Maine birds And MOAC mountainbiking: July 2013

Wednesday, 31 July 2013

[Maine-birds] Maine RBA - July 30, 2013

Name: Maine Audubon Rare Bird Alert
Reporting Period: July 24 – 30, 2013
Area: State of Maine
Compilers: Doug Hitchcox

Noteworthy Species Mentioned:
Red-billed Tropicbird+
American White Pelican+
Least Bittern
Tricolored Heron
White-faced Ibis+
Little Gull
South Polar Skua+

(+ Details requested by Maine Bird Records Committee)

York County

Up to three LITTLE GULLS continued to be seen throughout this week along the beach at Laudholm Farm in Wells.

Greater Portland

Highlights around the Scarborough Marsh this week included: an adult TRICOLORED HERON, two apparent TRICOLORED HERON x SNOWY EGRET hybrids, and at least one WHITE-FACED IBIS. These birds have mostly been seen from the Eastern Trail running through the marsh.

Kennebec River Valley (Augusta-Waterville)

On the evening of the 30th, a LEAST BITTERN was heard calling from the boat launch at the south end of Messalonskee Lake in Belgrade.

Midcoast

A tropicbird was reported from the harbor at Monhegan Island on the 30th. This site's proximity to Seal Island and the lack of a catalyst for a new vagrant makes it seem most likely that this could have been the RED-BILLED TROPICBIRD that has been spending the summer at Seal Island.

Central Maine

On the 24th, an AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER was reported from the Telos Road, west of Baxter State Park.

Downeast

Throughout the week, a skua was reported from the Bar Harbor Whale Watch. One photo appears to show a SOUTH POLAR SKUA, which is thought to be more likely this time of year, but GREAT SKUA was also reported.

Northern Maine

An AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN was found at Christina Reservoir in Fort Fairfield on the 29th and continued on the 30th. This is apparently the same bird that was seen in St. Agatha earlier this month.

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[Maine-birds] Sears Island osprey

A wonderful day for a hike around Sears Island. We were greeted by this osprey.

http://photosbychance.zenfolio.com/p501323621/h658368e6#h658368e6

Later four different great blue herons lead us on for a mile or so before doubling back. I wonder if they were an adult with juveniles, or a group of juveniles. I've not previously observed more than one great blue at a time.

Cheers,

Dave

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Tuesday, 30 July 2013

[Maine-birds] additional white pelican photos aroostook by Paul Cyr also in July Long Lake

[Maine-birds] Quintessential Aroostook County

Aroostook County's immense charm may be summed up by the warm and friendly French/Canadien culture, Bill Sheehan, the iconic moose, little white churches, Aurora Borealis in the night sky, regiments of black pointed spruce, and, of course, pelicans flying low over vast expanses of rolling potato fields.

WHAT! You doubt Pelicans over Maine potato fields. excuse me, but you must please click this link..you will note black pointed spruce and in the far background a hilltop potato field. http://www.flickr.com/photos/64147480@N02/9405247204/

rob speirs cumberland

[Maine-birds] White-Tailed Tropicbird

Spotted on Monhegan today in the harbor. It was seen by Rusty Spear. He is a reliable source and has a good eye and memory for detail with birds.

[Maine-birds] Unity migrants

This morning after the fog cleared there was a fairly heavy movement of warblers and other birds here in Unity/Thorndike. Highlights included 14 warbler species (at least three Tennessees) and a Black-billed Cuckoo. Most of the warblers were adults in molt.

Good birding,

tom

[Maine-birds] Re: Correction

Joel - was the skepticism due to geography or habitat? We've seen them on mudflats quite often. Not at Pinkham Bay but ...

Steve

On Monday, July 29, 2013 1:07:11 PM UTC-4, Joel and Sandy Wilcox-Fairbanks wrote:

Hi All,

Ebird was skeptical about my claimed Pectoral Sandpiper ("1 for sure") at the Pinkham Bay mudflats, so take that with a few grains of salt. I have to admit that I have always seen them before only in grassy fields (in FL).

Joel Wilcox
Cherryfield

Monday, 29 July 2013

[Maine-birds] Green Heron

Hi Everyone
Just posting (late) that yesterday AM, low tide, there was a Green Heron in the cove at the end of Catherine Dr, In the afternoon at high tide I couldn't relocate it and couldn't find it this am.

Nancy
Scarborough Me

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[Maine-birds] Correction

Hi All,

Ebird was skeptical about my claimed Pectoral Sandpiper ("1 for sure") at the Pinkham Bay mudflats, so take that with a few grains of salt. I have to admit that I have always seen them before only in grassy fields (in FL).

