To add another layer to the aging confusion, while also tying into the ROST banding conversation - here are two banded Roseate Terns I have recently encountered at Nickerson. I have now received reports from both of them. They were both banded as chicks, one on Great Gull Island, one in Connecticut, and both in 2016. I think anyone reading this conversation who encountered them in the field would call them adults by plumage, but by the terms defined, they are both second summers.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/129132563@N05/27955753537/in/ dateposted-public/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/129132563@N05/28846030558/in/ dateposted-public/ On Tue, Jun 19, 2018 at 5:58 AM, Joseph DiCostanzo <jdic...@nyc.rr.com> wrote: > Shai does an excellent job summarizing the complications of the terms. And > he makes a very important point about using the term “type” since there is > so much individual variation you cannot always reliably join plumage to > chronological age. I would disagree with one point however. On Great Gull > Island we trap numbers of Common Terns that are 20 years old or older. (I > frequently tell students the bird they are handling might be older than > they are.) Some seasons we may handle a hundred birds in this age bracket. > It is highly unusual for them to be visually different from from other > adults, so I would disagree with Shai’s statement that many Common Terns in > this age bracket look like TY birds. I should note that we are trapping > birds on nests with hatched chicks so they are generally in healthy > breeding condition. It is certainly possible that birds in subprime > condition may not be in full adult plumage. > > Joe DiCostanzo > > Sent from my iPad > > > On Jun 18, 2018, at 8:01 PM, Shaibal Mitra <shaibal.mi...@csi.cuny.edu> > wrote: > > > > Tim, > > > > There's an error here. > > > > Regardless of what's true of any given bird, note the following > equivalenciesduring June-July in NYS: > > > > Juvenile = HY = hatching-year > > First-summer = SY = Second calendar year > > Second-summer = TY = Third calendar year (but caveat: many this age look > like adults, and some adults look like this, hence "type") > > Adult = ATY = After Third calendar year. > > > > With terns: > > > > 1. the first-summer plumage (=SY =second calendar year) is usually > highly stereotyped; this is the "portlandica" plumage; one year-old birds > that differ obviously and consistently from breeding adults. > > > > 2. the second-summer type plumage (associated with but not identical to > TY = third calendar year) is highly variable. Part of this arises because > it comprises some actual TY birds (two years old; but note, many TY birds > attain definitive adult appearance), and also a percentage of older, fully > adult birds that are not in prime condition (very old Common Terns >20 > years old often look like this). > > > > Below are links to a series of second-summer type Arctic Tern > individuals, spanning the gamut from very delayed (almost > portlandica-looking) to nearly adult looking. The Arctic Terns that show up > on LI are non-breeders, and they range from classic first-summers through > all manner of second-summer types to almost adult-looking birds. But among > the latter, they almost always show some defect from full breeding adult > condition, and these occur all through June and early July. Thus I tend to > suspect them as mainly seond-summer = TY = Third year = two year-olds. > > > > https://flic.kr/p/VVHtaZ > > https://flic.kr/p/VhQ65U > > https://flic.kr/p/VT2po6 > > https://flic.kr/p/VCjr6C > > https://flic.kr/p/VPwvqd > > https://flic.kr/p/VT2pRk > > https://flic.kr/p/VCjq6G > > https://flic.kr/p/VT2rrp > > https://flic.kr/p/VT2otk > > https://flic.kr/p/VhQ6fo > > > > Best, > > Shai > > > > > > ________________________________________ > > From: bounce-122646499-3714...@list.cornell.edu [ > bounce-122646499-3714...@list.cornell.edu] on behalf of Timothy Healy [ > tp...@cornell.edu] > > Sent: Monday, June 18, 2018 7:28 PM > > To: Steve Walter > > Cc: NYSBIRDS > > Subject: Re: [nysbirds-l] Nickerson Beach Arctic Tern and others > > > > This is where many banders and field biologists often use the > abbreviations SY and ASY, for second year and after second year. The second > year, a.k.a. second summer a.k.a. year old, plumages for many species are > pretty definitive, and quite distinct from adults. In the case of COTE and > ARTE, birds stay in a plumage that resembles their initial juvenile > coloration for their second calendar year. The black-billed, > white-foreheaded birds that are so abundant at the beach this season are > coming up on a year old. This “imperfect” adult Arctic, with only some > smudges, flecks, and short streamers to separate it from a classic mature > bird, is probably at least two years old. I certainly don’t think it was > born during the last season, which is what I understand makes a second > summer bird. It may be in its third summer, or maybe it’s older and just a > little funky. I reported it on eBird as ASY, because it is definitely far > more progressed than the typical yearling birds loafing around the inlets. > > > > Cheers! > > -Tim H > > > > On Jun 18, 2018, at 7:15 PM, Steve Walter <swalte...@verizon.net<mailto: > swalte...