Chris Brown, CMBO Swing Counter, stopped in this afternoon and mentioned the Avalon Sea Watch needs to average about 2,000 birds a day from now until it ends December 22 to reach ONE MILLION BIRDS! If it happens, this will be the first time ever the official count (conducted September 22 to December 22) will reach one million, although certainly over one million birds pass Avalon during the entire fall, i.e. including birds before and after the official count.
Despite the possibility of inclement weather, CMBO's Harlequin Romance trip to Barnegat Light this Saturday will go as scheduled. The trip requires pre-registration and is full.
There are a few spots still open on the January 5 Techniques of Field Observation Workshop, led by Michael O'Brien and Louise Zemaitis. Techniques is a great workshop for birders at any level to jump start their field skills. For information on this and other 2008 workshops, check http://www.birdcapemay.org/school.php.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Jake's Landing Evening, and a report from Points North & South of Jake's
A quick stop at Jake's Landing last night, from 4:30 to 5:00 p.m. (also known as the half hour before dark) yielded a marvelous sunset, 8 harriers, two Marsh Wrens, 5 Clapper Rails, 3 Pied-billed Grebes, and. . .no Short-eared Owls. I have no explanation for the lack of SEO's, which I last heard of from Jake's on Sunday night, a single at 4:50 as reported by a birder I met at Jake's last night.
The evening was a good study in not knowing everything. A very distant something coursed over the marsh, and I thought it could be a short-eared, but then it flew into the woods. Could it have been a Long-eared Owl? Yes, but I'll never know. I'll also never know if the distant flying flock of sillouetted diving ducks were scaup, like I think they were, or something else. . . maybe it was 50 Redheads instead - not. Then there were the seep notes in the grass - sharp-tailed sparrows, yes, but which ones? Or could some of them just be soft, thin sounding Song Sparrows? The Marsh Wren "tcheks" sounded a little too sharp, like Sedge Wren, to me for some reason (probably because I'm eternally hopeful), luckily I tracked those down for a visual. We'll never run out of learning in birding.
George Myers and Gail Dwyer spent the day birding northern Cape May and Cumberland Counties. George reports:
"Hi Don. A brief rundown of today's birding with Gail:
Woodcock Lane: 8:15-10AM: 53 degrees
20+ Purple Finch
45 Cedar Waxwings
2 Hairy Woodpeckers
1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
3 Eastern Meadowlarks
Lots of American Robins and the Cedar Waxwings were enjoying Cedar Berries.Spring Peepers were calling. At about 9:30, the wind abruptly switched to NW and the temp dropped a few degrees...really noticeable.
Jake's Landing:6 Northern Harriers
Heislerville:
500 Dunlin
12 Black-bellied Plovers
3 Greater Yellowlegs
1 Belted Kingfisher
2 imm. Little Blue Herons
1 Bald Eagle (adult)
30 Lesser Scaup
20+ Bufflehead
American Kestrel along Robbinstown Road near Bivalve.
Several Red-tailed Hawks were found along the roadsides.
Bivalve was quiet with virtually no waterfowl.....but lots of hunters."
The evening was a good study in not knowing everything. A very distant something coursed over the marsh, and I thought it could be a short-eared, but then it flew into the woods. Could it have been a Long-eared Owl? Yes, but I'll never know. I'll also never know if the distant flying flock of sillouetted diving ducks were scaup, like I think they were, or something else. . . maybe it was 50 Redheads instead - not. Then there were the seep notes in the grass - sharp-tailed sparrows, yes, but which ones? Or could some of them just be soft, thin sounding Song Sparrows? The Marsh Wren "tcheks" sounded a little too sharp, like Sedge Wren, to me for some reason (probably because I'm eternally hopeful), luckily I tracked those down for a visual. We'll never run out of learning in birding.
George Myers and Gail Dwyer spent the day birding northern Cape May and Cumberland Counties. George reports:
"Hi Don. A brief rundown of today's birding with Gail:
Woodcock Lane: 8:15-10AM: 53 degrees
20+ Purple Finch
45 Cedar Waxwings
2 Hairy Woodpeckers
1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
3 Eastern Meadowlarks
Lots of American Robins and the Cedar Waxwings were enjoying Cedar Berries.Spring Peepers were calling. At about 9:30, the wind abruptly switched to NW and the temp dropped a few degrees...really noticeable.
