Monday 28 September 2020

[Maine-birds] Katahdin Woods & Waters

Many thanks to the several folks who responded to our request on where to look for boreal and other birds in Katahdin Woods & Waters Ntl Monument. Each of you that shared info provided something the others hadn't--much appreciated!

Everyone is agreed on Sandbank Campsite and nearby sections of the south loop road.

One we're back, I'll try to compile something to share with this group as a way to pay it forward. Pretty exciting, when you think of it, to be able to explore such a "new" place and share with one another!

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[Maine-birds] WINTER FINCH FORECAST 2020-2021

This year's winter finch forecast has been released! It can be viewed here:

https://finchnetwork.org/winter-finch-forecast-2020

As many of you probably know Ron Pittaway has retired from the position of compiling the forecasts, so this year Tyler Hoar has taken up the job.

-Weston Barker

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Sunday 27 September 2020

[Maine-birds] GBH Sebago Lake Basin

I took a pic of a GBH a month ago and it was underexposed . It look like there was a stick in the neck. Today while kayaking in Sebago in the same location I took a pic of a GBH. Upon uploading, I noticed the stick in the neck. Does anyoine have any advise if I should notify someone? He? looks healthy,

I hope these pics upload

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[Maine-birds] Another late hummer

Cherryfield, 9/27; Apparent Ruby-throated, sex indeterminate (back view only). It did not find the feeder, but my wife Sandy's petunias can probably be seen from space, and they must be what drew it in.

Joel Wilcox

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[Maine-birds] Bremen

Just had a handsome Brown Thrasher nervously looking around the hedgerow! It confirms my sighting of a long russet tail disappearing from the lily pond last night into the shrubbery.

Juanita
Juanita Roushdy

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Saturday 26 September 2020

Re: [Maine-birds] spartrow id

Great, new state list bird.

Sarah

From: Marianne Taylor <andale62@gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, September 26, 2020 9:07 PM
To: Sarah Caputo <catbird338@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Maine-birds] spartrow id

Yes. I believe so. 1st yr bird. I had a couple here in Skowhegan 2 days ago.

Sent from Marianne's iPhone

On Sep 26, 2020, at 8:49 PM, Sarah Caputo <catbird338@hotmail.com> wrote:

Hi, I saw this sparrow at KW & W Natl monument today and only got a distance shot, is this an immature White crowned? I've only ever seen them out west so my frame of reference is off. Sorry shots are blurry, fast bird & slow camera and walking with dog.

Sarah

Dr. Sarah Caputo

Belfast Veterinary Hospital

Belfast, ME

Mountain Valley Farm

JSBA Reg. Jacob Sheep

Montville Maine

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<IMG_3744.JPG>

<IMG_3744.JPG>

[Maine-birds] Katahdin Woods & waters

Hi,

Someone was asking about specific birds at KW & W the other day, I think Spruce grouse & Canada jays, and I have deleted the e-mail, but anyway here are my observations from today , 9/26, somewhat limited as did not hit Barnard mtn as planned. Supposed to leave the house at 7:30 not WAKE UP at 7:30 .

Am. Robin

Hermit Thrush

Crow

Raven

Black capped chickadee

Golden crowned kinglets

Common Yellowthroat

Blackpoll warbler (1), Esker path

Ruby-crowned kinglets, Esker

Canada Jay, Esker path

Red breasted nuthatch

Song Sparrow

Northern Flicker

Pileated woodpecker

Blue Jay

unidentified accipiter

Spruce Grouse (2) at Deasey pond trail, one joined me and the dog for several hundred yards before deciding we were not worth its time. This has been something of a nemesis bird for me as I haven't seen any since Great Wass when I was a kid.

Ruffed Grouse (1) Odin falls rd

Palm Warblers - in abundance, at Odin Falls trail outhouse, likely attracted by the hordes of flies.

White throated sparrow, Odin falls with the Palms

Marsh Wren - on loop road, nowhere near marsh.

White crowned sparrow juv. (Deasey pond trail)

Buzzy calls suspect from Boreal chickadees but I did not look to close as the usual chickadees and friends flocks were feeding very high up. There are usually more jays at the overlook pullout but there was a large work crew there and I did not stay long.

Foliage lovely right now. Very dry, raining needles in the woods.

Sarah

[Maine-birds] spartrow id

Hi, I saw this sparrow at KW & W Natl monument today and only got a distance shot, is this an immature White crowned? I've only ever seen them out west so my frame of reference is off. Sorry shots are blurry, fast bird & slow camera and walking with dog.

