Showing posts with label Black Tern. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Black Tern. Show all posts
Saturday, July 12, 2025
Saturday, August 24, 2024
Sunday, September 3, 2023
Saturday, May 28, 2022
Saturday, May 21, 2022
Saturday, September 4, 2021
Monday, June 28, 2021
Tuesday, September 1, 2020
Sunday, August 16, 2020
Monday, May 25, 2020
Saturday, May 23, 2020
Monday, May 18, 2020
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
051320 Yesterday's Rain and Clouds Yielded Good Finds
Cliff Swallow
Bell's Vireo
Bright Eastern Subspecies
051220
Birding was done in two segments yesterday, as the weather began as very inclement. It stayed mostly cloudy the entire day, but between 0740-0819 when out the first time, the wind chill was 43 degrees and it was either drizzle or light rain. We began and ended the morning at Heron Cove with four Pied-billed Grebes, one Black Tern, Spotted Sandpipers, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Herons, a southbound Great Egret, a couple of Downy Woodpeckers, Least Flycatcher, Fish Crow, f Purple Martins, a handful of American Robins, Cedar Waxwing, several European Starlings, Baltimore and Orchard Orioles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Great-tailed Grackles, nine Yellow Warblers, and a couple of Northern Cardinals.
23 species were observed in 39 minutes.
The return trip was made shortly after 1400, when the above shots were taken. There were more Black Terns, one of which was shot at Shorebird Jetty. A couple of Forster's Terns were found off the southwest jetty on a snag in the water. There were several Spotted and Least Sandpipers as well as a dozen Cliff Swallows, one perched on a snag north of The Jetty by Finch Corner.
We also located Eurasian Collared-Doves, Mourning Doves, a Red-shouldered Hawk being dive bombed by Great-tailed Grackles, as well as a Gray Catbird, Carolina Wren, and Brown-headed Cowbird.
The Bell's Vireo was found on the west side of Bald Cypress Row, south of Shorebird Jetty, as was the Great Crested Flycatcher.
Further along, we encountered a Western Kingbird, Northern Flicker, more Yellow Warblers, and off the last eastern jetty just prior to Goose Island were thirty Blue-winged Teal, three Northern Shovelers, and two American Coots.
The afternoon trip gave up 43 species in 2 1/2 hours.
Saturday, February 29, 2020
Monday, September 2, 2019
Sunday, August 11, 2019
Monday, August 5, 2019
Birding On a Shoestring: Cheyenne Bottoms, Kansas
Forster's Tern, non-breeding
Forster's Tern, nonbreeding 2
Forster's Tern, nonbreeding 3
Franklin's Gulls
Franklin's Gulls 2
Black Tern (Left) and Franklin's Gull (Right)
Black Tern
Black Tern 2
Franklin's Gull
072819
1300-1700/ partly cloudy/windy, 25-30 mph
After lunchtime was interesting, as there was a lot of water in the marshes, as well as large numbers of birds. Since it was so windy, it appeared that many of the birds would be lying low, which the normal ones were. However, when it came to Barn and Cliff Swallows, they were taking everything in stride from the air, of course.
Much of the sun was in the wrong direction when we drove toward the first bird-filled marshes, making them difficult to identify due to glare. Most of the seasonal birds, including White-faced Ibis, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret and Snowy Egret were there, as well as both Long- and Short-billed Dowitchers, and many of the other usual shorebird suspects.
We also saw the head of a young male buck with short fuzzy antlers in the water, swimming toward shore, then deviating in our direction to follow the shoreline. It almost seemed that he was unable to gain land purchase, but it didn't make sense that he could not. It appeared that he was doing his best to keep his head up, and through observation, he may have been walking on the bottom, as well as swimming. He finally passed us in the water, as we stopped the car to not make him fearful of us.
There were good representations of American Avocets and White-faced Ibis, where we could actually clearly see the white faces. One ibis found a prize, which may have been a frog, and he was doing his best to keep the other birds from stealing it. He dropped it several times, and finally managed to eat it.
Passing other ponds, we observed Pied-billed Grebes, Mallards, and Blue-winged Teal. It was almost like certain species had their own ponds, but it most likely had to do with water depth.
We'd also see a few groups of Franklin's Gulls, an occasional Black Tern, as well as Forster's Terns. The further along we got, we discovered that more representatives of these birds were caught in a wind tunnel. They were flapping their wings, yet not going anywhere, staying fairly stationary. Unless these birds managed to deviate to the right, they stayed within this odd cycle of events. There were eventually Great White Pelicans in the area who were in the water, as well as a few of the Franklin's Gulls and an occasional Ring-billed Gull. A Black-Crowned Night-Heron was also discovered on the tail end of this melee, but it managed to break free of the wind prison.
