calling terns

Carl Safina suggests that the calling terns heard in the fog the other day might have been Roseates. The Roseate Tern call with which I am familiar is the well-known (and rather emphatic) 'k'vick' but that is may be more of an alarm call; apparently there is also a flight call which might have been what I heard. The whole subject of tern calls is difficult especially since almost all the recordings I have been able to find were made on the breeding grounds where the birds may sound very different. Roseates breed locally so they are theoretically the most likely to turn up although, in my experience, they almost always head out to sea to fish: I have never seen them on this side of the bay (however we are still in migration time and in the fog anything is theoretically possible). Other possibilities like Arctic and Sandwich Terns, are even more uncommon and appear sporadically on or near the barrier beach at places like Mecox or Cupsogue and are even less likely anywhere else.

Still another species of tern was on the creek yesterday. At this time of year, Forster's Tern looks like a Common Tern but it is noticeably smaller, has a slightly different flight look and shows a flashy bright white patch in its primaries as it flies. Thus it was yesterday. The most common tern on the creek these days is the Least but there are also Commons around. I suspect that Forster's Terns may even be breeding somewhere in our area -- most likely at Cupsogue -- and, along with Royal Terns, they tend to be most common in mid- to late summer.

Our recently arrived Common Yellowthroat seems to have settled in on the upper edges of the marsh and he was singing away all morning with his signature 'weetchity-weetchity-weetch'. Hope he finds a mate. Great Crested Flycatcher was also back doing a regular circuit of the larger oak trees all around and calling all the while. I presume this is also the male and I also wish him luck finding a female.

By contrast, the Carolina Wrens, which have flying young, are relatively quiet with a burst of song only now and then. When birds start nesting or have young they often stop singing. The Catbirds, which have only recently arrived (the Wrens were here all winter), appear to have paired up quickly and they may already be attending to nesting business; I hear their meeows but surprisingly little song. The only other incessant singer (besides the Yellowthroat) is the Tufted Titmouse which continues its steady one- or two-note songs with surprising persistence and more variation than you might think was possible.

Eric Salzman