Sarah

Dr. Sarah Caputo

Belfast Veterinary Hospital

Belfast, ME

Mountain Valley Farm

JSBA Reg. Jacob Sheep

Montville Maine

Re: [Maine-birds] Re: WT Sparrow Cape Neddick

Same here in Scarborough; for the last two days we've had many Yellow-rumped Warblers at the bird bath, sometimes up to 7 at a time. I filled the bath 3 times both days. The traffic has dropped off today.

Ann H

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 26, 2020, at 5:53 PM, Jim Toulouse <jwtmaine@gmail.com> wrote:

Thank you for your excellent reminder about these drought conditions. We have 2 bird baths (Cape Eliz.) and have had to change/ fill on a daily basis. It appears birds may now need our water as much, or more, than seeds.

On Sat, Sep 26, 2020, 5:20 PM cathie...@gmail.com <cathie.murray@gmail.com> wrote:
Agreed. Our bird bath has been an incredible bird magnet this month! The drought is palpable.
In the past week we have had red and white breasted nuthatches, Carolina wren, various species of sparrow including WT, downy woodpeckers (in the water), cardinals, robins, blue jays, chickadees, titmice, red-eyed and blue-headed vireos and more.
Even had several warbler species (a black throated green still in breeding plumage)
Fun to see but I know it means the ecosystem is stressed.
We're in Hallowell.

On Saturday, September 26, 2020 at 11:45:45 AM UTC-4 Denise Johnson wrote:
First to visit my yard this season.
I've seen many migrants visiting my watering stations and lingering. More critters feathered or not at the water (Keeping them shallow) than at the feeders.

Sent from my iPhone

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Re: [Maine-birds] Re: WT Sparrow Cape Neddick

Thank you for your excellent reminder about these drought conditions. We have 2 bird baths (Cape Eliz.) and have had to change/ fill on a daily basis. It appears birds may now need our water as much, or more, than seeds.

On Sat, Sep 26, 2020, 5:20 PM cathie...@gmail.com <cathie.murray@gmail.com> wrote:

Agreed. Our bird bath has been an incredible bird magnet this month! The drought is palpable.
In the past week we have had red and white breasted nuthatches, Carolina wren, various species of sparrow including WT, downy woodpeckers (in the water), cardinals, robins, blue jays, chickadees, titmice, red-eyed and blue-headed vireos and more.
Even had several warbler species (a black throated green still in breeding plumage)
Fun to see but I know it means the ecosystem is stressed.
We're in Hallowell.

On Saturday, September 26, 2020 at 11:45:45 AM UTC-4 Denise Johnson wrote:
First to visit my yard this season.
I've seen many migrants visiting my watering stations and lingering. More critters feathered or not at the water (Keeping them shallow) than at the feeders.

Sent from my iPhone

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[Maine-birds] Re: WT Sparrow Cape Neddick

Agreed. Our bird bath has been an incredible bird magnet this month! The drought is palpable.

In the past week we have had red and white breasted nuthatches, Carolina wren, various species of sparrow including WT, downy woodpeckers (in the water), cardinals, robins, blue jays, chickadees, titmice, red-eyed and blue-headed vireos and more.

Even had several warbler species (a black throated green still in breeding plumage)

Fun to see but I know it means the ecosystem is stressed.

We're in Hallowell.

On Saturday, September 26, 2020 at 11:45:45 AM UTC-4 Denise Johnson wrote:

First to visit my yard this season.
I've seen many migrants visiting my watering stations and lingering. More critters feathered or not at the water (Keeping them shallow) than at the feeders.

Sent from my iPhone

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[Maine-birds] American Pipits

On Saturday, September 26 at 1:00 pm on the south end of Seawall Beach there was a small flock of 5 American Pipits at the edge of the dunes. In addition, there were about 200 Sanderlings out on the beach.

Danny Danforth

Loring M. Danforth

Telephone: 207-786-6081

Fax: 207-786-8333

4 Andrews Rd.

Bates College

Lewiston, ME 04240

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[Maine-birds] WT Sparrow Cape Neddick

First to visit my yard this season.
I've seen many migrants visiting my watering stations and lingering. More critters feathered or not at the water (Keeping them shallow) than at the feeders.

Sent from my iPhone

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Friday 25 September 2020

[Maine-birds] Katahdhin W & W birding?

