The Ptarmigan of Newfoundland

Ptarmigans are great birds and in fact, many of the "chickens" or game birds are among my all time favourites. While they are nice to see, there is often nothing easy about finding them! This is perhaps due to the fact that these birds are also prized by hunters, so Ptarmigan have a reason to be wary.

Ptarmigan are plump birds, with short legs and small conical bills, which are perfect for cracking seeds or plucking berries from their barrenness habitat. All Ptarmigan belong to the genus Lagopus. This name is fittingly derived from the Greek lagos, meaning "hare" and pous meaning foot. This is in reference to the birds feathered legs and feet, which help them stay warm and gain purchase on their, rocky and often icy terrain.

Newfoundland is home to two species of Ptarmigan, Willow and Rock. Our Willow Ptarmigan is also known as Red Grouse in the UK. While neither species is particularly easy to find in Newfoundland, Willow has a much greater range and is by far the species you are most likely to encounter.

Range and Habitat

Willow Ptarmigan

Willow Ptarmigan are found throughout the province of Newfoundland, most often in coastal, rocky barren areas, where they are quite unlikely to encounter a Willow! Some of the best areas are on the Avalon Peninsula, on the barrens between Cappahayden and Portugal Cove South, Cape Race Rd, and the Cape Pine Road.

Willow Ptarmigan are known by several names locally and one of them is "patridge". While Willow Ptarmigan is not a correctly a patridge, part of it's diet certainly consists of the "patridge berries", (known internationally as ligonberry) which grow in dense patches on the subarctic barrens of coastal Newfoundland. The windswept coastal barrens on the Avalon Peninsula will often have exposed patches of these berries, even in winter and if they are snow covered the Willow Ptarmigan have a solution for that as well- they simply dig through the snow to reach them!

Of course, Willow Ptarmigan also make use of a variety of seeds and insects as well, in the warmer months. I have seen Willow Ptarmigan feeding on the seeds from exposed branches of Alder bushes sticking up through the snow on several occasions.

Rock Ptarmigan

As for the much less common Rock Ptarmigan, their range is much more restricted in the province, primarily due to their apparent association with high altitudes. If you want to see a Rock Ptarmigan in Newfoundland, there are few choices as far as locations, and none of them are easy to get to! The way pretty much everyone in Newfoundland see's their Rock Ptarmigan is by climbing Gros Morne Mountain. The summit is about 800 meters and the hike takes a 5+ hours at least. At the top, you may or may not be rewarded a with Rock Ptarmigan, that is the chance you take! It would appear that Rock Ptarmigan stay true their name, their habitat is very rocky, add that's putting it lightly!

Gros Morne Mountain, Newfoundland

Identification

Identifying Willow and Rock Ptarmigan in Newfoundland is actually quite easy, since the two almost never overlap. It is worth noting though, that both species change their appearance seasonally, to provide better camouflage against their surrounding environments. I will include a series of photos of both species below that will highlight some of the identifying features, differences and seasonally changes that both species undergo.

This female Willow Ptarmigan has begun it's moult to it's white winter plumage. In years with little snowfall a white Willow Ptarmigan stand out on against the barren ground. Some Willow Ptarmigan on the Avalon never turn fully white, while others do.

Flock of Willow Ptarmigan in breeding plumage, Cape Race Rd. The vast majority of times I've seen Willow Ptarmigan I have seen them by flushing them off the roadsides while driving slowly. Ptarmigan and other games birds will often frequent the edges of gravel roads to collect 'grit'.

The rufous necks and breasts of the above male Willow Ptarmigans are unique to the species and make them easily separable from other Ptarmigan species when in this plumage. Male Rock Ptarmigans are a well patterned gray or grayish brown and never have the rufous tones of Willow Ptarmigan.

 Rock Ptarmigan (male). Note the colour of the neck and breast especially and compare to the birds above, Rock Ptarmigan is much colder in appearance.

Rock Ptarmigan (male) part way through it's moult to winter plumage. When completed the bird will be totally white, except for the dark lores, red comb and black tail.
Photo: Alvan Buckley

Another shot of a moulting male Rock Ptarmigan, you can get a sense of the elevation in the background
Photo: Alvan Buckley

The photos above display both Willow and Rock Ptarmigan in either breeding or transitional plumage. Lets take a look at the stark white winter plumage, noting especially how well it allows these birds to blend into their snowy surroundings.

A completely white individual. Note that it lacks the dark lores shown by Rock Ptarmigan in similar plumage. Also note the relatively thick bill (for a Ptarmigan) which is evident even in this photo.

