MA - Black-legged Kittiwake and even more Red-throated Loons (9) in Turner's Falls

Black-legged Kittikwake (center) - first-cycle with Ring-billed Gulls, Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club, Franklin Co., MA. November 20th, 2018.

Red-throated Loons - eight of nine present,  Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club, Franklin Co., MA. November 20th, 2018.

Having had a pleasing morning in Turner's Falls, I decided to return for an hour in late afternoon to check and see if the morning's Red-throated Loons had moved on. The snow showers had turned into fairly persistent rain and my first stop at Barton Cove boat ramp yielded little and certainly nothing in the way of Red-throated Loons. With about 45 minutes of reasonable daylight to play with I then opted to check the Turner's Rod and Gun club instead of the power canal and I'm glad I did! On arrival, the first flock that I noticed was a tight raft of nine Red-throated Loons! As I wrestled with my scope in the rain, a small flock of Ring-billed Gulls resting on the water looked worthy of a quick scan. With them was a slightly smaller gull with a dove like head, all black bill and a black half-collar - a first-cycle Black-legged Kittiwake! Getting decent images proved to be a real challenge in the gloom and as neither the loons or the kittiwake were particularly close and the resulting record shots are pretty awful but at least there's something there. Further scanning produced the Common Loon, Surf Scoter and Lesser Scaup still present from the morning with new arrivals in the form a Ruddy Duck and three Red-necked Grebes! A quick pit stop at Unity Park on the way home found the Iceland Gull (second-cycle) roosting once again with a tiny handful of larger gulls

Red-throated Loons - all nine birds visible in this shot, Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club, Franklin Co., MA. November 20th, 2018.

Red-throated Loons - all nine birds, Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club, Franklin Co., MA. November 20th, 2018.

Red-throated Loons - eight of nine present, Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club, Franklin Co., MA. November 20th, 2018.

 Black-legged Kittikwake - first-cycle with Ring-billed Gulls, Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club, Franklin Co., MA. November 20th, 2018.

Black-legged Kittikwake (second from right) - first-cycle with Ring-billed Gulls, Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club, Franklin Co., MA. November 20th, 2018.

Iceland Gull - second-cycle with Herring Gull, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 20th, 2018.

Black-legged Kittiwakes are extremely rare in interior Massachusetts but this was my third in Franklin County with the other two records being an adult at Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club on October 11th, 2005, and an adult in the wake of Hurricane Sandy at Barton Cove, Gill on November 5th, 2012;
https://pioneerbirding.blogspot.com/2012/11/ma-black-legged-kittiwake-gill.html


And here's an excerpt from an article on Western Massachusetts Rarities (Kellogg and Smith) published in Bird Observer Volume 35, Number 1 summarizing all the records of Black-legged Kittiwake up to February 2007;

MA - Black-legged Kittiwake - Gill!

 Black-legged Kittiwake - (adult), Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., November 5th, 2012. 

Images taken using Panasonic Lumix FZ7. 

The first gull-like bird I saw this morning could have so easily been glossed over as one of the regular Ring-billed Gulls. But with Hurricane Sandy still very much in mind I paid close attention to this one as it flew past and began quartering around Barton Cove. The compact shape, somewhat tern-like flight and 'inky' black wing tips pointed straight to an adult Black-legged Kittiwake! This highly pelagic species is exceedingly rare in the Pioneer Valley. In fact, I haven't seen a Black-legged Kittiwake in "the valley" since a storm-driven incursion involving multiple birds during October 11th-15th, 2005.  The bird looked relatively healthy was perhaps working its way back to the coast after last week's hurricane - but that's pure speculation of course.

the shots below feature the Kittiwake (left) in flight with an adult Ring-billed Gull;