Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

 

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher    [Photo by Marbeth Wilson]

It is an exciting time when a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus) appears in New Brunswick.  One has recently appeared in Baie Verte on the east coast, southeast of Shediac (November 2024).  This species is a widespread vagrant and is a rare-to-casual spring or fall visitor here.  This doesn’t happen every year but we have had many reports over the years.  In recent years there have been two individuals appear; one at Point Escuminac in 2009 and one at Big Salmon River Road in June 2024.  They seem to appear mostly across the southern and eastern parts of the province.  

I saw one on 26 June 2002 at Black’s Harbour while I was waiting in line for the ferry.  Another sighting was on 2 June 2011 when I saw and photographed one outside St. Andrews near Ghost Road.  Both were adult birds.  The normal range of the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher is the south-western US.  It breeds in summer in Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana. It winters in southern Mexico, the extreme south of Florida and Central America.  Its preferred habitat is open grasslands with some trees and shrubs.  It also is found in orchards, pastures, golf courses and other agricultural areas.  

The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher is a member of the Kingbird family, Tyrannidae. It is a very long-tailed insectivorous species and is sometimes called a ‘Kingbird on a Stick’.  That is a good name because its tail looks very long and unwieldy. It was formally described in 1789 by Johann Friedrich Gmelin, a German naturalist.  It is one of 13 species placed in the Tyrannus species.  It is most closely related to the Western Kingbird and they are often seen together.  That may explain why birders in New Brunswick saw a Western Kingbird in Aulac one day and later that day a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher was found in Baie Verte, just 22 km away.  They may both have been brought north on the same southerly winds.  

The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher is a very pale-bodied flycatcher whose white head contrasts with its dark wings and tail, both of which show flashes of white.  It is 25 to 38 cm long depending on the length of the tail, the male being larger than the female.  The tail looks like a stick hanging on the back of the bird.  No other flycatcher looks so white-headed.  The male’s tail is longer than the female’s.  The bird shows a pinkish wash on the belly, salmon-pink on the flanks and the underwing coverts, and bright red axillaries (armpits).  The female appears duller than the male with a shorter tail.  The juvenile is much duller on the wings and tail than the adults and the tail is much shorter.  Its central tail feathers are edged in reddish brown.  It looks somewhat like the Western Kingbird. 

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Showing Salmon Pink Flanks and Underwing Coverts and Red Axillaries 

The only species one would have to distinguish this species from is the Fork-tailed Flycatcher which also has a long tail.  Their flight is different; the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher exhibits stiff and unbending flight with that long tail, the Fork-tailed shows a wavy tail in flight.  (I noticed this in the Fork-tailed Flycatcher seen on Grand Manan in 2000.)  The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher lacks the black cap of the Fork-tailed Flycatcher and has the salmon-pink underparts.  The juvenile Scissor-tailed Flycatcher would have to be distinguished from the Western Kingbird but it does not have yellow on its belly.

The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher can be quite tame, allowing birders to approach.  It is often seen perched on a barbed wire fence, overhead wires, trees or bushes.  It feeds by sallying out to snap up a flying insect or it will take insects from ground vegetation.  It can be aggressive and is known to chase away a hawk.  

                             Scissor-tailed Flycatcher on One of Its Favourite Perches

The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher’s main diet consists of grasshoppers, robber-flies and dragonflies.  Most of these are caught by hawking. It undoubtedly eats a greater variety of insects while visiting New Brunswick.  It will also eat berries in winter.  

The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher builds its nest in trees and bushes and sometimes in telephone poles.  The male performs a spectacular aerial courtship display.  This includes such acrobatics as somersaults and is called a ‘sky dance’.  That must be something to see with that long streaming tail!  Three to 6 eggs are laid in a cup-shaped nest.  Both adults feed the nestlings.  They are very aggressive in defending the nest.

The vocalizations of this species are not spectacular.  They don’t need to be with a tail like that!  The song is similar to the Western Kingbird and is a series of ‘pip’ notes.  The call note is similar, a ‘pik’ or a nasal ‘chuh’.