Some Willow Ptarmigan retain elements of their breeding plumage throughout the winter. Is this the same of all populations? At times the wind swept barrens where these birds live has frequent sections of exposed ground, in those cases this plumage might be a more effective camouflage than a the above bird, which is totally white.

Rock Ptarmigan (male) winter plumage, note the black lores and thinner bill than seen in Willow Ptarmigan
Photo: https://www.coniferousforest.com/rock-ptarmigan.htm

I will conclude with a couple of close shots allowing comparison of the bills of both Willow and Rock Ptarmigan. Note the thicker bill of Willow Ptarmigan.

Willow Ptarmigan on left and Rock Ptarmigan on right. Note how much thicker the bill of Willow Ptarmigan is than the Rock Ptarmigan on the right.

If you enjoyed this article you might also enjoy some of the other 120+ articles on the Birding Newfoundland Blog. Some of the latest articles include.

Separating Spizellas: Identification of Clay-coloured and Chipping Sparrows in Fall

An Illustrated Account of a Northern Goshawk Killing and Consuming a Northern Harrier

Birds of Newfoundland: Atlantic Puffin

Birder's: A Subculture?

Dovkies, AKA Bullbirds: Photo Essay (amazing Dovekie photos in this one!)

(select blog archive in pages, to see all previous articles)

I am thrilled to be able to provide educational and entertaining content. However, these articles are very time consuming to write. If possible, please consider subscribing to the blog with a very small monthly fee via the subscribe button. This will help to cover costs of website maintenance and all the other expenses that go into producing the content. Whether you subscribe or not, you will still have access to all the content, the small subscription fee is just a means of showing your support. Thank you!

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Birds of Newfoundland: Dovekie AKA Bullbird

If you were ask a rural Newfoundlander where you might find a Dovekie, you would likely be met with a confused look. However, if you asked where you could find a Bullbird, then you would likely become engaged in a lengthy conversation about the diminutive Alcid, and when you left that person's house, after eating a meal and meeting their family, then you would be back on your search for a Dovkie, AKA a Bullbird!

Yes, Dovekie goes by many names. There is the scientific name, Alle alle, Bullbird in Newfoundland (as explained above),or Little Auk in the UK and Europe. Regardless of the name, with which it's called, all birders agree that seeing a Dovekie is a great thing, and often the highlight of a birders year.When you think about it. It's easy to see why Dovekie is so beloved by birders. It really does have all the key elements to be a birders favourite.

Cuteness

Dovekie ranks high on the cuteness scale. It's a pudgy, big headed and yet small at the same time. On the water it looks like a black and white nerf football with tiny little wings. Dovekies sit low on the water and often seem to be tilted forward, like the weight of their head is causing them to tip. Indeed, they do not look like a bird capable of thriving in the North Atlantic in winter, yet they do. Which brings us to our next point.

Dovekie in breeding plumage, Greenland.
Photo: Carsten Egevang

Rarity/Remoteness

Dovekie is far from a rare bird in the grand scale of things, but rarity is a relative term. For North American birders Dovekie is often seen one of two places, Alaska (where there is a small breeding population) and Newfoundland (where they winter). Of course, they are seen other places as well at times. If you take a winter pelagic trip off the North Eastern seaboard in winter you may encounter Dovekies. As well, they can also be seen in the other Canadian Atlantic Provinces. However, as a rule, Newfoundland presents the best, easiest and most civilized way, for many North Americans to have their Dovekie experience. Quite often Dovekies can be see at VERY close range in Newfoundland in winter. At times, I have seen thousands of Dovekies in a single day. While, there are other places to see Dovekie in winter, can they claim that? To see Dovekies go about their business in the bitter oceans off of Newfoundland in winter is a great experience and if you have not see it, you should! This brings me to the final reason for the love affair between Dovekies and birders.

A flight of Dovekies in Greenland
Photo: Carsten Egevang

Respect

There is something remarkable about those birds that choose to live life under the harshest possible conditions. While most birds are fleeing Newfoundland to escape our winter, Dovekies are just arriving to bask in it. Dovekies have found a way to thrive under circumstances that would be perilous to most other bird species. Having said that, not all Dovekies make it through the Newfoundland winter unscathed. During intense winter storms there are occasionally 'wrecks' of Dovekies. Essentially, some birds are driven by the harsh 100+km/hr winds into Bays, or worse, onto land. In the photo below I am holding a Dovekie prior that I rescued prior to release.

