The Red-shouldered Hawk Returns

Back for the Fifth Year in a Row

Red-shouldered Hawk

I was busy in town when I received a text saying, 'Our Red-shouldered Hawk is back!'  I thought I would not have a chance to see it because I could not come directly home.  Fortunately a few minutes after I returned, it flew through the yard perching briefly in a tree out front.  I felt like a friend had returned.  Earlier he had perched in a close tree for about half and hour while he rested and preened.  

Red-shouldered Hawk [M Schneider Photo]

The back of the Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) is distinctive.  Notice the white circles made by the feather edges and the white stripes in the tail.  None of our other hawk species has a pattern on the back like this.  Some have white horizontal streaks or crescents and occasionally the Accipiters (Cooper's, Sharp-shinned, Goshawk) show large white spots on the back when they ruffle their feathers, but even that looks different.  And, they do not have white stripes in their long tails. 

Red-shouldered Hawk [M Schneider Photo]

This is the fifth year in a row we have had a visit from a Red-shouldered Hawk.  In fact, I have been waiting for his visit this year!  Here are the dates of his previous visits (I am assuming this is the same bird, which is quite likely).  

2014 - March 29

2015 - April 6

2016 - March 24

2017 - April 5

2018 - March 28

The video above was taken in 2016 and shows the Red-shouldered Hawk very well.  What a beautiful bird!

Hooded Merganser

Our Smallest Merganser

Hooded Mergansers

 The male and three female Hooded Mergansers pictured above were resting on a pipe at a sewage lagoon.  There were late summer post-nesting individuals who would remain in the province until late fall when they would migrate southward.

The Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) is one of our most beautiful waterfowl species.  Its beauty is very evident in the male and more subtle in the female.  The male shows an artistic mix of black, white and chestnut, the black being on the head and back and the chestnut on the sides.  It is noted by its brilliant white crest outlined in black which it often flashes in breeding season.  This is offset by its deep yellow iris.  The female is a mix of browns, oranges and grays.  She is mainly brownish gray overall with an orangish-brown crest which is beautiful when it reflects the sunshine.  Both have a fast, shallow wingbeat.  They are not very vocal but do make growling, croaking and purring sounds during courtship.  The Hooded Merganser is about 46 cm (18 in) long compared to the  Common Merganser which is 64 cm (25 in) and the Red-breasted Merganser, 58 cm (23 in).  The Common Merganser is also a fresh water species but cannot be mistaken for the Hooded Merganser because of its size and much whiter appearance.

Hooded Merganser Male [Internet Photo]

The male Hooded Merganser shown above has his crest extended.  The female shown below is much more subdued in colour.

Hooded Merganser Female

The Hooded Merganser is a summer resident here.  It prefers wooded ponds, streams, swamps and tidal creeks where it nests in tree cavities.  It is a permanent resident in southwestern Nova Scotia and parts of the US south of the Great Lakes.  It winters in the south central and eastern US.  There is also a smaller population in the west which summers in British Columbia and winters on the western US coast.  We have seen part of the wintering population of 'Hoodies' in the southeastern US where they were sleeping and resting on small wooded ponds in South Carolina.  The photo below shows one of those groups where there were about 25 individuals quietly resting.

Hooded Mergansers

The Hooded Merganser is an extremely agile diver and swimmer where it catches underwater prey.  These birds are built for the aquatic environment!  Their legs are set far back on their bodies so they are not so good on land.  They will readily use manmade nest boxes.  Why don't you put one up this year and maybe you will enjoy watching these beauties at work.

Hooded Merganser Female [Internet Photo]

Our first Hooded Mergansers were seen this year on February 27.  This is a very early date and may reflect an over-wintering pair.  That is unlikely due to our weather and lack of open water.  We have since seen 3 males together so their migration is certainly taking place already.  Scan open water in our area with your binoculars and you might be lucky enough to see a Hooded Merganser.

Iceland or Glaucous Gull?

Gulls Can Be Difficult to Distinguish

Iceland Gull First Winter

Some, indeed many, species of gulls are difficult to identify.  Given that gulls take 2 or 3 years to reach adulthood and that they have 5 or more different plumages along the way, no wonder identification is difficult!  

This post will attempt to clarify the difference between the 1st winter Iceland and Glaucous Gulls.  This is a problem often faced by New Brunswick birders because these gulls are often found here in winter.  Immature Glaucous and Iceland Gulls are much more common here than adults.  Non-breeding Iceland Gulls (Larus glaucoides) are found here mainly in winter.  They winter along water from the Great Lakes to Labrador, around the coast of Newfoundland, the Gulf of St. Lawrence and along the Atlantic seaboard as far south as North Carolina.  They breed in summer along the western coast of Greenland and the southern part of Baffin Island.  

The Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus) is more geographically widespread in North America.  Non-breeders spend their summers (and some year-round) on both coasts of Canada, in the west along the entire coast of British Columbia, Yukon and Alaska and in the east from the Great Lakes to Labrador, the Gulf of St. Lawrence and down the eastern seaboard to North Carolina.  Non-breeders also are found in waters from Northern Labrador to Greenland north to Baffin Island.  Adult Glaucous Gulls spend summers on breeding grounds along the coasts of northern Labrador, Greenland, Baffin Island and most Arctic Islands northward.  They also breed along the north coast of Yukon, Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Alaska.

Glaucous Gull First Winter

Note the two species shown in the photos above.  As can be seen, they are very similar.  So how do we tell them apart?  Firstly, the Glaucous Gull is larger than the Iceland Gull (69 cm/27 inches vs. 56 cm/22 inches).  But this is not much help if we see just one bird and have nothing for comparison.  Following are some other features to help identify these species.

