Embedded Files
Silver Gull
Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae (formerly Larus novaehollandiae)Silver Gull
At first glance there was nothing extraordinary about the “rather large” gathering of gulls and terns on Summerville Pier the morning of 17 August 1947. However, as L.H. Paul, Hugh Schaefer and Howard Miller retraced their steps and approached a Coast Guard lookout tower at the pier, they “noticed a gull which was instantly recognized as something very unusual.”Right away they noted its brilliant red legs “which could not possibly escape observation at any reasonable distance,” Miller later wrote. The bird appeared to be about two inches longer than the Ring-billed Gulls on the pier, with a paler gray mantle, red on the bill in addition to the feet, and “sharp black markings” on the outer primaries. At first the birders thought it might be a Black-headed Gull, but it was rather large and lacked any dark marking on the head. “After careful comparison with descriptions of gulls in all reference books which could be obtained,” they concluded it was a Slender-billed Gull. This would be a first record not only for Rochester, but all of North America; nonetheless, the birders felt justified by the fact that “European gulls are becoming of increasing frequency in eastern America,” Miller noted. (GOS, November 1947) The bird was observed the following weekend in almost the same spot. On 30 August, it was decided to collect the bird. William Dilger took careful aim . . . and a legend was born.When the bird was shot, it flopped over into the lake. Another birder, Allan Klonick, promptly stripped down, dove in and retrieved it. It was a remarkable display of dedication, to say the least. And with every retelling in birding circles, the incident became further embellished in ways that Klonick was quick to dispel in an interview shortly before he died. No, he did not hold the bird between his teeth like a retriever! And, no, he did not have to dodge ice flows. Not in August! However, he conceded, he was not the best swimmer, so there was an element of risk involved. (Marcotte, p. 9)The bird, it turned out, was a Silver Gull, of a race normally found in Australia. Subsequent examination revealed that it was a female, “fat and molting,” with pale yellow eyes.
Background
Subspecies of this opportunistic scavenger occur in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, mainly along the coasts but occasionally far inland on rivers and dams in the Australasian region, notes Peter Harrison in Seabirds. (Harrison, pp. 352-353)
Status Exotic, very rare vagrant
Occurrence The 1947 bird is our only record. How had it arrived here? Miller considered three possibilities: 1) It had escaped from captivity. However, this bird showed no signs of it. 2) It was a truly wild bird that had simply wandered an incredible distance from home. However, it probably would have reached the West Coast first, and even gulls commonly found there were, at that time, unknown here, Miller conceded. 3) It was the pet of a sailor or soldier that had escaped. However, Miller noted, strict bans on importing foreign birds and animals, as a precaution against spread of disease, “militates against this possibility.”Miller’s conclusion: the bird’s true origin remained “in considerable doubt.” (GOS, November 1947) The Monroe County annotated list notes the bird is “generally regarded as an escape, but despite diligent research, no record of potential origin has been found” (AL, p. 32). The gull was described as having an enlarged ovary, which would not be expected in a bird that had been kept captive in northern temperate latitudes for two or three years. That, plus the fact that the feet and plumage were in perfect condition, led Beardslee and Mitchell to believe that the bird was not an escape but a true “wanderer from southern seas” (B&M, p. 255). However, Bob McKinney, in a later tribute to Allan Klonick, reported that “it was later decided that the Silver Gull had been released from a European zoo during the war.” (LG April 2003)
Bonaparte’s Gull
Chroicocephalus philadelphia (formerly Larus Philadelphia)Bonaparte’s Gull
One of the interesting sights of late fall and early winter is when these small buoyant gulls gather off the mouth of the Genesee River for “cafeteria line” or “conveyor belt” feeding. On 1 December 1993, for example, this birder was “treated to the spectacle of about 70-80 Bonaparte’s Gulls, and a single adult Little Gull, working the sharply defined edge where brown muddy water coming out from the river hits the bluer lake water.” Starting at a point just off the Charlotte pier, “they face into the southeast breezes and work into the wind, apparently using it to help keep them aloft,” while they slowly advance, deliberately scanning the water below, and occasionally diving down into the water. “When they work to the end of the Summerville pier, they peel back, let the wind carry them rapidly back to the starting point, and begin all over again.” (Marcotte diary entry) Presumably, schools of fish were milling in the area where the clear lake water suddenly came up against the muddy water discharging from the river.
Background
This small gull acts more like a tern, with buoyant flight, readily distinguished by the white wedge on the forewing. It is the only gull that almost always nests in trees, usually coniferous. Its occurrence is a study in contrast: In winter, it gathers by the thousands in coastal areas near human activity. During the breeding season, however, it is solitary, or found in very loose colonies, nesting in sparsely wooded areas around ponds, bogs, bays and fiords in the remote taiga and boreal forests of Alaska and Canada. By mid July some birds gather for the southward migration, eventually forming large flocks, and wintering as far north as there is ice-free water, and as far south as Mexico. They migrate north again starting in March. “Conveyor belt” method of feeding reported at several locations. Populations are not considered threatened, but no data on recent trends. (BNA 634: 1, 2, 4, 6, 15)
Local history
“Next to the Herring gull this is the best known and most generally distributed gull in the State, especially in the interior,” Eaton (1910) wrote. He listed this as a fairly common transient in Monroe and Wayne counties, but uncommon in Livingston. (Eaton I: 135, county charts)R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, indicated average counts of two to four birds, but a maximum count of 5,000, on dates ranging from 14 July to 9 May. There had been a marked increase since 1931, he noted. Prior to that year, 100 was the largest number seen. Richard O’Hara, then 15, wrote in his diary on 23 April 1938 of arriving at the lake and seeing a “tremendous flock of Bonapart Gulls, at least 7,000 in number, extending all the way from Summerville to Rock Beach or about two miles and about 50 to 100 feet wide.”When Leo Tanghe analyzed the tallies from 1,665 outings by Genesee Ornithological Society members from 1951-54, he found this species reported 516 times within a 50-mile radius of Rochester, trailing only Herring (1,082) and Ring-billed (1,061) in frequency of sightings. Nearly half the sightings of Bonaparte’s (252) were late August through November; another 93 were during the last three weeks of April when highest average counts of 100-200 were observed. There were only 10 sightings in June, six in January, and none during February and the first half of March. (KB 5: 69: 3A-3B)
Status
Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a regular, fairly common to abundant spring and fall transient and an irregular, fairly common to very common summer visitant.Livingston County, Fox (1998) considered this a (presumably occasional) rare to uncommon winter visitant, a (presumably regular) fairly common spring transient, and a (presumably irregular) rare to uncommon fall transient.
Occurrence
Spring: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 8 February to 12 April, with a mid range, or “normal arrival time” of 18 March to 3 April. In most years had departed by 27 May, with a late departure date of 29 June.Though usually associated primarily with the lakefront, this species is “often seen in small flocks on Conesus Lake in migration,” Fox notes. “It can sometimes be seen touching down at small ponds or puddles along the Genesee River during the spring season.” (Fox, p. 51)
Spring maxima: 2,300 on 18 April 1953 (McKinney et al) along the lakeshore. (GOS, May/August 1953) 2,500 on 23 April 1970 (Listman) at Braddock Bay. (GOS, June 1970) 3,000 on 23 April 1994 (R. and S. Spahn, Beckman) off Durand-Eastman. (GOS, June 1994) Max. 3,000+ on 25-26 April 1992 (R. Spahn et al) off Hamlin. (GOS, June 1992) 7,500 max. on 24-27 April 1971 (mob) at Irondequoit Bay. (GNR) 5,110 on 27 April 1974 (Genesee Ornithological Society hike) at Braddock Bay. (KB24: 136) 3,500 on 28 April 2001 (Symonds, R. Spahn) Hamlin Beach SP. (LG, June 2001) 3,000 on 3 May 1956 (Listman) from Braddock Bay to Hamlin. (GOS, January-June 1956)
Summer: With no breeding sites known in our region, sightings often taper off after mid May, with post breeding birds usually not appearing in any numbers until July. (LG, August 1980). For example, there were only two sightings during the last half of June during the years 1951-1954, according to Tanghe’s analysis. However, a few remained through the summer near Braddock Bay and Round Pond in 1971 (KB 21:220), and several, many of them adults, remained in June 1980. (LG, August 1980) The Monroe County annotated list (1985) gave a range of dates from 21 June to 6 August.
Summer maxima: 117 on 26 June 1977 (S. Smith) at Long Pond. (LG, July 1977) 100 on 19 July 1959 (Listman) at Manitou. (KB 9:125) 200 on 26 or 27 July 1969 (O’Hara, Miller) at Ontario Beach. (KB 19:216, GNR) 100 on 29 July 1974 (N. Henderson et al) at Charlotte (GOS, July 1974) Fall: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 28 July to 24 September, with a mid range, or “normal arrival time” of 8 August to 2 September. Subsequently, four on 18 July 1987 (S. Hazen) at Charlotte provided an even earlier fall arrival date. (GOS, August/September 1987) In most years had departed by 15 December, with a late departure date of 23 January.The last three years of the Hamlin Beach Lakewatch project tallied 32,018, 18,131, and 20,349 migrants respectively, most headed west, apparently toward the Niagara River. Analyzing the lakewatch data, Ewald and Sherony indicate that the transient population moving past Hamlin Beach, on average, could be as high as 20,000, which would constitute as much as 20 percent of the Bonaparte’s Gulls seen on the Niagara. Migrants off Hamlin Beach were flying in “loosely connected flocks, flying low to medium altitude above the water,” often close to shore or right along the shoreline. (Ewald and Sherony, p. 88) Fox cites a Conesus Lake maxima of 60 (C. Cass et al) on 30 November 1983. (Fox, p. 51)
Fall maxima: 5,000 on 21 November 1970 (Kemnitzer) along the lakeshore. (GNR) 3,000 and 5,000 and 3,000 on 25, 26 and 27 November 1976 (Perrigo/Perrigo/D. M. and T. Tetlow), respectively, at Braddock Bay, along the west lakeshore and at Sodus Bay. (LG, December 1976) 6,000 on 28 November 1976 (F. and R. Dobson) west lakeshore. (GOS, January 1977) 3,308 on 1 December 1999 (Ewald, Soule, Symonds) Hamlin Beach SP. (GOS, February 2000) 5,750 on 2 December 1997 Hamlin Beach SP. (Ewald and Sherony, p. 89) 3,500 on 7 December 1969 (Kemnitzer, Listman) at Irondequoit Bay. (GNR) 3,000 on 11 December 1979 (Sunderlin) off Oklahoma Beach. (GOS, February 1980) 3,500 on 28 December 1979 (Griffith et al) east lakeshore. (LG, January 1980) 20,000 on 30 December 1998 (R. Spahn et al) at Charlotte. (LG, February 1999)
A 1968 article on the status of this species in New York, stated that the peak of the fall migration in Region 2 occurred mid-September to mid-October, thinning out in December and usually disappearing by the end of that month. (KB18: 13) However, by the Hamlin Beach Lakewatch project, the median date for these migrants was 2 December, making this species one of the later migrants on Lake Ontario. (Ewald and Sherony, p. 88) As with Little Gull, most have departed by January “in preference of more hospitable winter quarters in either the Niagara Gorge or along the south shore of Lake Erie.” (LG, February 1980) Departure appears to depend on the weather. A cold December in 1989 left the ice pack off Rochester “frozen white to the horizon. This improved a bit at year’s end with the warming trend, but most Bonaparte’s and Little Gulls had departed,” observed the notes with that month’s noteworthy records in the Goshawk.
Winter: A Bonaparte’s Gull that lingered until 8 February 1971 at Russell Station was considered “very unusual.” (KB 21:78) However, anywhere from one to 30 could be seen all February 1986 from Irondequoit Bay to Russell Station. (LG, March 1986) And hundreds remained in February 1998 from the Genesee River at Charlotte to the lake off Durand-Eastman Park. Many of these birds could be easily observed in a basin between a public parking lot and the Rochester Yacht Club, just south of the Coast Guard station. (GOS, April 1998) One on 23 February 1980 at Irondequoit Bay still had a black hood. (KB 30:108)
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ribibundus (formerly Larus ridibundus) Walt Listman saw plenty of these birds during a tour of Europe in 1955, so he was ready when one showed up at the east spit of Braddock Bay on 25 Sept 1957. (KB 7:120) “This one was a winter plumage bird in a flock of more than a hundred Bonaprte gulls, and Listman got a good view of it in excellent light,” John Brown reported. (BA, 26 September 1957; WBR, 14 October 1957) It was apparently our first record for this region, and Listman promptly got a record maxima the next day, when he reported four more. (Unpublished GNR) Similarly, Mr. and Mrs. Ian Johnson, avid birders from England, had no problem picking out a bird at Charlotte that almost looked like a Bonaparte’s Gull but wasn’t. It had a reddish bill, and black under the wings near the tip, and in all respects looked just like all the other Black-headed Gulls the Johnsons were accustomed to seeing back home.Even in October 1974 it was still quite a find for this area. (BA, 30 October 1974) Black-headed Gull
Background This is the “familiar small gull of Europe,” breeding mainly in freshwater or tidal locations, dispersing in winter to scavenge on coasts, farmland and urban areas, notes Peter Harrison in Seabirds. Breeds from Iceland through most of Europe to Asia. “Range expansion in north and west still in progress; first nested Iceland 1911 and a few pairs now reported breeding in northeast North America.” This species has wintered in small numbers on the east coast of the U.S. south to Florida since about 1930; vagrants have occurred as far south as California on the Pacific Coast. (Harrison, p. 356)
Local history
This species was unrecorded in New York prior to 1937, Bull noted. (Bull, p. 285) Since the 1940s it had become a regular winter visitor along the coast, “almost invariably seen associating with Bonaparte’s Gulls,” but was still casual or very rare in western New York, he wrote in 1974. However, as this European species expanded into southwest Greenland, then northeast Canada, vagrants appeared with increasing frequency inland as well. First reliably reported near Niagara Falls in late fall 1953. (Bull, p. 285) Then came Listman’s sightings four years later. There appear to have been only three local sightings during the 1960s, and four during the 1970s, but about nine during the 80s. Then, after no sightings 1990-1995, there were about 13 more in just four years, 1996-1999, in large part because of regular coverage at the Hamlin Beach Lakewatch, which recorded 11 sightings during its last three years. (Ewald and Sherony, p. 86) All at the lakewatch were flying west, “usually seen on days when Bonaparte’s Gulls are migrating.”
Status
Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as an occasional, very rare visitant. However, that has clearly changed. Reported annually since 1996, with another 14 records during 2000-2005.
Occurrence This species has been reported at least once in every month, but about two-thirds of the 50 or so records have been September through December, with a smaller spike in April/May. Again, this may be skewed because of the traditional focus on fall lakewatching here. Interestingly, spring sightings have increased dramatically – six March-May records since 1996 – with the increased emphasis on lakewatching during that season.
Maxima: 4 on 26 September 1957 (Listman) at Manitou. (Unpublished GNR) 3 imm. on 16 April 2003 (Symonds) at Hamlin Beach SP. (KB 53:234)
Misc. During the 1986 Rochester CBC, Bill Symonds manned his usual post overlooking the lake at the end of Dewey Avenue in Greece. He was following a Bonaparte’s Gull in his binoculars when it was joined by a Little Gull, and then by a Black-headed Gull – all in the same field at one time. (Birds, 4 Jan 1987)
Misc. During the 1986 Rochester CBC, Bill Symonds manned his usual post overlooking the lake at the end of Dewey Avenue in Greece. He was following a Bonaparte’s Gull in his binoculars when it was joined by a Little Gull, and then by a Black-headed Gull – all in the same field at one time. (Birds, 4 Jan 1987)
Little Gull
Hydrocoloeus minutus (formerly Larus minutus)Little Gull
A tip from Mike Davids had already given an RBA field trip on 29 November 1981 a memorable sighting: A Red Phalarope close to the Charlotte Pier. Later, pursuing reports of a second good sighting by Davids – a kittiwake off Durand Beach – the participants came up with one of the most remarkable records our region has produced. “When we arrived at the spot the Kittiwake was gone, but Mike told us of a good flight of Little Gulls,” Jeanne Skelly related. “As we stood there at first 4 or 5, then 8 or 10 Little Gulls would fly a short distance and again land on the water. What a sight!” At Davids’ suggestion, “we walked the abandoned railroad tracks and carefully counted the Little Gulls sitting on the water and flying west. In our ¾ mile walking distance we counted a new Rochester high total of 78 Little Gulls. This surely makes Rochester the Little Gull capital of North America.” (LG, December 1981)And for awhile, it seemed that Rochester would continue to hold that distinction. However, for reasons that are not clear, sightings of this species have dropped off considerably in recent years.
Background
This smallest of gulls breeds in small numbers in North America, but its main range is in northeastern Europe, and eastern and western Siberia. Its origins on this continent are a puzzle. Some believe small numbers were here all along; others believe it colonized via the Bering Sea, while many support the idea of one or more transatlantic colonizations from western Europe, citing recent return of a Swedish-banded chick in its first summer in Pennsylvania in 1996. Though first recorded on this continent in 1819-1820, breeding was not confirmed until 1962, on Lake Ontario, and as of 1999 only 67 confirmed or possible nestings had been reported in North America. Most of those occurred in wetlands in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin and the lowlands of Hudson and James bays. Most frequently observed in North America during winter and on migration, in groups of 1-3, usually with larger flocks of Bonaparte’s Gulls. Most often observed migrating along larger lakes and rivers and along marine coasts; Atlantic Coast is probably the main wintering area. A report of 91 Little Gulls “off the outer banks” of North Carolina in February 1995 was the first suggestion that substantial numbers may winter well off the coast. Largest North American concentration believed to be 266 individuals counted at Long Point Bay on 7 November 1988. By contrast, more than 50,000 Little Gulls were found in the Nile Delta Lakes in Africa, in January 1990, probably the largest single concentration ever reported. Given the low documented reproductive output in North America, it is not clear if increased sightings on this continent are due to breeding at as-yet unknown sites, or because of continued immigration from Siberia or Europe. (BNA 428: 1-3, 5, 6, 14)
Local history
“Apparently the unsettled conditions in Europe are driving birds as well as people to our shores. The little gull, the smallest of the gulls, and a native of Europe, was recorded among (the) flock of gulls which frequents the mouth of the Genesee River, especially the Summerville pier,” Edson reported in 1939. (WBR, 18 December 1939) The sighting on 17 December 1939 was apparently our first record, followed by the same or another bird on 1 January. (KB18: 192) The next records were in 1947, 1948 and 1949, causing Edson to note sightings “have increased sharply in the last three years.” (WBR, 24 January 1949) When Leo Tanghe analyzed the tallies from 1,665 outings by GOS members from January 1951 through December 1954, he found this species reported 13 times within a 50-mile radius of Rochester, all late August to early October, except for one report in May and one in June. All sightings were of one or two birds. (KB 5: 69: 3A-3B)Starting in 1953, this species was recorded every year except for 1955. (KB 18: 192)Ten at Irondequoit Bay outlet on 1 December 1973 (Kemnitzer, Listman) and 14 there and at Durand-Eastman 23 December 1978 (Kemnitzer) were new regional high tallies. (KB24: 74; 29:92) Sixty-one on 28 December 1979 (Davids, Griffith, Symonds, Perrigo, Listman) were at Irondequoit Bay (KB30: 108), of which only two were immatures. Seventy-eight “carefully counted resting at one point in time” off Durand-Eastman Park on 29 November 1981 – seventy-five adults and three immature birds – was possibly the largest concentration in North America up to that time. (Levine, p. 278; KB 32:41) More than 40 had been counted flying west earlier in the day. Carolyn Cass counted 50 there on 1 January 1992. (GOS, March 1992) And yet, even during these halcyon years, numbers were erratic. One year after that startling count of 78, “Little Gulls were almost nonexistent, with only a maximum of five being recorded on any given day.” (LG, December 1982)Generally reported in much smaller numbers now. None were reported in January 2000 (LG, March 2000) or, for that matter, in December 2002 “a stark contrast to the 1970’s and 1980’s when counts of 25+ Little Gull in December were commonplace,” Bill Symonds noted. (LG February 2003) “Little Gulls are still not being as widely reported in winter off Durand Eastman Park as they were in the 1970s and 1980s; why?” Symonds wondered in 2002. (LG, March 2002)
Status
Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a regular, fairly common to common fall transient and an irregular, rare spring transient and summer visitant.
