Red-Billed Tropic Bird at Seal Island, Penobscot Bay Maine.
This Tropic bird showed up again in 2018,
May 7, 2017, the team of observers on Seal Island report that the Tropicbird has survived the winter and returned to Seal Island, this is a bird of character, this is the earliest date that this bird has been seen on the island.
This Tropic bird showed up again in 2018,
May 7, 2017, the team of observers on Seal Island report that the Tropicbird has survived the winter and returned to Seal Island, this is a bird of character, this is the earliest date that this bird has been seen on the island.
The history of El Super Tropical
Red-billed Tropicbird, Matinicus Rock 2007,
There are three species of Tropic birds, all of which are, for the most part, absent from other than the middle latitudes, thus the name.
There are White-tailed Tropicbirds who breed in Burmuda, and elsewhere, there are Red-Tailed Tropicbirds in the Pacific.
Red-billed Tropicbirds breed on the Galapagos, In the Caribbean Panama to Venezuela to the Virgin Islands, also on the Cape Verde islands, a few islands in the South Atlantic and in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.
July 12 2005 Carlos Zavalaga, Anthony Hill, Stacey Hollis, Susan Long, Lance Ebel, and Lucas Blass saw a Red-billed Tropic Bird at Vinalhaven Seal Island, the next day it was seen at Machias Seal Island @100 miles east of VH Seal. During the 2006 season a Red-billed Tropic bird was seen regularly at Matinicus Rock 7 miles SW of Seal Island, presumably this was the same bird. This bird adopted a cavern, on Matinicus Rock that it occupied regularly during the day.
This bird, returned to Matinicus Rock for the next couple of years, and was loyal to its lair there. It was there when I took the researchers off the island in mid August of '07, and also when I dropped them off there in mid May of '08.
I was out there for a few days during May of '09 and we saw it there one morning
There are three species of Tropic birds, all of which are, for the most part, absent from other than the middle latitudes, thus the name.
There are White-tailed Tropicbirds who breed in Burmuda, and elsewhere, there are Red-Tailed Tropicbirds in the Pacific.
Red-billed Tropicbirds breed on the Galapagos, In the Caribbean Panama to Venezuela to the Virgin Islands, also on the Cape Verde islands, a few islands in the South Atlantic and in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.
July 12 2005 Carlos Zavalaga, Anthony Hill, Stacey Hollis, Susan Long, Lance Ebel, and Lucas Blass saw a Red-billed Tropic Bird at Vinalhaven Seal Island, the next day it was seen at Machias Seal Island @100 miles east of VH Seal. During the 2006 season a Red-billed Tropic bird was seen regularly at Matinicus Rock 7 miles SW of Seal Island, presumably this was the same bird. This bird adopted a cavern, on Matinicus Rock that it occupied regularly during the day.
This bird, returned to Matinicus Rock for the next couple of years, and was loyal to its lair there. It was there when I took the researchers off the island in mid August of '07, and also when I dropped them off there in mid May of '08.
I was out there for a few days during May of '09 and we saw it there one morning
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Carlos and Stacey, Seal Island, 2005
May 26 2009 Matinicus Rock
During 09 this bird abandoned its allegiance to Matinicus Rock, and amazingly did not have the good sense to abandon the region altogether but rather, as a most improbable lump of good fortune for those of us who take birders to Seal Island, adopted a cavern on Seal Island, to which it has been faithful since then, it was seen there late August 2017.
August 6 2009 Seal Island
Why, you might well ask, would this "Pajaro loco" abandon one perfectly good lair for another, I am not sure but I think it was because of disturbance caused by National Audubon society observers.
August 6 2009, Seal Island, El senior tropical escorted by adult and fledgling common terns.
How did this bird come to Penobscot bay and become faithful to the region?
For lack of a better theory, perhaps as a youth it became entangled in a flock of common terns passing through the Caribean on their way North from wintering grounds in South America. The bird had long tail feathers when spotted in July 2005, indicating it was not then a first summer bird, maybe that was not its first visit to the region.
What did this bird do the rest of the 2005 season?
How did this bird come to Penobscot bay and become faithful to the region?
For lack of a better theory, perhaps as a youth it became entangled in a flock of common terns passing through the Caribean on their way North from wintering grounds in South America. The bird had long tail feathers when spotted in July 2005, indicating it was not then a first summer bird, maybe that was not its first visit to the region.
What did this bird do the rest of the 2005 season?
