Maine birds And MOAC mountainbiking: January 2017

Tuesday, 31 January 2017

[Maine-birds] Rockland-Camden area twitching, 1/31 (MEGU, PFGO, BUOR, etc)

Hi all,

Jeannette and I enjoyed an incredibly lucky and productive day birding in the Mid-Coast. Highlights were as follows:

1) 2nd cycle MEW GULL, Owl's Head Harbor, 9:25 to 9:55.
- present when we arrived, watched and photographed for about 20 minutes before flying out into bay.
- also 1 Belted Kingfisher.
- relocated MEW GULL off of Owl's Head Light at the state park, feeding in a tide line. Also, 2 Razorbills and 2 Black-legged Kittiwakes.

2) PINK-FOOTED GEESE
- 2 relocated off of Samoset Road by scoping across bay from parking lot at end of Fales Street in Rockland at 11:45.
- spotted between houses from Samoset Road, feeding on a lawn with about 15 Canada Geese. Photos.

3) 1 Northern Shrike, Mechanic Street boat launch, Rockland Harbor.

4) BULLOCK'S ORIOLE - arrived at 2:09 after we waited all of seven minutes. Sat in sun for a while before gorging at feeders. Lots of photos.

-Derek and Jeannette

Sent from my iPhone

Sent from my iPhone

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[Maine-birds] Back yard birding

White-breasted nuthatch came to visit my feeder while I was

just sitting out, enjoying the bright sun and cold air.

http://photosbychance.zenfolio.com/p432832521/h82941306#h82941306

Cheers,

Dave

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[Maine-birds] Re: NOPI

On Tuesday, January 31, 2017 at 11:56:45 AM UTC-5, Collin Lima wrote:

Hello all,

I was wondering if anyone has saw the Northern Pintail in Ellsworth, over by Jordan's snack bar, or like you're headin to Hancock, But it was seen in the marsh at the bottem of the golf course.
Just wondering If any of ya'll seen it in the past couples days. I will be there around 2:45 till about 3 if anyone wants to come by and look with me, just in (case) I see it and thinks its it. But I would rather have another pair of eyes with me.

Collin Lima

[Maine-birds] NOPI

Hello all,

I was wondering if anyone has saw the Northern Pintail in Ellsworth, over by Jordan's snack bar, or like you're headin to Hancock, But it was seen in the marsh at the bottem of the golf course.

Just wondering If any of ya'll seen it in the past couples days. I will be there around 2:45 till about 3 if anyone wants to come by and look with me, just in I see it and thinks its it. But I would rather have another pair of eyes with me.

Collin Lima

[Maine-birds] Vinalhaven trip (1/30/17)...

Oops... the date in the subject line of my last email should be 1/30/17.

--Josh

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[Maine-birds] Vinalhaven trip (1/31/17)...

Hi all,

On Monday, Mike Fahay and I took the 8:45am ferry from Rockland to
Vinalhaven, birded a small section of the island from 10:15-12:45, and
returned on the 1pm ferry. Our island visit was lacking in birds, but
we enjoyed a decent number of alcids during the ferry crossings. The
flat waters and partly cloudy sky made for excellent viewing
conditions.

On the way to Vinalhaven, we tallied 24 RAZORBILLS and 26 BLACK
GUILLEMOTS. On the return trip, we saw 2 COMMON MURRES, just 2
RAZORBILLS, and again 26 BLACK GUILLEMOTS.

Here are links to our eBird checklists:
Rockland to Vinalhaven: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S34060257
Vinalhaven: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S34060084
Vinalhaven to Rockland: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S34060342

Best,
Josh

Inspiring Nature Connection in New England
joshfecteau.com | patreon.com/JoshFecteau

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[Maine-birds] Belfast Harbor 01/30/17

Yesterday Belfast Harbor hosted a mixed flock of about a 10-13 Common Goldeneyes, three Buffleheads, Common Loons, and several long-tailed ducks. Rt. 46 in Bucksport -- spotted a flock of nearly a dozen American Robins.

Monday, 30 January 2017

[Maine-birds] York River Eagles 'Mating' video link

I have been observing this Bald Eagle pair in York, ME since 12/31/16. On, Saturday, Jan 28, 2017, they mated a few seconds after I began to shoot the video from about 150 yards away with a Canon SX50-hand held. I was in the right place at the right time, usually I just shoot stills. This location is on Rte 103 in a very high pine with an almost bare branch near the top. It is located on the west side just after the 103 bridge heading south and after the entrance to the Town Docks and Harris Island Road. They are on this branch often during the week. The video can be seen on my YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIeiLeexizQ&feature=youtu.be Feel free to share. Tom Olson, York

[Maine-birds] Pacific Loon, The Cliff House, Ogunquit, 1/30.

