Wednesday, 29 October 2025

[Maine-birds] This Week's Highlights, 10/23-10/29.

Hi all,

My observations of note over the past seven days can be found here:


-Derek

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

 Derek and Jeannette Lovitch

 Freeport Wild Bird Supply

 541 Route One, Suite 10

 Freeport, ME 04032

 207-865-6000

 www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com  

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

Read More :- "[Maine-birds] This Week's Highlights, 10/23-10/29."

Monday, 27 October 2025

Re: [Maine-birds] Interesting article on Merlin

My observations have been that when it was first rolled out, the accuracy was good although it would sometimes include non-US occurring and very unlikely species as possible ID's.  Then it got better and for a while (sorry, I have no dates) it was working extremely well, with high accuracy.  I don't know if somewhere along the line the data set took in a bunch of false ID's from eBird submissions by birders misidentifying relatively common, therefore non-flagged species (so these ID's just weren't scrutinized) but a couple of years ago its results started to get shaky at times.  This hypothesis could be completely wrong as I don't know Merlin's inner workings.  However, I can say that since it implemented location-based ID's it's often, but not always been spotty and unreliable.  Just last week it failed to recognize a loud and obvious Carolina Wren, and this is one of many missed and sometimes completely off-base ID's that have been happening over the past year or more.  I would also say that being a bit too strict about individual locations (counties, etc.) has overall undermined rather than strengthened its capabilities.  To give an example, if something rare but not impossible (say, a Lark Sparrow) showed up in my neck of the woods, I highly doubt that it would be recognized even with a good recording.  Others may of course have completely different takes and results.  I'm still using it because its ID capability currently seems fair to pretty good to me.

Sean Smith

On Mon, Oct 27, 2025 at 10:23 AM Jay Pitocchelli <jpitocch@gmail.com> wrote:
Recent article comparing Merlin to human observers - good read.

https://academic.oup.com/condor/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ornithapp/duaf049/8222742?login=false

Should be open access 

Dr. Jay Pitocchelli, Professor Emeritus
Biology Department
Saint Anselm College
Manchester, NH 03102
 
Blog: http://mourningwarbler.blogspot.com/

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Read More :- "Re: [Maine-birds] Interesting article on Merlin"

Re: [Maine-birds] Interesting article on Merlin

The results don't surprise me.  I've had Merlin lie to me on a number of occasions, and fail to pick up a bird close by that I can hear clearly.  This seems to be especially true of Brown Thrasher.  The same thing happened to me with a Bullocks Oriole last Spring in New Mexico.

Nevertheless, it's still a useful tool.

Wally S.
Read More :- "Re: [Maine-birds] Interesting article on Merlin"

[Maine-birds] Interesting article on Merlin

Recent article comparing Merlin to human observers - good read.

https://academic.oup.com/condor/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ornithapp/duaf049/8222742?login=false

Should be open access 

Dr. Jay Pitocchelli, Professor Emeritus
Biology Department
Saint Anselm College
Manchester, NH 03102
 
Blog: http://mourningwarbler.blogspot.com/

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Read More :- "[Maine-birds] Interesting article on Merlin"

Sunday, 26 October 2025

[Maine-birds] Bonaparte's Gulls, Basin Cove, Harpswell, ME 10/25/25

5 Bonaparte's Gulls, Basin Cove, Harpswell, ME 10/25/25

Dr. Jay Pitocchelli, Professor Emeritus
Biology Department
Saint Anselm College
Manchester, NH 03102
 
Blog: http://mourningwarbler.blogspot.com/

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Read More :- "[Maine-birds] Bonaparte's Gulls, Basin Cove, Harpswell, ME 10/25/25"

Friday, 24 October 2025

[Maine-birds] Access to eBird

If anyone can advise me on why I'm unable to access eBird from my computer for the last 4-5 days. Getting the dreaded pinwheel and have to force quit to make it stop.
I've submitted all unsubmitted lists on my phone and still no access.

Appreciate any help on this!