We're heading to Mt. Chase Lodge near Katahdhin Woods & Waters National Monument for Oct 3-6. We'd appreciate any advice on places to bird, specifically for boreal specialties like Spruce Grouse, Black-backed Woodpecker, Canada Jay, and/or Boreal Chickadee. Other travel tips like restaurants, places to gawk at, and so on are welcome, too.

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[Maine-birds] Painted Bunting

Wow, a male painted bunting sitting on a stop sign in Jefferson. Who wouldn't stop for that?

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

•In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. -Martin Luther King

•Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and give the appearance of solidity to pure wind. -Orson Welles

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Thursday 24 September 2020

[Maine-birds] Say's Phoebe

The Say's Phoebe was present at 5:45pm Thursday 9/25

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[Maine-birds] Cherryfield hummer

One RT Hummingbird was carefully visiting many petunias this afternoon, too bad it was scared off by a vehicle passing by before it could find the feeder. We are hoping it will stay overnight, given the mild weather, and then tank up at the feeder. Our previous latest this fall was 9/14.

Joel Wilcox

Cherryfield

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[Maine-birds] Re: Say’s Phoebe’s Photos

I've added a few of my OK photos to eBird as well, though they're nowhere near the quality of Dave's. A real treat to see this bird!

https://ebird.org/checklist/S73995980

On Thursday, September 24, 2020 at 2:51:15 PM UTC-4 D Lovitch wrote:

Hi all,

I've posted Dave Fensore's amazing photos, along with a handful of lousy ones of my own, on a quick blog entry if anyone is interested:

https://mebirdingfieldnotes.blog/2020/09/24/says-phoebe-a-maine-nemesis-no-more/

-Derek

Sent from my iPhone

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[Maine-birds] Say's phoebe

Still present at shaker village close by on white fence just after the buildings. 415 PM

Tod

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[Maine-birds] Says Phoebe - Yes

Still at Shaker Village along white fence.

Turk Duddy
Cape Porpoise, ME

Sent from my iPhone

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[Maine-birds] Say’s Phoebe’s Photos

Hi all,

I've posted Dave Fensore's amazing photos, along with a handful of lousy ones of my own, on a quick blog entry if anyone is interested:

https://mebirdingfieldnotes.blog/2020/09/24/says-phoebe-a-maine-nemesis-no-more/

-Derek

Sent from my iPhone

Re: [Maine-birds] Peter Vickery's Birds of Maine book

Peter Vickery's book, Birds of Maine, may be pre-ordered at https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691193199/birds-of-maine

On Thu, Sep 24, 2020 at 9:44 AM Stan DeOrsey <jsmd@att.net> wrote:

Peter's Birds of Maine book is now listed on Amazon with a "look inside"
option. Due for release Nov. 3, price $45, 664 pages.

For what it is worth, it notes Say's Phoebe has been documented in Maine
14 times (not counting yesterday), first found by Davis Finch on
Monhegan in October 1974. Looks like an excellent book we will all need
to purchase.

--
Stan DeOrsey jsmd@att.net

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[Maine-birds] MACHIAS SEAL ISLAND REPORT 2

I nearly forgot about the Alcids, PUFFINS to be specific.

I mentioned in a previous post that there was at least one late active nest. Since then I have confirmed at least 5 active nests on the east side of the island, that is, they are still receiving food.

Surprisingly, they are all in an area that I expected to over-wash Tuesday night with full tide and storm surf. Guess they lucked out.

Less lucky have been some Puffins fledging late in the area around the lighthouse. I found two that died here at the house and the lighthouse on Tuesday morning and another on the boardwalk on Wednesday morning.

I suspect that they all succumbed, directly or indirectly, to malnutrition, judging by their apparent body weight.

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Re: [Maine-birds] SAY’S PHOEBE, Shaker Rd, New Gloucester, 9/24

Still present at 11:04 AM. Great views of it foraging from the small white fence along Shaker Rd

On Thursday, September 24, 2020, 'Derek Lovitch' via Maine birds <maine-birds@googlegroups.com> wrote:

Hi all,

Dave Fensore and his daughter Sarah photographed a SAY'S PHOEBE yesterday afternoon and sent me a photo last night for confirmation.

Dave, Carolyn Fensore, Matthew Gilbert, and I are currently viewing the bird sitting contently and foraging in an area of fields of Shaker Village.

We are observing the bird from the quiet and safe side of Shaker Rd (Old Rte 26...note that Shaker Rd leaves the Rte 26 Bypass a short distance south of here), from the crest of the hill immediately south of the historic village.