An OLD! photo of me holding a Dovekie that I rescued from the rocks. You can really get an idea how small these birds are when holding them in your hands.
Photo: Ken Knowles

Dovekies are small but they are fighters! Against all odds this bird escaped and was none the worse for it's encounter with this Herring Gull
Photo: John Williams

I have helped many people see their first Dovekie over the last 20 years, and not one of them were let down, no one was disappointed. Seeing a 6 inch long bird that weighs 150 grams expertly maneuver crashing waves and fierce swells, really is a sight to behold, and one that often leaves a lasting impression on a person.

This is the point in the article where I would like to take a minute to indulge in a little shameless self promotion and mention the Birding Newfoundland, Winter Birding Experience Tour, January 12th-17th 2019! Of course, Dovekie will be one of the star attractions but not the only one. Read the tour description for a full list of species and details. Now back to the article :)

So we have established that Dovekie are truly loved and I've tried to explain some reasoning for this. Now lets get some background information, where do these birds breed, what do they eat, who eats them? Yes you won't want to miss all the scintillating details of the traditional Inuit dish Kiviaq, which I've heard described as 'the Turducken from hell'!

Where do Dovekies Breed and Where do they Winter

Dovekies breed in Greenland, Iceland, Nova Zemeya Don't be afraid to use the link to see where this place is, I had to), and Svalbard. In North American they are known to breed on a number of islands in the Bering Strait and the Bering Sea.

Greenland hosts some truly massive numbers in the order of 30-60 million pairs! While Dovekies don't have a massive breeding range, they manage to cram a lot of individuals into their limited range. Dovekies will cram nests into rock crevices or beneath large rocks on these very precipitous slopes, where like other Auks, they lay a single egg.

A mass of Dovekies, Greenland
Photo: Carsten Egevang

As I previously stated many Dovekies winter in the waters off of Newfoundland and in other parts of the North Atlantic. They can also be found in the Norwegian sea. Wherever they are found, they feed primarily on small crustaceans called Copepods. If necessary they will also take other marine invertebrates and even small fish.

Dovekie in winter plumage. Note that Dovekies lose their black bib in winter and are all white below with white wrapping around the side of the head forming a cheek patch. This cheek path can be seen from quite some distance.
Photo: John Williams

We have learned a bit about Dovekies so far. We know where they breed,  where they winter and we know that birders love them. You probably already knew the later, since you are likely among their admirers! When possible, I like to include interesting facts about species that I highlight, including their meaningful interactions with humans. Do you remember when I mentioned Turducken from hell, it's time to explain what I meant by that.

It would seem that food can get quite scarce when you live in Greenland, I mean even the Dovekies leave in winter! So native Inuit had to be extremely ingenuitive to ensure they had enough food to make it through the long harsh Arctic winter. You likely have heard of the saying 'make hay when the sun shines'? The Inuit applied this to capturing Dovekies during the short Greenland summer. 

Thousands of Dovekie would be harvested, but how to store them without them rotting before winter? One solution is to take a Grey Seal, skin it, but leave the blubber lining, you don't want to waste that!. Then you take about 400 or so Dovekies, complete with bills, feet, feathers and stuff that seal skin until its full and then sew it up. You then take this Dovekie-stuffed Seal sausage, and bury it under rocks and let it ferment for a few months. After a few months you dig it up and voila you have the Inuit delicacy known as Kiviaq! After this extended period of fermentation the Dovkie meat is said to smell very ripe and I can believe it! I think I can almost smell it though the screen.

Kiviaq: Native Inuit delicacy of Grey Seal skin, stuff with Dovekies and left to ferment.

Hopefully, you enjoy the article and maybe even learned a little something about Dovkies and maybe even gained a new dinner recipe! I'll end with another amazing photo from Carsten Egevang, a great photographer who has spent considerable time in the Arctic doing a variety of activities, including taking breathtaking photos. Since I lost my Dovekie images when a hard drive crashed I thank everyone who contributed photos who made this article possible. I strongly recommend checking out Carsten's website here, where among other things you can purchase some amazing wall art.

Backlit Dovekies, note their characteristic shape in flight, a nerf football with wings!
Photo: Carsten Egevang

If you enjoyed this article you might also enjoy some of the other 120+ articles on the Birding Newfoundland Blog. Some of the latest articles include.

Separating Spizellas: Identification of Clay-coloured and Chipping Sparrows in Fall

An Illustrated Account of a Northern Goshawk Killing and Consuming a Northern Harrier

Birds of Newfoundland: Atlantic Puffin

Birder's: A Subculture?

I am thrilled to be able to provide educational and entertaining content. However, these articles are very time consuming to write. If possible, please consider subscribing to the blog with a very small monthly fee via the subscribe button. This will help to cover costs of website maintenance and all the other expenses that go into producing the content. Whether you subscribe or not, you will still have access to all the content, the small subscription fee is just a means of showing your support. Thank you!