Occurrence
Fall: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 15 August to 25 November, with a mid range, or “normal arrival time” of 19 September to 30 October. Subsequently, one on 10 August 1991 (Sherony) at Charlotte was an earlier “first” of fall. (GOS, October 1991)In most years had departed by 1 January, with a late departure date of 20 January.These birds can appear at Ontario Beach State Park in August and September. They did not appear at Hamlin Beach, 25 miles west, during the lakewatch project until late October/early November. “Apparently, Little Gulls move into Lake Ontario and remain stationary as long as weather conditions and food availability are adequate,” Ewald and Sherony wrote in their summary of the Hamlin Beach Lakewatch project. Birds seen flying by Hamlin Beach SP in fall “are those that have initiated migration west. In warmer years, they frequently stage at Ontario Beach Park and off Durand Eastman Park and can remain into January.” Usually seen in association with Bonaparte’s Gulls. Unlike the birds that gather off Durand-Eastman Park and the mouth of the Genesee, those flying past Hamlin Beach usually appear singly. Almost 95 percent were flying west. Eighty-three were tallied by the Hamlin Beach Lakewatch project during the 1997 season but only twenty-three the next fall. (Ewald and Sherony, pp. 86-87)
Fall maxima: 22 on 20 November 1997 (Lanzone) Hamlin Beach SP. (KB 48:49). 25 on 22 November 1980 off Durand Eastman Park and Irondequoit Bay outlet. (KB 31:27) 61 on 28 December 1979 (Davids, Griffith, Symonds, Perrigo, Listman) at Irondequoit Bay (KB30: 108) 78 on 29 November 1981 (RBA trip) off Durand-Eastman Park. (KB 32:41) 50 on 1 January 1992 (C.Cass) off Durand-Eastman Park. (GOS, March 1992)
Peak numbers had traditionally been reported in December and early January when these birds gather with Bonaparte’s Gulls to forage on the lake just off Durand Eastman Park opposite the Van Lare Treatment plant, at Irondequoit Bay and at the Genesee River outlet at Charlotte.However, that has changed in recent years. A sampling of maxima off Durand-Eastman and at Irondequoit Bay, as reported in Kingbird Region 2 reports, are presented in chronological order to show gradual increase, then subsequent decrease after 1979, 1981:
8 on 7 December 1969 10 on 1 December 1973 13 on 4 December 1977 14 on 23 December 1978 61 on 28 December 1979 78 on 29 November 1981 Max. 22 from 1-31 December 1984 21 on 4 January 1987 15 on 31 December 1988 14 on 6 January 1991 50 on 1 January 1992 12 on 17 December 1993 10 on 31 December 1995
Winter: In many years these birds depart after early January. But they occasionally linger later. An adult and an immature on 19 February 1984 (Davids, S. Taylor) were still at Braddock Bay, for example (LG, March 1984); three on 3 February 1987 (Stear et al) were off Durand-Eastman (LG, March 1987) and 13 on 3 February 1991 (Sherony) were off Durand. “The birds wandered to Round Pond as the ice left” and at least six were still present until 16 March. (LG, March 1991; GOS, May 1991)An “unequaled” – and particularly instructive – gathering occurred in February 1998 at the Genesee River at Charlotte and on the lake off Durand-Eastman Park. As many as 19 Little Gulls – 16 adults and three immature birds (D. Tetlow) – could be found amid hundreds of Bonaparte’s Gulls. Not only was February a “rather unusual” month to still find Little Gulls, many of these birds could be easily observed resting in a basin of the river between the public parking lot and the Rochester Yacht Club, just south of the Coast Guard station. Their numbers actually increased during the month. (LG, GOS, April 1998) Spring: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 17 April (1982) to 27 May, with a mid range, or “normal arrival time” of 23 April to 20 May. Subsequently, one on 24 March 1996 (Symonds) at Hamlin Beach (GOS, May 1996) was an earlier “first” of spring migration. Departure dates ranged from 27 April to 15 June. Though the Monroe County annotated list considered this “irregular” in spring, it now seems clear, as Bill Symonds and other birders devote increased attention to the lakewatch at that season, that this species appears regularly in spring as well. Peak numbers in recent years have occurred from mid March to late April. Spring maxima: 7 on 31 March 2000 (Symonds) Hamlin Beach SP. (LG, May 2000) 7 on 3 April 1998 (Symonds) Hamlin Beach SP. (LG, June 1998) 8 (7 adults, one immature) on 2 April 2006 (Symonds) at Hamlin Beach. (LG, June 2006) 8 on 28 April 2001 (Symonds, R. Spahn) Hamlin Beach SP. (LG, June 2001) Summer: Much less common in mid summer between passage of spring and fall migrants. However, Listman observed as many as four all during July 1965 off the west spit of Braddock Bay. (GOS, September 1965) Immatures were reported 2, 9, and 12 August 1993 (O’Hara, Griffith) at Manitou, Charlotte and Buck Pond. (GOS, October 1993) Summer maxima: 3 on 5 August 2002 (R. Spahn, Symonds) Hamlin Beach SP. (LG, October 2002)
Ross’s Gull
Rhodostethia roseaRoss’s Gull
When Bob Spahn found a small gull standing on the ice of Irondequoit Bay on 9 January 2003, about 100 to 150 yards away, the markings quickly added up to first-winter Ross’s Gull, an extremely rare find indeed. Unlike Litle Gull, the only other possibility, it had a very small bill; lacked a dark crown and nape; had long, pointed wings and a wedge-shaped tail with black on the central, not the outermost feathers. Then came the toughest test of all: Spahn’s own “second-guessing all the things which might make the call wrong” while he waited for others birders to arrive. At one point he and another birder managed to convince themselves that Spahn had found nothing more than an “odd Little Gull.” Until Spahn got home, that is, and closely compared the two species in his Sibley’s guide. More convinced than ever, Spahn and his wife returned to the bay, definitely confirmed Ross’s Gull, and the rest was history.Over the next four days, at least 50 people, some from as far away as Ohio, Tennessee and Florida, were able to view the bird. (KB53: 9-12).
Background
This small High Arctic species has a “chunky, compact body, longish wings and pigeon- or tern-like flight imparting distinctive jizz,” notes Peter Harrison in Seabirds. “Often feeds along mudflats in phalarope or sandpiper fashion.” Only known large breeding sites are in northeast Siberia; recently, however, small colonies have been found in Canadian Arctic, Greenland and Spitsbergen. Stragglers have occurred south to British Columbia, Massachusetts and Illinois. (Harrison, pp. 362-363)
Status
Occasional, very rare visitant.
Occurrence
Three records, only one of which was accepted by NYSARC.One on 23 April 1995 (R. Spahn) seen off Durand-Eastman Park by a single observer. (KB 45:189) Not accepted by NYSARC. (KB 48:306) A juvenile on 9 and 20 November 1997 (Fox, Lanzone, Symonds) at Hamlin Beach SP. (KB 48:49) On the first day, the bird was seen following two Black-legged Kittiwakes flying west. On the 20th, what appeared to be the same bird “spent the entire afternoon in front of the lookout feeding and resting on the lake. It was not seen again after that.” (Ewald and Sherony, p. 92) Not accepted by NYSARC. (KB 50:23)One 9-13 January 2003 (R. Spahn, mob) near the south end of Irondequoit Bay. (KB 53: 9-12) Accepted by NYSARC. (KB 56:12) Spahn’s bird put on quite a show. “The bird swam with a pumping action of the head and neck similar to a coot,” Spahn wrote. “When it fed in the water, it jabbed around reminiscent of a phalarope. In climbing out onto the ice, it seemed to heave its breast ahead up onto the ice first, then walk up under it.” On the second day, the bird “established a feeding area very early and several times attacked and drove off Bonaparte’s Gulls that swam into this area, putting its head down and rushing toward them and even starting up their backs if they were too slow in leaving,” Spahn noted. It did not associate with the other gulls and spent as much time alone or close to ducks as it did near gulls.The bird was last seen 13 January. “The following day, the entire bay was frozen over and presumably the gull was forced to look for food elsewhere,” NYSARC noted. (KB 56:12)
Laughing Gull
Leucophaeus atricilla (formerly Larus atricilla)Laughing Gull
In 1954, Hazel became one of the most destructive storms to ever hit North Carolina, striking as a Category 4 hurricane on 15 October with storm surges of up to 18 feet. It moved quickly inland, through Pennsylvania and New York, passing between Buffalo and Rochester within 12 hours. Its rapid movement inland allowed it to maintain more of its intensity than most hurricanes after making landfall; it caused the most severe flooding on record in the Toronto area, where 81 lives were lost and damages were estimated at $100 million or more. Perhaps it is not surprising that a storm of such intensity would uproot birds as well. “The hurricane Hazel apparently must be given credit for blowing nine laughing gulls far out of their normal range, as they were seen in various spots along the Lake Ontario shore from Charlotte to Hamlin the day after the big blow,” Edson reported. (WBR, 25 October 1954)
Background
The “light, buoyant flight and lilting, laughing call” of this gull are familiar along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, where it gathers around picnickers for handouts, follows fishing boats and waits at docks for fishermen. For breeding, it selects small islands exposed to winter washovers, thereby minimizing mammalian predators, notes Joanna Burger in her profile of this species for The Birds of North America series. Its colonies can number as many as 25,000 pairs. Many remain in the southern U.S. for winter; others wander to southern Mexico and as far south as Peru. This species once nested abundantly as far north as Maine; eggers and plume hunters reduced populations, and the explosion of Herring Gull numbers further displaced colonies. Despite competition from larger gulls, this species is now increasing in much of its range. (BNA 225: 1-3) It was found nesting on Long Island in 1978 for the first time in nearly 80 years. (Andrle, p. 164)
Local history
Bull considered this “very rare at any time of year” in upstate New York. The only known inland specimen had been collected in 1888 at Buffalo, and the species was not reported again from upstate until the 1930s. (Bull, p. 283)Eaton (1910) listed it as an accidental visitor at Monroe County in his county charts. R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, listed only one occurrence: a single bird 11-12 October 1934, which Edson considered our first record. (WBR 7 January 1935) Another was reported in November 1937. (WBR, 22 Nov 1937) The memorable influx on 16 October 1954, the day after the remnants of Hurricane Hazel blew through, included seven adults. As many as nine were scattered along the Lake Ontario shoreline from Charlotte to Hamlin. (WBR, 25 October 1954; note, however, that Bull, p. 283, and GNR both indicate eight.) “Apparently they had suffered no ill effects from their enforced journey into strange lands and we wonder how long it took – or will take – them to recover their bearings and return to their more normal range,” Edson wrote.There were two sightings in the 1950s, three in the 1960s, and as many as eight in the 1970s. “Metropolitan and Long Island observers have been inclined to question these as possible misidentifications of Franklin’s gull, maintaining that Laughing gulls don’t make it to the Great Lakes,” John Brown observed in 1977. (BA, 1 June 1977) And yet, more than a dozen were reported here in the 1980s.
Status
Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as an occasional, very rare spring and fall visitant.
Occurrence
Since the late 1970s, this common coastal species has been recorded almost annually here, usually only one bird at a time, and often only one record during an entire year or season. However, 1996 was a particularly good year, with as many as five records. (KB 46: 234, 334 and 47:39) Of about 50 records since 1954, half have been in May and August.
Spring: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) gave a range of dates from 17 May (1970) to 11 June (1978). An adult on 12 May 1997 (O’Hara) at Manitou was earlier. (KB 47:202) Two on 16 June 1989 (O’Hara) at Braddock Bay were later. (KB 39: 228)Summer: There have been four sightings in July and one in early August that fall between the record late spring and record early fall dates.Fall: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) gave a range of dates from 6 August to 19 November. Maxima: 8-9 on 16 October 1954 along the west lakeshore. (WBR, 25 October 1954; Bull, p. 283; GNR)
Franklin’s Gull
Leucophaeus pipixcan (formerly Larus pipixcan)Franklin’s Gull
The birding grapevine, once limited to phone calls and chance encounters in the field, has been tremendously enhanced by email and Internet chats. One of our larger concentrations of this species was found and enjoyed as a direct result. After reading Willie D’Anna’s note on GeneseeBirds about good numbers of Franklin’s Gulls being reported in western and central New York, John Hall found five adults and one immature on 13 November 1998 at the south end of Irondequoit Bay. “Word spread via email and phones. Many observers saw these birds. This is likely the highest count for the region, and an unusual percentage of adults.” (LG, January 1999)
Background
Rosy or Prairie Dove was the name given this species by early ornithologists, because of its light buoyant flight and pinkish hue during the breeding season. It breeds in noisy colonies that can range from 25 pairs to more than 100,000, on extensive prairie marshes in the northern Plains states and central Canada. “Once threatened by habitat loss due to large-scale drainage projects and the Dust Bowl years, this species has regained numbers with the creation of large wetlands, mainly on protected national wildlife refuges,” notes the profile of this species in The Birds of North America series. It has expanded its range into the Great Basin and Oregon. It winters primarily along the Pacific coast of South America. Generally migrates through the Great Plains during spring and fall, but individuals may scatter as far as the Pacific and Atlantic coasts. North American population is probably about 500,000; there is much controversy over extent, if any, to which this species has declined in recent years. (BNA 116: 1-4, 18)
Local history
Unrecorded in New York before 15 October 1939, when an immature was found dead near the mouth of the Genesee River by Gordon Meade. (Bull, p. 284) Starting in the 1940s it was a rare to uncommon but regular fall migrant in western New York along the Great Lakes, and since 1964 small flocks had been seen “from time to time” on the Niagara River during the gull buildups in October and November, Bull (1974) wrote. (Bull, p. 284).“Three or four decades ago it either did not occur here or was so rare that it went unnoticed or was confused with the similar Laughing gull,” John Brown noted in 1955. (BA, 15 September 1955)However, there were eight to nine records here during the 1950s.“Most reports of this species on the Great Lakes come during the fall, and almost all those seen here have turned up in periods of fairly strong west winds,” Brown noted in 1966. (BA, 5 May 1966) However, an adult with a striking black head was found by Walt Listman on 1 May 1966 at a spring pond on Parma-Hamlin Town Line Road near Church Road. “According to Listman, the gull . . . would take off and fly up very high in the sky and then return to the pond.” It was the third year in a row this species had been sighted in spring. This prairie bird has been seen almost annually here from 1962-71, 1975-91 and since the mid 1990s.
Status
Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as an irregular, rare spring and fall visitant and an occasional, very rare summer visitant.
Occurrence There have been about 70 records since 1950.
Spring:The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of dates from 1 May to 20 June. This either overlooked or discarded one on 13 April 1975 (K. and I. Johnson) at Braddock Bay. (KB 25:154) Spring of 1976 brought an unusual influx, with one at Pultneyville on 20 April, then four records at Braddock Bay, Charlotte and Kendall the following month. (KB 26:159, LGNR) A good time to check for these birds is in late May to early June on the west lakeshore “generally occurring in plowed fields with Ring-Bill Gulls.” (GOS, October 1989)
Summer:Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of dates from 12 July to 25 August.
Fall/winter:The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of dates from 10 September to 31 December. Subsequently, one at the Genesee River at Charlotte on 12 January 1998 (Marcotte, D. Tetlow) set a new record late date. (KB 48: 144) Fall maxima: Six on 1 October 1991 (Reinhardt) were at Irondequoit Bay. (KB 42:31) Six – five adults and an immature – on 13 November 1998 (J. Hall) at Irondequoit Bay, followed by four adults and two immatures there (R. Spahn) eight days later. (KB 49:48)
Summer:Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of dates from 12 July to 25 August.
Fall/winter:The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of dates from 10 September to 31 December. Subsequently, one at the Genesee River at Charlotte on 12 January 1998 (Marcotte, D. Tetlow) set a new record late date. (KB 48: 144) Fall maxima: Six on 1 October 1991 (Reinhardt) were at Irondequoit Bay. (KB 42:31) Six – five adults and an immature – on 13 November 1998 (J. Hall) at Irondequoit Bay, followed by four adults and two immatures there (R. Spahn) eight days later. (KB 49:48)
Ring-billed Gull
Larus delawarensisRing-billed Gull
Kathleen Dalton and Ann Watson were about to finish up a long day of birding on 2 November 1995, when Dalton took a last look around at Charlotte Beach, and gasped. A Ring-billed Gull was about 60 feet up in a tree, “hanging by one leg and flapping exhaustively, trying to get free,” Dalton later wrote. “A fishing line was tangled around its leg and through the top branches. We weren’t sure what to do, but we were sure we couldn’t just drive off and leave him there to die.” The two called 911 from a pay phone on Lake Avenue, and soon an animal control officer was on the scene. When the officer announced there was little she could do, Dalton suggested the fire department, which was also summoned. Five minutes later Charlotte firemen were also on the scene. “They looked at the bird, then looked at us, and their expressions told me they would rather be at a 10-alarm fire,” Dalton noted.But there was a happy ending to this story. By now quite a crowd had gathered “while 50 or more gulls circled around their injured friend.” A fireman climbed a ladder right up to the bird, snipping the line close to the leg. “The freed bird dropped, leveled off, and flew over to the pier to join other resting gulls, to the applause of the crowd below. The other firemen gave Mr. Scinta the thumbs up sign as he descended the ladder, now a hero to us all.” (LG, November 1995)It is hard to believe that this abundant year-round presence on beaches, freshly plowed fields, and even shopping mall parking lots was once much less common here.
