The Nesting Season June 1-July 31, 1973
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The Nesting SeasonJune 1-July 31, 1973 NORTHEASTERN MARITIME REGION offshore islands it doesn't seem an obvious first choice /Davis W. Finch for prospectingManx Shearwaters,and one naturally wonders if nesting might have been occurringunde- Junewas a particularlywet monthalmost throughout tectedelsewhere in the n.w. North Atlanticprior to this the Region, adverselyaffecting terns and martinsin a first proven instance. The young bird hatched and number of areas. A big storm with 70 m.p.h. winds in fledged,and further details of the record will be pub- the Maritimes June 17 had a marked effect on several lished at a later date. colonialnesters, and floodingin New Englandin early July resultedin water levels too high for loons, water- fowl and certainmarsh nesters. The spreadof Spruce Bud Worm in Maine and the Matitimes has been fol- Other Manx Shearwatersreported in theperiod June lowed by the increaseor spreadof several insectivor- 1---Aug. 15 included 13 individuals on seven dates in ous species. Massachusettswaters eastward to Cape Cod, 10 on four datesin the Gulf of Maine and the Bay of Fundy, 14 in Cabot Strait July 15 (DSC et al.) and a total of 29 off Great I. in Witless Bay, Nfld., on four dates Aug 4-14 (BM). A bird identified as Black-cappedPetrel was seen "about halfway between Cutler, Me. and Machias Seal I., N.B." June27 (GSG). The observer, familiar with East Coasttubenoses, noted among other field marksthe bird's short,thick, blackbill and capped appearanceformed by a broad white collar and some A •o•'t, •. ' whiteon the forehead.There are no previousrecords of the speciesin Maine or New Brunswick. An unques- tionableRed-billed Tropicbird was foundin a moribund conditionon a tenth floor wondow ledgeof the Rhode IslandHospital Trust NationalBank building in Provl- dence, July 3 (specimento M.C.Z.). The more south- • ."...• •.-4•-•o.o,,,0•,•. o c E .• N erly of the two Atlantic tropicbirdsand muchthe rarer as an accidental,this was a first Regionaloccurrence, though there is a specimenrecord from New York "••'4-,.•.%•....o,*.a• -- (JamaicaBay, June, 1963). Six speciesoccurring in this brief period provided CORMORANTS, HERONS, IBISES--Non- first state or provincialrecords, and 13 first state or breeding Great Cormorants occasionally summer provincial records, and 13 first state or provincial alongthe coastin the s. part of the Region;this year breeding records were also established. therewere three at BlockI., R.I., June6-11 (RLF), a first early summerrecord for the state,and another was TUBENOSES, TROPICBIRDS•he discovery seen in Maine on Wooden Ball I., in the Matimcus of N. Fulmar breedingin the Region(to be reported •n detail in Am. Birds, Feb. 1974) representedthe group, July 8 (DWF, CMP et al.). Resultsof a June 21 first confirmedbreeding record south of Ba•n I., a censusof Rhode Island's Gould I. heronry,reveahng considerable but not altogether unexpected range an over-allreduction in numbers,were as follows extension perhaps foret61d by the recent increase in (pairs):Little Blue Heron, 10; Cattle Egret, 25; Great s•ghtingsin Regional waters (Bob Montgomerieet Egret, 5; Snowy Egret, 25; Black-crownedN•ght al ). Reflecting this trend, non-breeders have been Heron, 20 (DW). Figures from the Region's other mixed heronties were not available, but on Prince Ed- appearing more frequently: as last summer, some were present in the Gulf of Maine, two being seen ward I. (below P.E.I.) Great Blue heronties of 200 from the "Bluenose" July 23 (WCT et al.), and in nestsat Squaw Bay and 92 at Rustico I. were found to Cabot Strait as many as 63 were counted July 8 havelost respectively 130 and 42 youngbirds as a result (BM, JW). of a wind andrain stormJune 15-17(AAMacL), while in New Hampshirea colonyof about55 nests on Long I. in SquamL. was apparentlyunaffected by heavy rains and floodingin early July (FRS). Single Cattle A more dramaticfind wasthat of an incubatingManx Egretsturned up at eightlocalities in Maine and New Shea•ater fortuitously uncovered when Gus Ben Brunswickduring June, and about 25 were present David tu•ed over a plank at PenikeseI., Mass., June throughoutthe summeron JamestownI., R.I., where 4 Penikese is situated at the mouth of Buzzards Bay they are not knownto breed(MD). In New Brunswick, near the w. end of the Elizabeth Is. chain, and has been threeSnowy Egrets present in the SaintJohn area since known since1933 as the southernmostbreeding locality April lingeredat SaintsRest Marsh throughthe first for Leach's Petrel, yet among the Region's many week of June(CLJ), and anotherturned up at Cape 1020 American Birds, December 1973 JourimainI. June22 (ARGMcl). Six LouisianaHerons were presentduring the summerat coastallocalities in Massachusettsand Rhode Island, the birds being each year a bit lessunusual though still not establishedas breeders. On Block I. there were two nests of Yellow- crownedNight