Jake's Landing:6 Northern Harriers
Heislerville:
500 Dunlin
12 Black-bellied Plovers
3 Greater Yellowlegs
1 Belted Kingfisher
2 imm. Little Blue Herons
1 Bald Eagle (adult)
30 Lesser Scaup
20+ Bufflehead
American Kestrel along Robbinstown Road near Bivalve.
Several Red-tailed Hawks were found along the roadsides.
Bivalve was quiet with virtually no waterfowl.....but lots of hunters."
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Notes from the Sea Watch, Stick Nests, and PA Atlas
CMBO's Sea Watch continues through the winter solstice (December 22) under the capable eyes of Ken Behrens and swing counter Chris Brown. Some extraordinary milestones have been set - for example, Ken noted on December 7 that "A new seasonal Northern Gannet record was set today. 100,000 should be surpassed tomorrow." As of December 9, the gannet total was 101,105 for the season.
Also of recent note were single Red-necked Grebes on December 7 and 8. There's a good flight pattern to learn - Red-necked Grebe is a completely missable bird for the year list, so being alert for the pattern of white secondaries and white leading edge of the wing, together with its tendency to look more level in flight than Horned Grebe (which looks tipped up in front) could really help.
This morning driving to work I noticed a large stick nest along Route 47 south of Goshen. Now's the time to start cataloging stick nests, so you're ready to check them for nesting Great-horned Owls beginning in late January.
Speaking of nesting, the fall issue of the Pennsylavian Monitor reports on the 2nd Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas, which just completed the 4th of 5 years of atlassing. I was a regional coordinator for the NJ Atlas, which was conducted in 1993 through 1997, and surveyed a number of blocks. Atlassing changes your whole approach to birding, for the better. Atlassing involves watching birds, not just identifying them, and carefully recording data. This makes you a more careful observer, and leads to some really fascinating behavioral observations. I remember, for example, watching a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak snapping dead twigs from a limb for her nest by hovering in front of them, grabbing hold, and then hanging by her weight. I also learned that many birds will do some sort of distraction display when you near their nest - it's much more widespread than the familiar Killdeer routine. Two memorable distraction displays were courtesy of a Ruffed Grouse, which paraded back and forth in the trail in front of me, clucking repeatedly, and from an Ovenbird which moved piteously slowly and weakly in front of me, coming so close I feared I would step on the bird's nest and retreated.
Atlassing can also sharpen understanding of bird vocalizations - many notes heard on the breeding grounds are also given in migration.
One of the most interesting finds in PA was the first confirmed breeding record for Merlin in PA, in a spruce tree near a town park in Bradford, PA. Remarkably, 4 other pairs of nesting Merlins were found in the northern tier. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that Merlin will be the next new nesting species for New Jersey. I remember many years ago predicting that sapsuckers would soon nest in the mountains of north Jersey, and sure enough they did, and now are close to common in High Point. Merlin could be our next boreal invader.
To participate in or learn more about the Pennsylvania Atlas, visit http://www.pabirdatlas.org/.
Also of recent note were single Red-necked Grebes on December 7 and 8. There's a good flight pattern to learn - Red-necked Grebe is a completely missable bird for the year list, so being alert for the pattern of white secondaries and white leading edge of the wing, together with its tendency to look more level in flight than Horned Grebe (which looks tipped up in front) could really help.
This morning driving to work I noticed a large stick nest along Route 47 south of Goshen. Now's the time to start cataloging stick nests, so you're ready to check them for nesting Great-horned Owls beginning in late January.
Speaking of nesting, the fall issue of the Pennsylavian Monitor reports on the 2nd Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas, which just completed the 4th of 5 years of atlassing. I was a regional coordinator for the NJ Atlas, which was conducted in 1993 through 1997, and surveyed a number of blocks. Atlassing changes your whole approach to birding, for the better. Atlassing involves watching birds, not just identifying them, and carefully recording data. This makes you a more careful observer, and leads to some really fascinating behavioral observations. I remember, for example, watching a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak snapping dead twigs from a limb for her nest by hovering in front of them, grabbing hold, and then hanging by her weight. I also learned that many birds will do some sort of distraction display when you near their nest - it's much more widespread than the familiar Killdeer routine. Two memorable distraction displays were courtesy of a Ruffed Grouse, which paraded back and forth in the trail in front of me, clucking repeatedly, and from an Ovenbird which moved piteously slowly and weakly in front of me, coming so close I feared I would step on the bird's nest and retreated.