                                               Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Adult

This species is significant in culture.  It is the state bird of Oklahoma.  On their official emblem it is depicted with its tail and flight feathers spread out.  It also appears on a commemorative 25-cent coin for Oklahoma and on the Oklahoma licence plate.  A professional soccer team, the FC Tulsa, shows this species on its crest.  This species has even made its way into the televised world, being part of a 2015 National Geographic Kids TV Show.  

In its home range, this species is economically important because of its assistance in grasshopper control.  The population size of the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher is listed as stable.   It certainly is a welcome and fascinating species to be found occasionally in New Brunswick.

                                    Scissor-tailed Flycatcher  [Photo by Marbeth Wilson]

Connecticut Warbler - Very Rare Warbler for New Brunswick

 Connecticut Warbler Showing Bright White Eyering  [Mark Morse Photo]

The 25th of September, 2024, brought a very rare warbler species for New Brunswick and a couple of good birders together near Black’s Harbour.  The warbler, a Connecticut Warbler (Oporornis agilis), is so rarely found in NB that it excited birders immediately.  The few sightings we have in NB are primarily in the fall.  Along with several undocumented sightings beginning in 1932 one was photographed from Machias Seal Island in 1966 and two were banded on Kent Island in 1972.  Most sightings have been from southwestern NB but a singing male was seen in the north at Eel River Bar in 1974.

The Connecticut Warbler breeds across North America in a relatively narrow band from east central British Columbia across Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba to southern Ontario and south into northern parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.  This species winters in north central South America.  It has different spring and fall migration routes.  In the spring it travels northward up the central flyway and in the fall it travels south usually in an area bounded by the Great Lakes and New England and then southward to the Caribbean islands and on to South America.  Those birds that migrate further east fly over the Atlantic Ocean to South America.  

                Connecticut Warbler  Showing Remnant of Hood [Photo by Mark Morse]

The main identifying features of this species are its bold eyering, its unusual shape, and its unusual walking behaviour.  Pete Donne says that its ‘distinctive, round, white, no-nonsense, complete, staring, eyering makes all other characteristics almost superfluous.’  Wow, it would be interesting to hear from those lucky enough to see this individual if the eyering jumped out at them like this!  See the white eyering  on this bird in the two photos above.  

The Connecticut Warbler is a big, bulky oddly-shaped warbler (15 cm long).  It is described as oddly shaped because its head appears slim, tail short and it has a pot belly.  This doesn’t sound like a sleek warbler!  This species is monotypic with the spring plumage showing a bluish-gray hood covering  the head and throat and upper breast, olive-green upperparts, yellow underparts and olive-green on the sides.  The spring female is similar except the hood is brownish and she may have a buffy or whitish throat.  In the fall both genders are duller and the white eyering may be broken behind the eye.  First season birds are similar to the female.  This warbler shows very long undertail coverts and no wing bars.  Note the undertail coverts extend more than halfway to the end of the tail.

The photos in this blog are from the actual fall-plumage bird see at Black’s Harbour.  In the photos above, note the eyering, the olive-green dorsum and yellow underparts, and the pink legs.  The remnants of the hood can be clearly seen.  In the photo shown below note the olive on the sides and the extension of the yellow to include the vent.  The bird appears large and chunky with a short tail extension and a long primary extension (not shown in the photos).

 Connecticut Warbler  Showing Undertail Coverts Extending Over Halfway to the Tail  

                                                             [Photo by Mark Morse]

The behaviour of the Connecticut Warbler makes it hard to see.  It is a ground-loving species and it walks with an odd gait, somewhat like the Ovenbird.  It bounces and tail-bobs as it walks along.  It often sits motionless for long periods.  Its ground-loving behaviour can help distinguish it from the Mourning Warbler which prefers hopping around the branches of trees.  While the Mourning Warbler sits across the branch in ‘normal’ fashion, the Connecticut will sit along the branch, 90º from the ‘normal’ perching behaviour.  When the Connecticut Warbler is nervous it will move its head in odd jerks and it will reverse its position on the branch in 180º hops.  