Richard

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Read More :- "[Maine-birds] Access to eBird"

Wednesday, 22 October 2025

[Maine-birds] Northern Pintail, Basin Cove, Harpswell, ME 10/22/25

Northern Pintail male, Basin Cove, Harpswell, ME 10/22/25

Dr. Jay Pitocchelli, Professor Emeritus
Biology Department
Saint Anselm College
Manchester, NH 03102
 
Blog: http://mourningwarbler.blogspot.com/

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Read More :- "[Maine-birds] Northern Pintail, Basin Cove, Harpswell, ME 10/22/25"

Sunday, 19 October 2025

[Maine-birds] Cooper's Hawk, White-throated, Song, Lincoln's Sparrow, Basin Pt. Rd., Harpswell, ME 10/19/25

Cooper's Hawk, several mixed flocks of sparrows: White-throated Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow (near 333 Basin Pt. Rd.), Basin Pt. Rd., Harpswell, ME 10/19/25

Dr. Jay Pitocchelli, Professor Emeritus
Biology Department
Saint Anselm College
Manchester, NH 03102
 
Blog: http://mourningwarbler.blogspot.com/

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Read More :- "[Maine-birds] Cooper's Hawk, White-throated, Song, Lincoln's Sparrow, Basin Pt. Rd., Harpswell, ME 10/19/25"

Wednesday, 15 October 2025

[Maine-birds] This Week's Highlights, 10/8-14

Hi all,
Here are my observations of note over the past seven days, including two Morning Flights at Sandy Point that included a record-breaking day.


-Derek

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

 Derek and Jeannette Lovitch

 Freeport Wild Bird Supply

 541 Route One, Suite 10

 Freeport, ME 04032

 207-865-6000

 www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com  

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

Read More :- "[Maine-birds] This Week's Highlights, 10/8-14"

Monday, 13 October 2025

[Maine-birds] 3 Cooper's Hawks, Basin Cove, Harpswell, ME 10/12/25

3 Cooper's Hawks flying over Basin Cove, Harpswell, ME 10/12/25

Dr. Jay Pitocchelli, Professor Emeritus
Biology Department
Saint Anselm College
Manchester, NH 03102
 
Blog: http://mourningwarbler.blogspot.co

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Read More :- "[Maine-birds] 3 Cooper's Hawks, Basin Cove, Harpswell, ME 10/12/25"

[Maine-birds] Great Egret, Laughing Gull, Greater Yellowlegs, Black-bellied Plover, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Chipping Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Harpswell, ME 10/12-13/25

Great Egret, Laughing Gull, Greater Yellowlegs, Black-bellied Plover, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Mixed flock of Sparrows: Chipping Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, and Song Sparrow moving along coastline, Basin Cove, Harpswell, ME 10/12-13/25

Dr. Jay Pitocchelli, Professor Emeritus
Biology Department
Saint Anselm College
Manchester, NH 03102
 
Blog: http://mourningwarbler.blogspot.co

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Read More :- "[Maine-birds] Great Egret, Laughing Gull, Greater Yellowlegs, Black-bellied Plover, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Chipping Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Harpswell, ME 10/12-13/25"

Friday, 10 October 2025

[Maine-birds] Tropical Kingbird, Scott’s Landing Preserve, Deer Isle 9-10 Oct

Yesterday, John Thompson photographed a yellow-bellied kingbird at Scott's Landing Preserve at the northernmost tip of Deer Isle (https://ebird.org/hotspot/L601522). The bird was briefly entered as a Western Kingbird without photos, then updated to Tropical Kingbird with photos, but later returned to Western Kingbird by the observer.

Photos clearly showed a Tropical/Couch's Kingbird based on the short primary projection, brownish tail with shallow notch, bright yellow underparts, and greenish breast contrasting with whitish throat. Based on that, the search was on.

Today, 10 October, Zach Holderby and others relocated the bird in the same area around the parking lot for the preserve (see map at above link). Zach was able to record the voice, which he and others say sounds like the twittering calls of Tropical Kingbird, a first for Hancock County and the fifth record of this species for Maine.

Maine has a special place in the history of vagrancy by Tropical Kingbirds north of Mexico. The first United States record, and first to establish long-distance vagrancy in the species, was a bird present and then collected at Scarborough, Cumberland Co., 30-31 October 1915 (Norton 1916). As are many of the fall records of this species north into the West and to the Northeast, the origin is from populations that breed in from the southern border of the United States south through Middle America. The Maine bird was ascribed to the subspecies Tyrannus melancholicus satrapa of Middle America, but it is not certain that a west Mexican origin is excluded, those being T. m. occidentalis. The Maine Bird Records Committee accepted this first record in our 11th report (Persons et al. 2022).

