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Checklist S74378976

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Main Details

Nocturnal
Location Tuckernuck Island (restricted access)
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Additional Details

People

Owner Sky Kardell

Effort

Protocol:  Traveling
  • Observers:  2
  • Distance:  14.2 km

Checklist Comments

light winds from the W overnight at 4kts, 16-17 C, and for the most part incredibly tranquil and still. Humidity at 66%, and great visibility of surrounding islands, including Cape Poge. Excellent radar last night, and this was the result.

I started out about an hour before astronomical dawn, hoping to try out my NFC zoom mic, which I set up on a chair outside at the field station, and then proceeded to walk down to the Reed Pond while I waited. I tried playing some various tape there with minimal success, and several other spots along the slough. Several NFCs heard while doing this, although only the thrushes were identifiable. Nearing nautical dawn, I put away the mic and made my way up to N Head for first light.

RRV met me at apprx civil dawn, and we birded hard around the immediate area of N Head until about 0900, when he went to pick up LB and SF from the lagoon. The plan was to rendezvous again at 1200 and boat over to Muskeget Island, so I spent the intermittent hours mainly birding the NW side of the island, including Taylor, Phinney, Robinson, Watrous, Clark, Pease, Triangle Pines, and firehouse. Obvious highlight of this expedition was the SWWA (!!!), detailed notes of which can be found below.

After returning from Muskeget at around 1530, I proceeded to bird my way around the E half of the island, mainly E Pond and the airstrip, but to little avail. Low tide at this point, and very little on the flats.

Overall, an utterly amazing day of birding on Tuckernuck, and an exhausting one, too.

Submitted from eBird for Android, version 2.1.1

Totals

107
Species Observed
+12 other taxa, 2,985 individuals
6
Species with Photos

Observations

  1. Brant (Atlantic)

    Number observed:  8

  2. Canada Goose

    Number observed:  45

  3. Blue-winged Teal

    Number observed:  5

    Details

    *uncommon; E Pond.

  4. Mallard

    Number observed:  16

  5. American Black Duck

    Number observed:  12

  6. Green-winged Teal (American)

    Number observed:  5

    Details

    *uncommon; E Pond.

  7. Common Eider (Dresser's)

    Number observed:  45

  8. Surf Scoter

    Number observed:  35

  9. White-winged Scoter

    Number observed:  120

  10. Surf/Black Scoter

    Number observed:  20

  11. scoter sp.

    Number observed:  200

  12. duck sp.

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    small duck seen in flight with scoters from N Head, had both myself and RRV thinking teal but too distant to tell.

  13. Yellow-billed Cuckoo

    Number observed:  1

  14. Sora

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    *uncommon; responded to playback at Reed Pond before astronomical dawn.

  15. American Oystercatcher

    Number observed:  5

  16. Black-bellied Plover

    Number observed:  125

  17. American Golden-Plover

    Number observed:  2

    Details

    *uncommon; 1 at N Pond, another at E Pond.

  18. Killdeer

    Number observed:  1

  19. Semipalmated Plover

    Number observed:  13

  20. American Woodcock

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    *uncommon; solo bird flushed from path at astronomical dawn, distinctive wing whistle.

  21. Spotted Sandpiper

    Number observed:  1

  22. Greater Yellowlegs

    Number observed:  2

  23. Ruddy Turnstone

    Number observed:  11

  24. Sanderling

    Number observed:  110

  25. Pectoral Sandpiper

    Number observed:  1

  26. Semipalmated Sandpiper

    Number observed:  3

  27. Laughing Gull

    Number observed:  130

    Details

    ~60% juvs

  28. Ring-billed Gull

    Number observed:  11

  29. American Herring Gull

    Number observed:  100

  30. Great Black-backed Gull

    Number observed:  85

  31. Lesser Black-backed Gull

    Number observed:  19

    Details

    *high; almost all adults, including a flock of 16 feeding almost like Sanderlings below the S Bluff.

  32. Common Loon

    Number observed:  2

  33. Northern Gannet

    Number observed:  1

  34. Double-crested Cormorant

    Number observed:  750

  35. Yellow-crowned Night Heron

    Number observed:  10

    Details

    *high; found the ultimate treasure trove of night-heron roosts and carefully counted the juvs of this species as they departed the kettle pond.

  36. Black-crowned Night Heron

    Number observed:  22

  37. Great Egret

    Number observed:  2

  38. Great Blue Heron (Great Blue)

    Number observed:  4

  39. Turkey Vulture

    Number observed:  3

  40. Osprey (American)

    Number observed:  1

  41. Cooper's Hawk

    Number observed:  1

  42. Northern Harrier

    Number observed:  2

  43. Red-tailed Hawk (borealis)

    Number observed:  2

  44. American Barn Owl

    Number observed:  3

  45. owl sp.

