[Bristol-Birds] Repeated checks of lakes and water areas could be rewarding

From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2012 22:37:08 -0400
All bets are off on what Hurricane Sandy may bring in terms of good and rare 
storm birds
in the Bristol-Birds Net region and the Southern Appalachians.

Any rainy storm during waterfowl migration has the potential to ground ducks, 
loons, grebes, gulls, and even occasional rarities on inland lakes. Repeated 
checks of large lakes over the course of this storm could well be rewarding, 
with sea ducks, and other waterbirds. 

A distinction is recognized between displacement (birds moved or concentrated 
by the winds) vs. entrainment (birds moving within the storm, presumably in the 
eye or at upper levels in the storm). Whereas displacement tends to push 
seabirds to the coast, it is entrainment that tends to carry them far inland. 

From an ornithological perspective, researchers expect a lesser degree of 
entrainment in this storm with farther flung rarities. 

There are few hurricanes or tropical storms that have reached the East Coast on 
so late a date and this far north.

Previous major storms or hurricanes have brought interesting species to our 
region.  Here is a quick summary of the better records for many decades: 

Hurricane Hugo came into the area in late September 1989 and brought a 
storm-petrel sp. and black-backed gull sp. - seabirds blown inland to Watauga 
Lake - seen at a distance too great from which to determine the species 
involved.  Hugo also produced Forster's Tern (50+) Watauga Lake, Royal Tern (2) 
Watauga Lake at Roan Creek (first state record) and Pomarine Jaeger (1) and 
Parasitic Jaeger (1) Watauga Lake.

At Musick's Campground on South Holston Lake,  Hurricane Frances, in Sep 2004, 
brought 14 Red Knots which was a state high count; Lesser Black-backed Gull (1 
adult) and Sooty Tern (1 adult). Hurricane Isabel, an Atlantic storm in Sep 
2003, brought Laughing Gull (9) and Sabine's Gull
(1 immature) South Holston Lake at Spring Creek.

Caspian Tern (130) birds Sep 1964 at Boone Lake, in the aftermath of Hurricane 
Cleo.
The passage of this storm will go through areas rich in Royal and Sandwich 
Terns, and it seems likely that these species will be displaced and/or 
entrained to the mid-Atlantic and maybe inland sites. 

A typical late-summer hurricane like this would surely deposit many tropical 
terns far afield. Sooty Terns are often entrained (and thus carried far 
inland).  As storms get stronger, they are thus much more likely to entrain 
Sooties. 

Ornithologists guess conditions that yield large numbers of inland Laughing 
Gulls are an interesting facet of East Coast hurricanes that bears watching 
with Sandy.

The possibility of jaegers getting entrained and moved inland is quite high in 
this storm. Note that some birds seen inland could be "grounded" birds that 
migrate high overland except when severe weather (like a hurricane) forces them 
down on lakes and rivers. 

Most of all, this storm is completely unprecedented and the bird load in the 
storm is very hard to predict. It will be fascinating to see what appears.
[Bristol-Birds] Repeated checks of lakes and water areas could be rewarding

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