Last summer, Maine had a long-staying Tropical Kingbird that went through molt and showed characters of the South American subspecies, T. m. melancholicus, the southern populations of which are long-distance migrants that fly to northern South America for the Austral winter. That is, they are headed north at the beginning of our summer. It appears that several summer records to the Northeast are likely of this origin. The summer 2024 record was discussed in the Maine Bird Records Committee 14th report (Bevier and Persons 2025).

Separation of Couch's Kingbird is still to be pursued for these birds, and there are several records of Tropical/Couch's Kingbirds to the Northeast. For accepted records of Couch's Kingbirds, a recording of the calls is the best. With excellent photos, it is possible to eliminate one or the other species by bill length, primary projection beyond tertials, and primary spacing (similar to how Alder and Willow Flycatchers might be told apart without voice). Records of Couch's Kingbirds to the East and Northeast are mostly late fall into winter. But there is an early September record of Couch's for Massachusetts (7 September 2001). There is also a 15 October 1997 report of Couch's for Nova Scotia at Cape Sable Island, where two observers reported hearing calls matching that species (McLaren 2012).

One last identification issue: these kingbirds hybridized with each other in a narrow area but also with other highly migratory Tyrannus, such as Scissor-tailed and Fork-tailed. There are two November records to the Northeast of Tropical x Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (New York and New Hampshire); so one also needs to be aware of that identification pitfall.

Almost 30 years ago, Steve Mlodinow put together a comprehensive summary of Tropical Kingbird records north of Mexico, and discussed some of the then known vagrant Couch's Kingbirds (Mlodinow 1998).


Maine Bird Records Committee
Tropical and Tropical/Couch's Kingbirds
Available at:
https://sites.google.com/site/mainebirdrecordscommittee/official-list-of-maine-birds/tropical-kingbird


Literature cited

Bevier, L. R., and T. B. Persons. 2025. Fourteenth report of the Maine bird records committee. Bird Observer 53(2):103–109.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aZp0Y3Nt58OkwjPxwAdiQ-MebPakDgSC/view?usp=sharing

McLaren, I. A. 2012. All the birds of Nova Scotia: status and critical identification. Gaspereau Press, Kentville, Nova Scotia.

Mlodinow, Steven G. 1998. The Tropical Kingbird North of Mexico. National Audubon Society Field Notes 52(1):6-11.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/nasfn/vol52/iss1/3

Norton, A. H. 1916. Notes on some Maine birds. Auk 33:376–383.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/auk/vol33/iss4/3

Persons, T. B., T. Aversa, K. A. Lima, M. Weber, and L. R. Bevier. 2022. Eleventh Report of the Maine Bird Records Committee. Bird Observer 50:87–96, 108–109.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AxHV3vybk91YEfgFtdu4U6KpE8AhFoqn/view?usp=sharing

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Read More :- "[Maine-birds] Tropical Kingbird, Scott’s Landing Preserve, Deer Isle 9-10 Oct"

Wednesday, 8 October 2025

[Maine-birds] This Week's Highlights, 10/1-10/7

Hi all,
Here are my observations of note over the past seven days, including pelagics and a good flight at Sandy Point.


-Derek


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

 Derek and Jeannette Lovitch

 Freeport Wild Bird Supply

 541 Route One, Suite 10

 Freeport, ME 04032

 207-865-6000

 www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com  

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

Read More :- "[Maine-birds] This Week's Highlights, 10/1-10/7"

Tuesday, 7 October 2025

[Maine-birds] Junco in Cape Neddick

10/7/25 it's 86 degrees here. Guess he's a harbinger of colder weather.

Sent from my iPhone

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Read More :- "[Maine-birds] Junco in Cape Neddick"

[Maine-birds] Ross’s Goose, Fairfield/Benton

A Ross's Goose is currently (2:30 pm, Oct 7) in the Kennebec River with Canada Geese on the north side of Bridge Street (Hwy 139) across from Bunker Ave., Fairfield.

This bird appears to be the same one first reported as a Snow Goose in cut cornfields along River Road north of I-95 in Benton yesterday by Ian Lynch. He updated the identification today to Ross's Goose.