Support Birding Newfoundland- subscription options

Option 1 : $2.00 USD - monthly Option 2 : $4.00 USD - monthly Option 3 : $6.00 USD - monthly

Separating Spizellas: Identification of Clay-coloured vs Chipping Sparrow in Fall Plumage

While the identification of breeding plumaged Sparrows is generally quite straight forward.Note in the photos below there is nothing difficult about separating these species in Spring. However, things tend to get much trickier in fall, when these Sparrows lose their more distinctive features, in favour of a more drab appearance, not to mention the appearance of juveniles.

Clay-coloured Sparrow, Newfoundland, June

Chipping Sparrow in Newfoundland, June

For this article I will be focusing on the genus Spizella and more specifically the Clay-coloured and Chipping Sparrow complex. From a Newfoundland perspective this generally isn't a big deal, since both Chipping Sparrow and Clay-coloured are rare in the province, aside from a small breeding population of Chipping Sparrows in SW Newfoundland. However, both Chipping and Clay-coloured Sparrow are see in Newfoundland in fall in small numbers, usually in October. A flock of 4 Clay-coloured Sparrows in Ferryland on the Avalon Peninsula last fall was extraordinary, since these birds are generally seen in singles, since they are a vagrant to the island. Before

So, there is some reason to be familiar with these two species, which seem to cause birders some trouble. However, if you know what to look for I'd argue that most individuals of these two species can be separately fairly easily. If you do not have a working knowledge of the facial features of Sparrows and the terminology, I'd recommend you take a quick look at this article I write earlier this summer, which will give you a nice refresher!


There are a few features we will key in on to separate these two look-alike species, namely, facial pattern,  and rump colour.

Facial Pattern

Both Chipping Sparrow and Clay-coloured Sparrow have complex facial patterns, but there a couple of key features to note when trying to separate them that I will highlight in the photo below. Note especially differences in the shape, extent and darkness of the eye line, and the lores (area between eye and bill) as well as the submoustial stripe. The presence of a darker submoustacial stripe often on Clay-coloured Sparrow tends to more clearly devide the malar from the malar from the throat, meaning that the malar is often more noticeable on a Clay-coloured than a Chipping Sparrow in the field.

As well, the cheek pattern (auriculars) on a Clay-coloured Sparrow tends to less defined. In Chipping Sparrow the dark eye line, being more noticeable provides a clear border for the upper edge of the ear coverts. Chipping Sparrow has a weaker submoustacial line, it's malar  (pale line formed by the bottom edge of the ear coverts and and sub moustachial line) is not as prominent and seems to blend more with the throat. 

There is a lot of technical jargon in these two paragraphs I know.!If you can't follow it, see the link above for a break down of all of the facial feature of Sparrows. Read these paragraphs a few times if you have to and refer to the photo, so you can see the differences.

Note especially the darker more prominent eyeline and lore of Chipping Sparrow. Clay-coloured on average has more noticeable moustache and sub moustachial stripe and always has pale lores

Based on what you learned above, which species is this?

Rump Colour

Fortunately even if you flush one of these species and you see it fly away there is important information to be gleaned! Aside from differences in facial features these species have characteristically different rump colours. This holds true for all individuals, both juveniles and adults. Chipping Sparrow always has a gray rump, while the rump of Clay-coloured Sparrow is always brown. Note the differences in the photo below.

Note the gray rump of the Chipping Sparrow on the left and the brown rump of the Clay-coloured Sparrow on the right. Also, note how the gray rump of Chipping Sparrow contrasts with the brown back, while the rump and back of Clay-coloured is much more concolourous.

I'll conclude with a couple more, unlabelled photos, see if you can applied what you learned in the article to identify them correctly and confidently!

Easy right!?

Which one?

Please check the rest of my blog for 100+ other articles, including many more ID articles, general interest pieces etc. Also, if you would like to know when we post new content, follow Birding Newfoundland on Facebook. To get information on tours and ID workshops please see our website!


You may also be interested in,

An Illustrated account of Dovekie, AKA Bullbird

Northern Goshawk: An Episode of Raptor on Raptor Violence!

Birder's: A Subculture?

Answer to the quiz birds above are, 1) Clay-coloured, 2 Clay-coloured and 3 Chipping

I am thrilled to be able to provide educational and entertaining content. However, these articles are very time consuming to write. If possible please consider subscribing to the blog with a very small monthly fee via the subscribe button. This will help to cover costs of website maintenance and all the other expenses that go into producing the content. Whether you subscribe or not you will still have access to all the content, the small subscription fee is just a means of showing your support. Thank you!