Joel Wilcox

Cherryfield

Re: [Maine-birds] Baxter birding

Forgot to mention in my earlier post that we had Black-capped Chickadee and Boreal Chickadee as well.
Skip Small
Rockport

Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

From: Carl Small <triton469@yahoo.com>;
To: maine-birds@googlegroups.com <maine-birds@googlegroups.com>;
Subject: [Maine-birds] Baxter birding
Sent: Mon, Jul 29, 2013 1:09:00 PM

Four from the mid coast area headed to the Baxter area for whatever birds we could see. Birding around Neosourdahunk area we had:

Mourning Warbler
Chestnut-sided
Magnolia
Common Yellow Throat
Blackpoll
Nashville
Northern Parula
Palm
Yellow-rumped
Blue-headed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Hermit Thrush
Golden-crown Kinglet
Swanson Thrush
Great looks at Three American Bitterns
Wood Ducks
Common Loons
Pied-billed Grebes
Canada Geese
Kingbird
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Broad-wing Hawk
Purple Finch
One Moose

Side note this morning had an Orange-crowned Warbler in crabapple tree at home.

Skip Small with Linda Small, Brenda Inskeep and John Tobin
Rockport

Sent

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[Maine-birds] Hyannis to Hydrographer pelagic, 3 Aug, space available

I am forwarding news of space available for folks from the Brookline Bird Club (celebrating their 100th anniversary this year). This is out of Massachusetts, but Maine used to be an exclave of that state, so I'm taking the liberty of posting here ;-)

Link to pelagic and BBC website: http://www.brooklinebirdclub.org/p/pelagics.html

Louis Bevier

Fairfield,

The Brookline Bird Club will be running a dedicated pelagic birding trip out of Hyannis, MA to the continental shelf edge - there are still a few spaces. Sign up now!

DATE: SATURDAY, Aug. 3, 2013: 2AM - 7PM

Hyannis to the Hydrographer Canyon area.

Birds expected: 4 or 5 species of Shearwaters (possibly Audubon's, two previous trips have seen Barolo Shearwater), Leaches and Wilson's Storm-petrels, Jaegers (LONG-TAILED), Gannets, Terns, and several Marine Animals. We hope to see BAND-RUMPED STORM PETRELS, BRIDLED TERN, SKUAS and other rarities. Anything is possible. We will be in the deeper warmer waters off the coast.

Limit: 50 Participants

Cost: $185 - BBC Members - $200.00 - non members

We have MASTER BIRDERS: JAMES SMITH, MARK FAHERTY and others who will be spotting the birds and getting us onto them over the loud speaker system. We use a variety of chum by the gallons. Our boat, the Helen H, is a comfortable, fast, 100 foot fishing boat with a knowledgeable and enthusiastic Captain and crew. There is a full galley with excellent food at reasonable prices. Parking is free.

To reserve a space, send a check for the full amount made out to the
'BROOKLINE BIRD CLUB AGENT' along with a signed waiver to: Ida Giriunas, 83 Summer Ave., Reading, MA, 01867 and include either your email or your postal
address for confirmation, boarding instructions and further information.

For further information, a Waiver Form and to register, contact:

Ida Giriunas 781-929-8772,
ida8@verizon.net
Reading, MA

[Maine-birds] AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN - Fort Fairfield, 7/29

Hey everyone:

Bill Sheehan just called to say that he and Jerry Smith relocated the AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN at Christina Reservoir in Fort Fairfield. This is presumably the same bird that was seen earlier this month in St. Agatha from the 10th through the 12th.

Good birding,

Doug Hitchcox
Hollis, ME

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[Maine-birds] Baxter birding

Sunday, 28 July 2013

[Maine-birds] is there more info on the Spotted Towhee report??

Hello Zak Pohlen,

Can you give more information, where were you standing on Drakes Island, where was the bird? How long did you see it? Was it there when you left?

Thankyou

Andy Aldrich

North Berwick

Spotted Towhee (1 report)

---------------------------------------------
Thank you for subscribing to the <hourly> Needs Alert for Maine. The report below shows observations of species you have not seen in Maine, based on your eBird observations. View this alert on the web at http://ebird.org/ebird/alert/summary?sid=SN10365
NOTE: all sightings are UNCONFIRMED unless indicated

Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus) (1)
- Reported Jul 27, 2013 12:24 by Zak Pohlen
- Laudholm Farm--Laudholm Beach, York, Maine
- Map: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&z=13&q=43.33378,-70.54143&ll=43.33378,-70.54143
- Checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S14802706

[Maine-birds] eBird Report - ME-ISS-45 Seawall Beach, Phippsburg, Plot 1, Jul 27, 2013

And so migration has begun, and it seems my summer has barely started! A fab day to spend on the beach counting birds. On salt marsh on the way in to the beach (Morse Mountain Bates/Colby conservation area) nice flock of 12 Glossy Ibis, also.