Many, many more ponds were observed and the wind seemed to lessen in the central part of the refuge. Large numbers of the previously mentioned herons were seen, as well as the White-faced Ibis. It was a most remarkable collection of birds. The further inland we were, a few songbirds turned up, as well as Turkey Vultures and Red-tailed Hawks.
We held out hopes for an American Bittern but we could have missed it, though there was some good habitat.
for more on the adventure:
https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2019/08/birding-on-shoestring-cheyenne-bottoms.html
https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2019/08/birding-on-shoestring-quivira-national.html
Sunday, May 26, 2019
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Storms of 2019 Flood Boomer Lake and Beget Shorebirds Galore
Hooded Merganser (Right)
Ruddy Duck (Left)
Female Hooded Merganser
Ruddy Shelduck
Willow Flycatcher
White-rumped Sandpipers
White-rumped Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Ruddy Turnstone ( Center of Group)
Franklin's Gull (Center)
Black Tern
Franklin's Gull (Bottom)
Forster's Terns
052119
0855-1012 hrs/65-66 F/mostly cloudy/89% RH--shortly after heavy rain stopped
A few dozen Canada Geese were in the arms of safety on the southeast corner of the our beloved Boomer Lake with low areas growing in size with water, which had two or three Mallards swimming within. Three Great Blue Herons were seen in transit from all directions.
Beloved Boomer was flooded to the mow line and police units were out to deter traffic in flood areas on the west side. Heron Cove was my biggest worry, with the Green Heron nest just over the water and in full view.
Relaxing a little when I observed Mother Heron upon her nest, fast asleep, wet and bedraggled, the stick fortress was sinking lower just above water. Two Willow Flycatchers were heard on the Cove, one safely hidden, yet obviously fearful and calling from the mulberry bush at The Cove. On the west side of Heron Cove was a female Hooded Merganser near shore with a sleeping Ruddy Duck. A Baltimore Oriole was in attendance, along with plenty of Great-tailed Grackles, a Common Grackle, and an Eastern Kingbird could be heard, while a Brown Thrasher was atop the trees, having taken sentry duties. A yellow-shafted Northern Flicker always seemed to be foraging in front of me, always just ahead to pave the way.
At least one southwest jetty was nearly covered by water, yet the southeastern jetty was close to the same with a twelve-foot span toward the end of the cove submerged. Franklin's Gulls could be observed, giving writer a good idea that there were shorebirds there.
On the way to the southeastern jetty, several familiar areas were choked with excess water with at least two more Willow Flycatchers flitting about in a normal nervous manner. All birds were doing their best to stay above the rushing water line. Mourning Doves were performing their plaintive wail atop the new power lines. Ducks, both wild and domestic, and Canada Geese were going about their business foraging in wet grass.
Rounding the corner to reach the jetty, a friend was scoping the area. He had come up with most of the photographed birds. While we inched closer to these birds, he was walked beside me, telling me what he had observed. We both continued to get as close as possible without driving the shorebirds and gulls away. Upon approach, Black Terns were flying by closer than I had ever seen them, allowing wonderful observation of behavior.
The real question was nearest the bench at the end of the jetty, breached by several feet of standing water. Was there a Common Tern among the Forester's Terns? It turned out to be a false alarm, but this was a fabulous search for shorebirds, some of which I had never before seen in Oklahoma.
My standing joke has always been that birds that have never been here eventually come to see me and they Payne County list grows.
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Oklahoma Migratory Species Profile: Black Tern
kef, kip,or kyip
Smaller than most terns, but slightly larger than the Least Tern, the Black Tern has dark gray wings and back, and a buoyant flight on broad wings. For breeding plumage, they have a black body.
Though uncommon and local, migrants can be found on any body of water from open ocean to marshes. It is found quite frequently all over Oklahoma during times of spring and fall migration.
Some local populations are declining due to wetland degradation with cattail growth, draining and agricultural growth in wetlands, invasive or exotic fish species, lake acidification, overfishing, and pesticides. Eutrophication is another problem that will only increase, and this is caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus obtained from fertilizer runoff. This depletes oxygen for fish, which the Black Tern depends upon for minor food sources, but it does depend a great deal upon insects. Of course, these chemicals result in excessive water plant growth and that also causes oxygen depletion for the ecology of this tern.
Black Tern
Boomer Lake Park, May 2017
Breeding habitat is in the Northern US and across Canada in small to large freshwater marshes containing emergent vegetation and areas of open water. The species nests semi-colonially in this vegetation, particularly cattail rootstalks. Muskrat houses are occasionally used, but the substrates are smaller and lower than used by Forster's Terns.
North American Black Terns migrate to northern coastal South America or to the open ocean.
The American subspecies will show as a vagrant to Great Britain and Ireland.
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