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    possibly a LEOW... was making some small owl noises with my mouth in the Triangle Pines right before heading to Reed Pond, and had a largeish owl swoop overhead and seemingly disappear into treecover. Too quick to draw my flashlight on it too. If I hadn't seen it return into pine, I would have thought BANO, as I had heard one not but a few minutes later.

  46. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    juv

  47. Red-bellied Woodpecker

    Number observed:  5

    Details

    *high; several individuals throughout island.

  48. Downy Woodpecker (Eastern)

    Number observed:  6

  49. Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)

    Number observed:  32

  50. woodpecker sp.

    Number observed:  1

  51. Peregrine Falcon (North American)

    Number observed:  1

  52. Least Flycatcher

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    *late; heard calling at dawn at N Head, seen by RRV.

  53. Eastern Phoebe

    Number observed:  2

  54. White-eyed Vireo

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    *scarce; Hussey, ph.

    Media

  55. Blue-headed Vireo

    Number observed:  14

    Details

    *high; very omnipresent and likely an undercount, including a single singing individual.

  56. Warbling Vireo

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    *late; N Head, presumably of the Eastern ssp.

  57. Red-eyed Vireo

    Number observed:  13

    Details

    *high; accurate count of many birds encountered in mixed flocks throughout island.

  58. Blue Jay

    Number observed:  18

  59. American Crow

    Number observed:  21

  60. crow sp.

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    one FICR-like call

  61. Black-capped Chickadee

    Number observed:  28

  62. Tree Swallow

    Number observed:  85

  63. Ruby-crowned Kinglet

    Number observed:  3

  64. Golden-crowned Kinglet

    Number observed:  3

  65. Red-breasted Nuthatch

    Number observed:  21

  66. Northern House Wren (Northern)

    Number observed:  4

    Details

    *uncommon; avg numbers here during migration.

  67. Carolina Wren

    Number observed:  6

  68. European Starling

    Number observed:  25

  69. Gray Catbird

    Number observed:  110

    Details

    *high; this is a number agreed upon both by myself and RRV, after experiencing an overwhelming amount of these birds around the island's west end.

  70. Brown Thrasher

    Number observed:  2

  71. Veery

    Number observed:  3

    Details

    *late; 2 heard around astronomical dawn as NFCs, a distinctive "veer". 1 locale bird encountered by Pease.

  72. Gray-cheeked Thrush

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    adding retroactively on 10/6 upon listening to audio recordings from this night, and uploading them onto Raven Lite.

    Media

  73. Gray-cheeked/Bicknell's Thrush

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    *late; distinctive downslurred modulated call heard around nautical dawn, and hopefully caught on mic but uncertain.

  74. Swainson's Thrush (Olive-backed)

    Number observed:  5

    Details

    *high; 4/5 heard as NCFs from astronomical dawn leading up to civil dawn, some quite low, and likely more captured on the mic. 1 locale juv still with some scalloping on the back by firehouse.

  75. Hermit Thrush (faxoni/crymophilus)

    Number observed:  1

  76. Wood Thrush

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    **late; Triangle Pines, giving machine-gun calls, ph.

    Media

  77. American Robin

    Number observed:  15

  78. Cedar Waxwing

    Number observed:  25

  79. American Pipit

    Number observed:  1

  80. House Finch

    Number observed:  2

  81. Purple Finch (Eastern)

    Number observed:  1

  82. Pine Siskin

    Number observed:  14

    Details

    *irruption year; exact.

  83. American Goldfinch

    Number observed:  16

  84. Chipping Sparrow

    Number observed:  4

  85. Clay-colored Sparrow

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    *uncommon; likely 2 separate birds.

  86. Spizella sp.

    Number observed:  1

  87. White-throated Sparrow

    Number observed:  8

  88. Saltmarsh Sparrow

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    N Head

  89. Savannah Sparrow (Savannah)

    Number observed:  22

  90. Song Sparrow (melodia/atlantica)

    Number observed:  40

  91. Swamp Sparrow

    Number observed:  3

  92. Lincoln's/Swamp Sparrow

    Number observed:  2

    Details

    heard

  93. Eastern Towhee

    Number observed:  175

    Details

    *high; incredibly abundant, and a number agreed upon both by myself and RRV, as we had estimated no less than 100 birds at N Head alone.

  94. new world sparrow sp.

    Number observed:  5

    Details

    many smaller sparrows (probably SAVS) around the slough at dusk

  95. Bobolink

    Number observed:  13

    Details

    *uncommon; all mf

  96. Baltimore Oriole

    Number observed:  6

  97. Brown-headed Cowbird

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    *uncommon; sitting atop N Head before going out in mf.

  98. Northern Waterthrush

    Number observed:  2

    Details

    *late; 1 by inlet calling, another by Reed Pond calling.

