Waves crash over the ocean wall alongside Beach Avenue in Kennebunk on Monday. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer
Last week’s storm that battered Maine produced robust winds that had a serious impression on birds transferring offshore. Most notable of these impacted was the dovekie, a small cousin of our extra generally identified puffin. I need to spotlight this occasion, and these birds, as a result of one of the vital frequent misconceptions round birds – particularly sightings of surprising ones – is that there was some storm that blew them right here. So let’s check out what elements truly blow birds off beam and why.
This is particularly entrance of thoughts as a result of so lots of the inquiries we obtained this fall asking “Where are the birds?” had been incorrectly linked to the September tropical storm. That overhyped hurricane slowed considerably and went farther east than was predicted, so there was just about no impression on the birds right here in Maine from that storm. Even if the storm had made landfall with full-force winds, our birds are fairly properly tailored for surviving that sort of occasion.
First, birds primarily have built-in barometers, permitting them to sense a change in barometric strain, to allow them to sense a nasty storm coming properly prematurely. This is why you typically see exercise at your chicken feeders improve the day earlier than a giant snowstorm hits. The timing of that September storm did completely line up close to the height migration of lots of our summer time residents, so their numbers had been steadily declining already. But it was additionally a time when so many vegetation had been producing fruit and seeds, leading to birds feeding totally on pure meals as a substitute of at our feeders. The September not-a-hurricane was a traditional causation versus correlation instance, the place the timing of the aforementioned occasions was good however one didn’t trigger the opposite.
Most of the birds that get blown off beam by a hurricane-like storm are tropical birds that get caught within the eye of the storm, or within the stronger winds within the northeast fringe of the storm. Depending on the trail of the storm, and the time of the 12 months, these might be something from southern terns (sooty or bridled terns) or one of many stunning, elegant long-tailed tropicbirds. Some of those birds do get battered and are discovered grounded, however most are in a position to reorient as soon as the winds let up, particularly after the storm makes landfall. This is why birders love heading out throughout these doubtlessly harmful storms, as the perfect probability of seeing one in all these rarities is correct because the storm hits. We additionally encounter surfers making an attempt to catch a monster wave, however they appear to get extra respect (is that the suitable phrase?) since they must go within the water.
Honestly, many of the headlines a few “rare bird blown off course” are fallacious, or no less than deceptive. There are so many catalysts for vagrancy in birds, together with genetic mutations that “tell” them to fly the fallacious means, or associating with the fallacious flock (usually how we see uncommon geese coming west from Greenland as a substitute of going east), and even simply naturally making an attempt to increase their vary (each breeding or wintering ranges). It is straightforward in charge wind, however most birds are masters of flight and aren’t going to get blown to date out of their typical vary.
That brings us to the storms like final week’s, which didn’t want hurricane-strength winds to have a serious impact on a number of birds. The National Weather Service in Gray reported that wind gusts reached 60 mph on Monday morning, coming from the southeast. With excessive winds blowing instantly inshore, these are the kinds of storms that do have the potential to push seabirds ashore, which might be detrimental to their survival. Many of those birds discover themselves injured or exhausted and unable to fly again to the ocean. Some species, most famously loons, will not be able to taking off from land due to how far again their legs are on their physique (nice for swimming, although) and turn into stranded.
Dovekies had been essentially the most affected by final week’s storm, with dozens of them being discovered throughout Maine within the hours and days after the storm. These tiny alcids are identified for having early winter strandings related to storms, with one principle that the winds make feeding circumstances unsuitable for them and so they get pushed landward as they weaken. There is an account from the winter of 1932-33 when “Dovekies (were) raining down on the streets of New York City.”
Some of those storm-driven birds simply have to be returned to the ocean, however we’re additionally lucky to have rehabbers in Maine that spring to motion to assist these birds. One heart-melting video was shared from the Center for Wildlife in York of 10 dovekies in a bathtub, recovering of their care whereas they had been nonetheless coping with energy outages. Go try their social media and also you’ll see what I imply, then go to thecenterforwildlife.org/donate to assist their work.
Do you have got a nature query for Doug? Email inquiries to [email protected] and go to maineaudubon.org to study extra about birding, native vegetation, and packages and occasions specializing in Maine wildlife and habitat. Doug and different naturalists lead free chicken walks on Thursday mornings, 8 to 10 a.m., on the Gilsland Farm Audubon Sanctuary in Falmouth.
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