Cape Forchu - A Vagrant Hotspot

Cape Forchu is a headland community in Yarmouth County. This headland creates Yarmouth Harbour. Although you can drive to Cape Forchu, it is only connected to the mainland at Yarmouth Bar by bridge making it an island. Cape Forchu is most famous for Yarmouth's iconic Cape Forchu Lighthouse. Below is a photo that I took in 2013 of the rugged southern tip of Cape Forchu showing the Town of Yarmouth and Yarmouth Harbour to the right and the lighthouse near the sea cliffs.

Cape Forchu Lighthouse - June 9, 2013

From Yarmouth, Vancouver Street leads you from the Golden Horse Fountain past the Yarmouth Regional Hospital to Highway 304 which leads you through the communities of Overton, Yarmouth Bar and then to Cape Forchu. To view directions from Starrs Road, Yarmouth to Cape Forchu on Google Maps, click here.

In years past there have been many good birds seen at Cape Forchu. One of the local birders named June Graves used to report good migrants and vagrants from that area.

Islands, peninsulas and headlands serve as resting places for migrant birds that have been displaced over the ocean by the winds. A southern bird can end up in Nova Scotia due to a misjudgment in orientation combined with non-favorable wind strength and direction. [All the Birds of Nova Scotia, Ian McLaren]

Prairie Warbler - Cape Forchu - September 21, 2014.

Below is an aerial photo sourced from Bing Maps showing Cape Forchu. Both Gerry Lane and Thomas Road have been excellent places for interesting birds. There are many large patches of alders on both the sides of the dirt roads that should be checked for migrants and vagrants. Both roads are public roads maintained by the provincial department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal.

Cape Forchu - Bing Maps

Below is a list of the interesting migrant and vagrant birds seen at Cape Forchu this fall. The items annotated with a double asterisks (**) breed south of NS and therefore are considered vagrants to this province. Observers are presented as: Alix d'Entremont (AD), Ronnie d'Entremont (RD) and Ervin Olsen (EO).

Species	Date	Observer
Warbling Vireo	Sept. 7	AD
Wilson's Warbler	Sept. 7	AD
**Prairie Warbler**	Sept. 9	EO
**Blue-winged Warbler**	Sept. 11	RD
Nashville Warbler (3)	Sept. 11	RD
Wilson's Warbler	Sept. 11	RD
**Prairie Warbler**	Sept. 21	AD
Blackpoll Warbler (4)	Sept. 21	AD
Nashville Warbler (3)	Sept. 21	AD
Cape May Warbler	Sept. 21	AD
**Prairie Warbler**	Sept. 25	AD
Eastern Wood-Pewee	Sept. 25	AD
**White-eyed Vireo**	Oct. 9	EO
**House Wren**	Oct. 9	EO
Chipping Sparrow	Oct. 10	EO
**Eastern Towhee**	Oct. 11	AD
Wilson's Warbler	Oct. 11	AD
Orange-crowned Warbler	Oct. 11	AD

On October 9, Ervin Olsen found a White-eyed Vireo. The northern limit of the breeding range of the White-eyed Vireo is Massachusetts.

 

Ervin Olsen Photo: Juvenile White-eyed Vireo - October 9, 2014.

 

Overnight on October 8th there were moderately strong SW winds blowing directly from Massachusetts to NS. These winds could have been a factor in this bird's vagrancy to NS. See the wind map below with the black arrow showing the direction of the wind.

Wind map at 9 pm, October 8, 2014

Here are a few more photos from Cape Forchu.

Warbling Vireo - Cape Forchu - September 7, 2014.

Wilson's Warbler - Cape Forchu - September 7, 2014.

Cape May Warbler - Cape Forchu - September 21, 2014.

Nashville Warbler - Cape Forchu - September 21, 2014.

Blackpoll Warbler - Cape Forchu - September 21, 2014.

First Cycle Lesser Black-backed Gull

One of my goals for this fall/winter was to find a first cycle Lesser Black-backed Gull (LBBG). I've been able to find adult LBBGs during the last two winters but a first cycle bird is more difficult to find due to similarities with both Herring (HERG) and Great Black-backed Gulls (GBBG). On October 7, 2014 I ended up finding a first cycle bird at Dennis Point Wharf in Lower West Pubnico, Yarmouth County.

Alpha codes (LBBG, HERG, GBBG...) for all Nova Scotia birds can be found on the Birds of NS page of this website.

First Cycle Lesser Black-backed Gull - Pubnico - October 7, 2014.