> Date: Sun, 28 Jul 2013 14:46:42 -0400
> From: do-not-reply@ebird.org
> To: rrrobinson2010@hotmail.com
> Subject: eBird Report - ME-ISS-45 Seawall Beach, Phippsburg, Plot 1, Jul 27, 2013
>
> ME-ISS-45 Seawall Beach, Phippsburg, Plot 1, Sagadahoc, US-ME
> Jul 27, 2013 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM
> Protocol: Area
> 100.0 ac
> Comments: 1 hr before and 1 hr after high tide; high tide 3:38pm =9.8'; unable to access plot 2, the most easterly area due to tide, high disturbance on east end of plot 1 beach - 68 people, birds disturbed on west end 2 times by pedestrian and paddle boarders, large flock of shorebirds resting on most westerly end of plot, beach otherwise devoid of shorebirds on eastern half where beachgoers congregated, sunny, temp 78, south west winds about 5 mph, ME Enhanced shorebird monitoring program
> 17 species
>
> Common Loon 1 fly over
> Double-crested Cormorant 12
> Snowy Egret 1 fly over
> Glossy Ibis 1 fly over
> Osprey 2
> Black-bellied Plover 0
> Semipalmated Plover 108 count accurate based on examination of photographs - photos available, mixed flock with Semi Palmated Sandpipers, birds resting, not feeding
> Piping Plover 6 nest in cordoned conservation area along dunes, adult birds present with chicks, all feeding and resting on nest, young do not show flight intent or practice yet
> Killdeer 0
> Ruddy Turnstone 0
> Red Knot 0
> Sanderling 0
> Semipalmated Sandpiper 275 count approximate, too bunched together resting to be exact, mixed flock with Semi Palmated plovers, birds resting, not feeding
> Least Sandpiper 0
> Ring-billed Gull 33
> Herring Gull 18
> Great Black-backed Gull 6
> Common Tern 15
> Mourning Dove 6 fly over 4, 2 on dunes
> Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
> Tree Swallow 4
> Barn Swallow 9
> Savannah Sparrow 1 dunes
>
> View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S14802951
>
> This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (/content/iss)

RE: [Maine-birds] Little Gulls

Bruce -

I walked thru Laudholm Farm (Wells Reserve) to the beach then left (east) on that beach to the river mouth (Merriland River). High tide was around one that day - and I spotted the Little Gulls around 9:30 . They were in the river on a sand bar for about an hour. Once that small sand bar was overcome by water, they flew out to the ocean. Good Luck spotting them.

Marie

From: maine-birds@googlegroups.com [mailto:maine-birds@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Bruce Bartrug
Sent: Sunday, July 28, 2013 3:26 PM
To: maine-birds@googlegroups.com
Subject: [Maine-birds] Little Gulls

Thanks to those who commented on the photos from Iceland. My apologies there are no descriptors, as I only had time to load the photos. It's just summer in Maine when you have two grandchildren :).

Might anyone have more detailed information on where to go in the Wells Esturay/Rachel Carson area to find the little gulls? Tidal stage when the birds were visible would also be appreciated.

Thanks much,

BAB

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Bruce Bartrug
Nobleboro, Maine, USA
bbartrug@gmail.com
www.brucebartrug.com

The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing. - Albert Einstein

[Maine-birds] Little Gulls

Thanks to those who commented on the photos from Iceland. My apologies there are no descriptors, as I only had time to load the photos. It's just summer in Maine when you have two grandchildren :).

Might anyone have more detailed information on where to go in the Wells Esturay/Rachel Carson area to find the little gulls? Tidal stage when the birds were visible would also be appreciated.

Thanks much,

BAB

[Maine-birds] FW: eBird Report - ME-ISS-45 Seawall Beach, Phippsburg, Plot 1, Jul 27, 2013

[Maine-birds] Gilsland Farm shorebirds

I did a shorebird survey at Gilsland Farm in Falmouth this morning and there was a significant increase today in shorebird numbers and diversity. Below are the results of my last 3 surveys here, ending with today's.

7/14 - No shorebirds

7/24 - Semipalmated Sandpiper - 194

7/28 - Semipalmated Sandpiper - 647

Least Sandpiper - 7 (possibly more)

Semipalmated Plover - 4

Black-Bellied Plover - 12

Lesser Yellowlegs - 2

Spotted Sandpiper - 1

Peep sp. - 3 (suspected White-Rumped Sandpipers, but too distant to confirm)

No shorebirds seen from the Macworth Island causeway today.

Bird haahd,

Noah Gibb-Portland

Re: [Maine-birds] Steuben shorebirds

Hi,

Try incoming tide as the tide is bunching them up. Same could apply to outgoing tide although they may start feeding somewhere else if they are not roosting nearby. I used to get over a thousand birds in Pinkham Bay during the early 1980s.

Norm

On Sun, Jul 28, 2013 at 8:54 AM, Joel and Sandy Wilcox-Fairbanks <joelandsandy@gmail.com> wrote:

Lots of shorebirds on the mudflats at Pinkham Bay about 1 1/2 hours before low tide this AM. I should have been there 30 minutes earlier, as they were already fairly distant, but I could make out

Greater Yellowlegs ~20
Lesser Yellowlegs ~40
Pectoral Sandpiper 1 for sure, but probably more
Semipalmated Sandpiper ~250-300 (Maybe some leasts in the mix, though I did not see any yellow legs; but distance, shade from their bodies and muddy legs would have made the yellow hard to see.)

Short-billed Dowitcher (15-20; I'm assuming Short-billed due to location)

There were maybe 50 other sandpiper-types somewhat larger than the Semis that I could not make out.