Background
Feather and egg hunters and loss of nesting areas decimated this species from the 1840s to 1920s but it is now one of our most familiar birds. An estimated 3 to 4 million Ring-billed Gulls inhabited North America in 1990, most in the Great Lakes region where populations continue to increase and, occasionally, bring this species into conflict with humans. In Ontario Province, for example, various attempts were made to discourage these birds around airports, control their numbers in parks and prevent them from nesting on urban roofs and interfering with industrial operations. Interestingly, the Lower Great Lakes region is one of the few where this is considered a year-round species. Most vacate breeding territories in Canada and the northern tier of states to winter along the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific coasts, and the lower plains states. (BNA33: 1, 17, 19)Anyone who drives into the parking lot at Irondequoit Bay Outlet on a midwinter’s day, need only roll down his or her car window to attract a host of these gulls hovering overhead, looking for handouts. Indeed, Frank Dobson could close his eyes in his Greece yard and almost imagine himself at the seashore, what with the sounds of the gulls. The only thing missing was the sound of rolling surf. The gulls were squabbling over discarded bagels and other delicacies in the dumpsters of a nearby shopping plaza. (Birds, 5 September 1982)
Local history
“In the vicinity of Rochester, N.Y., it frequents the ‘wide waters’ of the Erie canal before the water is admitted in the spring, to feed on the refuse and dead fish . . .” Eaton (1910) wrote. Both Eaton and Horsey (1937) said it was common in migration at Monroe County. But Eaton considered it only an occasional winter visitor (Eaton I: 132, county charts), and Horsey considered it rare in summer. Horsey’s listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, indicated average counts of six to 20 birds, with a maximum count of 5,000, on dates ranging from 17 July to 13 June. First nesting in the state was on Gull Island in extreme eastern Lake Ontario in 1936, Bull noted. Two years later, the gulls were nesting on nearby, 43-acre Little Galloo Island, where pairs increased from 1,000 in 1945 to 19,000 in 1950, 45,000 in 1955, 63,000 in 1961 and as many as 85,000 in 1965-1967. (Bull, p. 280) With that expansion in this species’ breeding on Lake Ontario came a dramatic increase in sightings here. For example, when Leo Tanghe analyzed the tallies from 1,665 outings by Genesee Ornithological Society members from 1951-54, he found this species reported 1,061 times within a 50-mile radius of Rochester, barely trailing Herring (1,082) in frequency of sightings. It was being reported in good numbers year round, with average counts of 500-700 even in summer. (KB 5: 69: 3A-3B)This species’ eastward range expansion led to a further increase in numbers on the Great Lakes in the 1960s, and produced “a population explosion in [New York] matched by few species.” (Levine, p. 281)
Status
Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a regular, very common to abundant transient and visitant throughout the year. This is now easily the most abundant gull here year-round.Livingston County, Fox (1998) considered this a regular very common (sometimes abundant) winter visitant, a regular abundant spring and fall transient and a regular fairly common local summer resident.
Occurrence
Spring: In Livingston County, Conesus Lake is perhaps the best place to find this species. The majority of the earliest migrants are adults, Fox notes, with peaks of 10,000-15,000 birds in late March. “By mid- to late-April, the majority of migrants are immatures.” (Fox, p. 52)
Spring maxima: 5,000+ on 1 March 1976 (O’Hara) at Irondequoit Bay. (GOS, May 1976) 8,000 on 15 March 1961 (Listman, Lloyd) along the lakeshore was considered a “usual spring buildup.” (KB 11:46) 10,000 estimated on 24 May 2007 (R. and S. Spahn) Ontario Beach. (LG, July/August 2007) 15,000 on 26 March 1977 (Perrigo) west lakeshore. (LG, April 1977) 30,000 on 26 March 1979 (Sunderlin) Irondequoit Bay. (GOS, May 1979)
Summer/breeding status: Nesting attempts in our region, so far, have been isolated and sporadic.A colony of 1,000-1,500 of these gulls built at least one hundred nests atop a Kodak building in 1989, producing at least 200-300 chicks. (GOS, October 1989) “The status of the colony may be in jeopardy because the odor and debris are close to air intake systems and may not be endearing the gulls to the proprietors,” Kevin Griffith noted. (KB39: 227) Because of sanitation concerns, nesting was foiled the following year with timed sprinklers at the original site, and nest and egg removal at two new sites. (GOS, July/August 1990) An “active, successful nesting colony” was established on a small island in a drainage pond at The Marketplace mall, Henrietta, in 1994, with at least a dozen young. (GOS, September 1994; LG, June/July 1994) A small colony was again reported nesting there in 2006. (KB56:336)Demolition of Kodak’s Building 135 and two adjoining structures at West Ridge and Dewey Avenue in the Kodak Park complex in 2006 left behind a large field of crushed stone. It was an ideal breeding site, simulating a rocky shoreline. “Thousands” of gulls moved in to breed, according to news accounts, much to the dismay of neighbors who soon grew tired of the commotion and the droppings.Rich Bishop, a birder who works for the Kodak Fire Department, said gulls had been nesting on the roofs of the building, out of sight, even before they were torn down.The site was filled over with soil after the nesting season in an attempt to deter future breeding there.Aside from breeding efforts, huge numbers have occasionally been tallied in summer along the lake plain. In late June 1979, for example, “Bitter west winds and violent rainstorms, one after another, thundered across the region, and Monday the 25th was clean-up day along the West Lakeshore,” Chip Perrigo reported. “Staggering numbers of gulls were blown in from the northwest, and like so much snow, every suitable field on the lake was tightly packed with gregarious super-flocks containing unusual numbers of adult birds, undoubtedly either post-breeding dispersals or failures.” (LG, July 1979) Many lingered into July and, “always quick to exploit their environment,” developed an “amazing new feeding strategy on the West lakeshore,” Perrigo noted. “Small flocks of Ring-billed Gulls discovered the few ripe cherries remaining after the annual harvest, and if one watched closely at the end of the month, they would hover and swoop above an orchard, plucking treetop fruit in mid-flight.” (LG, August 1979)In Livingston County “finding a summering bird, especially an adult, away from Conesus or Hemlock lakes or a nearby field is a challenge,” Fox notes. “Numbers (including adult birds) increase in early July.” (Fox, p. 52) Summer maxima: 15,000 on 16 June 1975 (Listman) at Kendall. (GNR) 10,000 on 17 June 1978 (Listman, mob) west lakeshore. (KB 28:239) 40,000 on 28 June 1979 (Symonds) along the west lakeshore. (LG, July 1979) 15,000 on 18 July 1976 (Perrigo et al) west lakeshore. (LG, August 1976) 25,000 on 29 July 1979 (Perrigo, Symonds) west lakeshore. (LG, August 1979) 20,000 on 5 August 1965 (Listman) at Shore Acres. (GOS, October 1965) 30,000 on 9 August 1974 (Listman) in Kendall. (GNR)
Fall: In Livingston County, Fox notes, numbers peak in late October and early November. (Fox, p. 52)
Fall maxima: 10,000 on 3 September 2007 (R. and S. Spahn, Griffith) Hamlin Beach SP. (LG, November 2007) 10,000 on 4 November 1968 (Listman) along the lakeshore. (GNR)
Winter: “The proportion of wintering Ring-billed Gulls to Herring seems unusually high this winter,” the Goshawk observed in 1953. (GOS, January-February 1953) By the winter of 1971-1972, Kingbird regional editor Richard O’Hara noted that these gulls “certainly winter here in much greater numbers than they did 15 or 20 years ago.” (KB 22:86)
Winter maxima:Of an estimated 195,000 gulls along the west lakeshore on 10 December 1979, 80-90 percent were Ring-billed, Norm Henderson reported, and 61,256 were on the Rochester CBC six days later. (GOS, February 1980)
Other winter maxima: 19,500 on 12 December 1978 (N. Henderson) Braddock, Irondequoit bays. (GOS, February 1979) 15,480 on 22 December 2001 (J. Skelly, J. Barry) Conesus Lake during Little Lakes CBC. (GNR) 10,000+ on 31 January 1988 Irondequoit Bay. (Notes to GNR)
Misc.
Frank Dobson marveled at how quickly Ring-billed Gulls congregate as soon as a farmer begins to till a field for planting. “Gulls gather by the hundreds as tractors cross the fields, grabbing freshly exposed insects, worms and grubs. Sometimes the gulls are only inches behind plows and tilling equipment.” (Birds, 14 September 1986) Dan Greenwell, whose Hamlin farm is appreciated by birds and birders alike, noticed in 1987 that the ring-billeds had also learned to follow the rakes and balers in the hayfields and pounce on mice as well. “Ring-bills keep their eyes open . . . and pounce on any mouse trying to find cover. Several quick jabs with a sharp bill dispatch the critter and with a single gulp, the gull has a snack. Greenwell also has watched gulls pick up prey in their bills and fly off.” (Birds, 2 August 1987)Dominic Sherony watched Ring-billed Gulls successfully pirating food, probably earthworms, from American Golden-plovers on 5 September 1997 at a plowed field in Hamlin. “As soon as a plover would pick up a worm, a gull would fly after it,” Sherony noted. The plover would quickly take flight with the worm hanging from its bill, easily outdistance the gull and then land; however, the gull would catch up, forcing the plover into flight again. Eventually, after chases lasting up to a minute, the plovers would drop the worms and the gulls would land and fetch the prey. (KB47: 267)Dalton and Watson were not the only observers to find a bird entangled in fishing lure. Bob Marcotte found two Ring-billeds tightly bound together by lure one evening at Ontario Beach, and cut them loose with his car keys. Marcotte and Robert Dobson observed another there on 22 February 1998 with both feet missing. About two inches of tarsus remained on each leg below the knee, but the bird was able to land, walk and take off using the stumps. “When we examined the beach where the bird had been, we found small, round, shallow indentations in the sand . . .” LG, April 1998)
Misc.
Frank Dobson marveled at how quickly Ring-billed Gulls congregate as soon as a farmer begins to till a field for planting. “Gulls gather by the hundreds as tractors cross the fields, grabbing freshly exposed insects, worms and grubs. Sometimes the gulls are only inches behind plows and tilling equipment.” (Birds, 14 September 1986) Dan Greenwell, whose Hamlin farm is appreciated by birds and birders alike, noticed in 1987 that the ring-billeds had also learned to follow the rakes and balers in the hayfields and pounce on mice as well. “Ring-bills keep their eyes open . . . and pounce on any mouse trying to find cover. Several quick jabs with a sharp bill dispatch the critter and with a single gulp, the gull has a snack. Greenwell also has watched gulls pick up prey in their bills and fly off.” (Birds, 2 August 1987)Dominic Sherony watched Ring-billed Gulls successfully pirating food, probably earthworms, from American Golden-plovers on 5 September 1997 at a plowed field in Hamlin. “As soon as a plover would pick up a worm, a gull would fly after it,” Sherony noted. The plover would quickly take flight with the worm hanging from its bill, easily outdistance the gull and then land; however, the gull would catch up, forcing the plover into flight again. Eventually, after chases lasting up to a minute, the plovers would drop the worms and the gulls would land and fetch the prey. (KB47: 267)Dalton and Watson were not the only observers to find a bird entangled in fishing lure. Bob Marcotte found two Ring-billeds tightly bound together by lure one evening at Ontario Beach, and cut them loose with his car keys. Marcotte and Robert Dobson observed another there on 22 February 1998 with both feet missing. About two inches of tarsus remained on each leg below the knee, but the bird was able to land, walk and take off using the stumps. “When we examined the beach where the bird had been, we found small, round, shallow indentations in the sand . . .” LG, April 1998)
California Gull
Larus californicusCalifornia Gull
To nonbirders, one “seagull” looks very much like another. Indeed, it is something of a revelation for beginning birders to discover that amid the throngs of gulls at Ontario Beach, or Irondequoit Bay, there will almost invariably be at least three species, and often even more. Ring-billed, Herring and Great Black-backed are always around. Bonaparte’s is a good bet much of the year, and Little and Lesser Black-backed are at least possible. Iceland and Glaucous are regular visitors fall through spring.And then there are the real rarities. Like the California Gull that Mike Davids found on the Detection System Pond on Perinton Parkway on the morning of 2 February 1997. Phone calls went out. Alas, by the time Dominic Sherony arrived, shortly after 10:30 a.m., an ice fisherman had walked out on the frozen pond and driven the gull away. Sherony was not deterred. “I drove around to the various fields north of the (pond) and refound the bird on a winter wheat field on Wakeman Road,” Sherony noted in his verification report. There was no mistaking this bird for the Ring-billeds around it. “The body was visibly chunkier.” The mantle was darker gray. The white tips of the folded secondaries were larger. The bill was longer and thicker, dull yellow with an incomplete red mark and no sign of black. The head was quite mottled in appearance.It was only the second California ever reported here and, thanks to detailed reporting like Sherony’s, the first accepted for our region by the New York State Avian Records Committee. Background
Unlike the other white-headed gulls to which it is closely related, the Calfornia is a breeding bird of inland seas, from Mono Lake, California, in the south, to Lac La Martre in the Northwest Territories, nesting on islands and combing surrounding croplands, deserts or mountains for food. Though many of the wetlands it formerly used have been lost, this species is now nesting on Great Salt Lake and on numerous reservoirs in the Great Basin. In fact, its numbers are probably higher now than they were soon after turn of the 20th century. It is primarily in winter that is found along the Pacific Coast. Scattered individuals have been reported “with increasing frequency” through much of eastern North America. “As the abilities of bird-watchers to identify gulls improves, reports of this species outside its usual range are likely to increase,” notes David Winkler in his profile of this species for The Birds of North America. (BNA 259: 1-3, 19)“This species has been reported every year on the Niagara River since its initial occurrence in 1992,” NYSARC notes in its 2002 report. “Most sightings are at or near the power plants . . . However, sightings upriver around Niagara Falls are increasing, though most are only seen on the Canadian side of the river at that location.”
Status
Occasional, very rare visitor.
Occurrence
Five records. One 17-18 June 1980 (Listman, Sunderlin, mob) Kendall. (KB 30:230) Not accepted by NYSARC. (KB 31:209) One 2, 15 February 1997 (Davids, mob) at Detection Systems Pond and nearby field, Perinton. (KB 47:128) Accepted by NYSARC. (KB 50:20) One adult 12 December 1997 (Marcotte) Durand Eastman Park (KB 48:144) Accepted by NYSARC. (KB 50:20) One adult, 6, 10 January 1998 (D. Tetlow, Griffith) Genesee River at Charlotte. (KB 48:144) A report of 10 January sighting not accepted by NYSARC: “ The Committee voted by five to two against accepting this brief report. Several members commented that the size, mantle shade and leg color were more consistent with Lesser Black-backed Gull (L. fuscus) than California Gull.” (KB 51: 491) One 1st winter 17 January 1999 (D. Tetlow, Davids) near Point Breeze. (KB 49:146, LGNR)
American Herring Gull
Larus smithsonianus (formerly Larus argentatus)American Herring Gull
Irondequoit Bay can be an incredible place to observe wintering duck and gulls – and to witness an occasional hard truth about the “survival of the fittest.” On 5 February 1978, for example, Eleanor Weld and Marge Schmale caught sight of a Herring Gull at the edge of a small island near the outlet. It had grasped a female oldsquaw, whose outstretched wing was securely held in the gull’s beak.“The oldsquaw struggled, but we couldn’t hear it squawking,” Schmale recounted. “It kept trying to work its way to the water, but the gull hung on, released its hold only to grab the duck by the head. That was the end of the oldsquaw. The struggle seemed to last for 10 to 15 minutes.” Walt Listman, who happened by, suggested that this “obviously was a sick or injured duck, otherwise the gull would not have succeeded in catching it.” (LG, March 1978)This is one of our gull species that can reliably be found here just about any time of year. Though its numbers have declined sharply on the Rochester Christmas Bird Count, thousands gather each winter at the Perinton Detection Systems pond near the High Acres landfill.
Background In many parts of the northeastern U.S. and western Europe, this is the most common and familiar gull, found along the shorelines of oceans, lakes and large rivers. Its range also extends into central Asia. North American birds breed along the Atlantic Coast from Cape Hatteras north to Baffin Island, and throughout arctic Canada into eastern Alaska. In winter, they are found throughout their breeding range and south into tropical waters. Migratory patterns vary by age of birds. Great Lakes adults, for example, tend to remain near their breeding colonies while most immatures disperse southward from October to February. This species was nearly extirpated by plumage and egg hunters by the end of the 1800s, but recovered so that, by the 1960s, its numbers may have exceeded even historical numbers, in part because of ample food at landfills and other refuse sites. It has continued to expand south into Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina, often at the expense of Laughing Gull, but has also been expelled from some areas of New England by the Great Black-backed Gull. It may be declining in other areas as dumps close or change methods, and also as a result of overfishing, which depletes an important source of prey. (BNA 124: 1-4, 19)
Local history
Nearly extirpated as a breeding bird in New York by egg hunters and gunners by the early 1900s, this species rebounded during the twentieth century, especially in coastal areas. (Andrle, p. 168) Despite the persecution, Eaton (1910) considered Herring Gull the “commonest and most generally distributed gull” in New York state, “almost as common on the Great Lakes and rivers as on the seacoast.” He listed this as a common winter visitor and abundant migrant for Monroe County, an occasional transient in Livingston, and a common transient and uncommon winter visitor at Wayne. (Eaton I: 128, county charts)R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, indicated average counts of 10 to 200 birds, with a maximum count of 10,000. His notes indicate this species was “common in winter, abundant in migration, non-breeding birds in summer.” When Leo Tanghe analyzed the tallies from 1,665 outings by Genesee Ornithological Society members from 1951-54, he found this species reported 1,082 times –outnumbering reports of Ring-Billed (1,061) – within a 50-mile radius of Rochester. Herring also achieved the highest approximate average count of either species, 1,000-2,000, in early March. But it was much less common during summer months, with average counts of 10-20, compared to average counts as high as 500-700 for Ring-billed. (KB 5: 69: 3A-3B)“Enormous numbers may be seen during the colder months when the local population is vastly augmented by arrivals from more northern areas,” Bull (1974) noted. (Bull, p. 272)
Status
Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a regular common to abundant transient and visitant throughout the year. Livingston County, Fox (1998) considered this a regular common (occasionally abundant) winter visitant, a regular fairly common spring and fall transient, and an occasional rare summer visitant.
Occurrence
“Back in the 1950s, Herring Gulls would account for a third of the numbers in most gull collections,” Frank Dobson observed in 1990. “Today, they may be down to as little as one or two birds per 100.” (Birds, 21 October 1990) Rochester Christmas Bird Count data (see below) certainly suggest a decline in this species. As does this commentary accompanying the December 1992 noteworthies list in the Goshawk: “Also noted by many long-time observers was the continued pattern of few Herring Gulls here in the winter – outnumbered by Great Black-backed Gulls this winter!” (GOS, February 1993) However, Herring Gull tends to become increasingly common as winter progresses. (Fox, p. 52) During the winter of 1971-72, for example, Ring-billed Gull outnumbered Herring 3:1 on the Rochester CBC; “by February this was reversed.” (KB 22:86) Oddly, in January 1977, “in the northern half of (Monroe) county nearly all gulls were ring-billed, whereas south of Rochester the species was entirely Herring Gull,” Chip Perrigo observed. (LG, February 1977)
Spring maxima: 10,000+ on 1 March 1976 (O’Hara) at Irondequoit Bay. (GOS, May 1976) 4,000 on 15 March 1961 (Listman, Lloyd) along the lakeshore was considered a “usual spring build up.” (KB 11:46) 3,000 on 26 March 1977 (Perrigo) west lakeshore. (LG, April 1977)
Summer maxima: 8,000 on 28 June 1979 (Symonds) west lakeshore. (KB 29:216)
Winter: In the 1960s, Rochester CBC tallies ranged from 1,000 to 5,900; in the 1990s, from 187 to 864.