Iceland Gull First Winter

Both Iceland and Glaucous Gulls are white-winged gulls.  White-winged gulls do not have black wingtips like our common gulls, Herring Gulls, for example.  Their wingtips vary from white to brownish gray.  See the photos above.  The bill of the Iceland Gull is shorter and more slender than the bill of the Glaucous Gull.  On both species when at rest, the wing tips extend beyond the tail feathers.  The 'wing projection' is longer in the Iceland Gull than in the Glaucous Gull.  The juvenile Iceland Gull is pale brown to creamy overall with variations in the amount of white mottling.  The comparable Glaucous Gull is much whiter in colour.  Both species have a dark eye at this stage.  The Glaucous Gull at this age shows a bi-coloured bill with pink at the base and black at the tip, and showing a sharp demarcation between the two colours.  The juvenile Iceland Gull has a black bill but it gradually transforms to a bi-coloured bill in the next year, with a not-so-clear demarcation between the pink and black. Both species have pink legs.  The wingtips in the Glaucous Gull are often white or whitish whereas the Iceland Gull wingtips at the stage are often brownish to grayish.  

Iceland Gull First Winter

It is always interesting to see these gulls in winter.  In the spring they leave and spend their summers further north.  'Our' Iceland Gulls will move to the coast of Newfoundland and northern Labrador and our Glaucous Gulls will probably fly to the north coast of Labrador, Greenland or Baffin Island.  

Glaucous Gull (front); Iceland Gull (behind)

The photo above shows clearly the difference in plumage colour and bill shape.  Iceland and Glaucous Gulls are always a challenge this time of year.  I admire these interesting species that are adapted to cold temperatures and thus can reap the benefits of feeding off the cold northern Atlantic shores.  

Eurasian Widgeon

Waterfowl from Europe

Eurasian Widgeon [Internet Photo]

The Eurasian Widgeon (Anas penelope) is a waterfowl species normally living in Europe.   It breeds from Iceland, British Isles and Scandinavia to eastern Siberia and Kamchatka, southward to Northern Europe, central Russia and Northern China.  A few stray to North America every year and spend their time on either the Pacific or Atlantic coasts.  On the Atlantic coast they may be found from Labrador and Newfoundland southward to Florida and Texas.  They prefer marshes, lakes and tidal flats.

According to records, the numbers of Eurasian Widgeon have increased in recent years.  This may be due to increased awareness in birding or to an actual increase.  In my experience it seems to be an increase in numbers in the Atlantic area.  There has never been a recorded case of Eurasian Widgeon breeding in North America.  The birds will, however, hybridize with our own American Widgeon.  

The male Eurasian Widgeon is identified by its rich chestnut-coloured head with a cream or yellow crown and forehead.  It has a mottled gray back and sides.  The female looks much like the female American Widgeon but shows a warmer brown on its head.  See below for an image of a female American Widgeon.  The Eurasian Widgeon is unusual in that it often grazes on land like geese.  It also will hang out close to diving ducks and attempt to snatch food from them as they surface.

American Widgeon Showing Male and Female (on right)

It is always interesting to see a species not normally found here.  Recently there have been at least two reports of Eurasian Widgeon in the Atlantic region, from Newfoundland and New Brunswick.  On Sunday, March 4, a male Eurasian Widgeon was sighted in Lower Jemseg by one of our local birders.  There it was feeding and hanging out with Canada Geese, Common Mergansers and Hooded Mergansers.  The Jemseg River recently became free of ice and the waterfowl were enjoying the opportunity to feed.  The widgeon will soon have many puddle ducks including American Widgeon to keep it company.

Northern Mockingbird

Mockingbirds Are Occasional Residents

Northern Mockingbird

 The Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) is a rare New Brunswick resident and sometimes a migrant.  According to 'Birds of New Brunswick:  An Annotated List' there were only a few reports of this species prior to  the 1950s.  The first recorded nesting was in 1967 in Grand Manan.  It now breeds in a few places in the province mostly along the eastern and southern coasts.  The bird shown in the photos above and below was seen on January 19 in St. George.

Northern Mockingbird

The Mockingbird is very common in the US.  It is a permanent resident from southern Maine through to southern California and throughout Mexico and the West Indies.  It summers northward from there to the Great Lakes and the mid-US.  This species is a mimid (family Mimidae), a family made up of thrashers, mockingbirds and the Gray Catbird.  These birds are known for their long, repetitive songs.  They tend to be secretive and often hide in thickets.  They feed on insects and fruits.

The Mockingbird is the most conspicuous mimid.  Its song is loud and it can mimic the song of other birds.  The bird is about 25 cm long (10 in), is mostly gray with white wing bars and white outer tail feathers which it flashes during courtship.  The genders are similar.  The tail appears long.  The bird also shows black on its wings and tail.  The yellow eye often is evident.  The Northern Mockingbird is given the 'Northern' in its common name to distinguish it from the Bahama Mockingbird and the Blue Mockingbird of Mexico.

Northern Mockingbird [E Mills Photo]

The Mockingbird has thrived with the urbanization of the landscape.  In its regular range it is often seen conspicuously singing from the tops of exposed perches.  It likes brushy fields and suburban landscapes.  It often forages on the ground looking for seeds, fruits, insects, worms, small crustaceans, reptiles and amphibians.

The Northern Mockingbird is the state bird of several US states; Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas.  There it is common and flashy, making a good symbol.  If you have encountered many of this species you will notice that it is an aggressive bird.  It will voraciously defend its territory especially in breeding season.  Under threat it will attack pets or humans whom it sees as intruders.  It is an enthusiastic singer and will soon be filling the landscape with its varied songs.  Some of these will even be heard at night!