Next time I'll get there earlier, but also try another viewing location. There is a wooded bluff next to the boat ramp with a trail to the top; this would be >100 yards closer to the birds than the obvious places to park.

Joel Wilcox
Cherryfield

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Norman Famous, Wetlands and Wildlife Ecologist

513 Eight Rod Road

Augusta, ME 04330

(207) 623 6072

[Maine-birds] Some coastal sightings...

7/27/13 Three Puffins at the mouth of Isle au Haut harbor.
Immature Bald Eagle flying 3 feet over the surface between Heron Neck (Vinalhaven I.) and in the general direction of Wooden Ball I.
Great Cormorants on Shag Rock and Brimstone I. south of Vinalhaven.
Small numbers of adult, subadult, and immature Gannets all along the 20 fathom line from the mouth of Penobscot Bay east to Frenchman Bay.
15-20 Red Phalaropes on floating seaweed east of Great Duck Island (off Mt. Desert).
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Updated July 9,2013.

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[Maine-birds] Steuben shorebirds

Lots of shorebirds on the mudflats at Pinkham Bay about 1 1/2 hours before low tide this AM. I should have been there 30 minutes earlier, as they were already fairly distant, but I could make out

Greater Yellowlegs ~20

Lesser Yellowlegs ~40

Pectoral Sandpiper 1 for sure, but probably more

Semipalmated Sandpiper ~250-300 (Maybe some leasts in the mix, though I did not see any yellow legs; but distance, shade from their bodies and muddy legs would have made the yellow hard to see.)

Short-billed Dowitcher (15-20; I'm assuming Short-billed due to location)

There were maybe 50 other sandpiper-types somewhat larger than the Semis that I could not make out.

Next time I'll get there earlier, but also try another viewing location. There is a wooded bluff next to the boat ramp with a trail to the top; this would be >100 yards closer to the birds than the obvious places to park.

Joel Wilcox

Cherryfield

[Maine-birds] Veery

Essex Street Marsh continues to produce photo opportunities.

I have not been able to see the sora yet this year, but have heard it on each visit. This veery popped out into the open and treated me to visual and acoustic entertainment for several minutes. I think there were several juvenile eastern kingbirds in range of my lens, but I'm not confident. Oh well, it was a fun outing.

http://photosbychance.zenfolio.com/p501323621/h62c7de7c#h62c7de7c

Cheers,

Dave

Saturday, 27 July 2013

[Maine-birds] Brünnich's murre photos from Iceland

Hi,

Spent a marvelous two weeks in Iceland in late May and early June. The birds I most wanted a photo of was the Brünnich's murre (thick-billed to the young crowd.) I was lucky enough to meet an ornithologist who pointed me in the right direction and you can see photos of this species on a lava cliff here:

http://bbartrug.zenfolio.com/p534029824.

Other photos include kittiwake, Eurasian oystercatcher, whimbrel, glaucous gull, fulmar, and glimpses of the Iceland countryside.

Ornithologically, Iceland is Arctic and European. At lattitude 66 degrees north one can't expect a huge bird list, but it's great to see breeding-plumage horned grebe, dunlin, red-necked phalarope, black-tailed godwit, red knot, European golden plover, red-throated loon. Snipe were booming everywhere and whimbrel were quite common, singing shorebird trills from fence posts. I did manage to bump into a white-tailed eagle as well, and even though I've seen them in India I screeched to a halt to get out of our car to get a better look. I wasn't the only car that stopped! Passerines were rather thin on the ground, except for white wagtails and wheatears, but copses of trees usually held redwing (a Eurasian thrush, not an Icterid), redpoll (chattering like so many goldfinches), and the occasional European blackbird (also a thrush, not an Icterid.)

If anyone is headed to Iceland, I can give you the name of an ornithologist that is a great guide.

Enjoy the photos if you take the time to look, and sorry this isn't about Maine. Sort of :).

BAB

Re: [Maine-birds] Tern ID?

Your bird is a Common Tern--a 1-year-old called 1st summer in many guides. These are seen at breeding colonies and roost sites but are uncommon here during summer. They are routine, however, and an identification challenge if one is unfamiliar with them.

This is a plumage that baffled ornithologists for a long time and has interesting connections to Maine. This plumage is also known as "portlandica" because a new species with that name was described from a specimen taken near Portland, Maine. That specimen was soon determined to be an Arctic Tern. Latter, Common and Roseate, as well as other terns, were found to show this winter plumage appearance in summer. Our understanding of this plumage, the so-called "white-faced" terns, was led by none other than Maine's own Ralph Palmer, who studied their occurrence at Popham Beach.

The identification is covered in modern field guides, but it is still confusing. The white forehead is your first tip that this is not a typical breeding tern. The all black bill and dark legs are shown by these 1st summer birds, and potentially confusing. Roseate has an all dark bill (some show orange or red at the base now, however), but then breeding Roseates also would have all black crowns and a different wing pattern. Their bill is also less robust, being thinner and spikier. The wing pattern is the clincher. The dusky outer primaries with the broad and blurry dark trailing edge below, well shown on the closer up-raised wing, is classic Common Tern. Roseate is much paler gray above and has only the outer two primaries with a dark outer (leading) margin and none to only a slight dark the trailing edge below. The dark inner secondaries showing at the base of the far up-raised wing is another good clue for Common Tern. Roseate has all white secondaries. Not shown by your image because it is hidden is the darker carpel bar.