    Media

  99. Black-and-white Warbler

    Number observed:  1

  100. Swainson's Warbler

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    ***MEGA; latest date record for this species in MA, and only I believe 6th or 7th overall (?). First island record, as well as first county record.

    Absolutely agonizing encounter with a bird seen on the road leading away from the firehouse, up towards Robinson House. While making my way to the rendezvous point for the boat over to Muskeget, I caught a brush of movement just the peripheral of my vision. I quickly got on the bird with my bare eyes, at a distance of 15-20 feet, as it perched for a total of perhaps three seconds atop a low-lying branch after with a green caterpillar in its mouth(!!), having jumped up from beneath the cover of undergrowth. Immediately, I recognized the bird to be a Swainson's Warbler given my point-blank, unobstructed view with moderate lighting.

    Upon rapidly tearing my camera from my flank, the bird hopped back down into cover, and I somewhat foolishly immediately went to chase after it. The bird took off again, but yet again into even denser cover, from which my knee-high boots could not easily penetrate. I tried, without luck, to coax the bird out by playing tape, especially with the "ew ew stepped in poo" song for which this species gains its unique pneumonic. After some amount of time repeating this, the Robinsons turned on their outdoor generator (very loud!), and I knew that the bird would not come out easily at this point. I took this opportunity to run up to Witherby-Dunham House, the nearest area with reliable cell signal, and immediately after gaining a bar, called RRV and SF frantically to get them to come down to the firehouse.

    After nearly a half hour of myself, RRV, SF, and LB (and Calypso) furiously charging around the oak woods looking for this bird, we decided to continue on towards Muskeget, with hopes of refinding the bird in the early morning. This is how we left things, rather unfortunately, with more concrete documentation needed. Interestingly, according to RRV, this very same particular stretch of wood has hosted both PROW and WEWA in the past.

    Key features, identifying this bird as Swainson's Warbler over all other possibilities.
    - (immediate impression), a medium-sized warbler very clearly sporting a heavy, strong bill, which it was using to clutch a green caterpillar.
    - dull brown overall, with no wingbars, and a clean breast (ruling out other possibilities of other such brown warblers with unmarked wings, i.e. OVEN, the waterthrushes)
    - diffuse, but contrasting facial pattern with a distinctly deeper uniformly-colored crown, an off sort of beige perhaps but with rufous undertones (ruling out WEWA which would have a distinctly striped crown, and much more contrasting features overall, including a more orangey undertone to the face and throat)
    - general posture was striking position, almost wren-like, but without the long tail (this bird had a very short tail, and appeared chest-heavy and unbalanced because of this, possibly adding to the 'striking position' effect)

    RRV and I plan on covering area thoroughly tomorrow morning at dawn, hopefully providing photographs to go along with report.

  101. Nashville Warbler

    Number observed:  3

    Details

    *high; exact count of birds encountered throughout morning.

  102. Connecticut Warbler

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    *rare; Chapel House thickets, ph.

    Media

  103. Common Yellowthroat

    Number observed:  4

  104. Hooded Warbler

    Number observed:  2

    Details

    *rare; 1 male by Skip Windsor's cottage, another male in Triangle Pines, ph of both.

    Media

  105. American Redstart

    Number observed:  2

    Details

    *flagged; one in mf, another by firehouse.

  106. Cape May Warbler

    Number observed:  2

    Details

    *flagged; one late in mf, another flyover heard.

  107. Northern Parula

    Number observed:  16

    Details

    *high; accurate count of many birds, at most, 6 in one mixed flock. Only 1 in mf.

  108. Magnolia Warbler

    Number observed:  8

    Details

    *high; accurate count, generally in more hardwood habitat.

  109. Blackpoll Warbler

    Number observed:  37

    Details

    *high; many birds in mf, and even more in response to tape at various spots around island.

  110. Black-throated Blue Warbler

    Number observed:  7

    Details

    *high; including a flock of 4 at Triangle Pines, all males, save 1 female.

  111. Palm Warbler

    Number observed:  9

  112. Pine Warbler

    Number observed:  11

  113. Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)

    Number observed:  120

    Details

    *high; many in mf, but predominantly as the main component species of mixed flocks throughout island.

  114. Setophaga sp.

    Number observed:  30

  115. Wilson's Warbler

    Number observed:  3

    Details

    *high; 2 in mf at N Head, another by firehouse.

  116. new world warbler sp.

    Number observed:  5

  117. Northern Cardinal

    Number observed:  3

  118. Indigo Bunting

    Number observed:  6

    Details

    *high; accurate count of individuals throughout island in a variety of different habitats. Most calling a distinctive "zzt" call.

  119. Dickcissel

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    *uncommon; flyover at N Head in mf.

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