Please note, the Village is currently closed. There is no parking there or trespassing into the fields. Luckily, there is plenty of roadside parking on a wide shoulder, and all of the fields are easily visible from the roadside, so this should not be an issue. In fact, it cannot be an issue here; we must respect the community.

The bird is moving around the various fence lines, with the temporary white fence through the closest field being one of its favorite haunts.

-Derek

Sent from my iPhone

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[Maine-birds] Peter Vickery's Birds of Maine book

Peter's Birds of Maine book is now listed on Amazon with a "look inside"
option. Due for release Nov. 3, price $45, 664 pages.

For what it is worth, it notes Say's Phoebe has been documented in Maine
14 times (not counting yesterday), first found by Davis Finch on
Monhegan in October 1974. Looks like an excellent book we will all need
to purchase.

--
Stan DeOrsey jsmd@att.net

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[Maine-birds] MACHIAS SEAL ISLAND REPORT

Well, the dying hurricane passed through ....... actually nearly missing us ....... a bit of a Teddy Bear as weather goes.
Our wind maxed out at about 40 knots ( Kph) and rain was modest at maybe 1/2 inch (10 cm), even though we were on the wettest side of the storm.

Bird activity remains low, with virtually no warblers, few raptors and few surprises of any sort.

The couple of young COWBIRDS and single ROBIN continue.

The overall number of sparrows hasn't diminished but SAVANNAH & SONG SPARROWS are giving way to WHITE THROATED SPARROWS.

We've picked up a couple more CHIPPING SPARROWS and yesterday I spotted my 1st LARK SPARROW for this fall. Both species are regular visitors both Spring and Fall.

There's been a female BALTIMORE ORIOLE frequenting the patio for 3 days now. Oddly enough it's feeding on WHITE MILLET and refusing even shelled sunflower seeds after mouthing them. It's also ignoring dishes of GRAPE JELLY.

PURPLE FINCHES & GOLDFINCHES remain strong and perhaps have increased a bit.

RED BREASTED NUTHATCHES also appear to be up slightly, with 1 or 2 around the house more or less continuously but some being sighted at various points around the island. My guess is 10 to 20 for the whole island.

Two young CEDAR WAXWINGS arrived yesterday, post-storm, and one of them is currently gleaning insects around our kitchen window. It's unperturbed by me just inches away on the opposite side of the glass. Interesting to watch their speed and technique at less than 1 foot.
I'd love to know how animals, in particular birds, perceive glass. Even when mirroring and glare are taken into account, sometimes they seem oblivious to anything through glass while other times even the tiniest movement will draw sharp attention, even panic.

Raptors continue to filter through. MERLINS slightly outnumber SHARP SHINNED HAWKS with probably a half dozen plus for each species each day. Merlins have been pretty active in quite poor weather, including rain.

There are at least a couple HARRIERS daily along with 1 or 2 PEREGRINE FALCONS.
Peregrines braved the weather both before and after the storm with one climbing into the beginning rain and 35 knot wind late Tuesday and departing southward.
Another was on the wing at dawn Wednesday, circling, and making rapid powered flight high into the scud clouds before also heading to the south'ard.

On the water, EIDERS remain sparse and scattered with on more than 20 here at any time.
DOUBLE CREASTED CORMORANTS are foraging but mostly as singletons and very near shore. Small flocks of 15 to 20 are seen daily, mainly headed down the coast as apparent migrants.

I often pass over RAVENS since the "pair" are seen here pretty much every day, year-round.
However, I have made reference to their pseudo raptor behaviour and how the Alcids (and other birds) frequently react to a Raven exactly as they would to an Eagle or Falcon.
Monday, I again saw this raptor trait displayed as a Raven tried to get a FLICKER. It was a full-on, aerial "dogfight" style pursuit with Raven attacking Flicker for nearly 3 minutes.
Although the Raven's performance compared well to Peregrine chases where prey is forced out over water and to ever increasing altitude, the Flicker eventually escaped from the high-altitude, over-the-water trap where raptors often win.

With no trees or even large bushes here, wind sweeps across the island and tends to keep birds down into the vegetation, both for shelter and to find their food. That may be the reason for our dearth of warblers and kin. With light(er) wind in the forecasts, we'll see if anything interesting emerges in the next day or two.

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[Maine-birds] SAY’S PHOEBE, Shaker Rd, New Gloucester, 9/24

Hi all,

Dave Fensore and his daughter Sarah photographed a SAY'S PHOEBE yesterday afternoon and sent me a photo last night for confirmation.