When I first saw this bird at Matinicus Rock in it appeared to be trying to approach a large roost of terns on the edge of the water, the terns, apparently not trusting this bird, flushed off the roost. Unburdened by the responsibilities of parenthood our hero seems to have begun to enjoy this response and has spent hours of its free time flying around at Seal Island terrorizing its adopted neighbors.
Scarring terns out of a brackish pond on the island that the terns like to bath in, by strafing the pond gliding on upturned wings and hollering. After giving the terns a chance to return to bathing it often sailed back over the pond scaring them out again apparently receiving some gratification from doing so. The Tropicbird also glides and hollers over the tern colony, and will strafe terns bathing in the ocean adjacent to the island. I have seen it do so then immediately set on the water inviting the terns to strafe it back.
Seal Island July 25 2010
This individual seems to be thriving at this latitude so why have members of this species not expanded their breeding range outside the tropics? Beats me.
Red-billed Tropicbird, Seal Island, June 13, 2011
June 28, 2011, Seal Island
July 28 2011, Seal Island, Arctic tern, strafing El Senior Tropical, (I think its a male) I guess it was Frank Mayer who suggested a potential cross between these species might produce an Arctic Tropicbird.
July 28 '011 was during a seven day stretch when I went out there and saw the TBird each day.
July 28 '011 was during a seven day stretch when I went out there and saw the TBird each day.
Quoth Miles, a fine young birder from Ipswich "The coolest bird I have ever seen"
May 12, 2012, Seal Island, the return of the king, one of the central tail feathers a bit shorter
. The Tropicbird of Seal Island has consistently arrived during mid May, as do the terns, this day May 12 2012, Haley Walsh and I saw it sail in around 11:00 take a couple of turns around the Eastern Bite and head straight into its wee cavern. As of that date the Terns were yet to have spent the night ashore and were at that hour not even at the Island, though I’m sure they were not far off, and had been visiting early in the day, as is their habit early in the season.
Jenny Howard, here at the Helm of Fluke, spent several summer seasons on Seal Island and during one of those winters spent time in the Galapagos where there is a breeding population of Red-Billed Tropic birds. . She reported that the birds there spent most of the day at their nesting sites and late in the day got out and sailed around. So despite having abandoned it’s species traditional range it has stuck with the daily routine.
June 30 2012, Seal Island, I think this bird has not been seen at Matinicus Rock, only 7 miles away, for a few years
July 14 2012, Seal Island, I like having a better background than the sky, here the pinkish granite of the Island.
Keith Mueller July 22, 2012.
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I have been very lucky, I live in a place where I can spend the summer taking folk for boatrides to see seabirds, and seascapes,
and carry researchers to Seal Island and Matinicus Rock, many of whom are great and some of whom have become good friends. Many of the passengers are great as well and I have learned a lot from both the researchers who work for the National Audubon Society and from others who have come along for a ride or several. July 2012 I had the great pleasure of meeting and taking Keith Mueller and his wife Jen out to Seal Island two consecutive afternoons, they were hoping to see the Tropic bird. Keith is a genius artist, the Andres Iniesta of bird carving, he brought along a sac full, amongst which was a Red-billed Tropic bird. He Also brought Puffins, a Razorbill, a Guillemot and a Murre also a Pomarine Jaegar. |
Keith deployed a flock of alcids and soon a puffin came to check them out.
He also deployed the Tropic bird decoy but the second day when the real TBird showed up it did not notice.
I asked if I might buy the decoy but Keith said no he had carved it for his wife. Two weeks later I got a long box in the mail with half a page of instructions as to how to open it, the rigging of the box itself was a work of art and inside was a new Red-billed Tropic bird decoy.
He gave me a really great book too, The Art in Making Decoys: Form and Sculpture - Book 1 By Keith Mueller. also a hat and several memory cards for my digital camera.
He also deployed the Tropic bird decoy but the second day when the real TBird showed up it did not notice.
I asked if I might buy the decoy but Keith said no he had carved it for his wife. Two weeks later I got a long box in the mail with half a page of instructions as to how to open it, the rigging of the box itself was a work of art and inside was a new Red-billed Tropic bird decoy.
He gave me a really great book too, The Art in Making Decoys: Form and Sculpture - Book 1 By Keith Mueller. also a hat and several memory cards for my digital camera.
Guillemot, Razorbill, and two Puffin decoys, and curious wild bird
Generous genius, with Pomarine Jaegar he created
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August 18, 2012, Seal Island, decoy carved by Keith Mueller
August 18, in the Eastern bite, western head behind, we deployed the decoy but Mr. Tbird was not around.
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August 6, 2012
Aug 6, 2012
June 23, 2013, Seal Island
July 6, '013, Terns scattering from spooge pond as El Tropical performs classic strafing run.
