New England 
Wayne R. Petersen 
N ew England witnessed some of the 
coolest and wettest June and July 
weather in many years. Combined 
June and July temperatures in Boston were 
the coolest since 1915 and tied for the fourth 
coldest in 138 years of record-keeping. 
Boston rainfall in June was 9.75 cm above 
normal, making the month the wettest in 138 
years, with July totals actually exceeding 
those of June in some areas. 
An anticipated result of such cool, rainy ear- 
ly summer weather is the disruption of nesting 
activity. Not surprisingly, various species sus- 
tained weather-related mortality. Although of- 
ten difficult to document, specihc examples in- 
clude Common Loon, Osprey, Bald Eagle, 
American Kestrel, Black Skimmer, Common 
Nighthawk, Purple Martin, and Eastern Blue- 
bird; undoubtedly, other cavity and ground- 
nesting species were affected as well. One im- 
pression shared by several observers was that 
some species appeared to re-nest following 
early summer failures, so the fall report could 
shed some light on this phenomenon. Despite 
any interruptions in breeding bird activity, the 
Region was not without some exciting occur- 
rences. Maine hosted the first-ever fully docu- 
mented successful fledging of a United States- 
hatched Manx Shearwater and the first nesting 
attempt of Common Murre in American At- 
lantic coastal waters since the 1800s. Mean- 
uJrile, Rhode Island confirmed its first breed- 
ing Pine Siskins. Hardly less outstanding were 
Black-browed Albatross in the southern Gulf 
c-l Maine, Bermuda Petrel on the in waters east 
of Cape Cod, New Hampshire’s first Red-billed 
'itopicbird, and Maine’s second-ever Lesser 
Goldfinch. All and all, a very interesting sum- 
mer season! 
Abbreviations: A.B.C. (Allen Bird Club), An- 
drew’s Pt. (Rockport, Essex, MA), A.S.N.H. 
(Audubon Society of New Hampshire), A.V 
(Audubon Vermont), B.O. (Bird Obseiyer), 
B.B.C. (Brookline Bird Club), Charlestown 
Breachway (Charlestown, Washington, RI), 
Eagle I. (Marblehead, Essex, MA), 
G.O.M.S.W.G. (Gulf of Maine Seabird Work- 
ing Group), H.B.S.P. (Hammonasset Beach 
S.P., Madison, New Haven, CT), Kettle I. 
(Manchester, Essex, MA), L. Josephine (East- 
on, Aroostook, ME), M.A.R.C. (Massachusetts 
A.R.C.), M.A.S. (Maine Audubon Society), 
M.D.EW. (Massachusetts Division of Fish- 
eries and Wildlife), M.M.R. (Massachusetts 
Military Reservation, Barnstable, MA), 
M.B.R.C. (Maine B.R.C.), Muskeget I. 
(Muskeget 1. off Nantucket I., MA), 
M. N.H.E.S.P. (Massachusetts Natural Her- 
itage and Endangered Species Program), 
N. H.EG. (New Hampshire Fish and Game), 
N. & S. Monomoy 1. (Monomoy N.W.R., 
Chatham, Barnstable, MA), Plum I. (Parker 
River N.W.R., Newbury/Rowley, Essex, MA), 
Plymouth Beach (Plymouth, MA), P.ES.l.N. 
(Project Puffin Seabird Island e-newsletter). 
Race Pt. (Provincetown, Barnstable, MA), 
R.I.A.R.C. (Rhode Island A.R.C.), S.S.D.E 
(Sanford Sewage District Facility, Sanford, 
York, ME), South Beach (Chatham, Barnsta- 
ble, MA), Stellwagen Bank (Stell- 
wagen Bank National Marine 
Sanctuary), Stratton I. (Stratton 1., 
Saco, York. ME), Tuckernuck I. 
(Tuckernuck 1. off Nantucket 1., 
MA), U.S.F.W.S. (United States 
Fish and Wildlife Service). 
WATERFOWL 
THROUGH IBISES 
A Snow Goose at Plum I. through- 
out the period was seasonally rare 
(B.O.), and one at N. Truro, Barn- 
stable 2 Jun (D. Manchester) was 
notably late. Although routine on 
the coast in early summer, single 
Brant were of particular interest at 
L. Josephine 15 Jun (BS) and 
Grand Isle 13-19 Jul (DH). At the 
only known breeding station in 
Kittery, York, a pair of Mute Swans 
this year failed to breed successful- 
ly (fide DL), temporarily halting 
the further spread of this species in 
Maine. Lake Josephine (a.k.a., Maine’s leading 
“duck factory”) once again hosted a plethora 
of breeding waterfowl, most notably Gadwall, 
Northern Shoveler, and a pair of Redheads for 
the 2nd year in a row (BS). Among an assort- 
ment of outliers was a pair of Northern Pin- 
tails at H.B.S.P 6-25 Jun (fide GH); a very 
tardy Eurasian Teal in Newton, Middlesex, MA 
lingering from May until 7 Jun (S. Abele, Jide 
B.O.); a pair of Ring-necked Ducks at Red- 
ding, Faufield, CT 19 Jun (T. Green); an imm. 
male King Eider at H.B.S.P. throughout the 
period (fide GH) and a female at Little Comp- 
ton, Newport, RI 14 Jul (ph. A. Hrycin); 12 
Long-tailed Ducks at three Connecticut 
coastal locations throughout Jun (fide GH); a 
juv. Hooded Merganser at Muskeget 1. 28 Jul 
(RV); and a Ruddy Duck at Wolcott, New 
Haven, CT 17 Jul (GH). Despite the presence 
of 10 Ruddy Ducks at L. Josephine (BS), none 
were confirmed nesting; however, 5 were 
present at the S.S.D.E throughout the period, 
and at least one pair successfully nested 
(m.ob., Jide LS) — a noteworthy event, consid- 
ering that the species was first documented 
nesting in Maine as recently as 2005. 
A Pacific Loon in breeding plumage off 
Manomet, Plymouth, MA (ph. ID) represented 
another in a series of late spring occurrences 
of this species in New England. In New 
Hampshire, 264 pairs of Common Loons suc- 
cessfully fledged 110 chicks, an increase from 
97 young last year 0 - Cooley, fide TV), while 
Vermont loons hosted a record-breaking 53 
successful nesting pairs and 73 surviving 
chicks through mid-Sep (fide CRi). Despite 
these expanding ad. populations, concern 
persists in New Hampshire, where the average 
of one chick fledged per every two pairs is not 
good news. The diminished productivity was 
attributed to rainy early summer weather, 
predation, and human disturbance. In the Bay 
State, 21 pairs of Common Loons raised 13 
chicks (fide TF). No doubt due to increased 
coverage by Massachusetts breeding bird atlas 
workers, nesting Pied-billed Grebes were con- 
Now an annual visitor to southern New England, White-faced Ibis was de- 
tected twice in summer 2009; this one was found 30 July 2009 at Milford, 
New Haven, Connecticut by Frank Gallo. Photograph byMarkSzantyr. 
VOLUME 63 (2009) • NUMBER 4 
569 