Hi all,
Jeannette and I found a PACIFIC LOON off of The Cliff House early this afternoon. A phone-scoped documentation shot is posted on our store's Facebook Page.
-Derek

Sent from my iPhone

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[Maine-birds] Coopers Hawk Brooksville

Pretty sure this is a Cooper's Hawk in my oak tree. Could be Sharp Shinned of course, but seemed big enough for COHA and had the whitish nape on the neck https://bobknight.dphoto.com/#/album/e63dct/photo/44182291

Re: [Maine-birds] Turkey Vulture - Brunswick

TV seen over the turnpike just north of the Maine Mall this afternoon.

Joanne

On 1/30/2017 9:59 AM, 'Pete Darling' via Maine birds wrote:
> Thought we had a TV Saturday while looking for the Snowy Owl at the air station in Brunswick but it was gone on the wind before we got good views.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Jan 29, 2017, at 4:42 PM, John Berry <Berry.John@comcast.net> wrote:
>>
>> About 1:30 this afternoon a Turkey Vulture was on the northbound side of route One about a half mile north of Cook's Corner, presumably eating a road kill. It took off, flying straight at the car, passing about 20 feet above the vehicle.
>> John
>>
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[Maine-birds] Re: Amazing (but poor quality) Bald Eagle Video

Wow! that was a fascinating video!

On Saturday, January 28, 2017 at 6:55:02 PM UTC-5, Laureen Biczak wrote:

I apologize for the poor quality (and the inane commentary...lol) as I only had my cell phone and no camera today! We were sitting in the car at the Marblehead Boat Launch off Pool St in Biddeford today, and saw an adult Bald Eagle hovering over the water and then it dove into the water. He stayed in the water for a few seconds (longer than I thought he could!) and then emerged with a mallard!

He then dropped the mallard about 20 yards away and then an immature Bald Eagle dive bombed it repeatedly before giving up and both moved away. Apparently, it had not yet learned to wait for the duck to resurface like the adult did!

The whole video is just under 4 minutes, but I was amazed!

http://vid1266.photobucket.com/albums/jj540/laurieb14/Bald%20Eagle%20and%20Duck/0128170920.mp4

Re: [Maine-birds] Turkey Vulture - Brunswick

Thought we had a TV Saturday while looking for the Snowy Owl at the air station in Brunswick but it was gone on the wind before we got good views.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jan 29, 2017, at 4:42 PM, John Berry <Berry.John@comcast.net> wrote:
>
> About 1:30 this afternoon a Turkey Vulture was on the northbound side of route One about a half mile north of Cook's Corner, presumably eating a road kill. It took off, flying straight at the car, passing about 20 feet above the vehicle.
> John
>
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[Maine-birds] Re: Amazing (but poor quality) Bald Eagle Video

Around 9:30 AM. We had some time to kill while our car was being repaired. Good lesson to ALWAYS keep your camera with you or you will end up with cell phone video! ;-)

On Monday, January 30, 2017 at 7:08:42 AM UTC-5, J. Michael wrote:

The video is "technically" a little lacking :) , but fun to watch none the less.........thanks for taking the time to post it.

What time of day was that taken?

thanks, Mike

[Maine-birds] Owls Head mew gull

Hi,

The mew gull was foraging in the low-tide mud on the north side of the lobster pens at 8 am today. Apart from a half dozen nearby herring gulls, it was the only small gull evident at the time.

Don

[Maine-birds] off topic: Ross's Gull in NY

For anyone needing Ross’s Gull and willing to travel, a Ross’s Gull has been seen daily since the 26th in Tupper Lake, NY, in the heart of the Adirondack State Park. It has been easily observable off Route 30 (check eBird for details).

Richard MacDonald

The Natural History Center

P.O. Box 6

Bar Harbor, Maine 04609

207/266-9461

Rich@TheNaturalHistoryCenter.com

www.TheNaturalHistoryCenter.com

www.facebook.com/TheNaturalHistoryCenter

[Maine-birds] Re: Amazing (but poor quality) Bald Eagle Video

The video is "technically" a little lacking :) , but fun to watch none the less.........thanks for taking the time to post it.

What time of day was that taken?

thanks, Mike

Sunday, 29 January 2017

[Maine-birds] Great blue

Great Blue Heron in the marsh opposite Wild Duck Campgrounds..Also common Golden Eyes at Maine Audubon. 9 Loons at Pine Point Coop and Longtails.
H.L.Donovan

Sent from my iPad

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[Maine-birds] Mew, etc...

