Re: [Maine-birds] RFI: Red-Billed Tropicbird, Seal Island

The tropicbird is still there and has remained in past years into early to mid August.

Last week, something amazing happened. Keith Mueller from Connecticut had given John Drury a wooden decoy of a Red-billed Tropicbird last year. Keith carves remarkably detailed decoys as a hobby and made one as a present for John. This year John once again placed the decoy in the small harbor at Seal Island hoping to attract the tropicbird's interest. On several visits the tropicbird failed to appear, and the decoy was hoisted aboard sad and lonely. It did endure some scolding dives by terns that have come to dislike the tropicbird. Last Thursday, however, there was an amorous encounter. You can see photos of it by scrolling to the bottom of Keith's blog entry here:

http://coastalbirds2.blogspot.com/2010/07/a-tale-of-two-red-billed-tropicbirds.html

After 9 years with only the harassment of local nesting terns, which the tropicbird seems to relish taunting, this decoy may be bitter sweet love. If one dares to peek at the sexually explicit photos, then the tropicbird's sex might be presumed (mounting behavior). But females performing male behaviors, including mounting and copulation, are well-documented in birds; so one cannot draw any definite conclusions.

Anyway, three cheers for the Maine tropicbird! Live long and prosper.

Louis Bevier
Fairfield

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