The Connecticut Warbler is a loner.  It likes to forage in thick tangles close to the ground.  This causes it to be mistaken sometimes for a thrush.  Its preferred habitat is wet moist woodlands, spruce-tamarack forest and bogs, muskeg and poplar thickets.  The song of this warbler is loud and rich.  It consists of halting phrases which gain in volume and tempo. It is described variously but one example is ‘chuckity-chuckity-chuckity-chuck’.  It sounds a bit like the Common Yellowthroat.  

Connecticut Warbler  [Photo by Mark Morse]                                 

Similar species that we need to distinguish the Connecticut Warbler from are the MacGillivray’s Warbler and the Mourning Warbler.  The former would be extremely rare here but we do see the Mourning Warbler.  The Mourning Warbler lacks an eyering and the breeding male plumage shows black on the lower part of the hood as it extends onto the breast.  The occasional Mourning Warbler shows an eyering but they are a smaller warbler, their undertail coverts are shorter, they have brighter underparts, and they lack the peculiar gait.  Occasionally one might confuse a dull female Yellow Warbler or a Common Yellowthroat with the Connecticut Warbler.  But both species are smaller and have a yellowish throat.    

The Connecticut Warbler nests on the ground.  The nest is made of bark pieces and grass and is lined with fine plant materials and mammal hair.  Two to five white eggs marked with brown and lavender are laid and incubated 11 to 12 days by the female.  This species feeds on insects, spiders, berries, seeds and snails.  The young leave the nest by late July and both adults feed them.

Despite the name of the Connecticut Warbler, it is rarely seen in Connecticut.  It was named by Alexander Wilson who first saw this species in Connecticut.  This species is difficult for birders to find.  It is a much sought-after species.  It is easy to mistakenly try to turn other species into this one but it is said that it is difficult to second-guess a real Connecticut Warbler!

                                    Connecticut Warbler  [Photo by Mark Morse]

Four Immature Little Blue Herons

                                                Immature Little Blue Heron from Miramichi

The last week in August, 2024, brought a flight of immature Little Blue Herons (Egretta caerulea) to the Maritimes.  One was at the Ducks Unlimited Marsh in Miramichi City on 21 August.  One was along the edge of the Nashwaak River at Marysville (Fredericton) on August 23.  One was at Saints Rest Marsh in Saint John on August 27.  One was at Bridgewater, Nova Scotia on August 30.  In all cases the birds stayed for a few days.  

The Little Blue Heron is a rare visitor to New Brunswick.  Most records come from areas near the Bay of Fundy.  The very first record came from Kent Island in 1936.  Usually the reports are for single adults.  However, in 1971 there were 3 at Little Dipper Harbour.  

It is unusual for immature Little Blue Herons to arrive here.  Why was there a flight to the Maritime provinces this summer?  Little Blue Herons breed on the east coast along the southeastern, south-central and Atlantic Coast of North America.  They also breed in extreme southern California.  Those breeding north of southern New Jersey and in the interior migrate to the southern Atlantic and Gulf Coasts for the winter.  Fall migration is normally from late July to late November.  After nesting the young are prone to migrate and some wander as far north as Newfoundland and other parts of southern Canada.  Understanding this and the fact that some breed and winter as far north as southern Maine, we can now understand why we had at least 4 individuals arrive here (assuming we have 4 separate individuals).  

                                        Immature Little Blue Heron from Miramichi

The arrival of the individual in Miramichi required a bit of careful observation and study to differentiate this individual from a Snowy Egret.  Both species are about 60 cm tall and mostly all white.  The immature Little Blue has a heavier, bicoloured bill (dark tipped and blue-gray at base), pale blue lores, greenish yellow legs and feet and sometimes dark tips to its primary feathers.  Snowy Egrets have a thinner, mostly black bill and lores that are distinctly yellow.  An immature Snowy Egret has greenish yellow legs and feet, so careful observation is sometimes required.  The immature Snowy Egrets I have seen had a black line running down the shins of their greenish yellow legs.  Another good way to tell the immature Little Blue from the Snowy Egret is its behaviour.    The Little Blue is a slow-moving, methodical hunter.  It usually hunts with its neck extended.  The Snowy Egret usually hunts while holding its neck in an “S” curve.  