Atlassing can also sharpen understanding of bird vocalizations - many notes heard on the breeding grounds are also given in migration.
One of the most interesting finds in PA was the first confirmed breeding record for Merlin in PA, in a spruce tree near a town park in Bradford, PA. Remarkably, 4 other pairs of nesting Merlins were found in the northern tier. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that Merlin will be the next new nesting species for New Jersey. I remember many years ago predicting that sapsuckers would soon nest in the mountains of north Jersey, and sure enough they did, and now are close to common in High Point. Merlin could be our next boreal invader.
To participate in or learn more about the Pennsylvania Atlas, visit http://www.pabirdatlas.org/.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Northern Goshawk at CMBO in Goshen
There was this redtail sitting in a tree outside CMBO's Center for Research and Education in Goshen this afternoon, with it's tail fanned as it preened, except when I lifted the binoculars I had a difficult time reconciling what I was actually seeing with what I assumed I was seeing. "Boy this bird has got a lot of light speckling on the back, and what's with those wavy tail bands. . .!" Immature Northern Goshawk matched a whole lot better, and that is what it was!
A fifteen minute walk around the grounds here was definitely worth the time - something to consider if you stop by to do some holiday shopping. Among the other highlights were the American Woodcock that flushed from close range along the marsh border; two singing Fox Sparrows - I positively love that sweet, clear song; a mimid "sweep;" and the chance to compare the seep notes of four sparrow species: White-throated, Fox, Song, and Field. The full list is below.
Location: CMBO Center for Research and Education
Observation date: 12/10/07
Number of species: 26
Turkey Vulture 1
Cooper's Hawk 1
Northern Goshawk 1
American Woodcock 1
Mourning Dove 5
Downy Woodpecker 1
American Crow 5
Carolina Chickadee 10
Tufted Titmouse 5
Carolina Wren 5
American Robin 15
Gray Catbird 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
Brown Thrasher 1
European Starling 15
Cedar Waxwing 10
Field Sparrow 2
Fox Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 50
Northern Cardinal 10
Red-winged Blackbird 10
Common Grackle 1
Purple Finch 5
House Finch 10
American Goldfinch 5
House Sparrow 10
A fifteen minute walk around the grounds here was definitely worth the time - something to consider if you stop by to do some holiday shopping. Among the other highlights were the American Woodcock that flushed from close range along the marsh border; two singing Fox Sparrows - I positively love that sweet, clear song; a mimid "sweep;" and the chance to compare the seep notes of four sparrow species: White-throated, Fox, Song, and Field. The full list is below.
Location: CMBO Center for Research and Education
Observation date: 12/10/07
Number of species: 26
Turkey Vulture 1
Cooper's Hawk 1
Northern Goshawk 1
American Woodcock 1
Mourning Dove 5
Downy Woodpecker 1
American Crow 5
Carolina Chickadee 10
Tufted Titmouse 5
Carolina Wren 5
American Robin 15
Gray Catbird 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
Brown Thrasher 1
European Starling 15
Cedar Waxwing 10
Field Sparrow 2
Fox Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 50
Northern Cardinal 10
Red-winged Blackbird 10
Common Grackle 1
Purple Finch 5
House Finch 10
American Goldfinch 5
House Sparrow 10
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Ash-throated, Barnacle and Lapland
I heard late in the day yesterday that the Ash-throated flycatcher was re-found at the back portion of TNC's Cape Island Preserve. The bird was seen north of Wilson St. on the east tree line across the fields. This in the direction of the Cape Island Creek salt marsh, (see map below), X marks the approximate vicinity.
The Barnacle goose spent a good while on Lake Lily and gave great view as I understand . Also, I received a call yesterday afternoon about a Lapland longspur which was hanging out with a group of Snow buntings at the Cape May Point State Park. Thanks Steve!
