[texbirds] Forster’s now and January ‘invasion’ of Common Terns on UTC
- From: MBB22222@xxxxxxx
- To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2013 21:03:17 -0500 (EST)
Common Terns are very rare find during January on Texas shore. Somehow
according to eBird data we are extremely lucky this January. Many COTEs decided
to spent winter around Bays, east and south from Houston (no reports from
other parts of Texas). When the rest of country (except Central Florida
with COTEs well documented in photos) and rest of the Texas have zip, zilch,
zero, nil, nada; here around the Houston area we have plenty: up to 20-25
per day in one spot. BTW when you look at eBird even the rest of the world
has very few records this month so far.
_http://ebird.org/ebird/map/comter?bmo&emo&byr 13&eyr
13&env.minX-95.872&env.minY(.826&env.maxX=-94.373&env.maxY).602&gp=true_
(http://ebird.org/ebird/map/comter?bmo&emo&byr 13&eyr 13&env.minX=-95.872&en
v.minY(.826&env.maxX=-94.373&env.maxY).602&gp=true)
Because Texas COTE records in January are of quite important value perhaps
we should try to take photo when we see one (and especially when we see
large flocks, and Sandwich Tern as well) to be sure that nobody will try to
question this data later. Everybody is snapping photos of a Tropical
Mockingbird and any other vagrant even if we do not know for sure how these
birds
got here but, I think, many people think that terns are so common so why
bother, Yes, they are common but not during this time of the year. To some, me
included, these winter tern records are more interesting than one of lost
or escaped birds (sure those are interesting too) and it would be great to
have these winter records well documented. Perhaps in times when almost
everybody has camera the eBird reviewers should insist to have photos included
with record when accepting records of some winter terns. They do that for
vagrants (like the rare bird committee) so why not for birds that most
likely shouldnât be here now. We say that we want to track climate changes -
these kind of records might turn to be a great indicators - when properly
documented, or we will have problem to separate the wheat from the chaff in
the future.
At the end I want to include photo showing how few Forsterâs Terns can
look now. Some are already molting head feathers and acquiring solid black cap
so seeing one with âblack napeâ doesnât mean this is a Common. Also
lighting and angle can sometimes make illusion of dark carpal bar so checking
all
field marks can be important and necessary for the correct ID.
So here are examples of FOTE head patterns that one can see during
mid-January on UTC (note that bill coloration is also changing)
_http://www.pbase.com/image/148393042_
(http://www.pbase.com/image/148393042)
BTW a few Laughing Gulls already have almost black hoods as well - perhaps
spring is not that far away, I wish.
Mark B Bartosik
Houston, Texas
_http://www.pbase.com/mbb/from_the_field_
(http://www.pbase.com/mbb/from_the_field)
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