The Reddish Egret, which is very rare here, rarely has a white morp,.  It is a larger bird standing 76 cm tall.  It has a heavier, bicoloured bill (pink with a black tip) and the bird is much shaggier.  Its behaviour identifies it because it is very active and wildly runs around the shoreline as it feeds.

The Little Blue Heron keeps its white wing feathers until the next year of its life, usually May.  It then appears white with patches of blue wing feathers showing, looking quite piebald sometimes.  

                                 Immature Little Blue Heron from Marysville Showing Feeding Posture

The population size of the Little Blue Heron is declining.  Since this species does not have long showy plumes in the breeding season it, fortunately, escaped the decimation of the millinery trade in earlier years.  It is declining in recent years because of its exposure to heavy metals.  Development along coast lines, nest predation and parasites are other reasons.  Another interesting reason for nest failure is that if Cattle Egrets are nesting nearby, the Cattle Egrets, being later nesters, sometimes steal the sticks from the Little Blue nests.

Perhaps with the appearance of at least 4 immature Little Blues here this summer, it might mean the population in the northeast is increasing or at least healthy.  We can hope so.

Wilson's Plover - an Ultra-rare Visitor to New Brunswick

 

                                            Wilson's Plover Female  [Photo by Marbeth Wilson]

On 23 July 2024 a birder discovered a very rare shorebird at Cormierville Marsh, off Route 535 in Westmorland County, a Wilson’s Plover (Anarhynchus wilsonia).  This bird remains in approximately the same location at least until early August.  It is associating with a flock of Semipalmated Plovers and peeps.  Many birders and photographers have been fortunate to see it.  

The arrival of this species to New Brunswick marks the first documented occurrence of this species here.  Apparently it has been reported very rarely before but none was documented.  This makes this a very exciting find and it is fortunate that many have shared its presence.  

The normal range of the Wilson’s Plover is far from New Brunswick.  It breeds on the Atlantic coast from southern Virginia to Belize, the West Indies, and on the northern coast of South America.  In the west it breeds on the western coast of Mexico.  It winters from northern Mexico, the Gulf coast and Florida south to northern South America.  It is a permanent resident in some of these areas.  It is a vagrant to parts of the western US (Oregon, Colorado, Oklahoma, Minnesota) and also to Ontario and Nova Scotia.  Most northern birds are migratory moving northward in the spring from mid-February to April and southward in the fall from mid-July to mid-October.  

                        Wilson's Plover  [Bev Schneider Photo Taken in South Carolina]

The Wilson’s Plover is a bit bigger than the Semipalmated Plover ( 20 cm compared to 18 cm).  Its shape, big bill and different plumage separate the two species.  The Wilson’s Plover appears big-headed and longer legged. Technically the large bill, complete breast band and white collar identify the species.  The black head markings on the crown identify the male.  In the female brown replaces the black on the head.  The legs are flesh-coloured.   Nonbreeding birds look much like the female.  Some show black on the breast band so they might look like the males.  In a small percentage of individuals the breast band is incomplete.  The juvenile looks like the nonbreeding bird but shows pale fringes on the feathers of the upper parts.  It also sometimes shows an incomplete breast band.  In flight all forms can be distinguished from the Semipalmated Plover by the large bill, whiter face, and the white wing stripe on the dorsal surface is weak on the inner wing.  It is strong on the Semipalmated.  All photos in this post appear to be of females or non breeding adults.

Wilson's Plover (left) and Semipalmated Plovers (right)  [Photo by Marbeth Wilson]

The Wilson’s Plover is a bird of the upper sandy beach.  This species likes sparse coastal habitats including sandy beaches, sand dunes, salt flats, mud flats and coastal islands.  It commonly roosts on the drier upper beach in small patches of vegetation or among driftwood and debris.  It often forages on the upper beach away from most shorebirds but will also feed in the wet sand and muddy areas of the intertidal zone.  It is usually seen feeding with other plovers and small shorebirds.  Wilson’s Plovers tend to stick to the beach when disturbed.  They would rather run than fly.  They appear tame and will allow one to approach usually to 20 yards.  They feed in a stop-and-go method like Semipalmated Plovers but they pause longer between sprints and they usually run further.  They usually appear hunched up with their heads adducted but they can stand tall with their heads up and when they strike for food they reach forward rather than straight down like the Semipalmateds.    

