If you look at a
distribution map for the occurrence of Royal Terns, you'll see an unusual
pattern. Royal Terns typically do a northerly post-breeding dispersal from
their breeding grounds to our south up to areas as far north as Massachusetts
and sometimes even Maine. It's that time of year and we were tipped off to it
this morning by the late-summer sound of Royal Terns overhead. The beach held a
large mixed group of terns with a few Royals easily identified by their larger
size and "bad hair" look.
Leaders: Kathy
Horn, Roger Horn, Michael McCabe
52 species
11 Canada Goose
45 Mute Swan
28 Mallard
4 Great Egret
1 Little Blue Heron
1 Green Heron
2 Black Vulture
3 Turkey Vulture
4 Osprey
(carolinensis)
2 American
Oystercatcher
8 Least Sandpiper
1 Spotted Sandpiper
4 Greater/Lesser
Yellowlegs
15 Laughing Gull
2 Herring Gull
(American)
6 Great Black-backed
Gull
40 Least Tern
8 Common Tern
15 Forster's Tern
75 Common/Forster's
Tern
6 Royal Tern
5 Mourning Dove
10 Chimney Swift
2 Ruby-throated
Hummingbird
1 Red-bellied
Woodpecker
7 Eastern Kingbird
2 Blue Jay
2 American Crow
1 Fish Crow
22 Purple Martin
5 Tree Swallow
5 Barn Swallow
(American)
5 Carolina Chickadee
1 House Wren
7 Carolina Wren
5 American Robin
2 Gray Catbird
2 Northern Mockingbird
8 European Starling
2 Cedar Waxwing
4 Common Yellowthroat
4 Yellow Warbler
3 Field Sparrow
1 Song Sparrow
8 Northern Cardinal
2 Blue Grosbeak
1 Indigo Bunting
3 Orchard Oriole
24 Red-winged
Blackbird (Red-winged)
2 Common Grackle
3 House Finch
6 American
Goldfinch
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| Great Egret photo by Roger horn |
 |
| Tree Swallow photo by Roger Horn |