The Mew Gull was present at the Owls Head lobster pens from 10:30-11:00 this morning. It stayed near the shore on the far left for most of our visit, but was easy enough to pick out from the Ring-billed Gulls. That’s Maine bird #325 for me, which means I need only another 20 or so to catch up with Kristen Lindquist and achieve rarity parity.

An hour spent waiting for the Bullock’s Oriole proved fruitless, though the owners admitted it had been present just before we arrived.

A flock of 120 Cedar Waxwings in downtown Belfast was admired for a while, before the flock was suddenly dispersed by a sneak attacking Sharp-shinned Hawk.

Bob Duchesne

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[Maine-birds] Short-eared Owl - Reid State Park

We took a Sunday drive to Reid State Park, my bride and I, and bumped into many other birders with the same idea.

A balmy day, it was quiet on the water, but it did cough up, among others, two Grebe specie and two Scoter specie, a Gannet, Razorbills, Purple Sandpipers and on the beach, Sanderling.

Shortly after talking about Gordon's Short-eared sighting, here, a few weeks earlier, Josh pointed and said "there's a Short-eared Owl"(approx 2:30PM), and sure enough, there it was, coursing over the back side of the dunes with a light, buoyant and nimble flight. It made fairly close approach to the parking area several times, then worked its way back toward Todd Point.

Photo at this link

https://www.flickr.com/photos/64147480@N02/32218409710/in/datetaken/

An unexpected bonus on a beautiful spring-like day.

Rob Cumberland, ME

[Maine-birds] Turkey Vulture - Brunswick

About 1:30 this afternoon a Turkey Vulture was on the northbound side of route One about a half mile north of Cook's Corner, presumably eating a road kill. It took off, flying straight at the car, passing about 20 feet above the vehicle.
John

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[Maine-birds] Pond Cove Birds

I must have shown up right after Walter, mid-day. The little beach was very Birdy. The Orange-crowned Warbler was very cooperative.Other highlights were 3 Golden-crowned Kinglets, a dozen Bluebirds, a pair of Mockingbirds. The birds were taking advantage of the insects coming off the wrack in the "warmth" of the sun. Brenda and Howard Lake joined me for the "show". And Marian Zimmerman showed up before heading out to look for the local Shrike.

John Tobin , Scarborough

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[Maine-birds] Orange-crowned Warbler

Kettle cove or pond cove?

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[Maine-birds] Grosbeaks in Unity

Pine Grosbeaks have been regularly reliable at the orchard on Ward Hill Rd in Unity (in case you haven't caught up with any yet). Today they were joined in the crab apples by a couple of Evening Grosbeaks. Waxwings and robins have also been using the location. Today a group of close to 200 Snow Buntings were swirling around in nearby agricultural areas.

Good birding,

tom

[Maine-birds] Orange-crowned Warbler

Present at noon. On the rocks near the base of the bushes. Spooked by non-birder walking by.

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[Maine-birds] Cape E/Shrike

I located a Shrike at Gull Crest trails (off Spurwink Rd in Cape Elizabeth). It was on the trail that runs closely

along the landfill area.

[Maine-birds] Owls Head Mew Gull

Hi,

The mew gull was present at the lobster impoundment at 7:30 am today. Thanks, Keenan!

Don

Re: [Maine-birds] Re: hawk in our yard today (Bar Harbor 27 Jan.)

Please keep this discussion public. It's fascinating and I've gone back to look at the photos several times.

On Sat, Jan 28, 2017 at 9:48 PM, Carol Muth <suzmuth@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi again,
It would be very cool if that bird is a No. Goshawk. We have had a Goshawk in the yard twice before. I have a photo of the one that was here on 28 Feb. 2014. I've posted that photo at www.acadiabirds.wordpress.com and I added an additional photo to the ones of the bird that I thought was a Sharp-shinned. My impression of the Goshawks I've seen is that they are very large. Carol

On Sat, Jan 28, 2017 at 12:35 PM, David Gulick <dvdgu741@gmail.com> wrote:
And if I use my same Blue Jay wing measuring tool from the first picture, and the photo distance is the same, the length of this bird in the second photo is close to 24" which can only be a Gos.

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 28, 2017, at 12:06 PM, David Gulick <dvdgu741@gmail.com> wrote:

I too have thought about size relative to the Blue Jay. If you take Sibley's 16" wingspread for the Jay, each wing will be roughly 7" long plus 2" across the back of the bird. In one of the photos we see the narrow white stripe across what appear to me to be the Jay's median coverts. We also can see the white at the tips of the secondaries. So we are essentially looking at the full 7" of the Jay's wing.

I will admit that I am puzzled by the "apparent" size of the hawk's wing. IF I am seeing this picture correctly, the "hand" of the bird is 2.25x longer than the Jay's 7" wing. 7x 2.25"=15.75", call it 16". If you say the forearms of this bird have got to be at least 6", that means there are two 22" wings plus a 3" back for a rough wingspread of 47". That's big even for a female Gos.

That said, the superciliary line is not prominent; the breast streaking is fairly coarse (sharpie-like); the back markings are not definitive (to me); there is no apparent white at the tip of the tail (Coop) although that cannot be considered conclusive; the head is "relatively" diminutive (not Coop); and the tail bands are rather irregular (Gos-like). How's that for mixed messages...

I personally think this has to be a juvie female Goshawk based on the size but I definitely do not have enough experience to recognize the face and back. If it is indeed a Sharpie, I am misunderstanding the pictures and my measurements are completely bogus.

Louis, Peter, Derek...help!

Thanks, David

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 28, 2017, at 9:23 AM, cathie.murray@gmail.com wrote:

Since body length of sharpies is about the same as a blue jay I asked Carol if she had other observations of the relative size of the predator and prey. In the two pics we do see, the predator looks significantly larger than the jay but perhaps I am only seeing small jay body parts.

On Friday, January 27, 2017 at 10:20:17 PM UTC-5, Carol in Town Hill wrote:
Cathie Murray has raised the question that this bird may not be a Sharp-shinned but rather a Coopers Hawk. I am copying here my response and any comment is welcome.

We were at first thinking this was the same bird we saw 10 days ago but that is not necessarily the case. It looked like a female hawk and it is true that it was a pretty big bird. I was making my identification based on the facial pattern, white supercilium and bright yellow lores and comparing them to the Crossley ID Guide/Eastern Birds. I think I will ask the group for more opinions.
Thanks! Carol

the photos are at www.acadiabirds.wordpress.com

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Saturday, 28 January 2017

Re: [Maine-birds] Re: hawk in our yard today (Bar Harbor 27 Jan.)

Hi again,

It would be very cool if that bird is a No. Goshawk. We have had a Goshawk in the yard twice before. I have a photo of the one that was here on 28 Feb. 2014. I've posted that photo at www.acadiabirds.wordpress.com and I added an additional photo to the ones of the bird that I thought was a Sharp-shinned. My impression of the Goshawks I've seen is that they are very large. Carol

On Sat, Jan 28, 2017 at 12:35 PM, David Gulick <dvdgu741@gmail.com> wrote:

And if I use my same Blue Jay wing measuring tool from the first picture, and the photo distance is the same, the length of this bird in the second photo is close to 24" which can only be a Gos.

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 28, 2017, at 12:06 PM, David Gulick <dvdgu741@gmail.com> wrote:

I too have thought about size relative to the Blue Jay. If you take Sibley's 16" wingspread for the Jay, each wing will be roughly 7" long plus 2" across the back of the bird. In one of the photos we see the narrow white stripe across what appear to me to be the Jay's median coverts. We also can see the white at the tips of the secondaries. So we are essentially looking at the full 7" of the Jay's wing.

I will admit that I am puzzled by the "apparent" size of the hawk's wing. IF I am seeing this picture correctly, the "hand" of the bird is 2.25x longer than the Jay's 7" wing. 7x 2.25"=15.75", call it 16". If you say the forearms of this bird have got to be at least 6", that means there are two 22" wings plus a 3" back for a rough wingspread of 47". That's big even for a female Gos.

That said, the superciliary line is not prominent; the breast streaking is fairly coarse (sharpie-like); the back markings are not definitive (to me); there is no apparent white at the tip of the tail (Coop) although that cannot be considered conclusive; the head is "relatively" diminutive (not Coop); and the tail bands are rather irregular (Gos-like). How's that for mixed messages...

I personally think this has to be a juvie female Goshawk based on the size but I definitely do not have enough experience to recognize the face and back. If it is indeed a Sharpie, I am misunderstanding the pictures and my measurements are completely bogus.

Louis, Peter, Derek...help!

Thanks, David

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 28, 2017, at 9:23 AM, cathie.murray@gmail.com wrote:

Since body length of sharpies is about the same as a blue jay I asked Carol if she had other observations of the relative size of the predator and prey. In the two pics we do see, the predator looks significantly larger than the jay but perhaps I am only seeing small jay body parts.

On Friday, January 27, 2017 at 10:20:17 PM UTC-5, Carol in Town Hill wrote:
Cathie Murray has raised the question that this bird may not be a Sharp-shinned but rather a Coopers Hawk. I am copying here my response and any comment is welcome.