The 20,054 tallied in 1979 came during an exceptional season for gulls.
Other winter maxima: 5,000 on 10 December 1979 (N. Henderson, mob) along the west lakeshore. (LG, January 1980) 11,000 on 29 December 2003- 8 January 2004 (M. Tetlow) at the Perinton Detection Systems pond. (GNR; KB 54:150) 21,000 on 11 December 1965 (Listman) from Russell Station to Braddock Bay, along with 4,000 Ring-billed Gulls. (GOS, February 1966)
Other winter maxima: 5,000 on 10 December 1979 (N. Henderson, mob) along the west lakeshore. (LG, January 1980) 11,000 on 29 December 2003- 8 January 2004 (M. Tetlow) at the Perinton Detection Systems pond. (GNR; KB 54:150) 21,000 on 11 December 1965 (Listman) from Russell Station to Braddock Bay, along with 4,000 Ring-billed Gulls. (GOS, February 1966)
Iceland Gull
Larus glaucoides kumlieniIceland Gull
One of the most instructive gatherings of this pale-winged visitor from the north occurred 15 January 2005 for a 17-member RBA field trip at the Detection Systems Pond in Perinton, where wintering gulls congregate by the thousands after feeding at the nearby High Acres Landfill. “The sun was at our backs, providing good light to search for unusual gulls,” co-leader Mike Tetlow wrote. “The first to be found was a first-year Iceland Gull showing off overall creamy whitish plumage and an all-dark bill. Birders on the trip were quick to find a second, dingier, first-year Iceland Gull once everyone knew what we were looking for. Next an adult Iceland Gull was found among the many Herring, Ring-billed and Great Black-backed Gulls. Everyone could see the all-white wing tips, gray mantle and yellow bill.’ Soon thereafter a third-year bird was found, “with a mostly black bill and creamy blotches mixed with gray blotches on the mantle.” (LG, April 2005)Talk about covering just about every plumage of this species!
Background
This medium-sized gull breeds in scattered colonies throughout arctic coastal regions of eastern Canada and Greenland, nesting on small rocky ledges and outcroppings of vertical sea cliffs, often in association with Glaucous Gulls and ravens. A regular but uncommon or rare winter visitor throughout the Great Lakes region. (BNA 699: 1, 6)
Local history
On 14 April 1904, Eaton scanned a large flock of Ring-billed Gulls and immature Herring Gulls at the “wide waters of the canal” at Rochester (now Lake Riley at Cobbs Hill). An immature female of this species was among them “and as soon as seen was recognized by the peculiar chalky whiteness of its plumage, and especially the whiteness of its wings when flying; for, although it was in the faded plumage of the first winter, it appeared wholly white when seen at a distance.” He listed this as a rare winter visitor for Monroe County, with no record of occurrence for Livingston or Wayne. (Eaton I: 124, county charts) R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, indicated single birds were the norm, with a maximum count of 5, on dates ranging from 21 December to 10 May.“One or two of the birds have been recorded by the Burroughs Audubon Club for one to three days each year in eight years since 1914,” Edson reported in 1933. (“Iceland Gull in White Coat Among Winter Bird Visitors to City,” D&C, 9 January 1933) The gradual increase in sightings is interesting to trace in Edson’s columns. In 1939, he reported that Iceland Gull, compared to Glaucous and Great Black-backed, was “the least common of the three” and “but rarely pays us a visit.” (WBR, 4 December 1939) One on 9 April that year “honored us with his presence at Durand-Eastman Park . . . He is seldom seen in this vicinity and our records have ranged from Dec. 21 to May 10.” (WBR, 17 April 1939) And yet, another one showed up with a flock of Herring Gulls near Highland Park the following year, he reported. “This bird could easily have been passed over as another herring gull, as the size is virtually the same. But while the observer was scanning the flock this bird raised his wings above his back, and the lack of the black tips to the wings was too obvious to be overlooked.” (WBR, 11 March 1940) By 1953, he reported that “in the past five or six years from one to 10 birds are to be seen here every winter and well into the spring.” (WBR, 21 December 1953) When Leo Tanghe analyzed the tallies from 1,665 outings by Genesee Ornithological Society members from 1951-54, he found this species reported 38 times within a 50-mile radius of Rochester. Sightings were of one or two birds from December through May, with nearly half the sightings (15) during the last half of December through January. (KB 5: 69: 3A-3B)“Usually one or two of these northern gulls can be observed in our area throughout the winter, but the numbers often increase during February,” Allen Kemnitzer added in 1965. (WBR, 6 December 1965)
Status
Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a regular, rare winter and spring visitant.
Occurrence Fall/winter: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 10 September to 17 February, with a mid range, or “normal arrival time” of 23 November to 8 January. Wherever hordes of wintering gulls gather – Braddock Bay, Ontario Beach, Irondequoit Bay – this “white-winged” visitor is possible. Especially productive in recent years has been Lake Edwards off Perinton Parkway in Perinton – also known as the Detection Systems Pond. Wintering gulls gather there over the course of the morning after feeding at the nearby Perinton High Acres landfill, then depart by late afternoon to spend the night on Irondequoit Bay and Lake Ontario. The number of sightings in our region is highly variable from year to year. Twelve records were received during January 1978 (GOS, March 1978) and 13 reports came in during the winter of 1983-84 – one in December, 11 in January, and one in February. (KB34: 112)
Winter maxima: Max. 8 in December 2000 (Sherony) at Perinton. (LG, February 2001) 10 on 11 December 2006 (M. Tetlow) at Perinton. (LG, February 2007) Max. 7 all January 2000 (Sherony et al) Perinton. (LG, March 2000) 6 on 8, 26 January 2004 (M. Tetlow) Perinton. (LG, March 2004) 6 on 1 February 1997 (Sherony, M. Tetlow) Perinton. (LG, March 1997) 6 on 7 February 1996 (Symonds) at Russell Station during a fish kill. (GOS, April 1996) Max. 8 in February 2006 (mob) at Perinton. (LG, April 2006)
Spring: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated that in most years this species had departed by 17 May, with a late departure date of 23 June (1982). Subsequently, one lingered as late as 6 July 1986 at Charlotte. (KB 36:217)Spring 1997 saw a good influx, with as many as three on 12 April at the Perinton landfill, five on 30 April at Hamlin Beach, and three on 3 May at Charlotte. (KB47: 202-203) Nineteen in a two-week period in April 1998 (Symonds) at Hamlin Beach SP was a particularly good run. (LG, June 1998) Recent maxima reflect increased time being devoted to spring lakewatching by Bill Symonds and other observers.
Spring maxima: 5 on 4 March 1977 (R. Clark, Symonds) west lakeshore. (LG, April 1977) 7 on 17 April 1998 (Symonds) Hamlin Beach. (LG, June 1998) 5 immatures on 30 April 1997 (Symonds) Hamlin Beach. (LG, May 1997)
Stragglers have lingered into June on at least seven occasions, with one remaining until early July: One on 1 June 1996 (Marcotte) Charlotte. (GOS, September 1996) One from 1-2 June 1993 (Marcotte) at Charlotte. (GOS, September 1993) One on 5 June 1982 (R. Spahn et al) at Kendall. (GOS, August 1982) One on 5 June 2005 (R. Spahn) at Braddock Bay. (LG, September 2005) One from 1-15 June 1989 (Nicoletti) Braddock Bay. (GOS, October 1989) One on 23 June 1982 (Davids) at Braddock Bay. (GOS, August 1982) One from June through 6 July 1986 at Charlotte. (KB36: 217)
Thayer’s Gull
Larus glaucoides thayeri[Formerly considered a separate species, was changed to glaucoides subspecies in 2017]Thayer’s Gull
“Although there has been considerable confusion and reconfusion in the past few years as to exactly what a Thayer’s Gull looks like, Walt Listman, Mike Carlson and I were fortunate to observe an unquestionable adult of this species on May 6th, 1976, at the Lake Ontario Parkway ‘borrow pits,’ ” Chip Perrigo reported. (LG, June 1976) In comparing the Thayer’s with the Herring Gulls also present, Perrigo noted the Thayer’s rather small and rounded head; a “very distinctive” short, thick bill, almost as if the tip were “sheared off” (versus the long, massive bill of the Herring); four neatly organized, symmetrical white spots on the folded wing tips; a more restricted dark wing tip in flight, and a dark eye. “Even though the two species are nearly identical we now feel justified in saying that adult Thayer’s Gulls can easily be identified under good conditions and careful comparisons,” Perrigo concluded.Alas, not everyone agrees. In fact, correctly separating this species from Herring Gull is no longer the paramount challenge for birders. An even bigger issue is separating it from Iceland Gull, especially from the “dark end” of the Kumlien’s subspecies and from Thayer’s X Kumlien’s hybrids.
Background
The “unsettled” taxonomy that surrounds this bird is reflected in the fact that Richard Snell, the author who wrote the profile of this species for The Birds of North America series, is convinced it is not a separate species at all! Once considered a subspecies of Herring Gull, Thayer’s was first suggested to be a separate species by researchers as early as the 1950s, even as other researchers began suggesting it was a subspecies of Iceland Gull. It was accepted as a separate species by the American Ornithologists Union in 1973. However, evidence of extensive interbreeding between Thayer’s and the Kumlien’s subspecies of Iceland Gull is cited by several researchers who believe Thayer’s should also be treated as a subspecies of Iceland.Like Iceland, this medium-sized gull nests on small rocky ledges and outcroppings of vertical sea cliffs, often in association with Glaucous Gulls and ravens. Its breeding range is more westerly than Iceland, however, and wintering birds are more likely to be found along the Pacific Coast. “Although popular field guides perpetuate the notion of dark eyes as a character of Thayer’s Gull, eye color in adult Thayer’s Gulls is highly variable and, for any given individual, appears of no help in reliable separation from Kumlien’s (subspecies of Iceland Gull).” (BNA 699: 1-10)
Local history
It didn’t take long after its elevation to species status for local birders to start reporting Thayer’s here. After these birds made three straight May appearances from 1976 to 1978, Perrigo argued that Thayer’s Gull had a pattern of regular May occurrence, particularly associated with cold, windy, rainy days. “To this date, they have been found exclusively in freshly plowed or wet grassy fields with Herring Gulls, and often located on the outer perimeter of the gull flock. Even more convincing is that three of the four May records of Thayer’s Gull are in direct correlation with exceptionally late occurrences of both immature and adult Iceland and Glaucous Gulls.” (LG, June 1978; see also June 1977)The most extraordinary occurrence came when Walt Listman reported seeing 10 or more on 28 August 1976 at a borrow pit pond off West Kendall Road. The sighting occurred as a “double cold front moved down out of the northwest and hit the Lake Ontario shores of Monroe and Orleans counties . . . with a wind, rain and electrical storm of unusual intensity,” John Brown related. “During the afternoon and right up until the storm broke, there was great bird activity along the lake, with a steady stream of warblers and other small birds moving through the trees and gulls coming in off the lake.” (BA, 1 September 1976)When Listman looked up after hearing a strange call, the first thing he noticed about one of the gulls was that the wing tips were blackish “only about the outer quarter inch and there were no white spots in them as in the Herring and Ring-billed adults” that filled the air around it. Moreover, “from below there was no black at all.”In addition, the Thayer’s Gulls that Listman reported that day didn’t act like the other gulls. “Each bird I saw flew around the pond clockwise as viewed from above. Except when diving they NEVER stopped their very rapid wing beats. When food was spotted they all raised the front of their bodies up in a stall, then pitched forward and almost straight down to the water. I compared their method of feeding with the other gulls and none of them used this method.“After a number of passes they would gain altitude at the west end and fly directly into the 30-40 mph WSW wind. They were the only gulls to do so. . . . They NEVER wheeled in a circle or sideways as the other gulls were doing. They seemed a little smaller than the Herring Gulls, but their wings were broader and rather ‘hunched’ near the body and stood straighter out from the body rather than swept back.” (GOS, December 1977) “Have we unknowingly watched these controversial gulls for decades or are they coincidental new arrivals to the Great Lakes via niche replacement of slowly declining Herring Gull populations?” Perrigo wondered. (LG, September 1976)
Status
Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a sporadic, very rare visitant, at that time citing only four records: 9 May 1977; 14 May 1978; 21-22 March 1981 and 3-17 May 1981. Since the mid 1990s it has been reported as a regular winter visitant, less frequent in spring, if the reports have been accurate.
Occurrence
Of about 52 reports from 1976-2006, about two-thirds have occurred November through March. Dates range from 10 August to 17 June. Note, however, that of 15 sightings reported to NYSARC from our region for the period 1981-2002, only three were accepted.So how many have actually been seen here? Answering that question definitively is about as difficult as trying to decide if this is even a separate species or simply one of many points on a complex cline of closely related subspecies. (KB 52:311)And if it is a separate species, can it be reliably identified in the field?Chip Perrigo certainly thought so. “One cold and drizzly day in early May of 1976, Walt Listman, Mike Carlson and myself learned quite by accident exactly what a Thayer’s Gull is. From that point on we have tried to stress that there is no great birding wizardry involved in identifying a Thayer’s Gull, and those who have seen this species since then will strongly support our opinion.” (LG, June 1978)And yet, more than 20 years later, the New York State Avian Records Committee noted that “perhaps more than any other species, Thayer’s Gull presents unique difficulties.” Safely separating true Thayer’s Gulls from intergrades with the Kumlien’s form of Iceland Gull is still “poorly understood,” the committee added. As a result, NYSARC “has followed a conservative approach, accepting only extremely well-documented individuals that match the classical Thayer’s Gull profile in all respects . . . It is the belief of the Committee that a feather by feather analysis, preferably supported by a suite of photographs, is required for safe identification.” (KB 52: 21, 23)In other words, there are times when it may be impossible to identify some individuals. Consider, for example, the “possible Thayer’s Gull or Kumlieni race Iceland Gull or hybrid Thayer’s x Iceland Gull” that was observed for several minutes at close range on 18 April 1998 on the beach at Hamlin Beach SP. “This gull had characteristics of Kumlieni race of Iceland Gull (silvery gray mantle and slate gray wing tips) and Thayer’s Gull (slim slender bill) and had a dark eye which is considered a field mark for Thayer’s Gull, but several references mention that the Kumlieni race of Iceland Gull can also have a dark eye. Identification is uncertain, any comment about this gull is welcome.” (LG, June 1998)
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscusLesser Black-backed Gull
Local birders knew it was just a matter of time before this species showed up. After all, from 1954 on, this European gull had been “regular along the coast in very small numbers,” Bull (1974) noted. There had been records at Buffalo in 1949 and at Oswego in 1967. Another visited a dump at Ithaca in 1964. The same bird, presumably, was seen seven consecutive years on nearby Cayuga Lake. (Bull, pp. 270-272) And then one arrived here. An adult bird was seen 31 December 1979 off the pier in Webster Park by Glenn “Chip” Perrigo, Roger Clark and Mike Davids “under ideal conditions,” reported John Brown. “Its plumage is like the common Great black-backed gull, but it is much smaller, about the size of a Herring gull, and it has yellow rather than pinkish, flesh-colored legs,” Brown explained. “There were numerous other gulls present for size comparison.” (BA, 2 January 1980; KB 30:108)The increase in sightings since that time has been truly startling – almost exponential through the 1990s.
Background
This European gull occurs as three subspecies, breeding from Iceland across the British Isles to Brittany, the Baltic and Scandinavia, and wintering in western Europe and in Africa. “A westwards drift of a few individuals from southwards-migrating Icelandic population probably accounts for the regular, but small wintering population which now passes through Newfoundland . . . wintering south to Florida,” Peter Harrison notes in Seabirds. (Harrison, pp. 340-341)
Local history
Our second record, an adult on 10 April 1982 (Davids, Griffith) was at Buck Pond near Crescent Beach in the company of Herring and Ring-billed gulls, which provided a good size comparison,. “(Mike) Davids and Kevin Griffith studied the bird, noting the yellow legs and dark, slaty-gray back, typical of the British Isles race of the species,” Brown reported. (BA, 15 April 1982; KB 32: 191) There were eight records in the 1980s; 60+ during the 1990s; 50+ during 2000-2005.
Status
Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a sporadic, very rare visitant. At that time there were only four records.Livingston County, Fox (1998) considered this a sporadic very rare winter visitant.
Occurrence
From 1992 on, recorded annually, including twenty-one sightings in 1999 alone. A chart of occurrences indicates this is primarily a winter visitant and spring transient.
A subadult on 1 and 4 June 2003 (C. Cass, Symonds) at Hamlin Beach SP (LG, September 2003) gave us records in every month. As Kingbird regional editor Kevin Griffith noted in 2000, “We can now expect this species at almost any time during the year.” (KB 50:281)One 23 November 1996 (Lathrop) at Cobbs Hill (GOS, January 1997), another on 7 April 2004 (Fox) at Silver Lake (GOS, July 2004) and at least a half-dozen occurrences at Conesus Lake suggest we can also expect them to appear just about anywhere.