Wilson’s Plovers feed on many crustaceans including crabs, crayfish and shrimp.  In South Carolina I have seen them feeding on fiddler crabs which are abundant.  They also feed on small mollusks, marine worms and insects and their larvae.  

                    Wilson's Plover - Photo Taken in South Carolina  [Bev Schneider Photo]

Wilson’s Plovers nest as isolated pairs or in small loose colonies.  The nest is a scraping in the sand on a drier part of the beach usually near a clump of grass or a piece of driftwood.  The scrape is lined with small pieces of shell, pebbles, grass or debris.  The male courts the female by performing ritualized nest scraping, posturing in front of her with drooping wings, tail held low and spread and by pattering his feet.  The male thus makes several scrapes and the female chooses one.  In the nest the female lays 2 or 3 buff eggs blotched with brown and black.  Both adults incubate the eggs, the male at night and the female during the day.  Incubation is for 23 to 25 days and the young leave the nest upon hatching.  Both parents tend the young but they are precocious and feed themselves.  They are flightless until about 21 days of age.  

                                    Wilson's Plover   [Photo by Marbeth Wilson]

The Wilson’s Plover was named after the Scottish-American ornithologist Alexander Wilson in 1814.  He collected the type specimen in May, 1813 at Cape May, N.J. where it was a rare visitor and remains so today.  General population numbers today are listed  as threatened or endangered in some states of the US.  That is undoubtedly because of habitat loss.  Perhaps that is why some individuals wander northward to Nova Scotia, Ontario and now New Brunswick.  We may see more in the future.

The sighting of the Wilson's Plover was very special for one of our New Brunswick birders, Jim Wilson of Quispamsis.  Bird lists are important to birders and one of our lists is the number of species seen in New Brunswick.  For Jim Wilson this bird was his 400th species!  That is a mark not made by any other NB birder.  Congratulations, Jim, from all of us.  It is also pretty neat that your 400th bird was a Wilson's Plover.

Nelson's Sparrow

          Nelson's Sparrow Showing Gray Median Crown Stripe and Nape  [Photo by Marbeth Wilson]

Nelson’s Sparrow, Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow, Sharp-tailed Sparrow, Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow, Saltmarsh Sparrow?  They are a confusing lot!  This blog post will try to straighten them out, concentrating on the Nelson’s Sparrow.

The Nelson’s Sparrow (Ammodramus nelsoni) and the Saltmarsh Sparrow (Ammodramus caudacutus) were formerly thought to be the same species. Old field guides (prior to 1998) refer to these two species as one species called the Sharp-tailed Sparrow.  But their songs, plumage and genetics differed leading to further study and the separation of the two species, designated Nelson’s Sparrow and Saltmarsh Sparrow.  Where the range of the Atlantic race of the Nelson’s Sparrow overlaps with the Saltmarsh Sparrow, occasionally hybrids occur. 

It is thought that the two species diverged about 11,000 years ago as the glaciers from the last glaciation period retreated.  The closest living relative of these two species is the Seaside Sparrow from which they separated about 600,000 years ago. The Nelson’s Sparrow is named after Edward William Nelson, Chief of the US Bureau of Biological Survey from 1916 to 1927.  He was the first to collect this species in 1874 when he was 18 years old.

The Nelson’s Sparrow breeds in two distinct geographic areas of North America.  The Atlantic race breeds on coastal areas of Maine, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and the St. Lawrence River area of Quebec.  The interior race breeds in the prairie region of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, the western coastal area of Hudson Bay and James Bay, southern Northwest Territories, North Dakota and Minnesota.  They winter along coastal areas of Texas eastward to Florida and up the east coast of Florida to Virginia.  

