Another ID needed! (1 Viewer)

[Mandy]

Hi everyone, I have a couple more birds that I'm looking to get IDs for. Both of these were seen off the coast of New Hampshire (USA) last month. I originally thought that the first bird was a Great Blue Heron, but after doing some photo comparisons it appears as though it's not. This bird has yellow feet which I'm told that GBH's do not have. Someone also told me about an extremely rare bird (I think she called it an Black African Heron) that may have lost the rest of it's flock and has since joined in with some Egrets. I know very little about Herons and Egrets so I don't know for sure what this is.

I thought that the 2nd bird was a Common Tern from a distance, but as we got closer I realized that it wasn't. I photographed it, but have yet to come up with a positive ID.

Any input on either of these birds is welcome. Thanks!

 

[arco13]

Hey Mandy,
We have some Great Blue Herons that hang at our lake a lot. I dont remeber any of them being that dark or like you said haveing yellow legs. :h?:

Nice Pic!!! :clap:

 

[ceasar]

I think it's the Western Reef Heron that's been hanging around southern Maine and N.H. recently. There is another recent picture of it in the Rare Bird Photograph's Forum herein and it sure looks like the same bird! Some of the posters argue that it is a cross with a Little Egret. In any case, it's quite a bit smaller than a GBH. Sorry I can't help with the 3rd "thumbnail" in post #1.

Cordially,
Bob

 

[birdpotter]

I agree with Bob. There has been a lot of talk about that particular heron.
I am not sure what the outcome has been. But you got some fantastic shots of it nonetheless.
Don't know about the other, sorry.

 

[Dave B Smith]

For the gull, I'll suggest a juvenile Bonapart's Gull. The wing pattern, the brownish color on back of neck, the ear spot, and the black bill all look good. Do you have another photo that shows leg color? All great photos.

 

[Chris Benesh]

Hi All,

I agree with Dave about the gull, it's a mostly juvenile Bonaparte's.

The heron is what is currently considered to be a Western Reef-Heron (and these are unbelievably excellent pictures - the best I've seen of dozens of this bird!). As I understand it, the controversy is that it is becoming apparent that the western form of Western Reef-Heron may be more closely related to Little Egret than it is to the eastern form of Western Reef-Heron. Hence it may be a form of Little Egret rather than Western Reef-Heron. A great bird nonetheless.

Chris

 

[Mandy]

For the gull, I'll suggest a juvenile Bonapart's Gull. The wing pattern, the brownish color on back of neck, the ear spot, and the black bill all look good. Do you have another photo that shows leg color? All great photos.

Why yes I do! I was going to post this picture originally, but thought diong that other one would be better as you can see the actual wing pattern. Here it is...

 

[Mandy]

Thanks for the feedback on the Heron everyone. Are these birds rare overall or just rare in my area? It looksl like I've got a little bit of reading to do to learn about this new sighting!! It's kind of funny because I almost didn't take these pictures. I originally thought it was a Double-crested Cormorant flying towards me, but as it got closer I noticed that there was something very different about it so I grabbed my camera and snapped a couple of shots. Now I wish I had more time to photograph it, but I can't complain with the shots that I got!

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Hi Mandy , Western reef heron shouldn´t occur in your area, as far as I know... so it is either a vagrant or an escapee... others seem to know more about that bird,berhaps somebody has a link to the full story?

But it looks OK for Western Reef Heron in my Opinion, though I am not relly experienced with the species.
Chris,do you have a link to an article concerning the relationship of those species?

The gull, I would think ,is indeed a Bonapartes gull, as already said, with that wing pattern and leg colour.

 

[birdpotter]

Thanks for the feedback on the Heron everyone. Are these birds rare overall or just rare in my area? It looksl like I've got a little bit of reading to do to learn about this new sighting!! It's kind of funny because I almost didn't take these pictures. I originally thought it was a Double-crested Cormorant flying towards me, but as it got closer I noticed that there was something very different about it so I grabbed my camera and snapped a couple of shots. Now I wish I had more time to photograph it, but I can't complain with the shots that I got!

western Reef Herons don't exist in the US or the Americas for that matter. An African species, and according to wikipedia, the Red Sea and parts of India. So what you have pictures of is of a very rare find. From what I have read there has been only other sighting of this bird in the US. And from all the pictures I have seen of this bird, your pictures are by far is the best.

Kudos!

 

[snowyowl]

western Reef Herons don't exist in the US or the Americas for that matter. An African species, and according to wikipedia, the Red Sea and parts of India. So what you have pictures of is of a very rare find. From what I have read there has been only other sighting of this bird in the US. And from all the pictures I have seen of this bird, your pictures are by far is the best.