Maxima: 12 all January 2004 (M. Tetlow) at Perinton ponds. (LG, March 2004) Max. 5 during January 2000 (Sherony, G. Chapin et al) at Perinton. (LG, March 2000) 6 on 22 January 2007 (D. Tetlow, Davids) Lake Edwards, Perinton. (LG, March 2007) Max. 5 during February 2006 (mob) at Perinton. (LG, April 2006) 5 – 4 adults, 1 immature – on 15 March 2004 (M. Tetlow) at Perinton. (LG, June 2004) 5 adults on 16 April 2004 (M. Tetlow) at Perinton. (LG, June 2004) 4 on 13 May 2003 (Symonds, Bounds) at Hamlin Beach SP. (LG, September 2003)
Maxima: 12 all January 2004 (M. Tetlow) at Perinton ponds. (LG, March 2004) Max. 5 during January 2000 (Sherony, G. Chapin et al) at Perinton. (LG, March 2000) 6 on 22 January 2007 (D. Tetlow, Davids) Lake Edwards, Perinton. (LG, March 2007) Max. 5 during February 2006 (mob) at Perinton. (LG, April 2006) 5 – 4 adults, 1 immature – on 15 March 2004 (M. Tetlow) at Perinton. (LG, June 2004) 5 adults on 16 April 2004 (M. Tetlow) at Perinton. (LG, June 2004) 4 on 13 May 2003 (Symonds, Bounds) at Hamlin Beach SP. (LG, September 2003)
Glaucous Gull
Larus hyperboreusGlaucous Gull
The morning of 9 February 2003 was bitterly cold and snowy. “The weather said ‘you’re nuts to go out!’” Diane Henderson related. But the birds said otherwise. One of the highlights of the RBA field trip that morning was a Glaucous Gull at the north end of Irondequoit Bay, which “obliged us by sitting between a Great Black-backed and a Ring-billed Gull for a perfect size comparison.” John Lehr, as usual, found the perfect description, commenting that “it’s color is a white bird with some sand thrown on it.” (LG, March 2003)This is how Rochester birders normally catch up with one of these northern visitors, braving the chill winds of autumn, winter or early spring, carefully peering through their scopes at an all-white bird that stands out on a beach or amid hordes of other gulls on the ice of Braddock, Irondequoit or Sodus bays.But not always. Not for members of Rochester Museum & Science Center bird-spotting class in April 1979. As they sat in a Charlotte restaurant, warming themselves with cups of coffee, “a Glaucous gull flew by along Lake Avenue, directly in front of the window.” (BA, 11 April 1979)
Background
This large, pale gull is distributed throughout the Arctic from North America to Europe and Asia. In North America it breeds along the northern coasts of Alaska east to Labrador, and, though rare or uncommon south of its breeding range in winter, can be found as far south as California and Virginia, with small numbers wintering regularly on the Great lakes and the St. Lawrence River. It can be found nesting on open tundra, high coastal cliffs, islands in tundra lakes and on sandy islets at the mouths of rivers. Often nests in association with Black-legged Kittiwakes, murres, Iceland Gull and Common Eider, but breeding densities can vary from single nests “spaced kilometers apart over flat tundra to colonies of more than 300 pairs on islands and cliffs,” notes H. Grant Gilchrist in his profile of this species for The Birds of North America series. Overall populations are poorly understood. Estimates have included 35,000 in eastern Canada, more than 100,000 in Alaska. (BNA 573: 1, 19)
Local history
Eaton (1910) listed this as a rare winter visitor at Monroe County, including a record on 22 February 1899, with no indication of occurrence for Livingston or Wayne. Eaton I: 123, county charts)R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, indicated this species had been reported in only four of those years – 1928, 1932, 1933 and 1934 – all single birds on dates ranging from 19 December to 16 May.By 1939, the Glaucous Gull “probably averages about every other year” in its appearances here, Edson noted. (WBR, 4 December 1939)When Leo Tanghe analyzed the tallies from 1,665 outings by Genesee Ornithological Society members from 1951-54, he found this species reported 51 times within a 50-mile radius of Rochester, slightly more than Iceland (38). The sightings were of one or two birds, from December through May. (KB 5: 69: 3A-3B)Four on 17 February 1965 (Lloyd, Sunderlin) were at Irondequoit Bay with three Iceland Gulls. (GOS, April 1965) About a dozen reports during the 1971-72 winter “represent a good number for this region.” (KB22:86) There were 14 reports during January 1978. (GOS, March 1978)
Status
Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a regular, uncommon winter visitant.Livingston County, Fox (1998) considered this a casual very rare winter visitant.
Occurrence
Fall/winter: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 23 October to 21 March, with a mid range, or “normal arrival time” of 3 December to 1 January. However, one on 16 October 1977 (J. Taylor) at Nine Mile Point was earlier. (GOS, December 1977) Subsequently, one on 9 October 1989 (C. Cass) at Hamlin Beach SP (GOS, December 1989) and another there on the same date in 1997 (J. Bounds) set a new record early date. (GOS, December 1997) In most years had departed by 10 May, with a late departure date of 22 May. Juvenile and sub-adult birds appearing all white can be found by carefully examining large assemblies of gulls. As with Iceland Gull, numbers are variable from year to year. During the winter of 1983-84, there were 15 reports: one in December, five in January and up to nine in February, most immatures. (KB34: 112) Generally seen along the lakefront. There are, however, two records from Conesus Lake, on the Little Lakes CBC of 1966 and 1968. (Fox, p. 53)
Maxima: 5 immatures on 25 November 1976 (Perrigo) at Braddock Bay. (LG, December 1976) 8 on 16 December 1979 (mob) Rochester CBC. (GOS, February 1980) 5 on 28 December 1979 (Griffith, Davids, Listman) Irondequoit to Hamlin. (LG, January 1980) 8 max. during 10-31 December 1995 (M. Tetlow) at Perinton. (GOS, February 1996) 5 on 2 January 1977 (Listman) at Braddock Bay. (LG, February 1977) 12 on 25 January 1985 (Listman) at Point Breeze. (KB 35:126) Max. 5 during February 2006 (mob) at Perinton. (LG, April 2006) 5 on 4 February 1978 (D., M. and T. Tetlow) at Irondequoit Bay. (LG, March 1978) 5 on 16 February 1974 (Kemnitzer, Hill) at Irondequoit Bay outlet. (KB24: 74) 5 on 26 February 1977 (S. Taylor) Irondequoit Bay. (LG, March 1977) 5 max. on 1 March 1992 (Davids, Marcotte) Irondequoit Bay. (GOS, May 1992) Summer: At least five reports. One on 18-30 June 1986 (C. Cass, Boudrie, Reinhardt) at Webster Park/Braddock Bay, lingering until 6 July (mob) at Braddock Bay. (LG, July 1986; GOS, September, November 1986) One on 9 June 1995 (Symonds) at Hamlin Beach. (LG, August 1995) An immature on 2, 5, and 14 June 1997 (M. Tetlow) at Perinton. (LG, September 1997) One on 20 June 1980 (Davids) at Parma. (KB30: 230; LG, August 1980) One on 18 July 2007 (D. Tetlow) at Russell Station. (LG, September 2007)
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinusGreat Black-backed Gull
“Big Gull That Barks Visiting in City,” the headline read in the Democrat and Chronicle on 27 January 1930. An immature Great Black-backed Gull had been seen off the Andrews Street bridge, “and if it adopts that as one of its hangouts, many bird lovers should have a good chance to add this bird to their list,” R. E. Horsey and W. L.G. Edson advised faithful readers of their weekly bird column. There had been very few occasions to do so in the past. In fact, their column indicated, this was only the third sighting here, the other two occurring in August 1916 and March 1920 when adults visited. What a change has occurred in this species presence here! These “coffin carriers” – a delightful if somber reference to their funereal black wings and mantle – are now a much more common, year-round presence, sticking out unmistakably among the smaller, gray-mantled Ring-billed and Herring gulls at Ontario Beach and other lakefront sites. They are a handy reference for beginning birders who are just learning to distinguish one gull species from another.
Background
Populations of Great Black-backed were decimated by feather hunters and egg collectors in North America during the 19th century, according to Thomas Good’s profile of this species in The Birds of North America series. In 1900, this species’ breeding range extended no farther south than the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick. With protection, that began to change. This common gull of northeastern United States and northern Europe increased phenomenally in many parts of its range during the last half of the 20th century, spreading southward at the expense of Laughing and Herring gulls. It now breeds as far south as North Carolina. (BNA 330:3, 4)
History
In the early 1900s, birders here had relatively few opportunities to study them. This species was uncommon on any of the Great Lakes before 1931. (BNA 330: 4)For example, Eaton (1910) listed this as an uncommon winter visitor in Monroe County with no record of occurrence in Livingston or Wayne. (Eaton I: county charts) R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, indicated only single birds had been seen, on dates ranging from 14 August to 28 April. Indeed, Gordon Meade reported seeing only one individual during all of 1920 and 1921, despite being in the field a total of 342 days! (KB17: 71) Edson in 1934 said one or two “wander in here” nearly every winter. (WBR, 17 December 1934) However, this species didn’t even show up on the Rochester Christmas Bird Count until 1937, Richard O’Hara noted in his history of the local count. “I would venture to suggest that the black-Backed Gull is becoming a more abundant winter bird in our region in view of the fact that none was reported before the 1937 (Rochester Christmas Bird Count) census,” J. H. Barlow wrote in his assessment of 20 years of the count from 1927 to 1947. “Throughout the past few winters it has been possible to find the bird on the Summerville pier, and I feel that earlier observers covered the harbor well.” (GOS, January/February 1948) By the early 1950s, the frequency of occurrences had increased significantly. There were five sightings in January 1951, ranging from one to nine birds. (GOS, January/March 1951) These gulls “seem to be still increasing in numbers each year,” noted the Goshawk’s monthly summary for January 1953. Indeed, when Leo Tanghe analyzed the tallies from 1,665 outings by Genesee Ornithological Society members from 1951-54, he found this species reported 393 times within a 50-mile radius of Rochester, though still trailing Herring, Ring-billed and Bonaparte’s in frequency of sightings. The majority of Great Black-backed sightings (281) were from late October through February. There were only five records of 1-2 birds each during the summer months. Best average counts were still only 7-10 birds. (KB 5: 69: 3A-3B) However, a maximum of 26 were tallied in March 1949 (mob) along the lakeshore (GNR); 40 were tallied on 3 January 1954 (Tanghes, R. Dobson) along the lakeshore. (GOS, January/February 1954) Ninety-nine at Irondequoit Bay on 9 January 1955 was “added evidence of the continuing increase of this species, considered rare here not too long ago,” John Brown commented. (BA, 13 January 1955) As Meade meticulously outlines in The Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York State, Great Black-backed Gulls began a major southward range expansion before World War II. Breeding was confirmed in New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts in 1930; then on Long Island in 1942. By 1962, nests were found on the north shore of Lake Ontario. (Andrle, p. 170)“By the 1960s, North American populations may even have exceeded their historical numbers, possibly because of plentiful food derived from human refuse,” Good notes in his profile. (BNA 330:2) Not surprisingly, inland sightings increased dramatically as a result, even when breeding was still confined primarily to the coast. The combined totals seen on the Buffalo, Rochester and Geneva Christmas Bird Counts increased from no birds in 1930-34, to an average of 42 birds in 1940-44, then 204 birds in 1960-64 and 2,032 in 1981-1985, according to Meade. (Andrle, p. 170) Eighty on 18 March 1962 (Peakall) were at Sodus Bay. (GNR)By the 1970s, two hundred or more could be found in winter at Irondequoit Bay. “The (Great) Black-backed Gulls, huge and stubborn, are virtually exploding their once small and stable eastern population,” Chip Perrigo observed. “They are an exciting bird to watch, but their domineering ways and aggressive competition could conceivably cause future problems for other Larid species.” (LG, March 1977)Initially this was primarily a winter visitor here. Even in 1952, an immature seen by Tom Barry and Walt Listman on the 18 May at Manitou on the Spring Census was considered “a rather late date for the species.” (GOS, May/August 1952) Individuals sighted on 10 June and 5 July in 1954 made the noteworthy list. (KB4:77) By 1967, however, Miller noted that “usually one or two summer here.” (KB17: 220) By 1970 it had been recorded in summer at many inland locations in the state, according to Bull’s Birds of New York State. (Levine, p. 290)First nesting at Little Galloo occurred in 1981. (Andrle, p. 170) A maximum of 8 were at Manitou (N. Henderson et al) from 16-30 June 1978. (GNR) Three years later, there were 25 on 12 June 1981 (Davids) along the west lakeshore. (LG, July 1981)By 1985, the Monroe County annotated list entered this species as a regular summer visitor. “For the last several years, black-backs have become a year-round species,” Frank Dobson noted in 1987. “They used to be strictly a cool-weather bird.” (Birds, 26 July 1987) And in 1990, “Great Black-backed Gull outnumbered Herring Gulls over much of the summer, certainly a change from the historical situation,” noted the commentary accompanying the August 1990 noteworthy records in the Goshawk.
Status
Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a regular, common winter visitant and a regular, uncommon summer visitant.Livingston County, Fox (1998) considered this an irregular uncommon winter visitant (since 1981) and a (presumably irregular) rare spring and fall transient.
Occurrence
Winter: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 31 August to 27 November, with a mid range, or “normal arrival time” of 17 September to 1 November. In most years had departed by 21 May, with a late departure date of 1 June.The last three years of the Hamlin Beach Lakewatch project (1997-1999) documented a westward migration of Great Black-backeds, averaging about 1,700 between late September and the end of December, with others continuing to pass during the winter. (Ewald and Sherony, pp. 90-91)
Maxima: 250 on 25 November 1976 (Perrigo) at Braddock Bay. (LG, December 1976) 440 on 17 December 1978, Rochester CBC. (LG, January 1979) 918 on 18 December 1994, Rochester CBC. (GOS, February 1995) 250 on 3 January 1976 (Shea, McAdam) Irondequoit Bay. (LG, February 1976) 772 on 10 January 1980 (R. Clark, Reister) at Braddock Bay. (LG, February 1980) 600 on 25 January 1985 (Listman) at Point Breeze during a large flight of gulls. (LG, March 1985) 300 max. on 9 February 1981 (C. Cass, N. Boudrie) Irondequoit Bay Outlet .(GNR) 250 on 19 February 1977 (Perrigo, R. Clark, Symonds) Irondequoit Bay. (LG, March 1977) 325 on 19 February 1979 (Perrigo, M. Carlson) Irondequoit Bay. (LG, March 1979) 250 on 25 February 1978 (R. Clark, C. Taylor, Griffith) west lakeshore. (LG, March 1978) 512 on 28 February 1996 (Marcotte) Irondequoit Bay. (GOS, April 1996) 400+ on 22 March 1981 (Davids) at Irondequoit Bay. (LG, April 1981)
Great Black-backed Gulls have been much less common away from Lake Ontario. The first record for Livingston County was a single bird at Conesus Lake on 3 December 1981, Fox notes. “It has been almost regular since.” Thirty-seven on the 1986 Little Lakes Christmas Bird Count – also at Conesus Lake – was considered “incredibly high” for this part of the region. However, Fox adds, “It is expected to be more common and more regular than is recorded.” (Fox, p. 53)
Sabine’s Gull
Xema sabiniSabine’s Gull
For more than half an hour on 4 October 1952, Walt Listman, Harry Van Beurden and Tom Barry enjoyed a sight that had not been seen in Monroe County for at least half a century: a Sabine’s Gull, an immature, that allowed the trio to have “excellent looks” at it, and even flew 50 feet overhead at one point – just to be sure they could observe it from every angle.Listman’s report on the sighting at Charlotte Pier noted that the bird was the “same size as the Bonaparte’s. Very striking and easily stood out from lighter colored Bonaparte’s.” He also noted the characteristic markings: black wing tips, white triangle at the rear center of the wings, dark gray back, neck and back of head and wings, and forked tail with a black v at the terminal contrasting with the white on the rest of the tail. (GOS, November-December 1952)And this was just the start of a great day of birding for this trio (see Parasitic Jaeger above). Background
In many respects, this gull is considered an aberration. It is one of only two gull species having a black bill with yellow tip, and a notched tail. Its distraction displays and feeding methods on mudflats are more typical of shorebirds; its call and flight – described as exceedingly graceful and buoyant – are more typical of terns. This species nests in small colonies in marshy areas of arctic and subactic tundra, usually near the coast, in Alaska, Canada, Europe and Asia. It winters at sea, in zones of coastal upwelling off western South America and southern Africa. Few data for overall population or trends, but Pacific wintering population alone estimated at about 100,000. (BNA 593:1, 3, 13, 24)
Local history
E.H. Short apparently had our region’s first record: “Sabine’s Gull seen over upper falls of Genesee . . . Identified by small size, white and forked tail, a combination easily marking it among a group of Bonaparte’s.” (B&M, p. 258) That was in March 1901, but is not mentioned by Eaton. “Sabine’s Gull is a great rarity in this state,” Bull (1974) noted (Bull, p. 286), but skilled lake watchers with advanced optics are finding this species with greater frequency. Status
Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a sporadic, very rare fall visitant. However, with increased lake coverage, now an irregular, very rare fall visitant.
Occurrence
The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of dates from 11 September to 20 November. One on 1 September 1991 was earlier; two on 30 November 1980 were later (see below).“Seen more frequently on the Niagara River than at Hamlin Beach State Park,” Ewald and Sherony noted in their analysis of the Hamlin Beach Lakewatch project. “Observations suggest that they migrate far from shore and most go by unseen.” (Ewald and Sherony, p. 92) One March 1901 (Short) at the “upper falls of Genesee.” (B&M, p. 258) One on 4 October 1952 (Barry, Listman, Van Beurden) at Charlotte. (KB 2:92) An immature on 17 and 22 September 1953 (Van Beurden, Dolan, McKinney) Charlotte, apparently only the fourth or fifth sighting in all of western New York. (GNR; WBR, 21 September 1953; B&M, p. 258) Two on 1 October 1962 (Listman) Manitou. (KB 13:34) An immature 26 September 1964 (J. Doherty, Foster, Miller, O’Hara) east spit Braddock Bay (KB 15:30) “carefully studied” while on a sandbar and while in flight in direct comparison with Bonaparte’s Gulls. “The flashing white patches on the back side of the wings and the forked tail were clearly seen . . .”One immature, injured, captured 29 September 1968 (Erwin) at Ontario Beach. (KB 19:27) 7. One 14 September (GOS hike), 23 October 1969 (Doherty, Miller) Ontario Beach – same bird? (GNR, KB 20:18) 8. Two adults 30 November 1980 (M. and T. Tetlow) at Chimney Bluff east of Sodus Bay. (KB 31:27; BA, 4 December 1980) 9. One immature 11 September 1983 (Davids, Listman, Symonds) Hamlin Beach SP. (KB 34:43) 10. One immature 8 October 1987 (Griswold) off Durand Eastman Park. (KB38:32) 11. One immature 14-15 September 1990 (Reinhardt, mob) Irondequoit Bay. (KB 41:34) 12. One 1 September 1991 (Marcotte) Charlotte. (KB 42:31) 13. One juvenile 11 September 1993 (C. Cass, Davids, S. Skelly, R. Spahn) Hamlin Beach SP. (KB 44:41) 14. One adult 14 October 1993 (Symonds) Hamlin Beach SP. (KB 44:41) 15. One immature 9, 15 September 1997 (Lanzone) Hamlin Beach SP. (KB 48:49; note: Ewald and Sherony list only the 15 September sighting.) 16. One immature 24 November 1997 (Lanzone) Hamlin Beach SP. (KB 48:49) 17. One to three immatures 10 October 2000 (Symonds, mob) Hamlin Beach SP. (KB 51:518) 18. One immature 30 October 2001 (D. Tetlow) Hamlin Beach SP. (KB 52:60) 19. One 10 November 2004 (D. Tetlow) Hamlin Beach SP. (KB 55:51) 20. One 19 November 2004 (Symonds) at Hamlin Beach SP. (KB 55:51) 21. Two immatures 16 October 2005 (D. Tetlow) Hamlin Beach SP. (KB 56:69) 22. One 6 September 2006 (Griffith, D. Tetlow) at Hamlin Beach SP. (LG, October 2006) 23. An immature on 31 October 2006 (Symonds, D. Tetlow, et al) at Hamlin Beach SP. (LG, December 2006) 24. Four juveniles on 10 September 2007 (C. Wood et al) Huron. (LG, November 2007) 25. One juvenile on 23 September 2007 (Guthrie) Hamlin Beach SP. (LG, November 2007) 26. One juvenile on 28 September 2007 (Wheeler) Huron. (LG, November 2007)
Ivory Gull
Pagophila eburneanIvory Gull
A dime and a solid deduction helped document our first sighting of this rare but spectacular visitor from the north. On the late afternoon of 21 January 1981, Mike Davids found himself looking at a white gull sitting on the ice at Charlotte. The back end of a white gull, that is. And it just didn’t look right. “I could see a little dotting on it, and it was too small to be Iceland or Glaucous, and the color was different,” Davids recalled. Unfortunately, the rest of the bird was hidden behind other gulls. Nonetheless, “I deduced it had to be an Ivory Gull.” Fortunately, Davids not only had a dime on him, but found a couple of honest teenagers walking down the pier who responded to Davids’ urgent pleas to place phone calls to Patty Reister and Kevin Griffith. “They wrote the names and numbers and Ivory Gull on their hands, and ever so slowly, stopping to throw sticks in the river, meandered off toward their car.” (LG, January 1981) In the meantime, Davids kept an eye on the bird. Finally the other gulls in front moved, and the whole bird was in sight. There was no longer any doubt as to its identity. “It stood up and faced me and the dark face smudge and black legs jumped off it,” Davids related. Still no other birders had arrived, and Davids was now desperate for any kind of corroboration. He corralled another young man and got him to look through the scope, coached him on what to look for, then “told him not to leave town”; he made enough commotion to lure another man with a camera and tripod over, and convinced him to take a series of photos. Finally, Patty Reister arrived. Then Kevin Griffith. Then Al Kemnitzer. And then the bird was gone. Davids had been a bit worried while the bird was still mostly hidden. Had he made the wrong call? Was he bringing people down for a pigeon or an “albino Ring-bill with bird measles”? (Those who know Davids’ superb birding skills would not put very high odds on that!) “I thought it was better to be wrong than to let something like that get away,” he said. Background Rarely found far from drifting pack ice at any time of year, this species thrives in “remote and desolate reaches of the high Arctic,” breeding in northern Canada, Greenland and northern reaches of the Russian Federation. Only rarely does it occur as a winter vagrant south of the Bering Sea and Maritime Provinces. It is a versatile nester, using rocky islands and cliffs, but sometimes choosing steep ridges or outcroppings well inland, then moving south in winter with the ice pack. As many as 35,000 have been observed in late winter, early spring in the Davis Strait between Canada and Greenland, but lack of long-term observations of any colony or population makes it difficult to assess trends. (BNA 175: 1, 4, 16)
Status
Occasional, very rare winter visitant.