Dave, Carolyn Fensore, Matthew Gilbert, and I are currently viewing the bird sitting contently and foraging in an area of fields of Shaker Village.

We are observing the bird from the quiet and safe side of Shaker Rd (Old Rte 26...note that Shaker Rd leaves the Rte 26 Bypass a short distance south of here), from the crest of the hill immediately south of the historic village.

Please note, the Village is currently closed. There is no parking there or trespassing into the fields. Luckily, there is plenty of roadside parking on a wide shoulder, and all of the fields are easily visible from the roadside, so this should not be an issue. In fact, it cannot be an issue here; we must respect the community.

The bird is moving around the various fence lines, with the temporary white fence through the closest field being one of its favorite haunts.

-Derek

Sent from my iPhone

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Wednesday 23 September 2020

[Maine-birds] Sandy Point Morning Flight, 9/23.

Hi all,

Another excellent flight passed over and through Sandy Point Beach, Cousin's Island, Yarmouth this am. High clouds to start, a very strong and fast start to the flight, and lots of chaos (hunting Merlins, waves at all levels, vocal chickadees trying to build up the courage to cross, etc) combined to greatly reduce my percentage of identified birds today.

6:27-9:55am

59F, mostly cloudy to mostly clear, W 7.9-12.5 to 8.4-11.3.

1260 unidentified (ouch!)

326 Northern Parulas

206 Northern Flickers

187 Yellow-rumped Warblers

170 American Robins

149 Blackpoll Warblers

66 Blue Jays (3rd highest tally)

42 Black-throated Green Warblers

39 Black-throated Blue Warblers (*2nd highest tally)

38 Dark-eyed Juncos

34 Cedar Waxwings

32 Black-capped Chickadees (*1)

27 American Redstarts

21 Red-eyed Vireos

21 Purple Finches

20 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers

19 Tennessee Warblers

18 Magnolia Warblers

13 Cape May Warblers

12 White-throated Sparrows

12 American Goldfinches

11 Ruby-crowned Kinglets

10 Black-and-white Warblers

10 Nashville Warblers

9 Rusty Blackbirds

6 Eastern Phoebes

5 Palm Warblers (*2)

5 Yellow Warblers

4 Swainson's Thrushes

4 American Pipits

4 Chestnut-sided Warblers

4 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks

3 Red-breasted Nuthatches

3 Scarlet Tanagers

2 NORTHERN SHOVELERS (*3)

2 Tufted Titmice (*4)

2 White-breasted Nuthatches

2 Blue-headed Vireos

2 Pine Warblers

2 Bay-breasted Warblers

2 Blackburnian Warblers

2 Wilson's Warbler

2 Savannah Sparrows

2 Pine Siskins

1 American Kestrel

1 Red-bellied Woodpecker (a rare crossing)

1 Hairy Woodpecker

1 Eastern Wood-Pewee

1 unidentified flycatcher

1 unidentified Catharus

1 Chipping Sparrow

1 Lincoln's Sparrow

1 Indigo Bunting

1 DICKCISSEL (already 5th of the season; a new record season tally)

1 Bobolink

x Common Yellowthroats

T= 2,821

*1 some eventually crossed after innumerable false-starts.

*2 seems disproportionately low. Likely many of these less-distinct-overhead-to-me warblers were part of those waves of unidentified clusters.

*3 northbound, high overhead, so not technically part of the Morning Flight, but my 188th Patch Bird here!

*4 with chickadee flock...attempted crossing twice but may have just been traveling with chickadees.

** 1 probable Connecticut but I saw it below me just too quickly.

-Derek

*****************************************

Derek and Jeannette Lovitch

Freeport Wild Bird Supply

541 Route One, Suite 10

Freeport, ME 04032

207-865-6000

www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com

****************************************

[Maine-birds] Black- throated Blue

I am sitting on my porch watching the yard and a Black-throated Blue male just flew right past me and into the crabapple tree where I had a brief but good view of him.

Camera was in the house.

Sent from Marianne's iPhone

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[Maine-birds] NO Olive-sided Flycatcher

For those of you who may have received an e-bird alert, after reviewing photos, Charles and I have concluded that what we saw this morning was an Eastern Wood-Peewee, NOT Olive-sided Flycatcher. (Westside trail, Sandy Point)

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Tuesday 22 September 2020

[Maine-birds] Sandy Point Morning Flight, 9/22

Hi all,
Another moderate flight passed over and through Sandy Point Beach, Cousin's Island, Yarmouth this morning. A high flight and silhouetting clouds reduced the percentage of identified birds.