Here is a link to the article by Ralph Palmer published in a 1941 issue of The Auk. It is rather long, but does describe this bird fairly well with accompanying plates showing specimens:
http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v058n02/p0164-p0178.pdf

For birders, the ground-breaking articles by Bob Scott and Peter Grant published during the late 1960s in the journal British Birds are classics on this topic and examples of careful observation, note-taking, and analysis. You can read their study of similarly plumaged Common Terns to yours here:
http://www.britishbirds.co.uk/search?model=pdf&id=4227
The accompanying plate is here:
http://www.britishbirds.co.uk/search?id=4228
(click on thumbnail of black-and-white sketch with terns)

Also helpful is their article on juvenile Sterna terns here:
http://www.britishbirds.co.uk/search?model=pdf&id=4272

Louis Bevier
Fairfield

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[Maine-birds] Tern ID?

I am questioning my ID of this tern that I posted on my Flicker account yesterday. Roseate? Maybe not? What is it and what field marks lead to that conclusion?

Any help with its ID would be appreciated - thanks. Marie

I am including it in the body of this email - I know the policy is not to include pictures but I made this one to be of very low resolution so it should not be a problem data wise for those with limited data plans - this entire email is not much more that the usual KBs of posts without photos. If you need a higher res pic please visit the flickr site where I posted it and may have miss labeled it. http://www.flickr.com/photos/55woodduck/

Friday, 26 July 2013

[Maine-birds] Some birds on Laudholm Beach, Wells Reserve, 7/25/13

I spent a couple hours yesterday morning on Laudholm Beach - Wells Reserve, in Wells with camera in hand while enjoying the birding activity - Little Gulls, various Terns and their chicks, and a Piping Plover mother and her four chicks were the highlights of the morning.

I have posted on Flickr a few of my photos of the day. Enjoy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/55woodduck/

Marie Jordan

[Maine-birds] Belted Kingfisher- Town Hill (Bar Harbor)

A belted kingfisher has spent the late afternoon perched on a power line near the Frenchman's Hill fire-pond.

If your are interested in seeing the Hermit Thrush nest in the wet part of our back yard (photo taken a week ago) go to: http://acadiabirds.wordpress.com/ and select the "birds" in the archive, or just scroll down through the butterflies to find the nest.

[Maine-birds] Bremen - Red-Bellied Woodpecker baby

What a thrill to look out and see a young Red-Bellied Woodpecker being fed by mom and another waiting to be fed. The Red-Bellied has spent two winters here and now has a family!

Juanita Roushdy
Bremen, ME

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Thursday, 25 July 2013

[Maine-birds] Burn Road

Sandra from Long Island started the day with zero Spruce Grouse on her life list, but ended with six. Weather on the Burn Road in Topsfield was ideal today. While some of this year’s harvest remains to be picked up, I noticed no current logging operations going on. My only human encounters were with presumed bear hunting guides (two) who were staking out their bear baiting prospects.

Olive-sided Flycatchers were tending youngsters and they are now silly abundant. Spruce Grouse families continued to pop into the road sporadically. Gray Jays were also escorting juveniles. A Black-backed Woodpecker crossed the road in late morning and began a 15-minute siesta in front of us. Click here for the world’s most boring BBWO – a bird that barely blinked his eyes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXt6yd_9kEQ.

I have an informal goal of finding Gray Jay, Black-backed Woodpecker, Spruce Grouse, and Boreal Chickadee on the Burn Road by noon. But, like losing 10 pounds, that goal would be more achievable if I actually put in the effort. Today, the goal was achieved at 12:41pm, so I still have something to shoot for.

Perhaps the highlight of the day: Common Noonhawks. While nighthawks are known to sleep the day away along the mid section of the Burn Road, they spent the noon hour foraging and swooping. I will be sad to see them leave in about three weeks.

Lastly, I have to pay compliments to Baskahegan Company, landowner of the Burn Road and over 100,000 acres nearby. I visit many timber properties in the state, but no company does a better job of sustainable forestry. I could give a long list of things they do right, but just take my word for it.

Bob Duchesne

[Maine-birds] Gilsland Farm Birdwalk

Hello everyone:

It was another gorgeous day for a walk around Gilsland Farm. Starting at 7 it actually felt chilly - almost a late September feel. By the time we made it to the North Meadow the sun had come out, warming things up just enough so we could add a few butterflies to the day list: Common Wood Nymphs (Cercyonis pegala alope) were especially abundant over the meadow and just a few Pearl Crescents (Phyciodes tharos) were nectaring in the gardens.

And of course the birds put on a show: While many species are falling quiet, there were still signs of breeding around the property. American Goldfinches are ramping up with the abundance of thistle in the meadow and unfortunately the Cedar Waxwing nest in the North Meadow, which was new last week, was empty today.