Occurrence
Three records, of which two have been accepted by NYSARC.Mike Davids’ immature bird on 21 January 1981 at Charlotte. (KB 31:91) “It is indeed fortunate that there are birders in the field virtually every day of the year now,” Steve Taylor noted. “A decade ago, that gull probably would not have been found. Today, thanks to the growing legion of birders, their intense birding efforts and the flexibility they allow themselves, four very fortunate souls were able to witness perhaps the rarest bird ever to grace our area.” (LG, February 1981) Accepted by NYSARC. (KB 32:230)Don and Donna Traver took one look at the mostly frozen surface of Sodus Bay on 2 January 1994, and figured they would give it a quick look and go somewhere else.Don was setting a scope at the shoreline, when Donna starting shouting from the car, “check that funny small white gull with the Great Black-backed.” Next they were both shouting, “Ivory Gull! Ivory Gull! I don’t believe it. We have to start calling people.” (LG, January 1994). Two agonizing hours passed before the first Rochester birders arrived to confirm their sighting. Fortunately, the bird stayed all that day and into the next, giving lots of birders a chance to see it. (KB 44:123) Frank Dobson was among them, arriving the next morning. About 11:30 a.m., the Ivory Gull made an appearance, dropping momentarily to the ice, then taking off and “with a light, tern-like flight” flying right between the gathered birders and a Snowy Owl. “What a strikingly beautiful creature,” Dobson wrote (Birds, 23 January 1994). “An immature ivory gull, it had the purest white feathering one could find on a bird, sharply accented with black tips on some wing feathers and on the tail. Black legs, bill, and eyes were also diagnostic.” Accepted by NYSARC. (KB 46: 297)3. One on 31 December 1999 at Hamlin Beach, observed by Dave Tetlow and Brett Ewald when, on the very last day, Tetlow achieved his quest for 300 species in a single year in style. (KB 50: 159, 161) Not accepted by NYSARC. (KB 52:313)
Black-legged Kittiwake
(formerly Atlantic Kittiwake, Kittiwake)Rissa tridactylaBlack-legged Kittiwake
These eagerly anticipated fall and winter visitors are usually spotted as they fly by over the lake, often with Bonaparte’s Gulls. In December 1981, however, as many as three took up residence on the lake off the Van Lare sewage treatment plant and Durand-Eastman Park. It was a unique opportunity to study their behavior. One birder, peering through a 48-power telescope, spotted what appeared to be kittiwakes diving for food –which struck John Brown as an “extremely ungull-like behavior.” However, a search of the literature confirmed that these birds do, indeed, dive and swim under water in pursuit of small fish and other prey. Mike Davids, who checked regularly on the visitors, reported that “they seem to be present close to shore only during the first hour or so of daylight. Then they disappear, possibly moving farther out in the lake.” (BA, 10 December 1981)
Background
This pelagic gull nests on vertical sea cliffs, laying its eggs on narrow ledges – so narrow that “most adults and chicks must face towards the cliff when on their nest, with their tails projecting over the edge,” notes Pat Baird in the profile of this species for The Birds of North America series. Unlike many gulls, it does not frequent garbage dumps, instead feeding mainly on small, surface swarming fish. Its breeding range extends from Alaska, across widely disjunct portions of far northern Canada, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and also in northern Europe and parts of the former Soviet Union. This species “wanders widely outside of breeding season,” and is rare or accidental inland along major waterways like the Great Lakes and even the Mississippi and Missouri river systems. Eastern populations winter mainly offshore, from Newfoundland as far south as Florida. Colonies have nearly doubled in size along the Gulf of St. Lawrence. However, as traditional commercial fish stocks continue to decline, any move to begin harvesting smaller species, such as capelin, could have disastrous consequences for this species. (BNA 92: 1, 2, 18)
Local history
Walt Listman and Harry Van Beurden were sitting in a car at the end of Lighthouse Beach Road about 9:30 a.m. on 8 November 1952, “watching an unusual waterfowl flight.” They spotted a gull flying toward them down the shore. “We caught glimpses of an unusual wing pattern, and suspicious size and flight were noticed,” they later wrote. The bird passed them 300 to 400 feet out over the lake, going west and above them. “I was able to get the scope on it. The dark diagonal bands and black primaries, separating large light triangles toward the rear of the wings from the grayer, inner fore wings, were seen.” It was about the size of Ring-billed Gull. “Its flight was completely different from the Bonaparte’s Gull.” (GOS, November/December 1952) It was a Black-legged Kittiwake, apparently the first Monroe County sighting since the turn of the century, Edson reported. (WBR, 17 November 1952)Neil Posson, writing on “Some Birds of Unusual Occurrence in Orleans County, NY” in 1899, noted that a specimen had been taken “on a pond in the town of Clarendon after a heavy storm.” (Auk 16: 193)Eaton, writing in 1910, described it as a rare winter visitor in Monroe County, but gave no indication of occurrence in Livingston or Wayne. (Eaton I: county charts) Our second modern record was an immature that was observed “in excellent light for several minutes” on 9 September 1956 at the Summerville Pier by members of a Genesee Ornithological Society field trip (WBR, 17 September 1956; BA, 13 September 1956). Next, two on 5 November 1960 (Listman) – an adult and an immature – were at Hamlin Beach SP. (KB 10: 180; WBR, 14 November 1960)Beginning in the mid 1960s, records began piling up. Multiple sightings included three on 9 November 1965 (Listman) at Manitou, followed by two five days later (Kemnitzer) at Sodus Bay. (GOS, January 1966) Walt Listman tallied five on 29 October 1966 at Hamlin Beach. (GOS, December 1966) “They flew along the lakeshore in single file, two adults and three immature birds,” Brown reported. (BA, 3 November 1966) Another five were seen on 24 November 1970 (Listman) at Sodus Bluff . (GNR) Then came an “unprecedented movement” on 12 November 1977 with three immatures seen at Nine Mile Point (Kemnitzer) and 16 from Hamlin Beach SP to Braddock Bay. (S. Taylor, J. and W. Listman) “A gigantic cold front with violent North winds swept down across the Great Lakes. The kittiwake flight of that same day will probably not be equaled for many years as the one-day count more than tripled any previous inland North American record,” Chip Perrigo reported. (LG, February 1978) One was at Point Breeze (Symonds) and one at Sodus Bay (M. and T. Tetlow) the next day, and six more along the east lakeshore (S. Taylor) on 19 November. (LG, January 1978) “From the timing of the records the total number of individuals is believed to be 17; all immatures.” (KB 28:40) The sightings occurred in the wake of a “weather front that moved down across Lake Ontario from the northwest” and “brought with it the season’s coldest and snowiest weather.” (BA, 16 November 1977) Status
Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as an irregular, very rare to fairly common fall visitant and a casual, very rare spring visitant.
Occurrence
A nearly annual fall/early winter visitor since 1974; only three spring records.
Fall: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range dates from 9 September to 31 December, with a mid range of 24 October to 4 December. Subsequently, one on 4 September 2005 (Symonds) at Hamlin Beach set a new record early date. (LG, November 2005)Strikingly patterned immature birds flying along Lake Ontario are now eagerly anticipated each fall. Peak numbers usually occur in November. Only four September records through 2005. Some years are definitely better than others. For example, another “super flight year” occurred in fall 1983, with 33 reported, including a maximum of 11 on 29 October (Symonds, mob) at Hamlin Beach SP. (LGNR) Tallies at the Hamlin Beach Lakewatch project ranged from none during two years to 66 in 1997, when 18 were seen on 9 November. Most birds were immatures, headed west with Bonaparte’s Gulls and “usually seen flying low above the water, riding the wave troughs,” Ewald and Sherony noted. Thirty-five percent occurred two days after the passage of a front, and most were seen on days of winds of 20 mph or more, usually northwest winds, but also on days with southwest or northeast winds. (Ewald and Sherony, pp. 92-93)
Fall maxima: 11 on 29 October 1983 (Symonds, mob) at Hamlin Beach SP. (LG, November 1983) 18 on 9 November 1997 (mob) Hamlin Beach SP. (LG, January 1998) 16 on 12 November 1977 (S. Taylor, J. and W. Listman) Hamlin Beach to Braddock Bay. (LG, January 1978) 10 on 19 November 1995 (Symonds et al) at Hamlin Beach SP. (LG, December 1995) 16 on 22 November 1996 (Symonds, Remy) at Hamlin Beach SP. (LG, December 1996)
Winter: Four records in January: 1) One on 24 January 1974 (Scheider et al) at Charlotte (GOS, March 1974); an immature on 20 January 2002 (Symonds et al) at Hamlin Beach SP (LG, March 2002); one on 4 January 2004 (Symonds et al) at Hamlin Beach SP. (LG, March 2004) and an immature on 14 January 2007 (D. Tetlow) at Hamlin Beach SP. (LG, March 2007)
Spring: Three records: 1) One 6 March 1970 (Listman) at Braddock Bay (GNR); 2) one on 6 April 1975 (Spahn) at Irondequoit Bay (KB 25:154); and 3) an immature on 17 April 1999 (Symonds) at Hamlin Beach. (LG, June 1999)
Misc.
Usually these birds are seen as they fly along the lakeshore. However, Richard O’Hara and Paul Weld found one on a beach at Hamlin Beach SP which “flew up as they approached” in November 1978. (BA, 15 November 1978)
Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia (formerly Sterna caspia)Caspian Tern
Several of these birds were apparently engaged in courtship on 23 April 1989 at a mudflat on Irondequoit Bay. “Bird A will catch a small fish, maybe 4-5 inches long and saunter off with it. It will go up to Bird B, pass it the fish, then raise its bill for a moment. Bird B would then juggle the fish, drop it, try to pick it up, miss. Bird A would then grab it and saunter off again, pausing to dip the fish in the water. Bird B would follow. Eventually Bird A would again let Bird B take the fish with the same result. This went on for four times with one pair, before B finally gulped it down.” (Marcotte diary entry)The fastidiousness with dropped food is not limited to courtship. “When fish offered to young has dropped on ground, adult washes fish by flying over water and dipping it . . . or by swimming and rinsing it, and then reoffers it to young.” (BNA 403: 9)In the early 1900s such antics would have been rarely, if ever, observed in our region, especially in spring. At that time, this was a much rarer species here. Only with a resurgence of its breeding presence on the Great Lakes has it become a familiar, regular sight in spring and again in late summer and fall.
Background
This, the largest of all terns, can be found either breeding and/or wintering on all continents except Antarctica. In North America its raucous call heralds the presence of breeding colonies in scattered locations along the Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf coasts, and inland in the western interior, Prairie Provinces and along the Great Lakes. These terns seek out flat rocky islands, beaches and sandy shores, sparsely vegetated and littered with driftwood, to place nests that range from mere scrapes in sand or gravel to carefully lined depressions with rims elaborately built-up with mollusk shells and crayfish appendages. Great Lakes birds winter mostly across the Gulf and Atlantic Coast states, the Caribbean and northern South America; Lakes Erie and Ontario provide one of the migration corridors for birds using watersheds of New York and Pennsylvania to reach the Atlantic Coast. Though this species has been declining, and even extirpated in parts of its range elsewhere, the North American breeding range has been expanding since the early 1900s. In the west, birds gradually shifted nesting from interior freshwater sites to man-made habitats in coastal areas. And it has expanded southwards, reaching Florida in the 1970s. Numbers on the Great Lakes have nearly tripled since 1963. An estimated 33,000 to 35,000 pairs nested across North America in 1980s and 1990s. Construction of levees in association with salt evaporation ponds and creation of dredge-spoil islands have helped this species. (BNA 403: 1, 3- 5, 21)
Local history
The blood-red bill and unmistakable, harsh call of this, our largest gull seen here, was much less often observed here in the early 1900s, perhaps because, like other terns, its numbers were reduced by overhunting in the late 1800s. (BNA 403: 22)Eaton (1910) listed it as an uncommon transient in Monroe County, with no indication of occurrence in Livingston or Wayne. (Eaton I: county charts)R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, indicated this was almost exclusively seen in late summer and fall, and only one or two birds at a time. He listed only one spring record: three birds on 28 April 1934. “In the last 20 years there have been only three records for Rochester,” Edson reported in 1934. (WBR 7 May 1934) That year, one was at Long Pond on 27 April (note: not mentioned by Horsey) and three at Irondequoit Bay the next day. This was during a period when the nesting population elsewhere on the Great Lakes was in decline. (Andrle, p. 174) However, in 1945 Edson reported that “now every year we find them near the lake shore at least once.” A record seven were at Round Pond 29 April 1945. (WBR 7 May 1945) And by 1951, this species had “increased materially” here. (WBR, 30 July 1951) This is reflected in Leo Tanghe’s analysis of 1,665 outings by GOS members from January 1951 through December 1954. Caspian Tern was reported 124 times within a 50-mile radius of Rochester, including 51 reports in spring. Approximate average counts were still small, however, peaking at five to seven birds in late April and early June. (KB 5: 69: 4A-4B)As Edson observed in 1954, “they are but spring and fall migrants and often but one or two birds – and never in large numbers…” (WBR, 19 April 1954) However, 23 were tallied on 14 August that year (Van Beurden, O’Hara) at Braddock Bay. (GOS, May/August 1954)By 1986 there were three active colonies on the Canadian side of Lake Ontario and a new colony established on Little Galloo Island, for a total of 692 nesting pairs. The terns generally started nesting later in spring than the Ring-billed Gulls at Little Galloo, allowing them to take advantage of nest sites where water had subsequently receded and to avoid territorial disputes, John M. C. Peterson noted. (Andrle, p. 174) There was a corresponding increase in migrants, stragglers and post-breeding birds seen here. More recently there has been concern that botulism is taking a toll of these birds on Lake Ontario. The late summer tallies in 2007 (see maxima below) were encouraging, however, because one-third to one-half of these birds were juveniles. (LG, October 2007)
Status
Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a regular, fairly common spring and fall transient.Livingston County, Fox (1998) considered this a (presumably irregular) rare spring and fall transient, citing only one fall and two spring records. (Fox, p. 53)
Occurrence
Spring: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 2 April (1982) to 12 May, with a mid range, or “normal arrival time” of 14 to 26 April. Subsequently, one on 28 March 2003 (D. Tetlow) at Braddock Bay set a new record early date. (GNR) In most years had departed by 14 June, with a late departure date of 30 June. Spring maxima: 86 on 20 April 2001 (Symonds) at Hamlin Beach. (GNR, KB 51:698) 189 on 26 April 1997 (T. Lathrop) at Sodus Bay. (LG, May 1997) 218 on 27 April 1997 (M. Tetlow) at Sodus Bay. (LG, May 1997) 106 on 29 April 1992 (A. Watson) at Sodus Bay. (GOS, June 1992) 102 on 6 May 2004 (Symonds) Hamlin Beach. (GOS, July 2004) Fall: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 27 June to 14 September, with a mid range, or “normal arrival time” of 23 July to 13 August. In most years had departed by 7 October, with a late departure date of 4 November. Subsequently, one on 4- 5 December 1992 (C. Cass, Davids) at Charlotte set a new record late date. (GOS, February 1993; LG, January 1993) Two on 4 July 1956 (Hartwell) at Pultneyville (GNR) were noteworthy for occurring during the “normal low point” between late spring and late summer birds. So, too, anywhere from 8 to 25 all during July 1983 (mob) at Braddock Bay. (LG, August 1983) “A curious fact noticed by several observers is that they almost always appear in pairs on the autumn migration, a young bird escorted by an old one,” Eaton (1910) observed. Eaton I: 138) That is because these birds have “the longest period of parental care of any tern,” with immatures continuing to be fed by adults for several months. “A long period is required to perfect fishing skills.” (BNA 403: 17-18)
Fall maxima: 54 on 1 August 1984 (mob) west lakeshore. (GOS, October 1984) 97 on 5 August 2004 (R. Spahn) at Hamlin Beach. (GOS, October 2004) 121 on 7 August 2007 (R. Spahn) Ontario Beach. (LG, October 2007) 59 on 8 August 2004 (Symonds) at Hamlin Beach. (LG, October 2004) 55 on 12 August 1966 (Miller, Starling) at the Float Bridge on Irondequoit Bay. (GOS, October 1966) 53 on 12 August 1977 (N. Henderson) west lakeshore. (LG, September 1977) 210 on 12 August 1995 (R. Spahn) were between Irondequoit Bay and Manitou. (GOS, October 1995) 60 on 13 August 1977 (O’Hara) at Manitou. (GNR) 116 on 14 August 2007 (C. Cass) Hamlin Beach SP. (LG, October 2007) 80 on 15 August 1975 (S. Taylor) along the west lakeshore. (LG, September 1975) 74 max. on 18 August 1987 (C. Cass) north end Irondequoit Bay. (GOS, October 1987) 160 on 24 August 2007 (D. Tetlow) Braddock Bay hawkwatch. (LG, October 2007) 89 on 31 August 2005 at Sodus Bay. (KB 55:363) 33 on 8 or 28 September 1974 (N. Prosser) west lakeshore. (KB 25:36; GNR)
Misc. Banded birds: A nestling banded 15 July 1961 on the Bruce Peninsula of Ontario Province (Lake Huron) was recovered only a month later, 16 August, near Rochester. (Bull, p. 305)
Royal Tern
Thalasseus maxima (formerly Sterna maxima)Royal Tern
Mike Davids and Walt Listman were heading back from the west spit of Braddock Bay on 31 July 1983 when Davids happened to glance over towards the Caspian terns on William Kaiser’s pier. “Wait a second, Walt, I want to check out a funny-looking tern out there,” Davids said. He trained his scope on the bird and immediately suggested Royal Tern. “To humor me, Walt set up his scope on it. I’m sure he expected to see an immature Caspian. But then his face suddenly went from here to here,” Davids recalled. As John Brown reported it, Walt took out a cigar, lit it up and said, “That’s it.” (BA, 11 Aug 1983). The tern had the telltale orange bill, no black on the forehead and crown, and was smaller in size than a Caspian Tern. “Sitting among the Caspians it stuck out like a sore thumb,” Davids later recounted. The bird was seen again on 1-2 August, and was “cooperative enough to allow photographs” for comparison with the Caspian Terns around it. (KB 33:267)
Background
“The loud, rolling ‘Keer-reet’ call of foraging Royal Terns is among the most conspicuous and typical summer sounds of the Mid-Atlantic and Gulf Coasts,” notes the profile of this species in The Birds of North America series. This saltwater species, which John J. Audubon confused with Caspian Tern, feeds inshore along barrier beach oceanfronts and back bays. As with other crested terns, this species can be found in dense breeding colonies, forms creches (common nurseries) for prefledging chicks and provides extended parental care. Populations also breed in the Gulf of California, southeastern South America and the central-west coast of Africa. In the United States, “dredge-spoil islands have become key to the survival and expansion of the species.” After breeding, disperses northwards along both Pacific and Atlantic coasts; although normally strictly coastal, it has been found at various inland locations, “especially, but not only, after tropical storms and hurricanes.” U.S. population in early 1980s estimated at about 67,000 breeding pairs, with most along the Carolinas, Louisiana and Texas; numbers believed holding relatively constant. (BNA 700: 1-2, 4, 20)
Status
Casual, very rare visitant.