6:26-9:15
41F, mostly cloudy, NW 2.3-3.9 to NNW 6.7-8.3mph

223 Unidentified
68 Northern Parulas
43 Blackpoll Warblers
26 Palm Warblers
22 Yellow-rumped Warblers
18 Blue Jays
15 Northern Flickers
15 Dark-eyed Juncos
12 Black-capped Chickadees
12 Black-throated Green Warblers
12 Purple Finches
10 American Redstarts
9 Red-eyed Vireos
5 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
5 Savannah Sparrows
4 Ospreys
4 Yellow Warblers
4 Magnolia Warblers
3 Red-breasted Nuthatches
3 Nashville Warblers
3 Black-and-white Warblers
2 American Kestrels
2 White-breasted Nuthatches
2 Golden-crowned Kinglets
2 American Pipits
2 Cape May Warblers
2 Rusty Blackbirds
1 Northern Harrier
1 Eastern Phoebe
1 Black-throated Blue Warbler
1 Tennessee Warbler
1 Pine Siskin
x Common Yellowthroats

T = 572

2-3 hunting Merlins
1 1st cycle Bald Eagle clipped wires

Sent from my iPhone

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[Maine-birds] Pine Siskins in Skowhegan

I was surprised this morning to look at my Goldfinches at the bird bath and see 2 Pine Siskins with them.

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Monday 21 September 2020

[Maine-birds] Re: bald eagle pair bonding at this time of year?

I may be answering my own question... several sources (here's one) tell me bald eagle pairs could be courting and mating at this time of year.

We did have a pair nesting in town this year and they were accompanied by at least one juvenile in late summer. Perhaps that was the third bird.
I'm interested in any thoughts or insights about the behavior I witnessed....and should I enter it in the breeding bird atlas?

On Monday, September 21, 2020 at 4:57:30 PM UTC-4 cathie...@gmail.com wrote:

Hi all,
Yesterday, above the Kennebec River in Hallowell, I could see 3 eagles circling slowly, higher and higher for many minutes.
I did not have binocs but the light on their heads and tails as they banked, and their size and silhouettes made it easy to ID 2 of them as adult bald eagles.
Every few circles the two adults would make bodily contact, with one breaking from its circle to gently (?) collide with the other.
I say "gently" because the collision did not seem to move the other eagle off its soaring by much, and they resumed their lazy circles after every collision.
The eagles stayed in basically the same airspace above the river, floating high enough to be above a small plane heading in to the Augusta airport at one point.
Sometimes the two adults dropped in altitude in concert with each other.
The 3d eagle left the scene after some minutes. I was never able to see if that one was a juvenile or adult. I never saw white clearly on it.
I saw this same behavior last year.
Do pairs bond at this time of year?
Or are they just celebrating a successful breeding season and their now empty nest? ;)
Cathie Murray in Hallowell

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[Maine-birds] bald eagle pair bonding at this time of year?

Hi all,

Yesterday, above the Kennebec River in Hallowell, I could see 3 eagles circling slowly, higher and higher for many minutes.

I did not have binocs but the light on their heads and tails as they banked, and their size and silhouettes made it easy to ID 2 of them as adult bald eagles.

Every few circles the two adults would make bodily contact, with one breaking from its circle to gently (?) collide with the other.

I say "gently" because the collision did not seem to move the other eagle off its soaring by much, and they resumed their lazy circles after every collision.

The eagles stayed in basically the same airspace above the river, floating high enough to be above a small plane heading in to the Augusta airport at one point.

Sometimes the two adults dropped in altitude in concert with each other.

The 3d eagle left the scene after some minutes. I was never able to see if that one was a juvenile or adult. I never saw white clearly on it.

I saw this same behavior last year.

Do pairs bond at this time of year?

Or are they just celebrating a successful breeding season and their now empty nest? ;)

Cathie Murray in Hallowell

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[Maine-birds] Sandy Point Morning Flight, 9/21

Hi all,

A moderate flight passed over and through Sandy Point Beach, Cousin's Island, Yarmouth this morning.

6:27-9:00

37F, Clear, NNE 5.6-6.7 to NNE 7.2-9.2.