Support Birding Newfoundland- subscription options

Option 1 : $2.00 USD - monthly Option 2 : $4.00 USD - monthly Option 3 : $6.00 USD - monthly

Birds of Newfoundland: Solitary Sandpiper

As it's name suggest Solitary Sandpiper is a bit of a loaner. It's not a bird you will see in big flocks like other Tringa Sandpipers, such as Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs. You might see a small flock of a few individuals but that's about it and even that is a rare occurrence.  Solitary Sandpipers can't seem to get along with one another. Unlike many other species of shorebirds that will flock together to migrate, Solitary Sandpipers are territorial and aggressive towards one another year round.

Their solitary nature is the primary reason why this species of shorebird remains a bit of a mystery. Solitary Sandpiper was first described in the early 1800's, but no one found a nest until 1903. There is good reason for that, since people were probably looking for their nests on the ground, which is where virtually all shorebirds nest. However, Solitary Sandpipers (along with close relative Green Sandpiper) are the only shorebirds that nest in trees! They actually reuse the nests of other species, such as American Robin and other songbirds.

juvenile Solitary Sandpiper, Cape Broyle, Newfoundland, August

Status in Newfoundland 

Solitary Sandpiper is rare on the island of Newfoundland. If you are lucky you might see one or two a year on the Avalon Peninsula. It's possible the species might occur more regularly in western portions of the province. They do however breed in Labrador, though I don't believe they are overly common there.

Part of the rarity of Solitary Sandpiper in Newfoundland is likely due to it's habit or migrating alone, as well as it's choice of habitat. Solitary Sandpipers are mainly found in freshwater, at the edges of small ponds, or even large puddles. Occasionally, they are seen in brackish areas as well, but they usually don't remain there long.

Where and When to see Solitary Sandpiper in Newfoundland

As I stated above, Solitary Sandpipers are most often seen in freshwater pools, or pond edges. They are extremely rare in Spring in Newfoundland, but they are regular in small numbers in late summer  (early August- mid September). On the Avalon Peninsula, some of the regular places they have been seen in the past include, Ruby- line Pond in the Goulds (before it grew into a marsh), Forest Pond, Cochrane Pond Road, Cape Broyle (the brackish pool there where the tame ducks are), Renews (some of the inland areas) and a few other places around Portugal Cove South and St.Shotts sod farm. People who aren't local will have to forgive me, you have no idea where these places are :)

Identification Pitfalls and Similar Species

Solitary Sandpiper is a member of the genus Tringa and is perhaps most likely to be confused with other members of that genus, though confusion with immature or basic plumage Spotted Sandpiper is also possible for inexperienced birders or if the views are fleeting. 

In Newfoundland Solitary Sandpiper is most likely to be confused with Lesser Yellowlegs, especially a random Lesser Yellowlegs in a field or other freshwater site, where one might expect to find Solitary Sandpiper. Lesser Yellowlegs are most often seen in flocks of the much more common Greater Yellowlegs and usually in harbours at low tide and other coastal sites.

Both Solitary and Lesser are medium sized Tringa Sandpipers. Their bills are similar in length and similarly coloured, though Lesser's is somewhat thinner towards the tip and straighter. Solitary Sandpiper's bill is greenish with a variable amount of black on the outer half and ever so slightly drooping.

Note the slight droop in the bill at the tip

Solitary Sandpiper left and Lesser Yellowlegs right

In direct comparison Solitary Sandpiper and Lesser Yellowlegs are relatively easily separate. Note especially the following differences,

Facial Features

- Solitary always has an obvious, thick eye ring. In comparison to Lesser Yellowlegs, which does show a bit of an eye ring, but it blends into the pale supercilium, so it isn't as noticeably. Note that Solitary Sandpiper lacks a pale supercilium making the eye ring the dominant facial feature.

Bill

- Solitary Sandpiper has a greenish bill about the same length as Lesser yellowlegs but is usually thicker towards the tip and dropped slightly at the tip as well. Lesser Yellowlegs has a thin, straight bill, that is never dropped.

Legs

Solitary Sandpiper has green or greenish/yellow legs, whereas Lesser Yellowlegs has orange/yellow or bright yellow legs.

Rump

- Solitary Sandpiper shows a dark rump versus the white rump shown my Lesser Yellowlegs

Solitary Sandpiper showing characteristic dark rump. 

Note that any Spring Solitary Sandpipers or late fall, i.e. beyond 2nd week of October, in Newfoundland should be scrutinized with Green Sandpiper in mind. Green Sandpiper is the closely related European counter part of Solitary Sandpiper. They two species look very similar but Green Sandpiper has a white rump! Note that there currently are not any records of Green Sandpiper in Newfoundland and I don't think there are any in Eastern North American, BUT it could happen, so it's better to be prepared when it does!

