Caspian Tern: A Rare Birdathon Sighting!

See the tern in the above photo that looks even bigger than a gull?  As it turns out, he is bigger than some gulls.  That is a Caspian Tern.  The sighting of a Caspian Tern was one of the the most notable observations of this years Birdathon.

Caspian Terns are very large birds; the largest of the tern species.  They have thick, heavy orange bills with black tips, black wingtips, white undersides, short tail, and black legs and feet.

It is very exciting to have captured photos of TWO very rare species seen during Birdathon 2010 (Marbled Godwit and Caspian Tern).  Unfortunately, our team didn't get credit for seeing Caspian Tern.  We didn't actually "see" a Caspian Tern during birdathon.  I only noticed them when looking at Tom's photos days later.  Luckily, there was one other sighting at Duxbury Beach (which is adjacent to where we were birding).  Can you find two Caspian Terns in the group above?

Marbled Godwit: A Very Special Bird!

Marbled Godwits are NEVER seen in Massachusetts at this time of year.  Tom captured dozens of photos of this bird, but I probably would never have been able to identify the species on my own.  Luckily, we met a member of the IBA (Important Bird Area) Birdathon team on the beach, and he told us what we had found. 

Despite his very distinctive features (a very long, upturned, orange and black bill, for example!), I would not have confirmed the ID of a bird that wasn't even on my list of target species.  (Target species are unexpected but recently sighted birds in your assigned area).

Marbled Godwits are more than unexpected around here in the month of May. Marbled Godwits are unheard of in Massachusetts during May.  Why? 

Marbled Godwits breed in the northern Great Plains of the U.S. and Canada. In May, they are seen migrating over the central states in large flocks.  Massachusetts is nowhere near their springtime migratory route.

You occasionally see Marbled Godwits in the fall, if they get blown off course as they head for their winter homes along southern coastlines from North Carolina to Central America. But according to an expert source, there have been only three or four sighting of Marbled Godwits in Massachusetts during May in all of history!

We were very lucky to catch a glimpse of such a rarity - and luckier still that an experienced birder was present that day to ID the species for us.  After all, it required an expert to know it wasn't a Hudsonian Godwit (black wing linings seen in flight) or a Bar-tailed Godwit (brick red underparts and a striped black tail).  The Marbled Godwit is similar to these birds, but can be identified by it's cinnamon wing linings and paler underparts.

To tell you the truth, seeing a Marbled Godwit was really quite a thrill!

Newborn Goslings and Nesting Osprey

A beautiful Canada Goose gosling. Seen at Daniel Webster Audubon Sanctuary in Marshfield, MA during Birdathon 2010 (5/15/2010).

The little guy on the right was flapping his arm as if he wanted to fly away!

A VERY close shot of mother goose.

We saw this Osprey at Daniel Webster, as well. But earlier in the day we had seen an occupied Osprey nest at Plymouth Beach!

Tom took dozens of photos, but it is very hard to see the Osprey in the nest in any one. This is probably the best, but view the picture LARGE or ORIGINAL on Flickr to get a good view.