With Tom Reed

132 Unidentified

88 Northern Parulas

40 Northern Flickers

29 Palm Warblers

26 Cedar Waxwings

26 Yellow-rumped Warblers

24 Blackpoll Warblers

15 Canada Geese

11 White-throated Sparrows

10 American Robins

10 Yellow Warblers

8 Eastern Phoebes

7 Blue Jays

7 Tennessee Warblers

7 Black-and-white Warblers

7 Magnolia Warblers

7 Black-throated Green Warblers

6 Black-capped Chickadees

6 Purple Finches

5 Common Loons

5 Blue-headed Vireos

5 American Redstarts

5 American Goldfinches

4 Red-eyed Vireos

4 Swainson's Thrushes

4 Ruby-crowned Kinglets

4 Savannah Sparrows

4 Dark-eyed Juncos

3 Black-throated Blue Warblers

2 Great Blue Herons

2 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers

2 Golden-crowned Kinglets

2 American Pipits

2 Cape May Warblers

2 Nashville Warblers

1 Northern Pintail (FOF)

1 Cooper's Hawk

1 Northern Harrier

1 Osprey

1 Alder Flycatcher

1 Philadelphia Vireo

1 unidentified vireo

1 Red-breasted Nuthatch

1 Brown Creeper

1 Blackburnian Warbler

1 Wilson's Warbler

T= 532

*1 Double-crested Cormorant killed in collision with wires and then road.

*****************************************

Derek and Jeannette Lovitch

Freeport Wild Bird Supply

541 Route One, Suite 10

Freeport, ME 04032

207-865-6000

www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com

****************************************

[Maine-birds] Bremen birds

Was delighted yesterday with the results of a mid-morning stroll around the meadow and cove: Blue -headed vireo, Northern Flicker, Savannah Sparrow, Broad-winged Hawk, two Juvenile Bald Eagles, Yellow-rumped Warbler, a Belted Kingfisher, and the usual residents, oh, and in the late afternoon a Ruby-throated Hummingbird!

Juanita

Juanita Roushdy
Bremen, ME

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Sunday 20 September 2020

[Maine-birds] Cherryfield birds

Lately, Sandy and I have been walking the trails along the Narraguagus River and looping inland below the Rte 1 bridge in Cherryfield. This is turning out to be a good place. From 11:15-12:15 this morning we had 5 species of warblers, both Swainson's and Hermit Thrushes, Robin, Catbird, Junco, Song and White-throated Sparrows, Blue-headed Vireo, Bald Eagle, DC Cormorant, Herring Gull, and a few mystery birds. 18 species in all, so I'm forgetting something. Yesterday we had (among many of the same birds as today) Spotted Sandpiper, Kingfisher, Great Blue Heron, Brown Creepers and Golden-crowned Kinglets.

To get to this place, go south on Wilson Hill Rd. from the Rte 1 bridge, and pull over on the left when the road begins to sweep uphill to the right. Walk in on the dirt road.

BTW, walking along the river between the bridges (on the west side) can be good too. Lately there have been lots of phoebes and sparrows, including Savannahs by the big field.

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[Maine-birds] HUGO--no

We looked behind Pelreco at about 5:30 and the pannes were empty of the birds Noah mentioned. Also looked at Dunstan Landing: several yellowlegs, 3 SB Dowitchers, etc., but no HUGO from 6:00-6:30 pm.

—Charles

Charles D. Duncan

76 Emery Street

Portland, Maine 04102, USA

charles.d.duncan@gmail.com

207.871.9295

On Sep 20, 2020, at 4:33 PM, 'Noah Gibb' via Maine birds <maine-birds@googlegroups.com> wrote:

In the close panne Scarborough Marsh behind Pelreco building with Mixed Yellowleg flock and Black Bellied Plovers now at 4:30.

Bird haahd,
Noah Gibb-Freeport

Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone

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[Maine-birds] MACHIAS SEAL ISLAND REPORT

I returned to the island on Thursday, the 17th, for my first trip since April.
No surprises and, un-surprisingly, we were greeted by hoards of voracious mosquitoes, as bad I've ever seen them. It certainly makes me wish for my 1st nineteen or twenty years when there literally was not a single mosquito on the island. Not ever!
Anyway, the seabird colony is empty, save for one rather late PUFFIN nest that's still receiving food. It's not the latest that I've seen but it's pushing the record.

There are daily flights of DOUBLE CREASTED CORMORANTS, mostly headed down the coast, with just a few travelling around like local commuters and occasionally spending some time foraging around the island.
COMMON EIDERS aren't very plentiful: just a handful here and there but I'd expect a bit of an increase as winter residents settle in for the season. No HARLIQUINS around, yet.