Note the obvious white rump of this Green Sandpiper
Photo: http://pewit.blogspot.com/

I am thrilled to be able to provide educational and entertaining content. However, these articles are very time consuming to write. If possible please consider subscribing to the blog with a very small monthly fee via the subscribe button. This will help to cover costs of website maintenance and all the other expenses that go into producing the content. Whether you subscribe or not you will still have access to all the content, the small subscription fee is just a means of showing your support. Thank you!

Support Birding Newfoundland- subscription options

Option 1 : $2.00 USD - monthly Option 2 : $4.00 USD - monthly Option 3 : $6.00 USD - monthly

Northern Goshawk: An Episode of Raptor on Raptor Violence!

This incident I'm about to describe happened a number of years ago, but it lives with me to this day as one of the most amazing, surprising and impressive things, I have seen in my 20 years of birding in Newfoundland.

It was in early October and I was birding on the south eastern portion of the Avalon Peninsula, in a barrenness area called St.Shotts.  The area is characterized by subarctic tundra and is virtually treeless, except for an area of stunted conifers that grow within a river valley. I was making my way out a dirt road within the community when I spotted a soaring Raptor. I stopped and got my bins on it- juvenile Northern Harrier. It was not a surprising sighting, since Northern Harriers are well known in the area.What happened next was very surprising!

Suddenly a second bird appeared and went into a stoop striking the Harrier! The birds tumbled briefly in the air before falling to the ground. I wasn't able to see what the other bird was, since everything happened so quickly. I jumped out of the car and ran to the area. The ground was very uneven, sloping. A mixture of grasses, stunted shrubs and rocks. I made my way over a small mound and there it was, a female Goshawk mantling over a Northern Harrier and not looking too pleased about my presence!

Northern Goshawk shortly after taking a Northern Harrier, St. Shotts, Newfoundland.

Incidents of raptor on raptor violence are somewhat of a rare thing in the bird world, but they do happen more that you may think. Northern Goshawks in particular seems to have a taste for the flesh of their Raptor brethren. In Europe Goshawks are well documented predators of Ural and Tawny Owls, but have been found to have preyed upon a selection of other raptorial species such as Long-eared owl, Short-eared Owl, Common Buzzard, Honey Buzzard and Common Kestrel. It has been suggested that Northern Goshawks have has serious detrimental effects on the population of Long-eared Owls and Ural Owls parts of Europe.

While science may suggest that Goshawks are a legitimate threat, the Northern Harrier clearly was not aware that it was a possibility on the Goshawks menu. It did not seem to see the Goshawk as a threat and it paid dearly for it. But what would cause a Goshawk to resort to taking what seem like a risky prey item, in the Northern Harrier?

In this area, Northern Goshawks probably prey mainly on Snowshoe Hare and Willow Ptarmigan. Snowshoe Hare populations are cyclical and though I can't remember, it's quite possible that there may not have been many Hares around that year. Similarly, Willow Ptarmigan numbers on the Southern Avalon Peninsula were low that year and as a whole seem to be lower than they were in the late 90's and early 2000's. Due to these factors it's possible that the Goshawk was formed to broaden it's perception of prey in include the Northern Harrier.

Northern Goshawk consuming Northern Harrier, St.Shotts, Newfoundland.

The Goshawk watched me just as I watched it. It would pluck a few feathers, then eat a little, the entire time it's gaze was fixated upon me. After I documented the scene with a few photos I backed off and let the Goshawk finish it's meal. When it was satiated it picked the Harrier up in it's talons and flew off with it, disappearing into the treed area in the river valley.

Never before or since, have I seen another incident involving one Raptor killing and consuming another Raptor. However, anyone who has mistakenly wandered too close to a Northern Goshawk nest knows just how vicious these birds can be. While I live for thrill of discovering rarities and unexpected species in unexpected places, scenes like this remind me pf why I started birding in the first place. I hope you enjoyed the article, if you have ideas for future content please feel free to mention in the comments or even better yet like my Birding Newfoundland facebook page where you can stay up to date on all our latest news. Information on personal guiding experiences, as well as up coming Tour info can be found here. Thanks and see you guys in the next one!

PS: check out the rest of the page to reveal 100+ more articles!

I am thrilled to be able to provide educational and entertaining content. However, these articles are very time consuming to write. If possible please consider subscribing to the blog with a very small monthly fee via the subscribe button. This will help to cover costs of website maintenance and all the other expenses that go into producing the content. Whether you subscribe or not you will still have access to all the content, the small subscription fee is just a means of showing your support. Thank you!

