Hurricanes bear gifts for birders (E. vernon Laux) (MA)

[Donna]

September 04, 2010

The arrival of September, the absolute perfect month, is the stuff of dreams for birders. This 30-day period features virtually everything. All species of birds are migrating with their respective populations at an annual peak, the possibility of getting hit by the "great undeveloper," a.k.a. a big hurricane," and the potential for seemingly any bird to arrive on our shores.

As this is being written, formidable Hurricane Earl — packing winds of 130 mph — is churning about, 100 miles northeast of Cape Hatteras, on a path heading north. By the time you read this it will have passed during the night.

From projections and estimates, it appears Nantucket and most of the Cape and Martha's Vineyard will bear the brunt of Earl's power. Nantucket is expected to be closest to the eye as it races northeast toward Nova Scotia around 1 a.m. this morning. Forecast winds are for close to 100 mph, or at least gusts that strong, and hurricane force gusts are predicted for the entire region.

For birders, today is comparable to being a child on Christmas morning eager to see what the bearded one brought during the night. Or liken it to an Easter egg hunt. In this case instead of colored eggs and candy the target is to find storm-driven birds from faraway places and remote oceanic islands. Powerful and disruptive low-pressure systems such as Hurricane Earl often displace bird species hundreds and occasionally thousands of miles from where they would be normally.

Hurricanes can transport pelagic (ocean dwelling) birds from the South Atlantic to the North Atlantic, drive tropical birds into cold northern waters and disrupt migrating birds. While often causing short-term disastrous damage on certain species, they are part and parcel of life for migrant and oceanic bird species. The birds are able to detect the approaching low pressure and are remarkably adept at "dodging the bullet."

More often than not birders are disappointed after the passage of a hurricane because so few birds got caught up in it. Occasionally though a hurricane will live up to its fearsome reputation. There have been times, albeit rare and decades apart, when after a major hurricane Cape and Island beaches were entertaining bird life more appropriate to Florida than to Massachusetts.

While not altogether good news for the birds, hurricans provide lasting memories to local birders and all acknowledge that they have witnessed something they may never see again in their lifetime.

Pelagic birds

For almost all of last weekend some 60 birders were on the Motor Vessel Helen H out of Hyannis looking for birds, mammals, whales, manta rays and anything else there was to see more than a hundred miles south and east of Nantucket.

They went out to "The Canyons" where the continental shelf drops into the deep of the Atlantic and where the Gulf Stream flows. The trip was one of the best for pelagic birds ever in New England.

They were treated to great views of white-faced storm-petrels, one of the rarest and most sought after seabirds in the North Atlantic. Many onboard got terrific photos of this and other rare species. The group had 24 individuals of this species-far and away the most ever seen in this ocean.

They got good looks at band-rumped storm-petrels with some dozen individuals reported of this tropical ranging species. Other great wildlife sightings included Audubon's shearwaters, a great skua, long-tailed jaeger, both red and red-necked phalaropes and great views of spotted dolphins. The group returned to Hyannis at dusk on Sunday after spending two days and a night out at the shelf edge.

This week and weekend are historically one of the best weeks and weekends of the year for many unusual species to appear, including among others buff-breasted sandpiper and Baird's sandpiper.

It has already been a good fall for both species, with numbers reported from all over the Cape and Islands. These globetrotters are on a tight schedule, moving from the high Arctic to southern South America, and if they do appear on the Vineyard it happens during a very small window of opportunity. That time is now. Throw in the passage of a large tropical storm system, such as Earl, and it just does not get any better.

Until next week — keep your eyes to the sky!