Black-headed Gull on the Anacostia River

My friend Peter Vankevich went canoeing on the Anacostia River this past Sunday and found a Black-headed Gull. It was standing on a dock at the Anacostia boathouse, across from Anacostia Park. The red legs made it stand out from the others since Laughing Gulls do not have red legs except in full adult breeding plumage.

This is clearly a hooded gull in winter plumage because a remnant of the hood is still visible behind the eye. It also appears to be an adult since there are no visible dark markings on the bird's tertials or upperwing coverts. The red legs and the dainty red bill with a dusky tip fit Black-headed Gull the best. The upperwing and underwing patterns seem to fit that identification as well.

This is a rare sighting for Washington, DC, where even Bonaparte's Gulls are pretty unusual. The only previous record of Black-headed Gull in eBird's database for DC is from 2004. The MD/DC Records Committee also has records of three previous sightings in the two decades before that.

Peter's Black-headed Gull was among thousands of Laughing Gulls, so it may be hard to find again. In my experience, flocks of gulls tend to wander around the Anacostia River corridor. If it is not present at the Anacostia boathouse, it may be at Hains Point or some other place nearby.

All photos are courtesy of Peter Vankevich.

Crane Fly

This large insect was sitting near the top of a picnic table umbrella at my uncle's house. It sat without budging for a long time allowing many pictures, which was good because it was perched well above my head. This is one of the largest insects I have seen in the area, measuring a little over two inches long if you include the legs. It is also very pretty, with an intricate pattern on its wings and an interesting black and gray coloration of its thorax.

It looks a bit like a water strider or giant mosquito, or even a harvestman (a.k.a. daddy-long-legs), but it is not any of those. Instead it is crane fly, a member of the family Tipulidae. There are so many genera and species in this family that it is difficult an individual beyond the family level. Based on the Kaufman guide, I think this insect belongs to the genus Tipula, which itself has about 480 species. BugGuide.net shows a very similar-looking species called the Giant Crane Fly (Tipula abdominalis). This species is found in eastern North America and usually has an early season brood (May/June) and a late season brood (September/October), which makes it a good candidate for the season and range.

If you look closely at its head, you can see the long mouthparts and short antennae typical of flies generally and crane flies specifically. The tapered abdomen (visible in the first photo) suggests that this is a female.

Crane fly larvae are aquatic and feed on decomposing vegetation. Since larvae are sensitive to pollution, the EPA uses their presence as one of the indicators of a clean waterway. Adults are slow fliers and tend to be more active at dawn and dusk. Since their adult life span is very short, mating and egg-laying are the main priorities. Crane flies are harmless to humans.

For more information on crane flies in eastern North America, see The Crane Flies of Pennsylvania.

Old Railroad Bridge Becoming a Trail Across the Hudson

This seems like a great idea. An abandoned railroad trestle across the Hudson River is going to become a hiker-biker trail.

When it opens on Oct. 3, the bridge connecting the town of Highland on the western side with Poughkeepsie on the east will have biking and walking paths, kiosks for snacks and other visitor amenities, as well as benches for simply setting a spell to gaze, from this 212-foot-high aerie, upon the river, the towns and hulking mountains through which it meanders, and the sky up above.

It’s a project folks in these parts have been talking about for years. Decades, actually. About as long as Schaeffer has been coming up here to take photos of the river he loves, since back in the early ’70s. Schaeffer, a lawyer and longtime Poughkeepsie resident, recalls the time in 1993 when he first walked along the bridge, one of the two highest across the Hudson. And as he crossed the old span, abandoned by the railroad after a fire in 1974, he looked out over the river and felt the quiet and the wind, the majesty and the
peace.

At 1.25 miles, it would be the longest pedestrian bridge in the world, and it is tied with the George Washington Bridge for the title of highest bridge over the Hudson River. See the link above for photos of the bridge and its surroundings. It will be accessible by public transportation via the Metro-North station in Poughkeepsie.

Could this possibly become a birding hotspot in the near future? The Hudson provides as a corridor for raptor migration in the fall, and the wide-open space of a 200-foot bridge would provide an unobstructed view in all directions. The river also attracts many wintering Bald Eagles and waterfowl, some of which could be viewable from the trail.

Moth Night Links and a Recipe

In case you are not already tired of reading posts about East Brunswick's Moth Night, here is one more. The Sentinel, a local newspaper decided to cover the event.

Sugaring is at least an age-old tradition for moth hunters. It was started in New England as a way of capturing different species that were then put in jars containing ether, and pinned to boards for study. Fortunately for moths in East Brunswick, the goal of Moth Night is observation, not capture.

In addition to sugaring, the environmental group brought a bright light and a generator to keep it on. They hung a broad white sheet between two trees, placed the light behind it and created the perfect backdrop for observing moths and any other flying insects.

As the darkness deepened, more people arrived and Moskowitz set off down the trail, leading everyone in a single file to inspect the sugared trees. There were retired couples, college students, and parents with children, who were frequently reminded to stay on the trail and watch out for the poison ivy.

David Moskowitz, one of the event's coordinators, shares his recipe for attracting moths. I can vouch that the recipe was effective in drawing moths and very aromatic, in a sickly sweet sort of way.

Finally, here is a moth that I found this weekend, rather than at Moth Night. It is not fully in focus, which makes identification a bit of a challenge. The forewing markings seem similar to an Isabella Tiger Moth, though its posture and the color of the hindwing do not seem to fit quite as well. I will post an update here if I figure out its identity. Seabrooke suggests that it may be a Gold-striped Leaftier Moth, which does seem like a better fit than Isabella Tiger Moth.

Winter Finch Forecast for 2009-2010

Common Redpoll / Sizerin flammé / Photo by Eric Bégin

Ron Pittaway has released via email his annual forecast for irruptions of winter finches and other boreal species. (An irruption is a mass movement of birds in response to food shortages or other temporary conditions. Read more about irruptive birds at Seabrooke's blog.) The upshot is that he expects very few finches (or other birds) to come south this year. Instead, many finches will either stay north or head west. The reason is that key food crops (the seeds of spruces, birches, mountain-ashes, and other trees) are excellent this year across Canada.

There are a few possible highlights, though. Note that the forecasts are written from the perspective of someone living in Ontario.

Purple Finch: Most Purple Finches should migrate south out of the province this fall because many seed crops are poor in the north. This finch has declined significantly in recent decades.

Common and Hoary Redpolls: Redpolls are a birch seed specialist in winter. Since the birch crop is poor in northeastern Ontario and Quebec, a few Common Redpolls should move south into southern Ontario and farther east and south. However, most redpolls may be drawn to good birch crops in northwestern Ontario and westward in the boreal forest into Saskatchewan.

Northern Goshawk: A good flight is very possible this fall or next. Goshawks in the boreal forest in winter prey on hares, grouse and red squirrels. Snowshoe Hares have been abundant in parts of northern Ontario the past few years and they should crash soon. Also, Ruffed Grouse likely had a poor breeding season due to a cool, wet spring and summer, which lowered chick survival.

You can find Pittaway's full forecast at the Ontario Field Ornithologists website.

Highlights from past forecasts are available on this blog: 2008-09, 2007-08, 2006-07, 2005-06