Support Birding Newfoundland- subscription options

Option 1 : $2.00 USD - monthly Option 2 : $4.00 USD - monthly Option 3 : $6.00 USD - monthly

5 North American Birds with Bizarre Behaviors

I was just sitting here thinking about how people take their "common" birds for granted. This is perhaps partly due to the fact, that we just don't know some of their most interesting behaviours! This article will highlight 5 of the commonly occurring North American bird species, that exhibit some truly bizarre behaviors! Maybe after reading this article, you will have a new found appreciation, or perhaps even disdain for these species. Either way you look at it all of these adaptations are extremely remarkable and fascinating!

1) American Wigeons are Jerks!

Most people are familiar with the thievery exhibited in gulls and other seabirds. Anyone who has taken their kids to feed the ducks, or spent some time sea watching will have noted how aggressive Gulls can be as they bully other birds and steal their food. But has anyone ever noticed American Wigeon stealing food from other ducks and waterfowl! Birds that steal food from other birds are known as kleptoparasites. As I mentioned, this behaviour is well documented in various seabirds from Frigatebirds to Gulls and Jaegers, but the American Wigeon often flies under the radar in this regard! (excuse the pun there!).

Note how the Wigeon calmly just swims around the Coot, pretending to be friendly and then as soon as the Coot comes up with some food, swoops in and steals it!

2) Northern Fulmars are Bulimic Olympians!

Northern Fulmars get the award for most creative and grossest defence mechanism, for their habit of projectile vomiting (very accurately I might add) at would-be attackers. When you think about it, this really is quite an ingenious way, for a seemingly defenceless bird to level the playing field against potential predators. When feeling threatened Fulmars regurgitate their very foul smelling and acidic stomach contents, in well aimed bursts. This could be quite harmful to avian predators since it can matte their feathers destroying their water-proofing and insulating properties. Note below how even this very young chick is capable of defending itself using this technique!

Northern Fulmar chick exhibiting it's vomiting prowess

3) Turkey Vultures Pee Themselves on Purpose!

Considering it's unsightly looks and already questionable habit of feasting on decaying flesh, it shouldn't be too surprising that the Turkey Vulture has a few more disturbing habits in it's repertoire. As a means of cooling themselves in extremely hot and humid temperatures, Turkey Vultures (all New World Vultures and Wood Storks actually!) practice what is called urohydrosis. The Vultures will actually pee on their legs their legs and as the urine evaporates it will assist in helping the Vultures cool off. It's a similar principle to the way we humans sweat and the evaporating sweat assists in regulating our body temperature. Someone should tell them wetting their legs by standing in water will do the same thing ;) Though, if you can't find water, then pee it is!

Turkey Vulture

4) Red-breasted Nuthatches are Home Security Specialists

Now this is something we can surely relate to! Anyone who has been the victim of a home invasion surely knows what a frightening and angering experience that can be. In medieval times is seems the moat was a popular means of defence.However this practice seems to have fallen out of favour- I guess there would just be too many liability concerns, and then you have the upkeep issues. No one even likes raking up leaves, or cleaning the gutter, imagine having to clean the moat! So in modern times to protect ourselves from home invaders we lock our doors, purchase expensive security systems etc. Well it seems Red-breasted Nuthatches kind of took that moat idea and gave it their own personal spin. 

It would seem that Nuthatches have a particular disdain for Centipedes and other potential creepy crawly predators, so they've taken that moat idea and made it their own. Red-breasted Nuthatches put a thick rim of tree sap around the entrance to the nesting cavities, to act as a deterrent to predators! To prevent themselves from being stuck in their own trap they fly directly into their cavities rather than perching on the edge like many other cavity nesting species do. Pretty amazing!

Note the thick ring of sap around the cavity entrance
Photo: Slugyard Blog

5) House Wren are Even Bigger Jerks Than American Wigeons!

House Wrens, while not native to Newfoundland and in fact are quite rare, are a familiar bird to many due to to their tendency to nest in peoples gardens and take readily to bird houses. This diminutive bird, with it's explosive, bubbly song is a welcomed visitor to many yards and people delight in watching them go about their business. But, did you know that House Wrens have a dark side?

As it turns out House Wren are interspecifically antisocial. Basically, what this means is they don't get along well with other bird species and don't appreciate other species nesting within their territory. So what so they do about it? Well, these little Wrens have the nasty habit of sneaking into the nests of other birds and poking a hole in their eggs! This of course, leads to the death of the embryos inside and complete nest failure. Not cool House Wren, not cool!

Look how innocent it looks!