Occurrence
Davids’ bird on 31 July and 1-2 August 1983 at Braddock Bay. Accepted by NYSARC. (KB 34:218) (NOTE: On 26 November 1977, Chip Perrigo reported, he had arrived at Hamlin Beach SP just in advance of an oncoming squall when, at about 8:45 a.m., “I caught a slight movement overhead and glanced upward, only to be confronted by a most incredible and least expected avian species. My first and only impression was an immature Royal Tern casually hovering only 30 feet above me.” Perrigo, writing in the February 1978 Little Gull, said he observed the bird for about four minutes, from 10 yards to one-third of a mile “as the tern slowly wandered to the west and directly towards the squall, finally disappearing into the first snowflakes…”Perrigo cited these key points in his identification: slightly smaller than the Ring-billed Gulls around it; long, slender, dull colored yellow orange bill; deeply forked tail dusky at outer edges; white on forehead extending far back into the crown, creating an appearance similar to a winter Forster’s Tern; primaries dark from above but under wings all light. Perrigo suspected the bird may have been brought in on unusually strong and gusty east-southeast winds the three preceding days when western New York was sandwiched between one storm heading northeast above the Great Lakes and another “wreaking havoc” along the East Coast.However, “since I was alone at the time of sighting, the record remains unsubstantiated for lack of corroboration or physical evidence,” Perrigo noted.)
Roseate Tern*
Sterna dougalliiRoseate Tern*
When Bob Spahn and Mike Davids drove along Manitou Road on 17 April 1981, they saw two birds sitting on snags in Salmon Creek “and quickly noted they were our first Sterna terns of the year. We stopped to check whether they would be Common or Forster’s,” Spahn wrote. Focusing their scopes on the nearest bird about 50 yards away, the two could quickly make out the tail extending well beyond the wing tips, ruling out Common Tern. The red at the base of the bill became very dark red or black near the tip, and the upper mandible had a slightly convex shape– ruling out Forster’s Tern. “We both concluded Roseate Tern,” Spahn noted in his verification report. And indeed, when the birds finally flew, with relatively deep, slow wingbeats, “the tails were like long white streamers behind.” Soon after, a Forster’s and a Common were seen nearby, reinforcing the difference in field marks. These first Roseate Terns reported in our region were seen later in the day at Skinner’s Marina. (See also BA, 23 April 1981) Alas, not everyone was convinced. NYSARC ultimately declined to accept this sighting of a species where “Caution is still very much the rule,” especially away from its coastal breeding areas. (KB 56:32)
Background
This bird’s “dashing flight with rapid wing-beats, swooping dives, and rosy bloom in spring breeding plumage,” can be witnessed in its scattered breeding locations in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans. In North America it breeds in two discrete areas, in coastal areas from Nova Scotia to New York and in the Florida Keys and other Caribbean locations. This is a “specialized plunge-diver,” feeding on schools of small marine fish, often submerging completely when diving for prey. As with the Common and Arctic terns it breeds alongside, this species suffered severely from unregulated hunting and egging, rebounded with protection and, more recently, has been forced from some nesting sites by expanding gull populations. It is somewhat less susceptible to human disturbance because it places its nest under cover, rather than out in the open. Considered a vagrant at inland locations. Of a total world population of as many as 40,000 pair, about 3,500 pair are found in northeast U.S. and Canada. (BNA 370: 1-2, 5, 22)This is a primarily coastal species in New York. Its numbers plummeted in the late 1800s and early 1900s, with only 30 pairs still nesting downstate in 1914 (Andrle, p. 176). Bull (1974) said there had been no satisfactory records upstate (Bull, p. 295). However, during the 1960s and early 1970s, Roseate Tern numbers continued to rebound, reaching 2,254 pairs on Long Island in 1975. Even so, it is still considered “an extraordinary rarity” inland, and a challenge to adequately separate from other mid-sized Sterna terns, NYSARC notes. (KB 56:31-32)
Status
Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a casual, very rare visitant (at that time one record: 17 April 1981).
Occurrence
Two on 17 April 1981 (Spahn, Davids, Listman) at Salmon Creek/Braddock Bay. (KB 31:164) Not accepted by NYSARC. (KB 32:232)One on 20 and 22 May 1996 (Lanzone) at Braddock Bay, accepted by NYSARC. (KB 49:116)One on 27 April 2003 (Symonds, Davids) at Hamlin Beach. (KB 53:234) “The relevant field marks are subtle, and applying them can be made even more difficult by distance and lighting conditions,” NYSARC noted in not accepting this report. “Given the extreme rarity of Roseate Tern anywhere away from the coast, more complete documentation of the relevant field marks would be required to accept a sight record.” Moreover the 2003 sighting would have been a record early date by two days for anywhere in the state, including Long Island. (KB 56: 32)
Common Tern**
Sterna hirundoCommon Tern**
It is interesting how birds of the same species can convey altogether different temperaments – depending on the setting. Consider these two accounts of this graceful, buoyant species: William L. G. Edson was bemused by the antics of a Common Tern that seemed to take exception to the presence of a Green Heron sitting on a piling well out in Irondequoit Bay in August 1933. “While there were many other piles in the immediate vicinity (the tern) attempted, and eventually succeeded, in making the heron vacate by driving at him from above and loudly screaming.” The heron at one point drew his head back and “struck viciously at his opponent” but missed the trouble seeker. “I am still wondering whether the tern really wanted that particular pile as a perch or merely desired to have a little sport at the heron’s expense, for as soon as the heron left the tern flew off across the bay and the pile was left vacant.” This was not surprising, he seemed to imply, as “The terns are noted as robbers and freebooters. They will flutter above a diving duck or grebe and by threatening in this manner will take away its catch.” (“Tern Gives Battle to Heron and Drives Him from Perch,” D&C, 28 August 1933)Kevin Griffith saw quite a different “side” of this species, thanks to a Common Tern he got to know quite well during the fall of 1982. He first encountered it at the Charlotte Pier in mid October, and it was still there on 8 November. “One of the interesting features of this bird is . . .that it is missing a number of primary feathers from its right wing,” Griffith wrote. “This handicap appears not to have caused any flight problems for the tern. . . . It sails, darts, dodges, and much more . . . Yet this bird has an air of peacefulness and contentment about it. On one occasion, while it was perched on the edge of the pier, I approached to within 10 feet and was able to view the intricate detail of each delicate feather. It had seemed to accept me as a non-threatening being.” (LG, November 1982)
Background
Feathers, wings, even entire stuffed birds of this species were fashionable adornments for women’s hats in the late 1800s, leading to this bird’s virtual extirpation from the Atlantic Coast and many inland areas. With protection, however, it reoccupied most of its former breeding range by the 1930s and recovered in numbers. By the mid 1900s, it again began to decline as burgeoning gull populations took over the best breeding sites, and as toxic chemicals reduced its breeding success. This tern nests in colonies, often in association with Arctic and Roseate Terns and Black Skimmers, along the Atlantic Coast, and also inland along the Great Lakes and much of east and central Canada. It prefers islands, barrier beaches or promontories with only scattered vegetation. Its breeding range also extends into Europe, Asia and northwest Africa. As of 2002, about 150,000 nesting pairs were estimated for North America, including 90,000 along the Atlantic Coast, 9,000 along the Great Lakes and 30,000 at Lake Winnipeg. Most populations are well below historical highs. This species is especially sensitive to DDE and PCB contamination. (BNA 618: 1, 6, 14, 23-25)
Local history
Decimated by plume hunters during the late 1800s, New York’s most abundant, widespread tern then rebounded with protection. Eaton (1910) listed this as an uncommon transient in Monroe County, but only occasional in Wayne. (Eaton I: county charts)R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, indicated average spring counts of one to 12 birds, with a maximum count of 75, on dates ranging from 15 April to 11 June. He reported average fall counts of one to 10 birds, with a maximum count of 400, on dates ranging from 1 August to 26 November.“Compared to Long Island, the upstate history of this species is much more recent,” Bull (1974) wrote. (Bull, p. 294) Not recorded breeding in eastern Lake Ontario until 1936, and not in the Buffalo area until 1944. Howard Miller found a nest with eggs at Irondequoit Bay in 1946. (WBR, 16 July 1946; Bull, p. 294) When Leo Tanghe analyzed the tallies from 1,665 outings by Genesee Ornithological Society members from 1951 through 1954, he found this species reported 354 times within a 50-mile radius of Rochester, primarily in May and then again in August and September. (KB 5: 69: 4A-4B)Numbers in the eastern Great Lakes peaked in the 1960s, remained stable in the early 1970s, but then began to decline, pressured by human disturbance, flooding, predation, and displacement by Ring-billed Gulls. (Andrle, p. 178)
Status
Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a regular, common spring transient; a casual, rare summer resident (one breeding record in July 1946) and a regular, fairly common to common fall transient.Livingston County, Fox (1998) considered this a (presumably irregular) uncommon spring and fall transient.
Occurrence
Spring: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 2 April to 12 May, with a mid range, or “normal arrival time” of 17 April to 5 May. In most years had departed by 6 June, with a late departure date of 21 June.
Spring maxima: 202 on 19 April 1994 (Symonds, Remy) at Hamlin Beach SP. (LG, May 1994) 104 on 22 April 2001 (Symonds, Davids) Hamlin Beach SP. (LG, June 2001) 100 on 23 April 1949 (Atkins et al) Braddocks Bay. (GOS, May/July 1949) 150 on 10 May 1961 (Listman) Manitou. (KB 11:100)
Summer: Sightings tail off in June after spring migrants have left and before post-breeding birds show up with offspring in July and August.During the BBA projects, closest breeding to our region was in and around Montezuma NWR. Fall: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 1 July to 7 August, with a mid range, or “normal arrival time” of 12 to 24 July. In most years had departed by 8 November, with a late departure date of 26 November (1966). Subsequently, two on 1 December 2005 (D. Tetlow, Davids) at Charlotte set a new record late date. (LG, February 2006)Tanghe’s analysis of tallies from January 1951 through December 1954 showed the highest average counts – 100 to 200 birds – in the first half of September.
Fall maxima: 91 on 30 August 1978 (N. Henderson) Braddock Bay. (GOS, October 1978) 750 on 3 September 1966 (Kemnitzer) at Sodus Bay. (GOS, November 1966) 112 on 8 September 2005 (D. Tetlow) at Hamlin Beach. (LG November 2005) 100 on 10 September 1989 (Sherony) at Hamlin Beach. (GOS, December 1989) 500 on 16 September 1957 (Listman) at Braddock Bay. (KB7: 121) 114 on 22 September 1985 (Symonds, M. Robinson) at Hamlin Beach SP. (LG, October 1985)
Arctic Tern
Sterna paradisaeaArctic Tern
"The Arctic tern was reported at Chimney Bluffs Aug. 11 by members of the Burroughs-Audubon Nature Club on their field trip,” Edson reported in 1935. The adult bird, he noted, could be distinguished from the very similar Common Tern by its “entirely red bill,” longer tail and sharper call, “with a rising inflection at the end, and sounding much like the squeal of a pig.” (WBR, 19 August 1935) He would have had a hard time convincing Mr. John Bull. “No sight reports of Arctic Terns in New York are accepted,” Bull (1974) insisted, because “this species is easily confused with the Common Tern, even in breeding plumage.” (Bull, p. 295) He cited an example of an “Arctic Tern” that had been collected as a specimen and “identified” when in the hand. It turned out to be a Common Tern “after an examination of a large series of study skins of both species.”
Background
A “champion traveler,” this graceful, delicate bird, which closely resembles Common Tern, breeds around the Arctic Ocean to the northern tip of Greenland, but also as far south as Cape Cod, Mass. “It then enjoys a ‘second summer’ on its wintering grounds – the edges of the pack ice around Antarctica,” notes Jeremy J. Hatch in his profile of this species for The Birds of North America series. “This global range extends from the northernmost land to the southernmost open water, giving this bird longer hours of daylight than any other avian species.” Its round trip flights of up to 40,000 km are pelagic and rarely seen from shore. However “scattered inland records from diverse parts of the world suggest that numerous individuals make long movements overland.” Nesting can be widely dispersed in the tundra, in small colonies on islands in lakes, or at dense colonies on coastal islands. Usually nests in treeless terrain, often with no vegetation or with low or scattered plant cover. Difficult to separate from Common Tern. “In flight, Arctic Tern more prone than Common to hover, both in colony and while foraging. Arctic has characteristic ‘stepped hover’: from initial hovering position about 10 m above surface, descends vertically in steps with wings held in ‘V,’ pausing at each step to hover, before finally dipping or plunging.” The present status of this species is “poorly known” because of its remote nesting areas and wide dispersion of the population. However peripheral populations in southern New England, after recovering from 19th century slaughter for the plume trade, have all but disappeared – even as Common Terns have prospered. Large declines have also been reported from Greenland. (BNA 707: 1-2, 3, 9)
Status
Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a casual, very rare visitant (at that time two records; 8 Aug 1935 and 9 Aug 1942).
Occurrence
Fewer than 10 records, but six since 1993, reflecting increased coverage along Lake Ontario, better optics, and increased willingness of birders to attempt a difficult identification. 1. One 11 August 1935 at Chimney Bluffs. (WBR, 19 August 1935) (Note: The Monroe County annotated list cites a record on 8 August 1935. Edson makes no mention of a sighting on this date in his column, indicating the one on 11 August was the first he knew of. Could the 8 August entry be the same bird, wrong date?) 2. One 9 August 1942 Monroe County. (AL, p. 34) Edson’s WBR apparently wasn’t printed for that week. 3. One 20 May 1986 (Nicoletti) Braddock Bay. (KB 36:149) Not accepted by NYSARC. (KB 37:208) 4. One 14 October 1993 (C. Cass, Symonds) “on the beach” Hamlin Beach SP. (KB 44:41) Not accepted by NYSARC. (KB 45:75) 5. Three 16 April 1996 (Griffith, mob) flying along the lake at Greece, and lingering at Braddock Bay (KB 46:234). Not accepted by NYSARC. (KB 49:119) 6. One immature 5 October 1999 (Ewald, Symonds, D. Tetlow) at Hamlin Beach SP (KB 50:53) “made repeated visits to the area during the course of the day.” (LG December 1999). Accepted by NYSARC. (KB 52:306) 7. One immature 17, 19 September 2000 (Davids, Symonds) Hamlin Beach SP. (KB 51:518) 8. Two 5 May 2002 (Symonds, Davids) Hamlin Beach SP. (KB 52:243) Not accepted by NYSARC. (KB 54:308) 9. Two adults 20 September 2003 (D. Tetlow) Hamlin Beach SP. (LG, November 2003)Only the 1999 sighting has been accepted by NYSARC which, as of 2003, recognized only five inland sightings. The committee notes that: “The occurrence of Arctic Tern in NYS has been historically difficult to document due to the difficulty of field identification, particularly separation from Common Tern (S. hirundo), and the often problematic conditions (e.g., distant and fleeting views) under which most sightings occur. The Common and Arctic Tern species pair has been popularly dubbed ‘Commic’ Tern, reflecting the reality that many sight records are best left unidentified.” (KB 56:12)In not accepting the 2002 report at Hamlin Beach SP, NYSARC states: “These two Sterna terns were observed flying westward along the lakeshore and consequently allowed only brief study. The identification was based in part on the observer’s perception of a more compact structure than expected for Common Tern (S. hirundo). However, the Committee members felt that critical details of the wing tip pattern were not sufficiently well described to establish the identity.” (KB 54: 308-309)
Forster’s Tern
Sterna forsteriForster’s Tern
“This is only the second year this bird has been reported in Monroe County …” the Goshawk noted in 1952. “Experienced observers do not think the bird was overlooked in previous years because it is fairly easy to distinguish from the Common Terns.” (GOS, November-December 1952) It is worth noting that the sightings mentioned above occurred in the fall, when identification of Forster’s Terns sitting conveniently on a beach is, indeed, a “fairly easy” proposition: The dark eye patches not joined at the nape are a diagnostic field mark, as is the lack of a carpal bar. Distant birds in flight, especially in breeding plumage, become a bit more challenging! In any event, this is a fairly recent newcomer to local birding records. It has carved out a breeding niche on Long Island, and also nests to our north and west in Ontario Province, with breeding confirmed as near as Long Point on the north shore of Lake Erie and near Lake Simcoe north of Toronto.
Background
This is the only tern that is restricted almost entirely to North America throughout the year. Highest breeding numbers are found in freshwater marshes in south-central Manitoba and northern California into Oregon, and in saltwater marshes along the Gulf Coast. Colonies are highly variable in size. “It is found more often in open, deeper portions of marshes, generally in wetlands with considerable open water and large stands of island-like vegetation and/or large mats of floating vegetation,” notes the profile of this species in The Birds of North America series. Like other terns, this species was victimized by the millinery trade in the late 1800s, however the exact impact is unknown. It established (or re-established) breeding in southern Ontario province in 1976. Various estimates indicate a total nesting population of something in excess of 40,000 pairs. (BNA 595: 1, 3, 11, 16)
Local history
The first Monroe County sighting was by Walt Listman on 21 October 1951 at Charlotte. GOS, June/December 1951) The following fall, it was seen at least six days, peaking at with 6 at the lakeshore on 25 October. Most of the birds were immatures in winter plumage. (GOS, November-December 1952)Indeed, in 1954 Edson speculated that “as we are seeing more Forster’s terns each year I am beginning to wonder if they are extending their nesting range and that we may find them nesting in some of our marshes.” (WBR, 24 May 1954) One to two were reported by Listman all of summer 1964 and all of July 1966 at Braddock Bay. (GOS, July-September 1966; KB 14:222, 16:220) But breeding has not yet been recorded here.