The cooling temps were not the only glimpses of "fall." A Black-bellied Plover still in alternate plumage stood out nicely on the mudflats and a male Bobolink was beginning its prebasic molt - starting to show some yellow on the body.

Here is a complete checklist from the day: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S14772159

Good birding,

Doug Hitchcox

Hollis, ME

[Maine-birds] Re: Phippsburg odd duck ID help ? Shoveler

I think that it is another juvenile Eider, but maybe a different age than the ones around it. To me, the bill looks right, albeit not fully developed yet. A dabbling duck, even a juvenile, would have a concave-curved culmen, while this bird's culmen is straight, consistent with Common Eider. The body coloring and shape of the head seem consistent to me as well.

Cole Winstanley

Concord, MA / Kennebunkport, ME

On Thursday, July 25, 2013 9:48:08 AM UTC-4, Robin Robinson wrote:

Phippsburg, Me Map 6 Totman Cove
? is this a juv Northern Shoveler?
looking for help with probably impossible ID or at least suggestions:
Odd duck (that would be the bird in the water, not the one typing in the chair here) in company of flock of juv Common eiders. Link to series of images of bird in question below (images are poor - low light and distance).
Bird was a dabbler not a diver
1/2 the size of the eiders
bill twice length of head, smooth slope, huge looking bill
head somewhat rounded, certainly not that of eiders with more sloping forehead
brown with possibly rufus/reddish on top of head
some white feathers in coverts
What got my attention was the size and shape of this bird as major stand out elements from eiders. Did not look like a Mallard nor Black Duck youngster, different head and bill shape. Odd to see birds other than eiders mixed in with juv eiders. Usually only mallard and black ducks hang with eiders and rarely this time of year, only in winter.Will try for better photos or more id points if I see the little guy again. Anyone who wants to go looking these birds are cruising rock line and crossing Totman Cove West Point to Small Point and into North Creek.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts on this. And so the autumn "what's that bird" stuff begins.........
Robin R Robinson
Baffled Again in The Burg

http://www.robinrobinsonmaine.com/OTHER-AND-MISCELLANEOUS/eBird/20888035_sMnHPp

[Maine-birds] Phippsburg odd duck ID help ? Shoveler

Phippsburg, Me Map 6 Totman Cove
? is this a juv Northern Shoveler?
looking for help with probably impossible ID or at least suggestions:
Odd duck (that would be the bird in the water, not the one typing in the chair here) in company of flock of juv Common eiders. Link to series of images of bird in question below (images are poor - low light and distance).
Bird was a dabbler not a diver
1/2 the size of the eiders
bill twice length of head, smooth slope, huge looking bill
head somewhat rounded, certainly not that of eiders with more sloping forehead
brown with possibly rufus/reddish on top of head
some white feathers in coverts
What got my attention was the size and shape of this bird as major stand out elements from eiders. Did not look like a Mallard nor Black Duck youngster, different head and bill shape. Odd to see birds other than eiders mixed in with juv eiders. Usually only mallard and black ducks hang with eiders and rarely this time of year, only in winter.Will try for better photos or more id points if I see the little guy again. Anyone who wants to go looking these birds are cruising rock line and crossing Totman Cove West Point to Small Point and into North Creek.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts on this. And so the autumn "what's that bird" stuff begins.........
Robin R Robinson
Baffled Again in The Burg

http://www.robinrobinsonmaine.com/OTHER-AND-MISCELLANEOUS/eBird/20888035_sMnHPp

Wednesday, 24 July 2013

[Maine-birds] Maine RBA - July 23, 2013

Name: Maine Audubon Rare Bird Alert
Reporting Period: July 17 – 23, 2013
Area: State of Maine
Compilers: Doug Hitchcox

Noteworthy Species Mentioned:
Red-billed Tropicbird+
Brown Booby+
Tricolored Heron
White-faced Ibis+
Black-necked Stilt
Little Gull
South Polar Skua+

York County

Three LITTLE GULLS continued to be seen along the beach at Laudholm Farm in Wells this week.

Presumably one of the Laudholm birds, a LITTLE GULL was seen on the north end of Drakes Island on the 20th.

Greater Portland

Two TRICOLORED HERONS were observed along with the presumed TRICOLORED HERON x SNOWY EGRET hybrid in the pannes off the Eastern Road on the 19th. At least one WHITE-FACED IBIS was also seen at this time.

The last report of the BLACK-NECKED STILT that had been frequenting the Scarborough Marsh came from July 17th, a full month after it was first located.

Midcoast

A late report was received of Maine's second BROWN BOOBY photographed on Eastern Egg Rock on the 16th.

Penobscot Bay

The RED-BILLED TROPICBIRD that has taken up residence on Seal Island this summer was reported again this week, on the 22nd.

Downeast

An apparent SOUTH POLAR SKUA was photographed from a whale watch out of Bar Harbor on the 22nd.

Northern Maine

Highlights from Lake Josephine and a few nearby ponds included: an AMERICAN COOT, a hen REDHEAD with six young, and three COMMON GALLINULES on the 21st.