July 6, '13, escorted by tern, having molted one tail feather since June 26.
July 6, '13, a most accommodating rare bird this one seemed at times to enjoy the attention and often sailed right over the boat.
July 6 2013, often it has put on quite a good show it seems this day was particularly good.
July 8, '13. As Keith Mueller had been so generous I felt somewhat obliged to deploy his beautiful creation in hopes that El Senior Tropical might notice. Here a common tern recognizes what it must assume is its colonies cranky neighbor and strafes the decoy.
I lashed her to the handrail on the cabin roof of my boat for a week or so, my buoy color.
July 17, 2013, Tbird passing a blind researchers use to study breeding birds on the island.
I set the decoy out a few days but he Tropicbird did not notice her, but on July 17th he saw her, he flew right by her then landed about 40 meters from her, one could see his attention was focused on her, after a brief pause he came in.
Our hero preformed some displays
Despite getting whacked a couple times by her less than feathery tail he persisted, (I understand that female birds have been known to mount things and this individuals behavior does not conclusively identify it as a male, despite that I am going to call him him)
Though Keith Mueller has won world champion bird carver several times this response must have been gratifying to Keith, though it may have been less than entirely so for Mr.TBird,.
When the time came to head in, El Senior Tropical defended her.
I have not deployed the decoy since, she is in retirement, in a shrine to longevity
July 22, '13
July 22, '13, I have a good number of photos of this bird, sometimes I just put the camera down and watched him. Trying to photograph birds is a large distraction, I would discourage young birders from doing so because you will see birds much better if you do not bring a camera.
Aug 4, '13, goldenrod in bloom
Yellow toes, dipped in chocolate.
Aug 10, 2013,
Jordan Chalfant Rowing (another genius artist, check her work out at jordan-chalfant.squarespace.com), and Jenny Howard were down at Seal for a few weeks at the end of August till early September in '13. Their mission was to Keep eagles off to protect the last viable colony of Great Cormorants in the US. They did a great job. They saw the Tropic bird for the last time that season on Aug. 25. Jordan Had been down there in for end of summer Cormorant guarding in '012 as well, with Christa, the Tbird left earlier that year last seen @the 17th.
The great team of Julia Gulka, from VT. and Ed Jenkins of East Sussex, were on Seal during '14, they had both been aboard in '13 as well.
It was around the 16th of May that Ed called on the radio one night to report that they had seen a big white bellied bird with a bright red bill and a super long tail.
It was around the 16th of May that Ed called on the radio one night to report that they had seen a big white bellied bird with a bright red bill and a super long tail.
June 3 2014, Seal Island,
6/3/14
June 3, 2014, Red-billed Tropicbird of Vinalhaven Seal Island, Hurricane Island behind, Mt. Battie, over Green's Island, Mt. Magunticook, over Vinalhaven. from my birds in the landscape collection.
June 12, '14, it looks as if it may have been whacked in the head. It had also molted one of the tail feathers that was present on June 3d
June 20, 2014, more clearly showing the single tail feather
June 20, '14
June 27, '14
6/27/14
June 28, 2014
June 28, 2014, Seal Island
June 29 2014, RBTB with Roseate tern escort, Seal Island.
July 3 2014, bird blind behind.
Julia made me this Tbirdthday cake, this bird does inspire, thanks Julia it was as delicious as brilliant.
July 11, 2014, in gliding hollering posture, with common tern escort
July 12, '014, 10th anniversary of its first appearance.
July 12, 2014 That fellow standing on the bow of my boat is me, photographing TBird. photo by Ed Jenkins.
I have been asked how long do Tropicbirds live?
this individual seems to have little interest in precedent, a long time I hope.
I have been asked how long do Tropicbirds live?
this individual seems to have little interest in precedent, a long time I hope.
There is Ed on the roof, note the Tbird flag on the house, painted by Ed, he gave it to me and it is in the Tbird shrine with Keith Mueller's decoy. photo by me.
July 12, 2014,
July 12 '14, with Arctic Tern.
July 17, '014
July 17, 2014, arctic tern accompanying
July 17, 2014
July 17, 2014, with common tern,
Ed, Julia, and Nicole seated, leaving Seal Island.... happy trails to ya.
August 9, '014
August 9, '014
May 16, 2015, Sedum Rosea, (rhidiola rosea) staminate flowers, this was the day after Keenan saw the tropic bird for the first time that spring.