Status
Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a regular, uncommon to fairly common fall transient; an irregular, uncommon spring visitant and an irregular, rare summer visitant.
Occurrence
Spring: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 11 April (1980) to 31 May, with a late departure date of 25 June. Subsequently, one on 8 April 2001 (Symonds) at Hamlin Beach set a new record early date. (GNR)
Spring maxima: 6 on 15 May 2005 (Symonds, D. Tetlow) at Hamlin Beach SP. (LG, July/August 2005)
Summer/breeding status: By the 1980s this species had established colonies on the north short of Lake Erie in Ontario Province, and was spreading north along the Atlantic coast to New Jersey. (Andrle, p. 180) However, despite the earlier speculation, this species has never been found nesting in area marshes.Given the expansion of this species, and the relative nearness of newly established breeding areas, it is not surprising that this species would occasionally be seen here in mid-summer. Fall: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 2 August to 12 September. Subsequently, two on 2 July 1992 (Hartenstein) along the west lakeshore were considered even earlier “firsts” of the fall migration. (GOS, September 1992) In most years had departed by 25 October, with a late departure date of 15 November. However, one seen Thanksgiving Day, 27 November 1958 (Kemnitzer) at Webster Park was even later (KB 8:116; BA, 4 December 1958) Note: One on 16 November 1999 (D. Tetlow) at Braddock Bay was listed as record late. (GOS, January 2000)By 1978 it was “commonplace to see numbers of them hawking along the lakeshore and milling about Braddock Bay from late July through September,” Chip Perrigo reported. “Only a few years ago the sighting of a Forster’s Tern would merit an automatic inclusion in the list of regional rarities for any Summer month.” (LG, September 1978) During the Hamlin Beach Lakewatch project (1993-1999) one to 10 were normally seen each fall. The 65 seen in 1996 was “exceptional.” Peak numbers were seen 9 to 19 September. (Ewald and Sherony, p. 94) One seen on 10 October 1987 at Lake Riley next to Cobb’s Hill by Carolyn Cass was in an unusual location. (GOS, December 1987)
Fall maxima: 42 on 25 August 1978 (N. Henderson) at Braddock Bay was considered an “unprecedented number.” (KB 28:239) 31 on 14 September 1996 (Griffith, Symonds, Sherony) Hamlin Beach SP. (GOS, November 1996) 33 on 19 September 1996 (Ewald) Hamlin Beach SP. (GOS, November 1996)
Sooty Tern
Onychoprion fuscata (formerly Sterna fuscata)Sooty Tern
One of the more extraordinary, inexplicable rarities in our region might have been overlooked altogether, were it not for the “sharp eyes and inquiring mind” of a young Webster man – and a timely puff of wind. Richard Garnham, an amateur ornithologist, was driving over the Float Bridge at Irondequoit Bay on 5 June 1963 when he noticed a tern lying on the road. “He noted the forked tail and nearly passed it up as a Common Tern , but the wind stirred a wing as he passed and he could see it was dark above and light beneath,” John Brown related. “He turned around, went back and picked it up. Unbelievable though it seemed, he decided it could only be a Sooty Tern, a bird of the equatorial oceans. It had apparently been killed by a car only moments before and the specimen was in excellent condition.”Other birders confirmed the identification, but could not explain the bird’s presence. Previous New York records “invariably” had occurred in the wake of tropical hurricanes “which often carry numbers of these terns out of their South Atlantic habitat and scatter them along the coast and inland.” In this case, “a slight atmospheric ‘low’ moved up from Florida early in the week, but it was not a disturbance that would be expected to bring rare tropical birds.” (BA, 6 June 1963) Background Nesting on remote islands around the world, this tropical species is unusual among terns. It “lives on the wing” – allegedly staying airborne for years at a time between fledging and first breeding, “never coming to land during the nonbreeding season, and essentially never seen resting on the water.” Unlike most terns, which feed by plunge- diving, this species “feeds either by ‘dipping’ (often merely brushing the water surface) or by snatching small fish in midair as they are escaping from predatory fish below.” Its colonies are among the largest, densest seabird colonies in the world, at times numbering more than one million birds. However, their tendency to nest on islands little disturbed by man makes it difficult to assess actual populations. “At sea, Sooty Terns are subject to long-distance displacement by severe storms. Casually recorded inland after storms in states along Atlantic coast north to New York.” (BNA 665:1, 3) Indeed, the appearance of these birds here and downstate after hurricanes “is not surprising in view of the fact that these birds range far and wide in the track of these tropical disturbances,” Bull (1974) noted. (Bull, p. 300)
Status
Sporadic, very rare visitant.
Occurrence
1. The appearance 5 June 1963 (Garnham) at Irondequoit Bay was quite “unexplainable,” Alfred Starling concurred. (WBR, 10 June 1963) “It is a tropical tern that . . . has been reported a few times off the Atlantic Coast of New York State, but always after a tropical storm.” 2. More “explainable,” then, were the two other, more recent occurrences after remnants of hurricanes passed through our area. One on 10 September 1996 (Fox, Cass) made two passes at the Hamlin Beach Lakewatch three days after the passage of Hurricane Fran (Ewald and Sherony, p. 96; KB 47: 38, 40). Accepted by NYSARC. (KB 49:116) 3. Three adults were reported from Point Breeze on 21 September 2003 (D. Tetlow) after remnants of Hurricane Isabel passed over Lake Erie. Single immature birds were also reported at Hamlin Beach on 19 September (D. Tetlow, Barry) and 23 September (R. Spahn, Symonds) that year. (LG, November 2003) Only the 23 September sighting was submitted to NYSARC, which eventually did not accept it. “This bird was seen only very briefly and critical details such as the undersides of the wings and tail were not visible to the observer,” the committee commented. Though several initial reviews were favorable, the committee ultimately decided that the “unavoidable brevity of the sighting and difficult viewing conditions, combined with the limited details in the description, made it difficult to exclude other species with certainty.” (KB 56:32)
White-winged Tern
Chlidonias leucopterusWhite-winged Tern
Sharon Skelly, monitoring Black Tern populations at Salmon Creek, got a helping hand from Brian and Eileen Keelan on 19 June 1991. The Keelans offered to come along and provide a canoe. The trio met at what was then Docksiders at 6:15 p.m. and enjoyed a picnic dinner. The “dessert” was an unexpected surprise: Less than fifty seconds after launching the canoe, Brian commented “That bird has a lot of white.” “It took a fraction of a second for his comment to register, and another fraction of a second for me to check the nearby terns,” Sharon later wrote. “The bird which had alerted Brian was flying directly toward us. The gleaming white leading edge of the wing left little doubt as to its identity.”“It is, it is,” Sharon exclaimed. Indeed it was: The first White-winged Tern documented in our area. (KB 42:2-4) After narrowly escaping a collision with a docked boat, then exhausting their supply of quarters alerting other birders by phone, the Keelans and Skelly endured a “nerve-wracking” 10 minutes waiting for other observers to arrive. “The tern had a bad habit of disappearing for several minutes,” Skelly noted, and unfortunately the first people to respond arrived at just such a time. Fortunately, the bird’s distinctive call was heard, and it soon reappeared. It flew around the area in easy viewing distance for the next hour or so – plenty of time for about 20 people to carefully observe it.
Background
This Old World species breeds on inland marshes from western Europe, across central Russia to southern China. Most Eurasian populations winter in central and southern Africa, mainly on inland lakes and rivers “where dense flocks of tens of thousands occur,” notes Peter Harrison in his guide Seabirds. Stragglers have reached Alaska, the West Indies and New Zealand. (Harrison, pp. 364-365) Birds occasionally wander to the eastern U.S.
Status Occasional, very rare visitor.
Occurrence
Our only two sightings resulted from birders monitoring the nests of closely related Black Terns. One on 19 June 1991 (S. Skelly, B. and E. Keelan) at Salmon Creek. (KB 41:260) Accepted by NYSARC. (KB 43:21) One on 29 July 1997 (S. Skelly) at Salmon Creek. (KB 47:297, 299) Accepted by NYSARC. (KB 50:21)
Black Tern*
Chlidonias nigerBlack Tern*
Several Black Terns were foraging just above the surface of Buck Pond when this birder pulled over for a look on 1 July 1989. Their juvenile offspring, showing varying amounts of white splotching on their faces and throats, perched on nest boxes put out for Wood Ducks, or on nearby snags, waiting to be fed. “A harrier floated overhead and the terns scrambled like the RAF during the Battle of Britain, about a dozen of them, joining a Red-winged Blackbird overhead. One tern and the red-wing nagged at the hawk, swooping close to its back, while other terns milled about in midair.” (Marcotte diary entry)You will not see that on Buck Pond today. Indeed, for a practical definition of “extirpation,” visit the ponds along the Lake Ontario shoreline, or Salmon Creek south of Braddock Bay during the breeding season. As recently as the early 1990s, Black Terns could be seen, “coursing back and forth over marshes, nearby fields, or water,” as Bob Spahn has described, “hawking for insects or occasionally picking minnows from near the surface of the water.” Their buoyant, nighthawk-like flight was punctuated by harsh grating calls. (Andrle, p. 184) However, by the second Breeding Bird Atlas project, evidence of breeding was almost impossible to come by. (LG, September 2003, 2004) Background
This species nests semicolonially amidst emergent vegetation in biologically rich freshwater wetlands across much of Canada and the northern U.S., primarily from the Great Lakes westward, with additional breeding populations scattered through Europe, Russia and Siberia. It shifts to marine waters in winter, especially off the Pacific Coast of Panama where it feeds on small fish driven to the surface by predators. This species has declined markedly, in both North America and Europe, since the 1960s, probably because of loss or degradation of wetlands in breeding and migrating areas, but also because food supplies may have been reduced by agricultural control of insects and because of overfishing in the marine waters where it winters. (BNA 147: 1-2)
Local history
Eaton (1910) recorded this species as only an uncommon (Monroe County) to fairly common (Wayne County) transient. (Eaton I: county charts) “It has nested in some of the ponds near the Lake Ontario shore, such as Round Pond and Buck Pond, for many years starting about 1916,” Beardslee and Mitchell wrote. (B&M, p. 264)R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, indicated average counts of one to 10 birds, with a maximum count of 200, on dates ranging from 26 April to 30 October.By 1944 at least 12 pairs were nesting as far west as the marshes near the mouth of Sandy Creek. (B&M, p. 264) “Through the first half of this (20th) century numbers increased,” Spahn noted in his profile of this species for The Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York State. (Andrle, p. 184) By 1953, it was an abundant nester at places like Buck Pond and Tryon Park (near Irondequoit Bay), according to Leo Tanghe. (GOS, May/August 1953)Farther inland, as many as 60 were tallied by Wolf at Conesus Lake in June 1948. (GOS, August/October 1948)Huge numbers of resident and migrating birds formerly congregated in late summer here. “At Buck Pond alone there was an estimated 500 to 1,000 Black terns over the weekend,” John Brown reported in his Birds Afield column on 2 August 1956. “The Black terns in the lakeside marshes seem to have a had a particularly successful nesting season,” he added in 1957. “The young are flying now, and there are hundreds around the ponds, bays and lake.” (BA, 11 July 1957) Bull (1974) also listed Mendon Ponds as a nesting location. (Bull, p. 307) Status
Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a regular, common summer resident. Now a rare migrant, and apparently extirpated as local breeder.Livingston County, Fox (1998) considered this a (presumably irregular) rare spring transient and a former fairly common summer resident.
Occurrence
Spring: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 23 April (1954) to 19 May, with a mid range, or “normal arrival time” of 1 to 7 May. The early bird was seen by Van Beurden at Braddock Bay. (GOS, March-April 1954)
Spring maxima: 56 on 12 May 1991 (Ewald) were seen passing Braddock Bay. (GOS, July/August 1991)
Summer/breeding status: In the late 1970s, more than 50 nesting pairs could be found in the Greece marshes. (LG, July/August 2003) However, as early as the 1970s alarms were being sounded. (KB 25:214) Even by the first BBA project, Spahn noted, it had “decreased dramatically” in recent years. (Andrle, p. 184) By 1991 they were reported in “small numbers at the few remaining breeding spots – Round Pond/Buck Pond, Salmon Creek, Sandy Creek,” Spahn observed. (GOS, July/August 1991) The following summer, at least four young were fledged at Buck Pond, and 10 at Salmon Creek (LG, September 1992), and 18 nests were at Salmon Creek as recently as 1993. (KB 43:315)However, in 1994, Sharon Skelly reported, the Salmon Creek site was noticeably changed, with one cattail stand greatly reduced in size and continuing to die off for no apparent reason during the summer. “As a result, several tern nests were far more exposed than has previously been the case. . . . four nests were in the open water area. One was on floating vegetation, one on a log, one on a section of dock and one on a floating tire.” Farther downstream, in a relatively open area of cattails near the eastern bank of the creek at least seven nests were started but were all abandoned, or possibly destroyed at about two weeks into incubation. Rather than attempting to renest, the adults abandoned the site in early July. (BBBO project reports, 1994) “Almost complete nesting failure” was reported the following year. (KB 45:292) And in 2001 “the Black Tern situation was dismal.” Only a single nest was observed. It failed. (KB51: 782) “Black Terns have gone from 50+ nesting pairs in the Greece Marshes in the late 1970’s to only two stray reports this spring,” Bill Symonds added in his May 2003 Field Notes. “Why? Increased nesting of Mute Swans or Canada Geese (?) or something else?” (LG, July-August 2003)Other theories include draining of marshes, human disturbance, and changing lakefront marsh habitats due to regulated, higher lake levels. (Andrle, p. 184; Marcotte, p. 76) “One theory is that water level stabilization in Lake Ontario, begun in the 60’s, prevents the flushing of wetlands, causing them to fill in.” (LG, November 2002)“Personal water crafts did not help the situation much with their continued disturbance at the nesting locations due to both their noise and the wave action produced by the craft,” Kevin Griffith reported in 1998. (KB48: 327)The virtual extirpation of this species is amply illustrated with data from the two BBA projects. During the first project, it was confirmed in 9 blocks along the west lakeshore, in a block at Sodus Bay and in a cluster at the Montezuma wetlands.During the second project, the only confirmed breeding was at the Montezuma wetlands.
A further illustration of this species’ decline:If a serious effort were made to count them, close to 100 Black Terns could be found from Charlotte to Braddock Bay” in August 1981, Steve Taylor noted in the Little Gull field report for that month. (LG, September 1981) However, by 2006, eight on 8 September at Hamlin Beach was considered an excellent count “by recent standards.” (KB 56:66, 69)
Other summer maxima: 60 on 4 August 1977 (N. Henderson) along the west lakeshore. (GNR) 31 on 20 August 1988 (GOS/RBA field trip) Salmon Creek. (GOS, October 1988)
Fall: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of departure dates from 6 August to 30 October, with a mid range, or “normal departure time” of 7 to 25 September.
Misc.
Walt Listman reported a pair nesting in the marsh near North Greece Road in 1965 – “and that one of them dive-bombed him as he walked along the edge of the road, missing him by inches on several passes.” (BA, 10 June 1965)
Other summer maxima: 60 on 4 August 1977 (N. Henderson) along the west lakeshore. (GNR) 31 on 20 August 1988 (GOS/RBA field trip) Salmon Creek. (GOS, October 1988)
Fall: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of departure dates from 6 August to 30 October, with a mid range, or “normal departure time” of 7 to 25 September.
Misc.
Walt Listman reported a pair nesting in the marsh near North Greece Road in 1965 – “and that one of them dive-bombed him as he walked along the edge of the road, missing him by inches on several passes.” (BA, 10 June 1965)
Black Skimmer***
Rynchops nigerBlack Skimmer***
On 15 September 1924, William H. Bauer of Rochester was hunting along the lakeshore at Braddock’s Bay when “he saw a strange bird in a flock of gulls on a sand bar. With it was another bird which he took to be the female, but a distance of 1,000 feet and the presence of some 200 Gulls prevented close observation,” Arthur C. Parker of the Rochester Municipal Museum reported. “Mr. Bauer and his friend Elmer Storer endeavored to shoot the strange pair but succeeded only in getting the male which he presented to the Rochester Municipal Museum.” (B&M, p. 265)It was a Black Skimmer.
Background
“This striking bird with its curious bill and interesting method of fishing cannot fail to attract the attention of even the most blasé observer and is one of the most sought-after species by the inland birder,” Bull (1974) noted. (Bull, p. 310) “A feeding skimmer flies low over the water with its bill open and its lower mandible slicing the surface. When the mandible touches a fish, the upper bill . . snaps down instantly to catch it,” notes the profile of this species for The Birds of North America series. This bird’s bouyant flight and dog-like barks prompted one writer to describe skimmers as “unworldly . . . aerial beagles hot on the scent of aerial rabbits.” They nest in large colonies on barrier beaches, spoil islands, salt marshes and shell banks, often with various tern species, primarily along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of the U.S. South American populations are found primarily along rivers. Massachusetts populations were extirpated by hunters seeking their eggs, and northeastern populations suffered during the decline of herons, egrets and terns during the late 1800s and early 1900s. They have since reoccupied several historic breedling locations and also expanded along the California coastline. Though populations appear to have stabilized after declining in the 1960s and 1970s, human disturbance of beaches is still a threat to this s pecies. (BNA 108: 1-3, 18-19)This nocturnal forager was first recorded breeding on Long Island in 1934. During the mid 1970s to 1980s, as many as 495 pairs nested there. (Andrle, p. 186)
Status
Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as an exotic, very rare visitant (one record: 15 Sept 1924 collected).
Occurrence
1. The bird Bauer collected 15 September 1924 near Braddock Bay “seemed to be in perfect health and as lively as any of the Gulls and thus was not a sick or wounded stray.”Mitchell later checked with the weather bureau in Buffalo for conditions preceding this occurrence, and learned that a hurricane had moved northward between Bermuda and the mainland on 2-5 September that year, with remnants reaching the Great Lakes (B&M, p. 265).
(NOTE: A second skimmer was seen from the east spit of Braddock Bay on 27 August 1955 when Bob McKinney “heard an entirely unfamiliar yelping cry and seconds later spotted the long-winged, easy flight of a fork-tailed bird that appeared entirely black above and white below,” John Brown reported. See BA, 1 September 1955, 10 September 1964. “Through binoculars he could pick out a curious, red, undershot bill with long lower mandible and also red legs. It few around among the terns for a few minutes and then disappeared, flying west along the lake.” Hurricane Connie, “which brought rain and a few power failures Aug. 13, 1955, could easily have produced the Black skimmer record . . . that year,” John Brown suggested. There is no mention of this sighting in the Goshawk or by Bull. There was no region 2 Kingbird report for that period.)
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse