[Maine-birds] Re: MACHIAS SEAL ISLAND REPORT

Another delightful read Ralph. Hope you've warmed up by now. Many thanks from the Maine-land.

Karen Burke

Lubec

On Thursday, March 28, 2019 at 12:07:02 PM UTC-4, RALPH ELDRIDGE wrote:

  The ALCIDS have been just a little slow in rafting up this season but there were a few notable rafts Tuesday evening.
Through much of Wednesday and especially into the mid to late afternoon significant flocks were assembling. By supper time there were several thousand RAZORBILLS & MURRES gathered, mainly on the western side of the island.
  Around 19:00 they began wheeling over the island and landing soon after.
  In typical fashion there was some uncertainty and flushing but by sunset there was several thousand birds on the rocks and still more wheeling and settling down.
  Also typical of recent years, there isn't a PUFFIN to be found. If events follow previous years, the Razorbills and Murres will only stay briefly, likely not more than a week. They will leave for a week or more and then return along with the arrival of the Puffins.
  Different sections of the island behave as distinct colonies, each with its own population and schedule.
The North East Shore, the area adjacent to the cove and boat anchorage, is one such discrete colony. It usually runs a week or so behind most of the island. Tuesday night there were no birds in the cove (where they raft and stage for that NE area). Wednesday night there were no more than 100 present and showing no inclination to make land.
  This morning, Thursday, there's about the same number splashing and socializing.
  The "landed" birds have, as normal, all left the island but there's lots of activity on the water nearby.
I expect to see them return to land, en mass, again this evening.

  Other than the slightly late date, the notable thing about this year's arrivals is the large number of Razorbills still partially or completely in non-breeding plumage. I've rarely seen returning Razos in anything except their best bib and tucker.

  There have been a handful of BLACK GUILLEMOT sightings but nothing yet to indicate possible breeding here this year. All Guilles seen were in or very close to breeding plumage.

  HARLEQUINS are still very evident with 50-70 around the island.
  The tide was right and conditions generally good for Harlequins to come in around the boat ramp late yesterday. It's one of the spots used regularly to pull out, preen, rest and sleep so I decided to shoulder my camera and freeze my ass for a spell.
  In spite of the conducive conditions there wasn't a duck in sight that was closer than a half mile away. One of our helicopters was only a half hour gone so I wasn't especially optimistic, figuring the ducks had been pushed away for a while.
  Well, as lots of other idiots will confirm, after standing or otherwise remaining motionless in the cold, you soon reach the point where time isn't measured by the clock but measured by the depth that cold has penetrated your bones and the relative stiffness of your joints. I was getting to the, " ..... can't feel my finger on the shutter button but I can see it move." stage when 8 Harlequins splashed down at the far end of the island but showing no inclination for coming closer.
  Slowly ducks seeped into the cove as chill seeped into me. By the time all of my joints were pretty much seized rigid there were about 50 Harlequins within 100 yards and half of them within 100 feet.
  So I spent 2 hours with 4 dozen squeaky-toy ducks, 15 of whom squabbled, slept & preened as close as 20 feet from me.
Luckily, after a couple hours of moving only my eyes and one finger tip, they moved off to feed and I slowly got feeling and function back into my legs.
  Now I have the chore of culling through the too-many pictures that I made.

  A little side point: Wednesday, as on many other occasions, I saw just a few RED BREASTED MERGANSERS around. And, as on many other occasions they appeared to be bonded pairs. However, one or two Bed Breasted would sometimes break away and mix and travel on the water with Harlequins.
  At first I thought it was just a case of the Mergansers finding feed in proximity to the Harlequins. Then I realized that it's only the drakes approaching the Harlequins.
  Although I've not seen any overt courtship or other mating behavior by the Red Breasts, I've come to believe that at least some Mergansers are finding the Harlequins attractive.
  I wonder if a hybrid is even possible? And what would it look like?

  Other ducks are limited.
  I've flushed a few migrant BLACK DUCKS around the intertidal zone; seen some small lines of COMMON EIDERS headed up the bay (but only a handful hanging near the island); seen LONG TAILED DUCKS around daily but generally only in 2 or 3 sized groups and see occasional SCOTERS travelling mainly up the bay but well offshore.
  There was one probable GREEN WINGED TEAL seen as a brief fly-by around the first of the week.

  COMMON LOONS are daily near the island, with both COMMOM & RED THROATED LOONS spotted daily migrating up the bay
The birds that I'm seeing are less than half way into their breeding plumage.

 I've also been seeing at least 2 different EAGLES in recent days. Normally there's only one of them here at a time.

  Our RAVENS have been missing a good deal of time lately but they now seem to be tending close, anticipating the arrival of the seabirds.

  Gulls are likewise anticipating the Alcid arrival. The first HERRING GULL of the season began staking out the seabird colony at the first of the week. Two or three others have been thoroughly inspecting the colony for the first tidbits.

  Songbirds are still limited mainly of the sparrow persuasion but numbers seem to have taken a jump overnight. SONG SPARROWS still dominate 100:1 over the other combined species. JUNCOS follow. There are a few WHITE THROATED SPARROWS and increasing SAVANNAH SPARROWS.
  The IPSWICH type Savannahs are present but still in low number. I haven't seen more than 3 at a time and strongly suspect that I'm re-sighting on perhaps a half dozen individuals.
  FOX SPARROWS are still evident and SWAMP SPARROWS are starting to appear.

  STARLINGS, RED WINGED BLACKBIRDS & GRACKLES are present but usually only one or two.

  ROBINS have bumped up day by day over the past week. No big flocks but it appears that there's steady flow and a few more linger each day as the EARTHWORMS become more available.

  GREY SEALS continue to increase and I've started seeing the distinctive silver white of young pups lightly sprinkled among the sunbathing adults on Gull Rock (adjacent to MSI).

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