(click image to enlarge)
The Barnacle goose spent a good while on Lake Lily and gave great view as I understand . Also, I received a call yesterday afternoon about a Lapland longspur which was hanging out with a group of Snow buntings at the Cape May Point State Park. Thanks Steve!
(click image to enlarge)
View from the Tree, and finch news
Evening Grosbeaks! Saw-whet Owls! White-winged Crossbills, Redpolls, Wild Turkeys . . .there were good birds in north Jersey, where I spent a refreshingly computer-less week obtaining the winter's venison, and enjoying the woods, hills and valleys, hardly 100 miles north and yet so different from Cape May.
We have hunted the same farm in northern Hunterdon County for close to 20 years, we being me and Pete Dunne, and now my son Tim, and part of the tradition has been comparing bird notes each day when we come in from hunting (our full list from last week is below). Remaining stationary and camouflaged in a tree for hours on end can yield some terrific bird sightings. We also almost always "get" our yearly suite of winter finches, simply because we put in 50 or more hours doing nothing more than listening hard for whatever makes a sound, be it a deer's footfall, or this year's awesome bonus of a flock of Evening Grosbeaks flying over.
The e-bird website notes that northern finch movements continue, jiving well with our observations this week. From the e-bird site:
"Although wintry weather is just barely upon us, birders in northern border states from Minnesota to Maine are already enjoying one of the occasional joys of winter birding--an influx of boreal irruptive species like Bohemian Waxwing, Pine Grosbeak, Evening Grosbeak, and Common Redpoll. In New York alone, both Pine Grosbeak and Common Redpoll, usually the two latest species to appear during an irruption year, were reported before the end of October, and Bohemian Waxwing was seen on a record early date. The early arrival of these species, and the numbers in which they are being seen, suggests that we could be in store for a major irruption year, with some boreal species approaching the southern limits of their irruptive ranges. In fact, the early fall months have already seen a sizable irruption of Red-breasted Nuthatches, Purple Finches, and Pine Siskins out of Canada's boreal forest to areas as far south as Georgia. Below we summarize the current status of several boreal irruptive species, and suggest the extent to which they could be found if this winter does prove to be a major irruption event. "
The week's list:
Location: Farm
Observation date: 12/8/07
Notes: Firearm buck week, counts are composites. With Pete Dunne.
Number of species: 47
Canada Goose 100
Mallard 10
Wild Turkey 10 Still roosting in the pines, at least some are - Pete reported three there. Others were scattered.
Black Vulture 10
Turkey Vulture 20
Sharp-shinned Hawk 2 1 adult, 1 juvenile. The adult was a little male, seemed to like hunting the upper hedgerow.
Cooper's Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 2 This was my first bird of opening day, when it screamed and took off down the valley just as pink was appearing in the east.
Ring-billed Gull 200
Mourning Dove 20
Eastern Screech-Owl 1
Northern Saw-whet Owl 2 Highlight! flushed a bird while tracking Tim's deer, in the dense autumn olive. Found where it had been roosting in there, for several days. It literally flushed about a foot from my face, and perched in view so Tim and I got to watch it at length. Pete and I also each heard "mewing" Saw-whet's in pre-dawn.
Red-bellied Woodpecker 10
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 3 Very vocal, perhaps more.
Downy Woodpecker 5
Hairy Woodpecker 5 Note that Hairy's seemed as common as Downy's this year.
Northern Flicker 10 Many more than usual. Two roosted one evening in a snag across from my stand, I watched one fly out of it's hole the next morning about a half hour before sunrise.
Pileated Woodpecker 2 One landed above Pete one evening, a neat picture through the bins of pileated and hunter in silouette, reminded me of the Ivory-billed searchers.
Blue Jay 20
American Crow 50
Black-capped Chickadee 20 Watched one pick it's roost hole out. It revisited several times between 4:00 p.m. and 4:30, then went in and stayed around 4:40 p.m.
Tufted Titmouse 15
White-breasted Nuthatch 10
Brown Creeper 5
Carolina Wren 5
Winter Wren 1 Apparently only one bird, but very mobile. First heard in the creek valley along the road where it usually is, then heard it in the spring thicket above the house, and on the last day it appeared over by the barn, hopping about under Tom's boat trailer.