We were at first thinking this was the same bird we saw 10 days ago but that is not necessarily the case. It looked like a female hawk and it is true that it was a pretty big bird. I was making my identification based on the facial pattern, white supercilium and bright yellow lores and comparing them to the Crossley ID Guide/Eastern Birds. I think I will ask the group for more opinions.
Thanks! Carol

the photos are at www.acadiabirds.wordpress.com

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[Maine-birds] Amazing (but poor quality) Bald Eagle Video

I apologize for the poor quality (and the inane commentary...lol) as I only had my cell phone and no camera today! We were sitting in the car at the Marblehead Boat Launch off Pool St in Biddeford today, and saw an adult Bald Eagle hovering over the water and then it dove into the water. He stayed in the water for a few seconds (longer than I thought he could!) and then emerged with a mallard!

He then dropped the mallard about 20 yards away and then an immature Bald Eagle dive bombed it repeatedly before giving up and both moved away. Apparently, it had not yet learned to wait for the duck to resurface like the adult did!

The whole video is just under 4 minutes, but I was amazed!

http://vid1266.photobucket.com/albums/jj540/laurieb14/Bald%20Eagle%20and%20Duck/0128170920.mp4

[Maine-birds] Wood Duck, Bald Eagles York ME Rte 103 1/28

Despite seeing 2 Bald Eagles near the Town Docks a few minutes earlier, this Wood Duck less than a mile south swimming in Southside Brook on Rte 103 was my find of the day.

[Maine-birds] Spotted Sandpiper,Ocean Ave, Biddeford

Saw a spotted sandpiper this morning before noon, between 1st & 2nd Street, working some high tide wrack

[Maine-birds] re: hawk in our yard

Hope no one minds my sticking my nose into this conversation, but this friend of mine has been a bird watcher and especially hawk watcher all his life. He worked for TNC.

Gerry replied with these two comments. You'll have to put the punctuation in, sorry. I think in the second line, he meant a period after "male Cooper's". (I put one in, to make it easier to read.)

It has been a lot of years since he was the official counter at Derby, but he was the pro, and I would bet, except for his caveat, still is. His email name, by the way, is Goshawk.

Barbara

~~~

"I will assume same bird in photo one as in two right? Ok tail proportions and breast makings suggest Sharpie size would allow for possible very small male Cooper's. Northern Goshawk and female Cooper's Hawk are eliminated Bird in first photo is protecting its prey so it's size is exaggerated second picture makes tail look shorter than it probably is I still am inclined to Big female sharpie but those who think it's a male Cooper's have fun. The transitional plumage of this individual adds to potential confusion. This is a wonderful example of why photos, even good ones, may not be definitive at least to me. Flying accipters are so much easier because proportions and underparts plumage are so clear. I just remembered why I swore off perched small accipiter photos when I turned 65 Have fun with this one"

________

Then I asked if he meant it could not be a gos, and he replied this:

______

"plumage size lack of prominent eyeline all wrong not a gos female coops or male Sharpie for sure still think female Sharpie "

~~~~~~~~~~

Kestrel at Maguire Rd in K'bunk today, on top of a telephone pole. I always look for them at the Plains, but haven't seen one in quite a few years,Common, I know.

Barbara Partridge Herrgesell
Sanford, ME

herpartb@aol.com

[Maine-birds] Barred Owl now in Cape Elizabeth

There is a Barred Owl sitting in the open on a wire between poles on the east side of Rt. 77 (Ocean Street) just north of the of Old Ocean House Road. You can't miss it as youi drive by.
Bob

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[Maine-birds] Common loon eating a lumpfish

This gets added to my collection of "What loons eat". It's been a

lot of years since my S.C.U.B.A. days when I saw lumpfish on occasion. Thanks to common loon in Camden Harbor for bringing one up to see. Too bad for the lumpfish though!

http://photosbychance.zenfolio.com/p432832521/h825fdb91#h825fdb91

Cheers,

Dave

[Maine-birds] Mew Gull - Owl's Head

Hi all,

Today I was fortunate enough to spot a Mew Gull at the Owls Head lobster impoundments with a couple of other folks from Project Puffin. It was a second cycle bird and likely the same individual that was around the same area last winter.

We also looked for the Pink-footed Geese and Bullock's Oriole but, no luck... maybe tomorrow in between some pies on parade...

All the best,

Keenan Yakola

Seal Island NWR/ Eastham(pton) MA

[Maine-birds] Great Gray Owl

Spent 6 hours searching on Thursday and nothing. There were like a dozen cars just driving around slowly searching. Total bust.

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Re: [Maine-birds] Re: hawk in our yard today (Bar Harbor 27 Jan.)

