I stopped for about 45 minutes yesterday afternoon along Piggery Road hoping to hear the the Golden-winged warbler and either cuckoo (but not not really expecting warbler). I did not hear any of these birds.
The highlights included a willow flycatcher singing from the top of a tall willow about 40 feet from my car. It sang for about five minutes with sporadic fitzbu songs thereafter. The flycatcher was perched along the road about 200 feet east of the access road to the pond area, wetland boardwalk and the piggery. You could not miss it from the boardwalk.
I also had an alder flycatcher singing from an alder about 750 feet farther east (down the road away from the river) of the willow flycatcher. Although meaningless, I thought it was 'cool' having both species singing from tall bushes for which they were named after.
There was a sora in the back of the cattail patch on the north side of the road, toward the rear of the wetland (near the end of the dirt road that runs parallel to the metal fence). There was also a common grackle nest in a small islet of cattails about 40 feet into the wetland. The male was removing huge fecal sacs from the nest. The bulbous fecal sacs stood out really well because of their size and white coloration that contrasted sharply with its black/purple color. He released them over 150 feet away.
The remaining birds were normal breeding residents.
Birds and wetlands are great!
Norm Famous
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-- Norman Famous, Wetlands and Wildlife Ecologist
513 Eight Rod Road
Augusta, ME 04330
(207) 623 6072
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