Andy Sanford rode on the Seven Seas Whale Watch boat on July 11. As the boat was heading back in, he photographed what he thought was a shearwater in the distance. When he reviewed his photos, he started to question his ID assumptions. Upon sending his photos to Sam Zhang, Sam recognized that the bird was a petrel of the genus Pterodroma and proposed Juan Fernandez Petrel, a species not usually found off New England. Opinions have initially favored this ID; if accepted by MARC, it would be not merely a first state record, but the first for the entire North Atlantic, and fourth for the Atlantic Ocean. One of Andy’s photographs is above.
The emergence of Periodical Cicada Brood XIV apparently made southeastern Massachusetts an appealing destination for kites. A Swallow-tailed Kite photographed in Mashpee in late April was just the beginning, with at least five birds settling in the area for over two months. Multiple observers reported seeing one carrying sticks, presumably nesting material. Brian Rusnica took the photograph.
Mississippi Kites had even more of a cicada-fueled banner year in Massachusetts than their swallow-tailed cousins, with birds popping up all over the southeastern region of the state in May and June. Individuals were photographed over Mount Auburn, Dorchester Bay, the Shea Naval Air Station, and in Peabody, Framingham, Plymouth, and no fewer than seven towns on Cape Cod. Whispering Woods Conservation Area near Plymouth had at least six individuals. Jason Forbes took the photograph.
Mashpee Middle-High School hosted an extracurricular visitor when a White Ibis visited the campus on June 20, found by the school district’s outreach coordinator Consuelo Carroll. The ibis spent the day roaming the lawns and eating the Periodical Cicadas that also brought Mississippi and Swallow-tailed kites to Cape Cod this summer. Unlike the long-staying kites, the ibis was a one-day wonder. Mary Keleher took the photograph.
Most Anhinga reports in Massachusetts have been descriptions of birds soaring high overhead without photographs. On May 17, the state’s second photographic record was documented by Rebekah Ambrose-Dalton from the Pogorelc Sanctuary in Barnstable. The bird foiled all attempts by other birders to relocate it. One of Rebekah’s photos is above.
Multiple Ruffs appeared in our state this summer, starting with a striking, breeding-plumaged male at Plum Island on June 26, which was seen by only a lucky few. On June 30, two basic-plumaged individuals appeared, one at Plum Island, the other at Winthrop Beach. The second Plum Island bird may have been a new arrival, unless the June 26 male molted a lot of feathers in a few days. Chris Floyd took the photograph.