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[Maine-birds] Boreal birds

Any day that offers up sightings of American Three-toed Woodpecker, Black-backed Woodpecker, Gray Jay, Boreal Chickadee, and Spruce Grouse is a rare day. We didn’t get the grouse until 4:06pm this afternoon, so I was way off breaking my personal record of 8:50am, but I’ll take it. The first four were off the Telos Road west of Baxter. (It’s on private land, so I don’t feel comfortable revealing the exact spot without permission.) The Spruce Grouse was on the Roberts Road north of Dolby. I put that road in the Maine Birding Trail guidebook (p187) but, frankly, it used to be better. I haven’t visited it much in the last couple of years, so the grouse hen and her three youngsters were a pleasant reward for trying it again.

Also of note, I’m starting to see both species of crossbills up there again. They’ve been missing since last fall.

Bob Duchesne

[Maine-birds] Yellow-throated Vireo at Unity Pond

Went to the boat ramp near the end of Kanokolus Rd. in Unity this
morning and I was able to find a Yellow-throated Vireo as reported
previously by Tom Aversa and others. Thanks for the reports.

Also stopped nearby at the "Field of Dreams" park to see the Purple
Martin Colony. My count of 48 birds was probably on the low side
since many were in the martin house. Very nice to watch such an
active group of birds.

Good Birding,
John

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[Maine-birds] Turkey vulture

I got a nice close look at this guy while making my rounds at Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge this morning.

A rather stunning looking fellow.

http://photosbychance.zenfolio.com/p501323621/h620435d0#h620435d0

Cheers,

Dave

[Maine-birds] Bird data needed for Cobscook Bay Area IBA nomination

The Fundy chapter of Maine Audubon is putting together a nomination for a Cobscook Bay Region Important Bird Area (IBA), to be submitted to Maine Audubon at the end of August. We know our region is rich in birds, but we are not rich in data about birds--yet. And we need that data to support the nomination.

We'll be focusing on these sites:

Moosehorn NWR (both divisions)
West Quoddy Head State Park
Boot Head Preserve
South Lubec Mud Flats
Blueberry Barrens near Cherryfield

While we will be looking at eBird records, we recognize that many birders don't submit to eBird. If you have bird counts for the above sites that you'd be willing to share for this effort, please contact me.

In particular, if you are birding the mud flats during shorebird migration this season, I encourage you to submit your counts to eBird or, if you prefer not to, send me your counts. I can say that we're beginning to see shorebirds there and elsewhere in Lubec.

Good birding,

Lisa Dellwo
dellwo (at) optonline (dot) net

https://www.facebook.com/FundyAudubon

[Maine-birds] Fwd: New Species --Bryan's Shearwater

Going through my old e-mails I came across this email sent to from a friend who has visited the famous Midway Island. Realizing that this is not a Maine post I do feel that it would be an interest to all. Especially we who do pelagic s.

Skip Small

Rockport

Sent from my iPad

Begin forwarded message:

From: Narca <narca@vtc.net>
Date: September 1, 2011, 12:14:30 EDT
To: "Skip (Carl) Small" <triton469@yahoo.com>
Cc: Narca Moore-Craig <narca@vtc.net>, Brad Tatham & Barbara Stoddard <btgis@earthlink.net>
Subject: sailboat

Hi Skip,

If you take your sailboat into the Pacific, here is another bird for which to keep a lookout! (Copied from the American Bird Conservancy August 2011 News Roundup.) Incidentally, Peter Pyle, the finder of this shearwater specimen, gave the keynote address at the Western Field Ornithologists meeting in Sierra Vista.

Smooth sailing,

Alan

New Bird Species Revealed to Science After 50 Years in Museum Drawer

Contact: Robert Johns, 202-234-7181 ext.210, Email click here

The newly described Bryan's Shearwater;
Smithsonian Institution

(August 31, 2011) A bird specimen that sat in a drawer at the Smithsonian for nearly 50 years has been revealed to be a totally new species to science, the first in the United States for 37 years.

The discovery of the true identity of the bird was thanks to a sharp-eyed scientist at the Institute for Bird Populations (IBP), who realized that the specimen had been misidentified after it was collected on Midway Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands in 1963. Differences in measurements and physical appearance compared to other similar species were confirmed by DNA analysis, and the bird was given the name Bryan's Shearwater, Puffinus bryani.

"I was doing research for a book I was working on, dealing with birds of Hawai'i when I came across this particular specimen of a seabird that was identified as a Little Shearwater. After examining the specimen, I knew that what I was looking at was not a Little Shearwater or anything else that occurred in the Pacific basin. Ultimately, I decided we needed to do the DNA testing, which determined that we had a completely new species," said Peter Pyle, the IBP researcher who made the discovery.

Researchers rarely discover new species of birds, most of the world's 9,000-plus species (including about 21 other species of shearwaters) having been described before 1900. The majority of new species described since the mid-1900s have been discovered in remote tropical rain- and cloud forests, primarily in South America and southeastern Asia.