And if I use my same Blue Jay wing measuring tool from the first picture, and the photo distance is the same, the length of this bird in the second photo is close to 24" which can only be a Gos.

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 28, 2017, at 12:06 PM, David Gulick <dvdgu741@gmail.com> wrote:

I too have thought about size relative to the Blue Jay. If you take Sibley's 16" wingspread for the Jay, each wing will be roughly 7" long plus 2" across the back of the bird. In one of the photos we see the narrow white stripe across what appear to me to be the Jay's median coverts. We also can see the white at the tips of the secondaries. So we are essentially looking at the full 7" of the Jay's wing.

I will admit that I am puzzled by the "apparent" size of the hawk's wing. IF I am seeing this picture correctly, the "hand" of the bird is 2.25x longer than the Jay's 7" wing. 7x 2.25"=15.75", call it 16". If you say the forearms of this bird have got to be at least 6", that means there are two 22" wings plus a 3" back for a rough wingspread of 47". That's big even for a female Gos.

That said, the superciliary line is not prominent; the breast streaking is fairly coarse (sharpie-like); the back markings are not definitive (to me); there is no apparent white at the tip of the tail (Coop) although that cannot be considered conclusive; the head is "relatively" diminutive (not Coop); and the tail bands are rather irregular (Gos-like). How's that for mixed messages...

I personally think this has to be a juvie female Goshawk based on the size but I definitely do not have enough experience to recognize the face and back. If it is indeed a Sharpie, I am misunderstanding the pictures and my measurements are completely bogus.

Louis, Peter, Derek...help!

Thanks, David

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 28, 2017, at 9:23 AM, cathie.murray@gmail.com wrote:

Since body length of sharpies is about the same as a blue jay I asked Carol if she had other observations of the relative size of the predator and prey. In the two pics we do see, the predator looks significantly larger than the jay but perhaps I am only seeing small jay body parts.

On Friday, January 27, 2017 at 10:20:17 PM UTC-5, Carol in Town Hill wrote:
Cathie Murray has raised the question that this bird may not be a Sharp-shinned but rather a Coopers Hawk. I am copying here my response and any comment is welcome.

We were at first thinking this was the same bird we saw 10 days ago but that is not necessarily the case. It looked like a female hawk and it is true that it was a pretty big bird. I was making my identification based on the facial pattern, white supercilium and bright yellow lores and comparing them to the Crossley ID Guide/Eastern Birds. I think I will ask the group for more opinions.
Thanks! Carol

the photos are at www.acadiabirds.wordpress.com

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Re: [Maine-birds] Re: hawk in our yard today (Bar Harbor 27 Jan.)

I too have thought about size relative to the Blue Jay. If you take Sibley's 16" wingspread for the Jay, each wing will be roughly 7" long plus 2" across the back of the bird. In one of the photos we see the narrow white stripe across what appear to me to be the Jay's median coverts. We also can see the white at the tips of the secondaries. So we are essentially looking at the full 7" of the Jay's wing.

I will admit that I am puzzled by the "apparent" size of the hawk's wing. IF I am seeing this picture correctly, the "hand" of the bird is 2.25x longer than the Jay's 7" wing. 7x 2.25"=15.75", call it 16". If you say the forearms of this bird have got to be at least 6", that means there are two 22" wings plus a 3" back for a rough wingspread of 47". That's big even for a female Gos.

That said, the superciliary line is not prominent; the breast streaking is fairly coarse (sharpie-like); the back markings are not definitive (to me); there is no apparent white at the tip of the tail (Coop) although that cannot be considered conclusive; the head is "relatively" diminutive (not Coop); and the tail bands are rather irregular (Gos-like). How's that for mixed messages...

I personally think this has to be a juvie female Goshawk based on the size but I definitely do not have enough experience to recognize the face and back. If it is indeed a Sharpie, I am misunderstanding the pictures and my measurements are completely bogus.

Louis, Peter, Derek...help!

Thanks, David

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 28, 2017, at 9:23 AM, cathie.murray@gmail.com wrote:

Since body length of sharpies is about the same as a blue jay I asked Carol if she had other observations of the relative size of the predator and prey. In the two pics we do see, the predator looks significantly larger than the jay but perhaps I am only seeing small jay body parts.

On Friday, January 27, 2017 at 10:20:17 PM UTC-5, Carol in Town Hill wrote:
Cathie Murray has raised the question that this bird may not be a Sharp-shinned but rather a Coopers Hawk. I am copying here my response and any comment is welcome.