Golden-crowned Kinglet 10
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2
Eastern Bluebird 10
Hermit Thrush 10 Had them whisper singing Thursday evening at the top of the hill, maybe the hilltop reminded them of home?
American Robin 1000
Gray Catbird 1 In the thicket by the barn.
European Starling 200
Cedar Waxwing 50
Song Sparrow 10
White-throated Sparrow 75
Dark-eyed Junco 25
Northern Cardinal 15 Heard a new call. It sounded very much like a distant, foreshortened Turkey yelp. Apparently given by both sexes, a male was pursuing a female from bush to bush on the hillside below me.
Red-winged Blackbird 100
Common Grackle 25
Purple Finch 50 Constant.
House Finch 25
White-winged Crossbill 5 Score!
Common Redpoll 5 Score!
Pine Siskin 5
American Goldfinch 20
Evening Grosbeak 5 SCOOORE! Heard them the last day, right before Tim got his deer. Pete heard them at the same time from his stand.
We have hunted the same farm in northern Hunterdon County for close to 20 years, we being me and Pete Dunne, and now my son Tim, and part of the tradition has been comparing bird notes each day when we come in from hunting (our full list from last week is below). Remaining stationary and camouflaged in a tree for hours on end can yield some terrific bird sightings. We also almost always "get" our yearly suite of winter finches, simply because we put in 50 or more hours doing nothing more than listening hard for whatever makes a sound, be it a deer's footfall, or this year's awesome bonus of a flock of Evening Grosbeaks flying over.
The e-bird website notes that northern finch movements continue, jiving well with our observations this week. From the e-bird site:
"Although wintry weather is just barely upon us, birders in northern border states from Minnesota to Maine are already enjoying one of the occasional joys of winter birding--an influx of boreal irruptive species like Bohemian Waxwing, Pine Grosbeak, Evening Grosbeak, and Common Redpoll. In New York alone, both Pine Grosbeak and Common Redpoll, usually the two latest species to appear during an irruption year, were reported before the end of October, and Bohemian Waxwing was seen on a record early date. The early arrival of these species, and the numbers in which they are being seen, suggests that we could be in store for a major irruption year, with some boreal species approaching the southern limits of their irruptive ranges. In fact, the early fall months have already seen a sizable irruption of Red-breasted Nuthatches, Purple Finches, and Pine Siskins out of Canada's boreal forest to areas as far south as Georgia. Below we summarize the current status of several boreal irruptive species, and suggest the extent to which they could be found if this winter does prove to be a major irruption event. "
The week's list:
Location: Farm
Observation date: 12/8/07
Notes: Firearm buck week, counts are composites. With Pete Dunne.
Number of species: 47
Canada Goose 100
Mallard 10
Wild Turkey 10 Still roosting in the pines, at least some are - Pete reported three there. Others were scattered.
Black Vulture 10
Turkey Vulture 20
Sharp-shinned Hawk 2 1 adult, 1 juvenile. The adult was a little male, seemed to like hunting the upper hedgerow.
Cooper's Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 2 This was my first bird of opening day, when it screamed and took off down the valley just as pink was appearing in the east.
Ring-billed Gull 200
Mourning Dove 20
Eastern Screech-Owl 1
Northern Saw-whet Owl 2 Highlight! flushed a bird while tracking Tim's deer, in the dense autumn olive. Found where it had been roosting in there, for several days. It literally flushed about a foot from my face, and perched in view so Tim and I got to watch it at length. Pete and I also each heard "mewing" Saw-whet's in pre-dawn.
Red-bellied Woodpecker 10
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 3 Very vocal, perhaps more.
Downy Woodpecker 5
Hairy Woodpecker 5 Note that Hairy's seemed as common as Downy's this year.
Northern Flicker 10 Many more than usual. Two roosted one evening in a snag across from my stand, I watched one fly out of it's hole the next morning about a half hour before sunrise.
Pileated Woodpecker 2 One landed above Pete one evening, a neat picture through the bins of pileated and hunter in silouette, reminded me of the Ivory-billed searchers.
Blue Jay 20
American Crow 50
Black-capped Chickadee 20 Watched one pick it's roost hole out. It revisited several times between 4:00 p.m. and 4:30, then went in and stayed around 4:40 p.m.