The Bryan's Shearwater is the first new species to be described from the United States and Hawaiian Islands since the Po'ouli was discovered in the forests of Maui in 1974. The Bryan's Shearwater is the smallest shearwater known to exist. It is black and white with a black or blue-gray bill and blue legs. Biologists found the species in a burrow among a colony of petrels during the Pacific Ocean Biological Survey Program in 1963.

The Bryan's Shearwater is closest in morphology to the Boyd's Shearwater, which is found in the Atlantic Ocean, but is more genetically distinct than all its other shearwater cousins. Based on this DNA evidence, researchers estimate that the Bryan's Shearwater separated from other species of shearwaters perhaps more than 2 million years ago. These findings have been published in a paper, A new species of Shearwater (Puffinus) recorded from Midway Atoll, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, in the current issue of the scientific journal The Condor.

Researchers do not know where Bryan's Shearwaters breed today. According to Pyle, shearwaters and other seabirds often visit nesting burrows on remote islands only at night, and researchers have not discovered the breeding locations of many populations. Individual seabirds from colonies also often "prospect" for new breeding locations, often far from existing colonies. Bryan's Shearwater could conceivably breed anywhere in the Pacific Ocean basin or even farther afield.

"We don't believe that Bryan's Shearwaters breed regularly on Midway or other Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, based on the extensive seabird work in these islands by biologists with the Pacific Seabird Project," Pyle said. The specimen was the only observation during this extensive project, which occurred on islands and atolls throughout the North Pacific from 1963 until 1968. "They would almost certainly have encountered more Bryan's shearwaters then and since if they bred regularly in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands."

Given that Bryan's shearwaters have remained undiscovered until now, they could be very rare. It is sadly even possible that they went extinct before ever being recognized, although there is at least one more record of a bird in a burrow on Midway from 1990, and observations at sea of what could be Bryan's Shearwaters as recently as 2005.

"If we can find where this species breeds, we may have a chance to protect it and keep it from going extinct," said Andreanna Welch, who works for The Smithsonian and is the co-author of the paper on the new species. "Genetic analysis allows us to investigate whether an animal represents an entirely different species, and that knowledge is important for setting conservation priorities and preventing extinction."

"American Bird Conservancy is not opposed to the judicious collection of specimens for scientific reasons, we oppose the collection of endangered species. If this bird had been found today, the data needed could have been obtained using digital imagery and DNA sampling on the live bird," said ABC Vice President Mike Parr.

Bryan's shearwater is named after Edwin Horace Bryan Jr., who was curator of collections at the B.P. Bishop Museum in Honolulu from 1919 until 1968.

Tuesday, 23 July 2013

[Maine-birds] Webber Pond, Bremen

some shifting bird patterns this week--after I filled the feeders on Friday, I realized that the regulars had disappeared (except for the purple finches)--and that I hadn't seen or heard the red-winged blackbird for several days. I could hear the crows but they weren't visible and they didn't come for the scraps I put down on Saturday. The platform feeder wasn't touched till late Saturday. Today the crows were visible from about noon on, the goldfinches were everywhere, the year round regulars were back, the phoebes were working hard, and there were warblers moving too quickly to really identify--although a black and white warbler and a yellow-rumped (I think) paused for a while. The two mostly silent days were really startling and the rush today was a surprise too but a pleasant one.

[Maine-birds] Purple Martins

5:45 pm - The PURPLE MARTIN colony on Route 43 in Corinna is doing well. There were about a dozen, male and female, and lots of chirping and baby feeding.

Carlton and Aloyse Larrabee (luvbrds), Dexter

Monday, 22 July 2013

[Maine-birds] River Eider

An adult male common eider spent the afternoon snoozing on a rock in the
Penobscot River below the Milford Dam in Old Town. I really couldn't
believe my eyes, so I watched him until he moved, lest he be a decoy
somebody had cleverly placed there.

Considering how many eagles visit that section of the Penobscot, an eider
snoozing on a rock is...

...wait for it...

a sitting duck.

Bob Duchesne

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[Maine-birds] South Polar Skua

I'm a visiting birder from California, enjoying several days in Maine. Today I went on my second Whale Watch tour out of Bar Harbor, picking up some East Coast pelagics.

Best bird was a very brief view of a South Polar Skua stealing a fish from a Herring Gull. This was on the way out from Petit Manan, this morning (7/22) at about 10:30 AM. I was able to capture a distant photo of the aerial acrobatics -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amaizlish/9347592540/

Other birds are likely all the expected ones this time of year. I was quite happy to see my first Razorbills too.

Aaron Maizlish

San Francisco, CA

[Maine-birds] Hundreds of Shorebirds at Seawall Beach

This morning on the incoming tide, hundreds of shorebirds were actively foraging all up and down Seawall Beach.

The highlight was a group of 11 Whimbrels foraging along the wrack line. The birds were quite wary, and flushed often when approached by people.

The flocks of shorebirds included and estimated 450 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 110 Semipalmated Plovers and 90 Sanderlings. It appears shorebird migration has begun in earnest.

Good birding,

Gordon

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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