We were at first thinking this was the same bird we saw 10 days ago but that is not necessarily the case. It looked like a female hawk and it is true that it was a pretty big bird. I was making my identification based on the facial pattern, white supercilium and bright yellow lores and comparing them to the Crossley ID Guide/Eastern Birds. I think I will ask the group for more opinions.
Thanks! Carol

the photos are at www.acadiabirds.wordpress.com

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Re: [Maine-birds] Re: hawk in our yard today (Bar Harbor 27 Jan.)

My professional hawk watcher friend (formerly, for many years, at Derby Hill at the east end of Lake Ontario) has this to say about the pics.

"All hawk pics are sharpies two year old and full adult"

Barbara

~~~

Barbara Partridge Herrgesell
Sanford, ME

herpartb@aol.com

-----Original Message-----
From: cathie.murray <cathie.murray@gmail.com>
To: Maine birds <maine-birds@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Sat, Jan 28, 2017 9:23 am
Subject: [Maine-birds] Re: hawk in our yard today (Bar Harbor 27 Jan.)

Since body length of sharpies is about the same as a blue jay I asked Carol if she had other observations of the relative size of the predator and prey. In the two pics we do see, the predator looks significantly larger than the jay but perhaps I am only seeing small jay body parts.

On Friday, January 27, 2017 at 10:20:17 PM UTC-5, Carol in Town Hill wrote:

Cathie Murray has raised the question that this bird may not be a Sharp-shinned but rather a Coopers Hawk. I am copying here my response and any comment is welcome.

We were at first thinking this was the same bird we saw 10 days ago but that is not necessarily the case. It looked like a female hawk and it is true that it was a pretty big bird. I was making my identification based on the facial pattern, white supercilium and bright yellow lores and comparing them to the Crossley ID Guide/Eastern Birds. I think I will ask the group for more opinions.

Thanks! Carol

the photos are at www.acadiabirds.wordpress.com

[Maine-birds] Re: hawk in our yard today (Bar Harbor 27 Jan.)

Cathie Murray has raised the question that this bird may not be a Sharp-shinned but rather a Coopers Hawk. I am copying here my response and any comment is welcome.

We were at first thinking this was the same bird we saw 10 days ago but that is not necessarily the case. It looked like a female hawk and it is true that it was a pretty big bird. I was making my identification based on the facial pattern, white supercilium and bright yellow lores and comparing them to the Crossley ID Guide/Eastern Birds. I think I will ask the group for more opinions.
Thanks! Carol

the photos are at www.acadiabirds.wordpress.com

[Maine-birds] pink-footed again

Hi,

I neglected to mention seeing the two pink-footed geese flying together near the ocean cove on Waldo Ave yesterday morning. With the plethora of grassy venues in the greater Rockland vicinity, they have multiple potential grazing sites these days.

Don

Friday, 27 January 2017

[Maine-birds] re: hawk in our yard today (Bar Harbor 27 Jan.)

Cathie Murray has raised the question that this bird may not be a Sharp-shinned but rather a Coopers Hawk. I am copying here my response and any comment is welcome.

We were at first thinking this was the same bird we saw 10 days ago but that is not necessarily the case. It looked like a female hawk and it is true that it was a pretty big bird. I was making my identification based on the facial pattern, white supercilium and bright yellow lores and comparing them to the Crossley ID Guide/Eastern Birds. I think I will ask the group for more opinions.

Thanks! Carol

the photos are at www.acadiabirds.wordpress.com

[Maine-birds] Great Gray Owl

Have there been any sightings of the Great Gray Owl over the past 2 or 3 days?

Thanks.

Julie Krasne

Yarmouth, Maine

Julie Krasne

[Maine-birds] Orange-crowned Warbler Continues - Pond Cove

The Orange-crowned Warbler continues at Pond Cove in Cape Elizabeth, off of Shore Rd. The bird has arrived at the beach around the same time as Eastern Bluebirds the last three trips I have made to go locate it. Overall it seems to be spending much less time at the beach compared to when it was first located so if you try to go see it, I would advise patience.

Photos can be seen on my eBird checklist; http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S33970727

Happy January birding!

Brendan

Portland, ME

[Maine-birds] King Eider

The immature male King Eider remains by the Portland Fish pier. Did not see the female. 2 Iceland Gulls and 1 Glaucous Gull were also in the area.

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[Maine-birds] Gilsland Farm Bird Walk, 1/27

Hey Maine-birds:

During yesterday's bird walk at Gilsland Farm in Falmouth we managed to tally 32 species, helped in part by the high tide but trails remain a bit icy. Here are a few highlights from the walk:

