Flagged Ruddy Turnstone

Flagged Ruddy Turnstone

Ruddy Turnstone (23 August 2018)

 On August 23, 2018 I visited Maisonnette, NB east of Bathurst to look for shorebirds.  It is a large sandy point jutting out into the Bay of Chaleur.  Many shorebirds stop there to rest and feed during migration.  Among the many peeps we saw were some Ruddy Turnstones.  I noticed one individual was flagged.  It had a green flag with white lettering on its left leg.  When this is seen it is important to read the lettering so that the bird's data can be entered into the Migratory Database in order to track the migration of the species.  Reading those letters is sometimes difficult!  Fortunately taking a good photo and enlarging it will help.  That is what I was able to do.  So our bird was 'MXE'.

I published this on the NB Bird Information Line and got a quick response.  Not only did they tell me where to send the information to the Migratory Database but I got a surprise.  Another birder had seen the same bird last year in the same place!  I sent my sighting to the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Centre Bird Banding Laboratory.

Ruddy Turnstone (18 August 2017) [M Doucet Photo]

At the top of the post is the Ruddy Turnstone seen by me on 23 August 2018.  Seen directly above is the same bird seen and photographed on 18 August 2017.  We should not be surprised that the same birds stop in the same places each year as they wend their way south.  But it is amazing that two different birders from New Brunswick saw the same bird and photographed it in the same location about the same time but in two different years.  We know that is the same bird because when birds are banded or tagged there is always a unique number specific for that individual.  What is the probability of seeing and photographing the same bird by two different birders on different years among the many thousands of migrating shorebirds?  Astounding!

I have not heard back from the bird database yet but the other birder did find out more history of this bird.  It was seen on 29 May 2016 at Kimbles Beach, south New Jersey; 12 May 2017 at Cooks Beach, north New Jersey as well as our two sightings: 18 August 2017 and 23 August 2018.  The first two New Jersey sightings were on the birds northward migration and the two August sightings were on the southward migrations.  We do not know yet when the bird was originally flagged.  That will remain a mystery for now.

Ruddy Turnstone

The Ruddy Turnstone is a regular fall migrant through New Brunswick, uncommon in the spring but common in the fall.  It prefers our northern and eastern coastlines but occasionally occurs inland.  It usually is seen along the waters edge feeding among rocks, shells and flotsam.  It really does turn over rocks looking for insects, molluscs, and crustaceans to feed on.  It is well named!

The Ruddy Turnstone is a medium-sized shorebird, 24 cm (9.5 in) long.  Its calico plumage is unmistakable.  The female is a bit duller in colour.  In the alternate plumage (non-breeding) the rufous colour is more muted.  The young is a muted form of the adult in appearance.  See below.

Ruddy Turnstone Juvenile

The Ruddy Turnstone migrates north in the spring up the central flyway.  They breed on our high Arctic islands.  In the fall they migrate south down the east coast to the shores of the southern US and the West Indies.  There is also a western North American population and also a Eurasian population.

Ruddy Turnstone Turning Over a Stone

The Ruddy Turnstone is a hardy species and its population is reasonably stable.  It was first described in 1758 by Carolus Linnaeus, a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist.  It is amazing to me that it took us so long to document such an interesting, conspicuous species.

ADDENDUM:  Information supplied by US Geological Service: The bird was banded on 29 May 2016 near Cape May Court House, NJ when it was determined it was hatched in 2014 or earlier.  It is a female.