Tufted Titmouse 15
White-breasted Nuthatch 10
Brown Creeper 5
Carolina Wren 5
Winter Wren 1 Apparently only one bird, but very mobile. First heard in the creek valley along the road where it usually is, then heard it in the spring thicket above the house, and on the last day it appeared over by the barn, hopping about under Tom's boat trailer.
Golden-crowned Kinglet 10
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2
Eastern Bluebird 10
Hermit Thrush 10 Had them whisper singing Thursday evening at the top of the hill, maybe the hilltop reminded them of home?
American Robin 1000
Gray Catbird 1 In the thicket by the barn.
European Starling 200
Cedar Waxwing 50
Song Sparrow 10
White-throated Sparrow 75
Dark-eyed Junco 25
Northern Cardinal 15 Heard a new call. It sounded very much like a distant, foreshortened Turkey yelp. Apparently given by both sexes, a male was pursuing a female from bush to bush on the hillside below me.
Red-winged Blackbird 100
Common Grackle 25
Purple Finch 50 Constant.
House Finch 25
White-winged Crossbill 5 Score!
Common Redpoll 5 Score!
Pine Siskin 5
American Goldfinch 20
Evening Grosbeak 5 SCOOORE! Heard them the last day, right before Tim got his deer. Pete heard them at the same time from his stand.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Lesser Nighthawk identification revisited
No, I am not suggesting that the bird was misidentified or that the i.d. is in question even. Simply, I wanted to revisit the photos (with a couple new included) and add some commentary. Let's face it nighthawk identification is not straight forward.
(click on the photos to enlarge)
So, using a photo that Kevin Karlson took of the bird (above), I have pointed arrows to all of the prominent field marks used in identifying this bird. Michael O'Brien has also allowed use of a brief summary of filed marks he wrote up which entails a few more points than I described in my original post about the finding of the bird. For additional comparison, I have included two photos by Karl Lukens, of Common nighthawks taken this fall.
Below is the Karlson photo from above with arrows pointing out the major field marks which are discussed. Something I just noticed as I was looking this post over before posting; look at the common above and the lesser below. The length difference between the two birds is evident (to me) in the photos. The common having longer primaries gives the bird a much longer drawn out appearance. Somewhat analogous to the shape of a White-rumped or Baird's sandpiper in comparison to a Least sandpiper. The lesser is a much more "stubby" looking bird that is relatively compact. Note Michael's 7th i.d. note below.
Text in italics is from Michael O'Brien's identification summary(not all points are included);
Identification as Lesser based on the following points, in approximate order of importance:
1 - outer end of white primary patch falling even with tip of longest tertial and with tip of p5 (usually well before tertial tips and in line with p4 in Common; "farther out" position of primary patch also indicated by extensive dark basal area of primaries exposed beyond secondaries; Commons/Antilleans show minimal dark basal area beyond secondaries
Compare the first Common nighthawk photo for a visual comparison of the white patch in reference to how far it extends beyond the tertials. In a common, it doesn't! Well, at least if the bird is roosting with it's wing in a typical position as exhibited in the photo above. If you look closely you can see a bit of the white patch on the bird in the first photo; the tertials extend well beyond.
2 - p10 distinctly shorter than p9 (equal or longer in Common)
This the photo (above) I posted with the original announcement of the nighthawk. To me at least, it is obvious that P10 is shorter than P9. But to further aid in seeing the distinction I have traced the outer edge of P10 & 9 on both wings. P10 is RED and P9 is YELLOW. One thing to consider is that Lesser nighthawk could about be completely ruled out if we assumed that this bird was still in molt. Lessers, as I have discovered in my own personal research, molt on the breeding grounds. While others (common and antillean) will molt on the wintering grounds. Given that this bird was found past typical migration timing adds to some confusion. But, since there really was no other evidence of molt in the bird and that the primaries are slightly worn (there would be a contrast between fresh inner primaries and worn outer primaries on a molting bird), I think that the shortened primaries being caused by molt can be ruled out.
3 - small buffy spots at base of primaries (lacking in Common/Antillean)
In the event you are not seeing the small buffy spots at the base of the primaries, the photo below has been modified to point the area out. Some photos you may see will not readily show the buffy spots as the bird did move a little and adjusted its position on the branch. When I arrived at the scene these were some of the first photos taken and the best for showing the spots in question. Note also how extensive the dark basal area of the primaries is (see ID point no. 1) and how large the white patch is on p10 (the bottom primary feather; see ID point no. 5).