Waterfowl numbers were about average with a surprising lack of goldeneye. The last few years we've seen goldeneye disappear off Gilsland during late January and early February despite the river staying free of ice over that period. One drake Gadwall was mixed with the American Black Duck / Mallard flock off the West Meadow; likely one of the four that has been reported from the Mackworth Causeway earlier this month.

One very vocal male Red-bellied Woodpecker was found visiting a potential/incomplete nest cavity near the pond. There is a great paper from the Auk on "Pair formation, mutual tapping and nest hole selection of Red-bellied Woodpeckers" by Lawrence Kilham that describes a synchronous mutual tapping behavior I hope we get a chance to see at this site. The paper is worth a skim if you have these birds near you: https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v075n03/p0318-p0329.pdf

Frugivores remain in good numbers with 120+ American Robins, 13 Cedar Waxwings, and 4 Eastern Bluebirds around the property.

A complete list form the walk is available at: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S33943620

Good birding,

Doug Hitchcox
Staff Naturalist
Maine Audubon
207-781-2330 x237
dhitchcox@maineaudubon.org

[Maine-birds] Speaking of Raptors

I'm not sure what was going on—maybe warm weather creating some open water on the Kennebec, Androscoggin and Cobbossee Stream to provide access to ducks and fish?—but on a drive from Augusta to Brunswick and back today I saw 7 bald eagles and two other large raptors I could not ID through the windshield at 70 mph. I saw them both heading south and again on my way home, so some of them may have been counted both ways. Two mature adults were swooping over downtown Topsham near the Androscoggin bridge—the rest observed from I 95 in Hallowell or 295 between Gardiner and Topsham.

Don't recall seeing so many in a short period except at Hatch Hill or during the alewife run in the summer.

From: maine-birds@googlegroups.com [mailto:maine-birds@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Jeff Wells
Sent: Friday, January 27, 2017 11:21 AM
To: Maine Birds
Subject: [Maine-birds] thee raptor species lately in Gardiner

Carol's post reminded me that I have seen Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, and a Peregrine Falcon all within a half mile of downtown Gardiner over the last few days. The pigeons must be getting exhausted as they are flying up so regularly throughout the day. This morning a Cooper's Hawk tried a stealth move by coming in low over the Subway/Dunkin Donut's building but the pigeons spotted her (I say "her" based on its large size) and wheeled up to look down on her from above.

Jeff Wells

[Maine-birds] waxwings and robins in Gardiner

Forgot to mention in last post that robins and Cedar Waxwings have just found the treasure-trove of crabapple fruits in the pocket park across from the Food Co-op and Coffeeshop in downtown Gardiner. Hopefully some Bohemian Waxwings and Pine Grosbeaks won’t be too far behind!

Jeff

[Maine-birds] thee raptor species lately in Gardiner

Jeff Wells

[Maine-birds] another (or maybe the same) Sharpie Bar Harbor 27 Jan.

SHSA snatched a Blue Jay under the feeder and ate it under the nearby apple tree,

I can't tell if this is the same bird we saw on the 17th.

www.acadiabirds.wordpress.com

Carol

Thursday, 26 January 2017

[Maine-birds] SNOW in Presque Isle

Good evening all -- Snowy Owl (1), Snow Buntings (~120), and Bohemians (35 at TD Ameritrade on Main St) today in the Presque Isle area. Hats off to Bill Sheehan for his deep local knowledge, humor and spotting skills.

Best,

Craig K

[Maine-birds] Re: Red Tail......... Etc

On Thursday, January 26, 2017 at 4:17:48 PM UTC-5, J. Michael wrote:

Driving down Rt. 9 in front of UNE around noon and out of the corner of my eye I saw a red tail flying along side me out the shot gun window. I slowed and he/she landed on a lamp post 25 yards ahead of me.

Other Birds Around 9 a.m.

A pair of Buffleheads off the bridge on Bridge Road facing north.
A Male Merganser in the marsh off to the Right facing south
Loons in the gut at Biddeford Pool.
A pair of Horned Grebes in the gut at Biddeford Pool
and.........A flock of Turkeys crossing Bridge Road

[Maine-birds] Red Tail......... Etc

Driving down Rt. 9 in front of UNE around noon and out of the corner of my eye I saw a red tail flying along side me out the shot gun window. I slowed and he/she landed on a lamp post 25 yards ahead of me.

Other Birds Around 9 a.m.

A pair of Buffleheads off the bridge on Bridge Road facing north.
A Male Merganser in the marsh off to the Right facing south
Loons in the gut at Biddeford Pool.
A pair of Grebes in the gut at Biddeford Pool
and.........A flock of Turkeys crossing Bridge Road

[Maine-birds] Pine Grosbeak

A Pine Grosbeak in Wilton, Me...Today at 8:15AM. This is a first I have seen in this area; Had to be twenty or more...Hope to see more.