Re: [Maine-birds] Petit Manan... to Mount Desert Rock tour on the "Osprey" South Polar Skua

Hi Bill,

 

We made a private trip today to Petit Manan and had 11 Puffin which was are target species...  5 Bald Eagles and one Peregrine Falcon greeted us and my comment was " things are about to get complicated".....  the Puffin we saw seemed not to worried about the big guys and allowed us to paddle right up to them in an inflatable....  All the other players were there including one Spotted Sandpiper and a grunt load of Laughing Gulls.   No Razorbill or Murre were found so we headed out to the "Ball Park"  where we found very little.

 

From here we turned west-south-west  towards Mount Desert Rock.  Not long after the turn we discovered a  South Polar SKUA   with great photos.  3000 Wilson's Storm Petrel and several hundred Greater Shearwater....  Working through the numbers tonight but we had an incredible morning and afternoon on the water.

 

We landed on Mount Desert Rock  were we encountered a bucketful of  land birds including Baltimore Oriole, Alder Flycatcher, 12 Red-breasted Nuthatch, American Redstart, Yellow Warbler and a YOY Rose-breasted Grosbeak..... and a few other birds..

 

Thanks to Toby and Alex from the COA Osprey and an incredible day on the Gulf of Maine.  A total gift of a day.  Report to follow.

 

Michael

 

Michael J. Good, MS
President Down East Nature Tours
Founder and Director Research and Development
14th Acadia Birding Festival, May 31-June 3, 2012
Co-founder Penobscot Watershed Eco Center
39 COTTAGE STREET
Bar Harbor, Maine 04609
207-288-8128 / 207-479-4256

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-----Original Message-----

From: wtownsend@roadrunner.com

Sent: Wednesday, August 22, 2012 8:13 PM

To: Birds

Subject: [Maine-birds] Frenchman Bay, Petit Manan...

 

8/22/12

Petit Manan Island

     We have ended the daily trips to Petit Manan Island.  The final trip had one immature Puffin that remained with a group of four Black Guillemots during the half hour that we watch it.

     No terns were seen.

     50 plus Laughing Gulls were very active.

     One Bald Eagle perched on the north end of the island.

In Frenchman Bay...

     The numbers of Common Loons continue to increase.

     A continuous stream of Gannets loops through the bay plunge diving and then continuing south.

     The numbers of Common Loons continue to increase.

     The first winter plumaged Red-throated Loon was seen today.

     Small "flocks" of 1-4 Tree and Barn Swallows seen very day passing south.

     The numbers of Bonapartes and Ring-billed Gulls are increasing.

South of Mt. Desert I...

     The single young bird in the Clark Pt. Osprey nest is just starting to fly.  Yesterday it was hovering in the wind about three feet over the nest and when it was blown a few feet away it would awkwardly struggle back to the nest and land. An adult was seen carrying a strand of seaweed toward the nest.  Today 8/22 the young bird was huddled deep in the nest with an adult standing on the nest.

     Common Terns were diving off the Jesuit Field on Somes Sound the past couple of days.

 

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