I am thrilled to be able to provide educational and entertaining content. However, these articles are very time consuming to write. If possible please consider subscribing to the blog with a very small monthly fee via the subscribe button. This will help to cover costs of website maintenance and all the other expenses that go into producing the content. Whether you subscribe or not you will still have access to all the content, the small subscription fee is just a means of showing your support. Thank you!

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Birds of Newfoundland: Atlantic Puffin

When many people think of the birds of Newfoundland, they think of Atlantic Puffin, and for good reason. These small Alcids, with their colourful bills, are full of personality and are among the most charming of birds to watch.

Fall Warbler Identification: A tricky Orange-Crowned Warbler

I was browsing my local bird watching Newfoundland Facebook group and I came across a post referring to warbler that someone wanted some assistance to identify. I looked at the photo I immediately thought " this is an Orange-crowned Warbler. However, my immediate impression made no sense, because Orange-crowned Warblers do not breed in Newfoundland and there aren't any July records that I'm aware of. They are regular vagrants in late fall, but never in mid summer. This bird seemed to have all the attributes of an Orange-crowned Warbler, although it was kind of oddly gray, a characteristic I attributed to immaturity. Lets break down the id features of Orange-crowned Warbler and move along from there.

Dull overall appearance, no wing bars, split eye ring, dark eye line, very sharply pointed bill, yellow under tail coverts and pale legs
Photo: Brian Bishop

Note the bill shape and contrasting yellow under tail coverts
Photo Brian Bishop

Orange-crowned Warbler

 -sharp pointed bill- also shared by close relative Tennessee Warbler (which does breed in Newfoundland regularly)

- dark eye line

- split eye ring

- generally grayish overall with some yellow wash. I'm used to seeing Orange-crowned appear greener above and more yellow below, often with faint smudgy streaking, but I'm kind of assuming this is a young bird, so I'm ok with the somewhat unusual colouration.

- lacking wing bars

- contrasting pale yellow under tail coverts 

- longish tail ( length of tail feathers, beyond the under tail coverts)

So even though this bird looked find for an Orange-crown I was trying to convince myself it wasn't. I thought about Tennessee Warbler. Tennessee shares the sharply pointed bill that this bird has, as well as the dark eye line, it lacks wing bars and maybe you could convince yourself the split eye ring was ok as well. However, there are severe issues with this being a Tennessee Warbler.

1) Under tail coverts- This bird clearly has yellow under tail coverts while Tennessee Warblers always have white under tail coverts in all plumages. As well this birds tail is much too long for a Tennessee Warbler, which has a little stump of a tail, poking out past the under tail coverts.

I considered Cape may Warbler. Admittedly, a bit of a stretch but immature Cape Mays can be extremely dull and, the bill shape in the second photo doesn't look terrible for Cape May. However, this bird lacks any streaking below, no sign of even a single wing bar and it has yellow under tail coverts.

What about the dullest Yellow Warbler ever? Some immature Yellow Warblers can be super dull, but the split eye ring and dark eye line don't work for yellow which often shows a complete, thin eye ring and the tail feathers themselves (not just the under tail coverts) always have some yellow in Yellow Warbler.

At this point I was really starting to run out of possibilities, so I went back and checked the location of the bird again- Labrador! What an idiot I was! Orange-crowned Warblers are locally common in parts of Labrador! Things started to make sense and all was right with the world again. If I had taken the time to read the location more carefully I could have saved myself 10 minutes, but I would have lost out on a really valuable learning exercise. Identifying this bird challenged me to consider everything I knew about Newfoundland's breeding warblers and gave me a nice little refresher in fall warbler ID.

When people post a photo to a group asking for an ID my first question is usually, well, What do you think it is? It's extremely useful to know what the person was thinking when attempting to identify a particular bird. If allows you to understand where they might have been lead astray, identify knowledge gaps and areas for improvement, or maybe they were right and a lack of self confidence is their enemy! If you struggle with Fall Warbler ID like many people, it doesn't have to be that way. You just need a plan, a structured approach to identifying these challenging birds. This is the exact type of approach we preach in out ID workshops and we happen to be offering a Fall Warbler ID workshop soon.

Not living in St.John's, no problem. Inquire about our online workshops!

I am thrilled to be able to provide educational and entertaining content. However, these articles are very time consuming to write. If possible please consider subscribing to the blog with a very small monthly fee via the subscribe button. This will help to cover costs of website maintenance and all the other expenses that go into producing the content. Whether you subscribe or not you will still have access to all the content, the small subscription fee is just a means of showing your support. Thank you!

Support Birding Newfoundland- subscription options

Option 1 : $2.00 USD - monthly Option 2 : $4.00 USD - monthly Option 3 : $6.00 USD - monthly