ML253742231

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

***Mega; Many SOTE brought in with Hurricane Isaias. An incredible show that left us feeling closer to the Dry Tortugas than the Gulf of Maine. First bird was seen distantly offshore by Oliver, Will S, and Max, at 6:35 AM, flying west from the north shore, to incredible joy — as all three of us, having missed out on the main storm the day before, were convinced we had nothing coming. Boy were we wrong. Offshore, these elegant birds basically screamed at us to identify them, even among the huge tern movements: their deep black uppersides and clean white undersides and face pattern along with dark underside of primaries were diagnostic to ID, but they were discernable from the other terns more due to the color and their great size and powerful flight, which consistently reminded us of a kite or falcon rather than a tern. Our next bird was at 8:10 AM, by Will VH, doing the same thing: flying west off the north. Scattered sightings in this area followed until we made our way to the rips on the very northwest tip of Race Point where the Waters were stationed, where we could view both Sooties feeding at once. It was here that a Sooty approached us closely for the first time, giving us full frame bin views over water! Later saw at least one bird on west side beach coming back from Hatches Harbor: and finally, one that surprised the entire group in the dunes east of the rips, which literally flew directly over our heads, giving views of the highest quality as the group shouted words of the lowest quality. Overall, considering the breadth of sightings of single and two birds (including another dune sighting much farther down the beach by just Francis and Mike), it seems highly likely three birds were involved. Multiple Sooty Terns in Massachusetts — not in a hurricane but on a clear beach day that brought out the crowds! Unforgettable! Note: Upon review of individuals present in photos by Francis and Max, it is possible but not definite that at least 3 birds were involved. The possibility that terns not well photographed were different individuals than the ones in detail, leading to an even higher count, cannot be discounted. See Francis’s checklist notes for the complete review.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Lens

EF400mm f/5.6L USM

ISO

320

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/7.1

Shutter speed

1/1250 sec

Dimensions

4288 pixels x 2859 pixels

Original file size

9.94 MB