Gulls are still very numerous: GREAT BLACK BACKED & HERRING GULLS, the majority of them youngsters, comprise the population, save for a rare ICELAND GULL or two in their midst. Before long those numbers will tumble and the species list will increase as most of the big gulls migrate. Iceland Gulls will increase a bit, joined by occasional GLAUCOUS GULLS. KITTIWAKES will be the most numerous gull, with just infrequent BONIPART'S GULLS.

Thursday and Friday saw a couple HARRIERS and Saturday produced at least 3 Harriers and at least 5 MERLINS. The twenty or so FLICKERS which arrived Friday/Saturday were not impressed and spent most of their time hunkered down and clinging to whatever served as cover.

Small songbirds are pretty mundane right now with common sparrows and finches making up the bulk. The 2 outliers were a TREE SWALLOW that hawked mosquitoes all of Friday and a GREY CATBIRD that came to suet.

Saturday I took a jaunt around the island and kicked up a half dozen RUDDY TURNSTONES; a handful of probable SEMIPLAMATED SANDPIPERS; 1 SPOTTED SANDPIPER; 1 ROBIN; 1 RED BREASTED NUTHATCH; 1 WILSON'S WARBLER; 2 YELLOW WARBLERS; a couple hundred mixed SAVANNAH & SONG SPARROWS; a dozen or so SWAMP SPARROWS and around 15 WHITE THROATED SPARROWS. Around the house I spotted a GREY CATBIRD, 2 young COWBIRDS and a HERMIT THRUSH.

ASTER is still blooming quite a lot and in one stand I caught a brief glance of a male RUBY THROATED HUMMINGBIRD. However, given the lateness of the season, I'm inclined to think the gender of my "male" Hummer is suspect and likely a trick of the lighting.

Today, Sunday the 20th, the Flickers and Sparrows still dominate and may have increased somewhat. Finches are definitely more evident with GOLDFINCHES & PURPLE FINCHES around the house numbering around 2 dozen each.
1 JUNCO & 2 CHIPPING SPARROWS have also turned up around the house today.
A few raptors have moved this afternoon with a series of approximately 8 Harriers popping in for a brief hunt and then continuing on their migration.
Around noon, a SHARP SHINNED HAWK dined al fresco on our patio with a White Throated Sparrow as the reluctant guest of honor. It was an interesting view of predator/prey dynamics. With feathers from their departed kin raining down among them, numerous sparrows and finches foraged for seed on the patio as close as 2 feet from the temporarily unthreatening hawk.
As the afternoon waned, the string of Harriers was joined by several MERLINS who also paused to hunt and harass each other.
While the Flickers, being equal in size, were relatively safe from the Merlins, they were still very much upset by the raptors and tried to keep their distance. They were quite vocal in their displeasure.

The Aster is feeding a selection of butterflies
Yesterday's outing produced several dozen MONARCHS, with my best estimate being upwards of 40 on the island at one point and likely double that passing through for the whole day. Several roosted on the north wall of our house overnight.
I did see one tagged female but it departed out over the water without allowing picture of the tag.

Seals are still quite abundant. The current full tides and some heavy surf on their main haul-out sent upwards of 300 GREY SEALS to Gull Rock. Likely there were more on the back side of the rock, out of sight from MSI.

There were lots of SULPHURS; a few WHITES; a few MOURNING CLOAKS; a couple PAINTED LADYS; 1 ANGLEWING (likely a COMMA); at least 3 MARITIME SWALLOWTAILS (very rare out here); and the highlight was a COMMON BUCKEYE, which is only my 2nd sighting anywhere, other than 6 individuals seen here on September 28th, 2012.

Large DRAGONFLIES are evident, hopefully chowing down on our surplus of mosquitoes. I've no idea of the particular species. They are big and some are mainly blue, while others are mainly green. (Bet there are a couple people rolling their eyes over those descriptions!)

Incidentally: the other lightkeepers report seeing occasional BATS this summer. It's unknown whether they were resident or travelling but, either way, any sightings are welcome news.
We had a small but stable population of LITTLE BROWN BATS until White Nose came along.
I've been hoping that if we can't have Little Browns, maybe an unaffected species will fill the void.

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[Maine-birds] Hudsonian Godwit Pelreco Building

In the close panne Scarborough Marsh behind Pelreco building with Mixed Yellowleg flock and Black Bellied Plovers now at 4:30.

Bird haahd,

Noah Gibb-Freeport

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