For the following points refer to the previous photos.
4 - white restricted to outer four primaries (outer five in adult male Common/Antillean)
5 - white primary patch includes broad section on outer web of p10 (outer web black or with small white patch in most Common/Antillean)
6 - prominent buff-white spots on wing coverts and scapulars (rarely if ever so large and prominent on Common/Antillean)
7 - relatively compact shape with short, broad primaries and largish head (similar to Antillean but different from typical Common)"
Note the distinct "pointyness" to the common primaries compared to the lesser. The images are significantly cropped using photos from above.
So there you have it, Lesser Nighthawk identification in a nutshell. That was written tongue in cheek by the way. Hopefully this will help you learn as much about nighthawk identification as I have.
(click on the photos to enlarge)
Below is the Karlson photo from above with arrows pointing out the major field marks which are discussed. Something I just noticed as I was looking this post over before posting; look at the common above and the lesser below. The length difference between the two birds is evident (to me) in the photos. The common having longer primaries gives the bird a much longer drawn out appearance. Somewhat analogous to the shape of a White-rumped or Baird's sandpiper in comparison to a Least sandpiper. The lesser is a much more "stubby" looking bird that is relatively compact. Note Michael's 7th i.d. note below.
Text in italics is from Michael O'Brien's identification summary(not all points are included);
Identification as Lesser based on the following points, in approximate order of importance:
1 - outer end of white primary patch falling even with tip of longest tertial and with tip of p5 (usually well before tertial tips and in line with p4 in Common; "farther out" position of primary patch also indicated by extensive dark basal area of primaries exposed beyond secondaries; Commons/Antilleans show minimal dark basal area beyond secondaries
Compare the first Common nighthawk photo for a visual comparison of the white patch in reference to how far it extends beyond the tertials. In a common, it doesn't! Well, at least if the bird is roosting with it's wing in a typical position as exhibited in the photo above. If you look closely you can see a bit of the white patch on the bird in the first photo; the tertials extend well beyond.
2 - p10 distinctly shorter than p9 (equal or longer in Common)
This the photo (above) I posted with the original announcement of the nighthawk. To me at least, it is obvious that P10 is shorter than P9. But to further aid in seeing the distinction I have traced the outer edge of P10 & 9 on both wings. P10 is RED and P9 is YELLOW. One thing to consider is that Lesser nighthawk could about be completely ruled out if we assumed that this bird was still in molt. Lessers, as I have discovered in my own personal research, molt on the breeding grounds. While others (common and antillean) will molt on the wintering grounds. Given that this bird was found past typical migration timing adds to some confusion. But, since there really was no other evidence of molt in the bird and that the primaries are slightly worn (there would be a contrast between fresh inner primaries and worn outer primaries on a molting bird), I think that the shortened primaries being caused by molt can be ruled out.
3 - small buffy spots at base of primaries (lacking in Common/Antillean)
In the event you are not seeing the small buffy spots at the base of the primaries, the photo below has been modified to point the area out. Some photos you may see will not readily show the buffy spots as the bird did move a little and adjusted its position on the branch. When I arrived at the scene these were some of the first photos taken and the best for showing the spots in question. Note also how extensive the dark basal area of the primaries is (see ID point no. 1) and how large the white patch is on p10 (the bottom primary feather; see ID point no. 5).
For the following points refer to the previous photos.
4 - white restricted to outer four primaries (outer five in adult male Common/Antillean)
5 - white primary patch includes broad section on outer web of p10 (outer web black or with small white patch in most Common/Antillean)
6 - prominent buff-white spots on wing coverts and scapulars (rarely if ever so large and prominent on Common/Antillean)
7 - relatively compact shape with short, broad primaries and largish head (similar to Antillean but different from typical Common)"
Note the distinct "pointyness" to the common primaries compared to the lesser. The images are significantly cropped using photos from above.So there you have it, Lesser Nighthawk identification in a nutshell. That was written tongue in cheek by the way. Hopefully this will help you learn as much about nighthawk identification as I have.