Kudos!

I understand that a Western Reef Heron showed up in Newfoundland last year and another,or possibly the same bird, showed up in Nova Scotia this year.

 

[Chris Benesh]

Hi Mandy , Western reef heron shouldn´t occur in your area, as far as I know... so it is either a vagrant or an escapee... others seem to know more about that bird,berhaps somebody has a link to the full story?

But it looks OK for Western Reef Heron in my Opinion, though I am not relly experienced with the species.
Chris,do you have a link to an article concerning the relationship of those species?

Hi All,

Dan gave away some of the details above here. In the summer of 2005, a Western Reef-Heron was discovered in western Newfoundland and spent the season in the company of a Little Egret. Then in the summer of 2006, another (or the same) Western Reef-Heron was found in Nova Scotia at Glace Bay, Cape Breton Island. I actually got to see this bird since I was up there birding in July (see my crummy pic below). It departed in early August, and about that time, one showed up in coastal Maine and adjacent New Hampshire, USA. Because this species is so rare in North America (only one other record from the 1980s in Massachusetts), it was generally presumed to be the same bird in each case.

In the follow up to the sightings, it was uncovered that there was this unsettled taxonomy concerning the relationship of Western Reef-Heron to Little Egret. The following was sent to the ID frontiers listserv on August 24th:

Of particular relevance is his reference to the late Andreas Helbig's work in
Bauer et al. 2005, to wit:

"The late Andreas Helbig (he is the one who split European Larus argentatus and
American Herring Gull L. smithsonianus) summarized his work in Bauer et al.
(2005): The Western (Atlantic) form of Western Reef Heron Egretta [garzetta]
garzetta gularis seems to be a southern SUBSPECIES of LITTLE EGRET Egretta
[garzetta] garzetta. Similar to Snow Goose and 'Blue Goose' which originally
were geographically separate populations of the same species, the southern
subspecies of Little Egret (gularis) occurs predominantly in the dark morph.
In contrast, the Eastern (Indian Ocean) form of Western Reef Heron Egretta
schistacea (formerly Egretta gularis schistacea) seems neither closely
related to Little Egret nor to 'Western' Western Reef Heron (better 'Southern'
Little Egret, this name is my personal input), but seems to be a different
species and NOT even a member of the superspecies Egretta [garzetta]!
On the other hand the Madagaskar form Egretta [garzetta] dimorpha might be a
separate species within the superspecies Egretta [garzetta]!

A German summary of all that will be found in HAASS (in press) and a summarizing
German ID paper to all the confusing egrets has been published in Limicola
(HAASS 1997)."


[References to above]

BAUER, H.G., E. BEZZEL & W. FIEDLER (2005): Das
Kompendium der Vögel Mitteleuropas. - Wiebelsheim
(Aula).

HAASS, N.K. (in press): Egretta gularis Bosc, 1792.
Küstenreiher. In: HÖLZINGER, J. (in press): Die Vögel
Baden-Württenbergs 2.1. - Stuttgart.

________________________________________________________________________

If there is a genetic component to Helbig's conclusions (which fits his
career, of course), then we do indeed have an interesting situation.

To quote one correspondent,

happy electrophoresis, Ian

Ian A. McLaren
Biology Department
Dalhousie University
Halifax, NS Canada B3H 4J1

An interesting taxonomic question.

Chris

 

[Miedin]

Mandy, Great pics! You should check out the New Hampshire Listserv, you could miss alot of rare birds if you don't. The Western reef Heron was reported a couple weeks ago and its location has been updated daily since then. Even today it can be seen in New Castle off of 1B.

I Agree with Bonapart's Gull for the second bird.

http://www.virtualbirder.com/bmail/nhbirds/latest.html

Mike

 

[ceasar]

The Western Reef Heron is shown at page 115 in National Geographic's Complete Birds of North America. It is noted as a "Recent arrival in the New World, beginning in the mid-1980s. Several records from the West Indies, primarily Barbados. Two recs. in N. A.: Nantucket, MA (Apr.26-Sept. 13, 1985) and west NF (summer 2005)." It notes that it's population is increasing in the west Indies and that it is an old world species that has recently colonized the West Indies and strayed north

Bob

 

[birdpotter]

I understand that a Western Reef Heron showed up in Newfoundland last year and another,or possibly the same bird, showed up in Nova Scotia this year.

could this be the same bird?

 

[snowyowl]

could this be the same bird?

There has been speculation that it is the same bird but, as far as I know, nobody is sure.

 

[AlexC]

I have nothing to add except for: great shots of the Reefer! I took a 5 hour drive up to NH to see that guy, and see him I did!