@verizon.net>> wrote: > > > > Tim, > > > > In normal conversation, I typically use the phrase “two year old” for > birds that I suspect were born two summers ago. But as the conversation of > recent days has alluded, there can be adults that for whatever reason, are > not complete. And adult traits may not develop in sync in younger birds. > Looking back at the weekend’s posts, I saw that Pat Lindsay made a point > about her “second summer type” having a black bill. Today’s had a red bill. > So a two year old? Probably. But definitely? Maybe, maybe not. It looks > like it – so “second summer type” works for the public record. > > > > Steve > > > > > > From: Timothy Healy [mailto:tp...@cornell.edu] > > Sent: Monday, June 18, 2018 6:49 PM > > To: Steve Walter <swalte...@verizon.net<mailto:swalte...@verizon.net>> > > Cc: NYSBIRDS <nysbird...@list.cornell.edu<mailto:NYSBIRDS-L@list. > cornell.edu>> > > Subject: Re: [nysbirds-l] Nickerson Beach Arctic Tern and others > > > > Steve and other sternid enthusiasts, > > > > Isn’t second summer the term used for the immature aspect birds with > white foreheads and black bills? A freshly fledged juvenile would be living > through its first summer, so second summer individuals are yearlings, > correct? If my understanding of the nomenclature is accurate, the bird I > found yesterday, which matches Steve’s description and the photos of > Tripper’s bird from Friday, would be in its third summer or older. At a > glance it looks like a classic alternate plumage adult ARTE, but the faint > darker smudging on the carpal bar and the tail streamers that don’t extend > beyond the folded wingtips indicate that it is not fully mature. I saw a > similarly marked individual at Nickerson last year, and in 2015 I got a > photo of an adult-like ARTE with a surprisingly dark bill. The variation in > age classes and species of terns is so fascinating. I’ve learned a lot from > these discussions about Arctics, Roseates, and the mysterious dark Commons. > Mornings and afternoons at the colonies and inlets are one of my favorite > parts of early summer here on Long Island. > > > > Cheers! > > -Tim H > > > > On Jun 18, 2018, at 6:05 PM, Steve Walter <swalte...@verizon.net<mailto: > swalte...@verizon.net>> wrote: > > Another day, another Arctic Tern at Nickerson Beach. Actually, my first > for the year, and this one had to be waited on. It might have been too > foggy in the morning for it to find land (joke). Interesting bird this one. > My tern guru advises me to call it a “second summer type”. Basically adult > looking with a red bill, but with a carpal bar and speckling on the > forehead (not well visible in the picture I posted). In a similar vein, > there was a Roseate Tern of less than full adult appearance. This bird, and > also a full adult, had readable blue legs bands. Maybe others have seen > this, but this is the first time I’ve seen terns with something more > readable in the field than the metal bands. I’ll reports these (bands B97 > and Y11) and find out more in due time. But perhaps someone on this list > might know something (Joe D?). Also, a Gull-billed Tern flying over the > east tern colony around mid-day. Pictures of the Arctic and Roseates have > been added to the bottom of the Recent Work page at my web site > http://stevewalternature.com/ . > > > > Steve Walter > > Bayside, NY > > -- > > NYSbirds-L List Info: > > Welcome and Basics<http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm> > > Rules and Information<http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm> > > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave<http://www.northeastbirding.com/ > NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > > Archives: > > The Mail Archive<http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@ > cornell.edu/maillist.html> > > Surfbirds<http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L> > > ABA<http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01> > > Please submit your observations to eBird<http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ > >! > > -- > > -- > > NYSbirds-L List Info: > > Welcome and Basics<http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm> > > Rules and Information<http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm> > > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave<http://www.northeastbirding.com/ > NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > > Archives: > > The Mail Archive<http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@ > cornell.edu/maillist.html> > > Surfbirds<http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L> > > ABA<http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01> > > Please submit your observations to eBird<http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ > >! > > -- > > > > -- > > > > NYSbirds-L List Info: > > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm > > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm > > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm > > > > ARCHIVES: > > 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html > > 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L > > 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 > > > > Please submit your observations to eBird: > > http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ > > > > -- > > > > > -- > > NYSbirds-L List Info: > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm > > ARCHIVES: > 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html > 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L > 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 > > Please submit your observations to eBird: > http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ > > -- > > -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