Herons,probably the Region'sscarcest breedingheron, and an immaturewas found as far north as Sydney, Cape Breton Aug. 9 (IMacG). Two Glossy Ibises, rare in Newfoundland, were present on the Burin Pen. at Frenchman's Cove P. P. from June to mid-July(photographed, George Draskoy et al., fide PRH). Though the birds were rather generouslyscat- teredthroughout the summerin coastalNew England Swallow-tailed Kite, Block 1., R.I., June 7, 1973. First from Rhode Island north to the big colony at Stratton state record. Photo/Richard C. Ferren. I., Me., the only new breedinglocality detectedwas in the Isles of Shoals, where a singlepair nestedat Apple- much reduced Ospreys of s. New England are as dore I. follows: in-Massachusetts, 14 nests in the Westport area produced 28 young (JF), 3 nests on Martha's WATERFOWL--An estimate of 850 Mute Swans Vineyard produced 7 young (GGD), and in Rhode on Martha's Vineyard, including a count of 622 on Island 6 nests in South County produced 12 young SquibnocketPond Aug. 18, wasthought to indicatean (EAS, DW). The average of 2 young per nest rep- increaseof about30 per cent over last year (GGD). A resented a slight improvementover the recent past noteworthy record unavailablefor the last report was OF). A gray Gyrfalcon at Gros Morne National Park, that of a Black Brant studiedat Duxbury, Mass., May 3 Nfld. June 20 was a first summer record there (PRH, (RAF, CAG, WRP); besidesthe dark belly, the obser- Harold MacCausland); there are insular Newfound- vers were able to see that the notably conspicuous land records for every month but summer records are white crescents met on the front of the neck, an impor- few and the species is not known to breed. tant characterin separatingdark-bellied forms of brant. After what could almost be called a flight of Gadwalls RAILS, GALLINULES--A King Rail in suitable to the Mar/times this spring,two appearedat SableI., breeding habitat was found July 18-19 at Wells, Me., N.S., June 12 and were photographedfor a first island north of the species' usual limits (HMC). In New record (JB, DWF, IAMcL). More significantly,two Brunswick's extensive Tantramar Marshes, where pairswere foundnesting at Indian River, P.E.I., the Yellow Rails have been reported from time to time Region'sfirst nestingrecord north of the population since their discovery by George F. Boyer in 1948, at presently expanding in s. New England (banded, least 4 birds were found June 20-July 11, calling at photographed;Randy Dibblee, Darryl Guignion).Two different localities, including, in response to tape re- pairsof N. Shovelersnested at the samelocality, fol- corder playback, this observer's elbow! (DWF el al.). lowing the P.E.I. breedingrecord last year, and the There is no satisfactory evidence that the speciesever species,which now appearsfairly well establishedin e. bred in New England, and the only nest to have been New Brunswick(Tantramar Marshes, Cape Jourimain found in New England or Atlantic Canada was col- I.), might well expandfurther; five at Beaver Cove, lected near Milltown, N.B., Sept. 10, 1881, on which CapeBreton July 14certainly suggested this possibility surprisingdate it contained5 eggs.A road-injuredPur- (IMacG). At the LancasterSewage Lagoon in Saint ple Gallinule was picked up at Pembroke, Mass., June John West, N:B. a Lesser Scaup and 3 carefully 12 and taken to M. B. O. (v.o., fide RAF). watched but non-breedingpairs of Ruddy Ducks re- mained throughoutthe summer (CLJ et al.). SHOREBIRDS---American Oystercatchers bred for the fifth or sixth year in Massachusetts, with the RAPTORS---Following sight reports of two sepa- usualmixed success,though the total of five nestswas rate birds in Massachusetts during May, two the highestto date, as was the number of non-breeding Swallow-tailedKites were photographedat Block I., adults present. A nest at Monomoy containing 3 eggs R.I., June 7, a first state record (RLF). A pair of and a chick May 27 was apparently abandoned (RAF, Red-shouldered Hawks somewhat northeastward of CAG), and at Chappaquiddick,where two young were the species'usual limits was seen at Bayfield, N.B., raisedlast summer(PM), a singleyoung bird was found June 19 (DWF, RDL, ARGMcl), and single late or Aug. 14(GGD, EMS, RMS). At Nantucket a nestwith summering Rough-legged Hawks were found at 2 eggs was found at Great Pt. May 30, and two pairs Sakonnet Pt., R.I. June 2 (DLE, RE), at Amherst, nested on Tuckernuck I., results unknown (EFA). A N.S., June 20 (DWF) and at Mount Desert I., Me., Killdeer with 2 chicks at Stephenville Crossing, Nfld., July 19 (WCT). A Golden Eagle was reported from July 16represented a secondprovincial breeding record Sweden, Me., July 14 (PR fide CMP), and another, (DSC, MM et al.). In New Brunswick, a pair of Upland thought to be in its third year, was present on Sandpipers present June 8-20 and almost certainly Martha's Vineyard from early June into July (ABD breeding at Midgic were somewhat east of the well- fide GGD).