Versus Great Black-backed Gull

Our most similar gull to an adult LBBG in NS is the GBBG. See the list below for a few major differences between these two species. Compared to a GBBG, a LBBG is:

• Overall smaller
• Thinner billed
• Lighter mantled
• Longer winged (longer wing projection past the tail)
• Yellow legged (vs. flesh pink)
  [Gulls of the Americas, Howell & Dunn]

The photo below helps to compare an adult LBBG (photographed on Feb. 23, 2014 in Pubnico) with an adult GBBG. Notice structure and colour differences.

LBBG (L) vs. GBBG (R)

Finding a first cycle LBBG among the hundreds of first cycle HERG and GBBG is a trickier task. The differences are more subtle. Compared to a GBBG, a LBBG is/has:

• Darker winged (plain, dark, unpatterned greater secondary coverts)
• A wider, more solid dark tail band
• An overall colder colour
  [Gulls of the Americas, Howell & Dunn]

LBBG (L) vs. GBBG (R)

Versus Herring Gull

Compared to a first cycle HERG, a first cycle LBBG is/has:

• More contrast between the uppertail coverts and dark tail band
• Darker winged (plain, dark, unpatterned greater secondary coverts)
• Lacks the pale inner primaries of a HERG
• An overall colder colour
  [Gulls of the Americas, Howell & Dunn]

LBBG (L) vs. HERG (R)

I've just covered some of the major identification field marks. More information can be found here:

Gulls of the Americas (book)

Gull Research Organization (website)

Lesser Black-backed Gull - Pubnico - October 7, 2014.

Western Willet

The Willet breeds from Nova Scotia to California and has two distinct subspecies. The Eastern Willet breeds on the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico and is known as Tringa semipalmata semipalmata (nominate subspecies). The Western Willet breeds from southern Manitoba to northern California (the Great Plains) and bears the binomial name Tringa semipalmata inornata. Some have argued that these two populations should be considered separate species [Birding - May/June 2006].

The Eastern Willet winters in South American while the Western Willet spends the non-breeding season on both the Pacific and Altantic coasts. The northern extreme of the Western's wintering range on the Atlantic Coast is New Jersey. Willets sighted in Nova Scotia after early September are found to be mostly of the Western subspecies as most of our breeding birds have already left. [All the Birds of Nova Scotia, Ian McLaren]

I found my first Western Willet on October 4, 2014 on the flats in Pubnico Harbour. The following is a distant photo of this bird. If they do ever decide to split this species I'll have another NS lifer up my sleeve.



Western Willet - October 4, 2014 - Pubnico, Yarmouth County

Western Willets are usually noticeably larger (10% larger) than Easterns but there is overlap due to the size variability in the Westerns. Some male Westerns overlap with Easterns in size. Westerns are lighter and less brown in all plumages and have a heavy chest. Easterns have a shorter, heavier and thicker tipped bill. [The Shorebird Guide, O'Brien, Crossley & Karlson]

The difference in bills can be compared in the next two photos where the Westerns looks much thinner with a pointed tip. Structural differences can still be compared even if the Western (L) is in basic plumage while the Eastern (R) is in alternate plumage.

Western (L) vs Eastern Willet (R)

The following photo is of an Eastern Willet in breeding plumage. Eastern Willets in full non-breeding plumage are undocumented in North America as they complete their pre-basic moults in South America.

Eastern Willet - July 7, 2013 - Pubnico, Yarmouth County

Westerns are less angular, longer bodied and heavier chested. At rest Westerns look more rounded compared to the more oval shape of the Easterns. Westerns are said to have a more godwit-like structure. [Birding - May/June 2006]

Western (L) vs. Eastern (R)

Below is a comparison of silhouettes created by Michael O'Brien taken from Birding - May/June 2006.

Western (L) vs. Eastern (R) from Birds May/June 2006

The white wing stripe both above and below are usually more extensive in Westerns. As with size differences, there is also overlap in this wing characteristic as well. This along with other traits such as size, structure and overall colour should be combined to identify to subspecies. [Birding - May/June 2006]

Below is a comparison photo from Michael O'Brien's article in Birds May/June 2006.

Western (R) vs. Eastern (L) from Birds May/June 2006

Ian McLaren has provided me with some head/bill ratios comparing both Western and Eastern Willets. Once I review my old statistics notes and if I can make sense of the numbers I'll share them.

See the following links for additional information plus many comparison photos.

Michael O'Brien's Article in Birding May/June 2006