The preferred habitat is tidal wetlands with salt meadows of cordgrass, saltgrass and salt marsh rushes and sometimes wet grasslands next to rivers where slough grass and scaly sedge grow.  Wintering birds can be found in tidal salt and brackish marshes near ocean coastlines.  The interior population breeds in freshwater marshes dominated by tall grasses like cord grass, cattail, and bulrushes.  

 

    Nelson's Sparrow Showing Undifferentiated Facial Makings and Streaking on Sides, White Lines on Dorsum, Narrow Sharp-pointed Tail   [Internet Photo] 

The Nelson’s Sparrow is a small secretive bird about 12 cm long (the Song Sparrow is 17 cm long).  It has an orange-buff triangle on its face with a gray cheek, median crown stripe and nape.  Its lightly streaked buff-coloured breast contrasts sharply with its white belly.  It has black and white stripes on its back and its wings are tinged with rufous.  Its tail is narrow and the tail feathers are sharply pointed.  Both genders look similar. 

For identification this species needs to be distinguished from the Saltmarsh Sparrow and LeConte’s Sparrow.  The Saltmarsh Sparrow is very similar but it has more defined facial features, and crisply streaked under parts and a white throat. The face and breast of the Nelson’s Sparrow is an undifferentiated orange. Contrasting with the LeConte’s Sparrow, the Nelson’s has a grayish central crown stripe, an unstreaked gray nape, distinct white lines on the back, and a larger bill. Because these three species are so similar one needs to study the graphic depictions carefully for accurate identification. 

Saltmarsh Sparrow Showing Differentiated Facial Markings, Crisp Streaks on Breast and Sides, and White Throat      [Internet Photo]

LeConte's Sparrow Showing Buff-Coloured Breast and Sides, Crisp Streaks on Sides, Purplish Streaks on Nape, White Median Crown Line, White Edges on Tertials   [Internet Photo]

The Nelson's sparrow forages and rests on or near the ground, making only short flights.  The displaying males will make fast flights skimming over the marsh vegetation.  The females will occasionally make lookout flights hovering over the vegetation.  The males sing frequently at night but they will quit if another male appears.  The males territorial ranges often overlap.  This causes frequent fights and chases.  The males often follow the females around protecting them from other males.  The males do not participate in nest site selection, building or rearing the young.  Scientists have found this species practices male-dominance polygyny in which a small proportion of males mate with a disproportionate share of females.  This includes mating with unwilling females at times.  LeConte’s Sparrows and Savannah Sparrows are known to chase Nelson’s Sparrows where their territories overlap.

Nelson’s Sparrows nest in marsh vegetation close to the ground.  The female builds a cup-shaped nest of dry grass and stems and attaches it to vegetation.  In it she lays 3 to 7 light green eggs heavily spotted with brown.  The eggs are incubated for 11 days.  After the young fledge small flocks feed on seeds of cordgrass. Nelson’s Sparrows eat mainly insects, aquatic invertebrates and seeds.  They forage mainly on the ground or in the marsh vegetation and are known to probe the mud for food.  

The song of this sparrow is distinctive.  It has been described as a ‘hiss that drops off at the end’.  It is a very raspy trill depicted as ptshhhhhhh-uk.  The call note is tsik.  The Nelson’s Sparrow is difficult to see because it often will run along the ground rather than flush.  It does not usually respond to spishing.

The global population of the Nelson’s Sparrow is considered stable although there have been population declines due to loss of habitat from the draining of marshes, the development of shorelines and sea level rise due to global warming. 

The Saltmarsh Sparrow is one we New Brunswick birders need to be watching for.  Its breeding range is along the Atlantic coastline from Florida to southern Maine.  I wouldn’t be surprised if it showed up here occasionally.  It would be wise to learn to differentiate it from the Nelson’s Sparrow which is relatively common here.  

We are fortunate to have healthy shorelines and marshes here in New Brunswick to support a population of the Nelson’s Sparrow.  They must play an important role in the marsh and tidal shoreline ecosystem.