It has been a very nice but unspectacular early summer so far in the bay area.
Common Loon: Breeding plumaged birds are starting to show up various places around the bay including a very tame individual at our mooring area. It is subsisting on small flounders, pollock, and green crabs. Often coming within 20 feet of the boat and dock it has been an excellent photographic subject.
A few Great Cormorants have been around all summer.
Bald Eagles are starting to gather on Egg Rock now that the gull chicks have hatched. There were six, (2 adult, 1 3rd summer bird, and three 2nd summer birds) on 7/2.
There is a single large eaglet on the nest on Sheep Porcupine Island which is now starting to stand up on edge of the nest.
The Peregrines on Champlain Mt. have again failed to produce young. The adults are still defending the nest territory and are particularly aggressive toward passing Turkey Vultures. The pair at Echo Lake produced three young.
Common Eider ducklings are being seen at Egg Rock and range from downy young to half grown birds as of 7/2.
A group of six Black Scoters moving across the bay on 7/2 were the first since early May.
Non bird: Red Admiral butterflies are seen crossing the bay every day. The first Monarch was headed south across the bay on 7/1. Several Tiger Swallowtails were moving between the Porcupine Islands on 7/1 and 2.
A new born Humpback Whale calf was seen with its mother a week ago and then found floating dead off the Cranberry Isles this past weekend. The body was recovered by the Allied Whale people and is moored off the College of the Atlantic. It is interesting to note that no birds seem interested in it with gulls, crows, and TVs passing by continuously.
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Updated 5/31
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