My sketch/notes for the Brown-chested Martin - and new research

This is one of those blog posts that were pieced together over time...

A scan/copy of my field notes of the Brown-chested Martin:

 (I noticed after I left the scanner that these copies look HORRIBLE - but they'll do for now)

The text (clockwise):

- outer half of wings long and powerful looking

- basal half of wings appeared longer than a swallow species structurally

- flight was steady. Upon reaching (or close to) the lakeshore it turned east and flew rather directly with few if any changes in direction.

- clear white on the bottom of the head with dusky borders

- prominent dark "necklace" - strong contrast

- Wings dark above & below with no specific notes made in that regard

- appeared distinctly larger than our typical swallow species but not as large/strong/robust as a Purple Martin

- generally dark brownish above

- no obvious signs of molt

- shallow fork in the tail distinctly noted

- underside of body appeared to be mostly a clean white

The Notes: Sep 9, 2013   301 Frances Ave. Stoney Creek, ON Unit 1709.   B. Holden

total obs time 60-90 seconds (est).

- first appeared around ~0915 while scanning with my scope over the lake, approaching from the NW (height, 150ft?) over the calm water

- obvious large swallow/Martin with a distinct dark necklace w/ white throat and belly

- bird gained altitude as it approached, flying strong and direct with very irregular turns/twists

- upon nearing the shore (now 200-250ft?) it turned due east and flew steadily past me. At one point it did a rather strong looking "stall" while still facing east but then continued flying.

- continued gaining height (very slowly) - until gone from view, ending maybe 250-300ft up and 100-200ft offshore.

______

- viewing conditions a neutral gray with the sun behind clouds and the lakewater background a calm (windless) gray. Wind calm at the sufrace but i believe a steady SSE or SE wind was blowing at my height (similar height to the height of the bird).

- First half of observation with a water background, second half with sky.




----------------------------
----------------------------

Research from Sep 10th - 

----------------------------

----------------------------

Going into ebird, I found the following records for the ABA area -

Jun 12, 1983 - Barnstable, Massachusetts

Nov 6-15, 1997 - Cape May, New Jersey

Feb 3, 2006 - Patagonia Lake State Park, Arizona.

Sep 6, 2009 - Cameron, Louisiana

Oct 12-14, 2009 - Plymouth, Massachusetts

Aug 28, 2011 - Northampton, Virginia

...and - Sep 9, 2013 - Hamilton, Ontario

------------

I found the above list interesting. There are now 7 records (pending acceptance of mine) for the ABA. Three of which occur within a 13 day window of Aug 28-Sep 9... You could also say that three of five fall records for the ABA occurred within that window as well.

It should be noted that the Aug 28 record was during Hurricane Irene (which might make you think - "well, that's just a Hurricane Bird") - but Irene did not form or travel through the range of Brown-chested Martin at any point....

Strange eh? I was having a hard time digesting the fact there was a Brown-chested Martin in Ontario on Sep 9... But it seems to make sense. I then went into the OBRC records looking at Fork-tailed Flycatcher. This is what I noticed: 5 of 7 fall records for Ontario occurred between Sep 3-Oct 5 !

Isn't Oct-Nov the months for rare flycatchers? Not September? I went into ebird (for both species) and noticed that their Austral migrations are both going full-steam ahead in September... Hmm.... I guess that's why this date-pattern has formed.

(what the heck is with that cluster around the NE states and southern ON???)

I also found it fun that the pattern of occurrence (geographically) for Fork-tailed Flycatcher is rather similar to the (weak) pattern being shown by Brown-chested Martin:

I also found this interesting (of the fall records for the NE) -

The 1997 NJ bird was found/nailed down by Paul Lehman et al
The 2009 MA bird was found by Marshall Iliff, Jeremiah Trimble, et al
The 2011 VA bird was found by Ed Brinkley

All of the finders for these birds are people out looking for Mega's... A Fork-tailed Flycatcher is freakin obvious. Non-birders notice them and take photos...

A Brown-chested Martin could fly around Point Pelee all day at the upcoming OFO AGM and get missed. Why? Because it isn't really that obvious. (I'm not saying people can't ID it - it just doesn't "stand out" like a Fork-tailed Flycatcher would) The only reason I really even noticed my bird (or paid attention to it) was because I was on my balcony - and I seem to try and ID every single darn bird I see for the sake of my patch list...

If I were at the AGM - where there will presumably be LOTS of swallows - there is no chance in heck I would be trying to ID every single one.

Maybe that's why there are 9 records of Fork-tailed Flycatcher for Ontario - but only 7 of Brown-chested Martin for the ABA...

Although 5 of which are in the last 7 years... Perhaps if they're "on the radar" - the trend will continue?


----------------------------

Some photos of the bird from Massachusetts in 2009 -


http://www.flickr.com/photos/miliff/4006719830/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/miliff/4005954643/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/seabamirum/4015083366/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bonxie88/4009963563/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jrtrimble/4006697704/



----------------------------


A photo of the Louisiana record:

http://www.losbird.org/lbrc/bcma.html

----------------------------


annd I found these photos of the bird from Cape May, NJ in 1997:

http://www.odolep.com/midatlantic%20birds/brownchested_martin/Brown-chested%20Martin.htm
It looks more like what I saw, than the Massachusetts bird... A bit more contrasty - but I guess that probably changes depending on camera/light etc.

----------------------------

Weather analysis:

Sep 4 - lots of high pressure over eastern USA with little of note right down to Texas and Mexico (clear)

Sep 7 - same as above... It is pretty much clear and calm from Mexico to the Great Lakes... 

Sep 9 (day of the bird) - again, totally clear flying from Mexico to the Great Lakes - with a big high pressure centre stopped DIRECTLY OVER TOP OF MY CONDO... 

Is there a chance that the vagrants we see in August/September are influenced more by high pressure than low?! I've thought that for a while now... If the bird is up high and sailing along - it and it hits a centre of high pressure like that with no wind - maybe it comes down because the flying conditons aren't ideal for travel anymore?? (similar effect to rain in low pressure)??

Either way, it startles me to see that map for the overnight/morning of Sep 9 - before I had the bird..

=============================

What else has been around?!?!

Sep 4th-8th - THREE Cloudless Sulphurs and a White-M Hairstreak at Pelee... This isn't 2012... That's NUTS.. Clearly southerly creatures have moved into the province..

Sep 2 - strong winds blow some WEKI and AMAV into Ontario... The Snowy Egret is found at Tilbury

Sep 3 - Roseate Spoonbill report in Prince Edward County

Sep 7 - juv Laughing Gull arrives at Pelee

Ok so nothing too crazy (other than that ROSP).... I believe some spoonbills were seen in Kentucky and Illinois around the same time... And a Swallow-tailed Kite report in Ohio and Illinois as well.. 

Actually - a "large hummingbird species" was found in Illinois starting on the 6th as well - see here

I don't exactly think it's a smoking gun, but there was definitely a "southern incursion" in early September - after a summer that was REALLY BAD for southern birds and bugs.

=================

Anyways just some fun facts... I'm essentially stockpiling information for my future report to the OBRC...