June 18, 2015,
June 18, 2015
June 18, 2015,
June 24, '015,
June 24, 2015 , that shorter feather has a lot less wag in it
June 27, 2015,
June 27, 2015
6/27/15
July 14, '15
July 14, '15
July 14, 2015
July 14, 2015
7/14/15, The Tropic of Seal Island spent a lot more time just setting on the water this summer than it had in past years, not sure what to make of that. In past years it might spend an hour flying around with brief rests on the water, this year it would spend long spells setting on the water with brief spells of flying around.
July 25, 2015
7/25/15
Keenan Yakola and Araks Ohanyan, together they collected concentrated and prepared for export all the trash on Seal Island, and there was a lot of it.
August 8, 2015, this longtime friend has developed the disturbing habit of hanging out with pot buoys with bright red spindles, this reptile brain may be less discerning than we might anticipate.
August 8, '15
August 17,2015
August 18, '15, Most of the terns had been gone a couple of weeks by this date.
8/18/15, I'm not sure the last date on which this bird was seen last summer it was not many days after this.
This could be the last time, maybe the last time, I don't know.
May 31, 2016, This to tell you this bird has returned to Seal Island, resident scholar Keenan Yakola saw it for the first time this year on May 12, What a bird, and thanks to Saint Christopher. but mostly thanks to its own pioneering spirit and creative use of geography, if it were more successful at luring a pair to this latitude it could become the progenitor of a new race of supertropical tropicbirds, ...good luck to you amigo!
This could be the last time, maybe the last time, I don't know.
May 31, 2016, This to tell you this bird has returned to Seal Island, resident scholar Keenan Yakola saw it for the first time this year on May 12, What a bird, and thanks to Saint Christopher. but mostly thanks to its own pioneering spirit and creative use of geography, if it were more successful at luring a pair to this latitude it could become the progenitor of a new race of supertropical tropicbirds, ...good luck to you amigo!
June 16, 2016,
June 16, 2016, Tropicbird, Heron Neck, Mt Magunticuuk
sweeping into the eastern bite with tern escort
June 16, 1016, in past the Benedict Blind, you can see the antenae that relay live camera signals from the island.
June 16, 16
June 16, showing some interest in one of Steve's buoys
June 19, 2016 Seal Island.
June 19
June 23, 16, as was the case in 2015, this venerable individual did spend a good deal of time drifting around. This genius fowl was more apt to fly around for half hour spells a few years back.
July 9, 16, as had been the case last year our dear friend was often seen in the company of bouys,
Quite fond of Troy's color, due to overall whiteness and bright reddish end of the spindle I suppose.
eventually the attraction became mutual
and they mated
This development may somehow reduce the value of this birds recognition of the quality of Keith Mueller's work.
July 9,
July 11,
July 27,
July 27,
July 30th, Here the Super Tropical is stalling....
so that it can have a good shake, after spending the day ashore, bathing is first on the agenda,
July 30, '16
July 30,
July 30, with fox island wind turbines in the distance.
sow ye wild oats while ye may, this bird seems to be an out breeder, not loyal to kin nor geography it should come as no surprise that el Super Tropical is not loyal to buoy color.
July 30, Camden Hills beyond
August 3, 07:30, This is the last photo of the year, it was seen a few more days then went missing, for a while, the terns who breed o n the island had largely cleared out, It did return to the Island on August 16 but did not stay long. Stacey Hollis back out on the island in an effort to protect the great cormorants by keeping foraging eagles off the island reported his brief return.
Keenan, Isabelle, Stacey, I believe that Isabelle was primary artist, Aug 11 unloading in Rockland
Stacey saw the bird last on August 16th I believe.
If this bird fails to return next May then Stacey would become one of the very first and last to see this bird at Seal Island, an improbable symmetry of fates.
Stacey saw the bird last on August 16th I believe.
If this bird fails to return next May then Stacey would become one of the very first and last to see this bird at Seal Island, an improbable symmetry of fates.
The Red-billed Tropicbird spent the summer of 2017 attending the seabird colony at Vinalhaven Seal Island as has been its habit since 2008.
A few shots from May 30
The following pictures were taken on June 10.
Looks as if I saw this bird at least 9 times or only 9 times this summer but I only went looking for it on about 13 times so the odds were good.
Some pictures form June 25,
Bathing
June 25th below.
July 5th below
Tropic bird, copulating with one of Steve Rosen's buoy's off the eastern bite
July 5th above july 9th below
July 9th
July 9th, 2017 above, July 14th below
july 14 above, july 31 below
August 6
August 6 above, August 8 below
2018 below, this bird reappeared in mid May 2018 but, apparently I did not see it until June 7, though I made but one try before that on May 19, tug did not see it that day.
June 7 2018, Seal Island