hampshire is a bit of a mystery, but they may be hybrids dry season and downed waterbirds throughout the interior of with Cackling Geese, Canada Geese that failed to grow to the state. full size due to malnutrition or other defect, or possibly Despite the drought, one of the smaller sub-species of Canada Geese. (Check out there were quite a few http://www.sibleyguides.com/2010/09/bill-size-not-shape- highlights. On the distinguishes-cackling-and-canada-goose/ for an interesting rarity front, a first-for- photo comparison of Cackling and Canada Goose bills.) New-England White Snow Geese were reported at five locations, about average for Wagtail took top recent years, but were highlighted by 89 in Errol. Brant were billing. Although reported frequently along the coast during October and early nothing else was in the November with a large migration event peaking on October