The first sparks of the fall birding season
Fall is a great season to be an active birdwatcher. The actual population of birds is at its peak for the year with all those freshly fledged young birds on the go after a successful summer nesting season. The young of the year join the adults in migration south toward their wintering areas. Fall migration is a more drawn out process compared to spring when birds are in a rush to be the first to reach the nesting grounds. The island of Newfoundland benefits from the more leisurely paced migration as birds are more likely to drift off the beaten track with the prevailing westerly winds. The inexperienced young birds migrating for the first time are especially prone to wandering off course.
First signs of fall migrants straying to the east were from Cape Race. Cliff Doran photographed a dickcissel and Dave Shepherd and Julie Capplemen came across a lark sparrow. Both of these birds come from the central part of the continent. There are many birds in that part of the country that would be big news in the province but a few dickcissels and lark sparrows take a side trip to Newfoundland every fall. The yellow-billed cuckoo that Andrea Dicks and Lancy Cheng glimpsed at Renews was a good slice of southern flavour. The first prairie warbler of the season found at Blackhead by Randy Wheeler was further southern flavour but it was Lisa de Leon who scored the first truly exciting southerner. She found a cerulean warbler, one of the top stars of the highly regarded warbler clan. It was along the Blackhead Road.
The cerulean warbler is named for the rare shades of blue found on the head and back. Even the immatures have a unique shade of aqua green not replicated by any other North American bird. The colours of the cerulean warbler can be found in the finer samples of Labradorite. On top of that the cerulean warbler is a species of special concern in its northeastern United States breeding range. It lives in the tops of very tall deciduous trees. It flies to Central America for winter. It is not known exactly why cerulean warbler numbers are dropping but it probably has to do with its habitat requirements declining on both the nesting grounds and wintering grounds. A small army of birders searched in vain for a glimpse of this rare gem but had to be satisfied viewing the excellent photographs that Lisa was able to secure. Hopefully this bird will get back on track and make it safely to its Costa Rican wintering grounds.
The shorebird parade continues
Shorebirds are a big part of the fall birding scene. An agricultural field on Pipeline Road in the Goulds is getting a lot of attention. There is something in the earthy field attracting an interesting variety of shorebirds. Buff-breasted sandpipers have been the star attraction. A handful of these shorebird favourites appear in the province every fall. Instead of a shore line like most sandpipers, the buff-breasted sandpiper prefers short grass fields or even plowed farm fields when available. With an air of elegance they walk with head held high and bobbing slightly with each step as it searches the ground for insect life. Up to three were present at the Pipeline Road field. As birders were enjoying their stay, a couple of Baird’s sandpipers and up to seven pectoral sandpipers were present for added spice.
Stilt sandpipers are pulling off a Newfoundland performance unlikely to be matched. A record smashing seven different individuals have been found on the island this fall. The latest were at Parson Pond on the Great Northern Peninsula found by Vernon Buckle and one in east St. John’s found by Blair Fleming. Even more exceptional is the number of ringed plover this fall with one found by Jeannine Winkel at Mobile and another in the Goulds by Catherine Barrett bringing the fall’s total to an unheard of six. And yet one more shorebird that caused people to go for a look was an elusive solitary sandpiper at Kent’s Pond in St. John’s found by Lancy Cheng.
The month of September promises many hours of happy hunting for the birder. Binocular and camera are the weapons of choice. Trophies come as retinal memories and digital files. The alders along the coasts will be searched for newly arrived vagrants from the south and west. Beaches and coastal barrens will be monitored for migrating flocks of shorebirds that might hold out of range visitors. Birders will be watching the weather looking for southwest and western airflows that might swing more birds toward Newfoundland. And then there is Irma. Will hurricane Irma do anything for Newfoundland birdwatchers?