Louis Bevier
Fairfield
Read More :- "[Maine-birds] Ross’s Goose, Fairfield/Benton"

Wednesday, 1 October 2025

[Maine-birds] This Week's (plus) Highlights, 9/22-9/30

Hi all,
My observations of note over the past 9 days, including an extraordinary 5 days on Monhegan is now posted here:


-Derek


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

 Derek and Jeannette Lovitch

 Freeport Wild Bird Supply

 541 Route One, Suite 10

 Freeport, ME 04032

 207-865-6000

 www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com  

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

Read More :- "[Maine-birds] This Week's (plus) Highlights, 9/22-9/30"

[Maine-birds] Monhegan Island summary 9.19-24.25

There were many highlights on our recent NJ Audubon Eco-Travel trip to Monhegan Island September 19-24, including 19 species of warbler and a number of vagrants—among the 89 bird species recorded. There were also many butterflies, including numerous Monarchs. Harbor and Gray Seals, along with Harbor Porpoise, added to the spectacle. Highlights below. 


You can shortly view a more expansive summary and photos from the trip on The Birds of Monhegan Facebook Page. A seasonal update to The Birds of Monhegan book will be posted there later in the fall. Don't have a copy of the book, you can purchase one at www.birdsofmonhegan.com or reach out directly to me for a signed softcover or a limited edition, signed hardcover. The Monhegan Birds WhatsApp group has also worked well, with postings being sent/received on numerous occasions. If you aren't already a member but would like to join the group, please download WhatsApp onto your phone and send me your phone number so that I can add you.


As always, seeing friends and fellow birders/butterfliers on the island is part of the specialness of Monhegan.


Brett Ewald

Director, Cape May Bird Observatory

brett.ewald90@gmail.com

716-628-8226

 

Ring-necked Pheasant – many on the island (25+), including family groups with small young.

Common Loon – 8, mainly seen from the ferry over/back (Port Clyde)

Northern Gannet – only 8 seen

Great Cormorant – 14, including 12 below White Head

Common Eider - 100+

Osprey - 6

Bald Eagle - 4, 1 adult around Monhegan

Northern Harrier - 1

Sharp-shinned Hawk - 6

American Kestrel - 13

Merlin – 20+

Peregrine Falcon – 6

Wilson's Snipe - 1

Laughing Gull - 10+

Lesser Black-backed Gull – 3

Black Guillemot - 15+

Ruby-throated Hummingbird – 8

Belted Kingfisher - 1

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 18

Northern Flicker - 75+

Eastern Phoebe – 8

Alder Flycatcher – 1

Least Flycatcher - 4

Brown Thrasher - 1

Swainson's Thrush – 2

Cedar Waxwing - 200+

Blue-headed Vireo – 9

Warbling Vireo – 3

Philadelphia Vireo - 3

Red-eyed Vireo - 40+

Carolina Wren – 4+

Winter Wren – 2

Purple Finch – 25+

Clay-colored Sparrow – 2, multiple dates and locations

Lark Sparrow – 1, multiple dates, usually around the school

Savannah Sparrow - 2

Lincoln's Sparrow – 6

Swamp Sparrow – 3

White-throated Sparrow – 30+

Bobolink - 10

Baltimore Oriole – 4

Blue-winged Warbler – 1 on 9/19

Tennessee Warbler - 4

Nashville Warbler – 1 on 9/19

Northern Parula - 9

Yellow Warbler - 4

Chestnut-sided Warbler - 1 on 9/24

Magnolia Warbler - 7

Cape May Warbler - 13

Black-throated Blue Warbler - 3

Yellow-rumped Warbler – 20+

Black-throated Green Warbler - 5

Palm Warbler – 11

Bay-breasted Warbler – 1 on 9/19

Blackpoll Warbler - 5

Black-and-white Warbler – 7

American Redstart – 4

Northern Waterthrush - 1

Common Yellowthroat - 10+

Wilson's Warbler – 5

Rose-breasted Grosbeak – 2 on 9/21

Dickcissel – 4+, multiple dates.

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Read More :- "[Maine-birds] Monhegan Island summary 9.19-24.25"

[Maine-birds] Hudsonian Godwit

Thanks to help from Cheryl Ring and Glenn Hodgkin I went out to the north end of Sabattus Pond this morning looking for dunlin. After finding them, I went further along the shore and found a Hudsonian Godwit calmly feeding in the sun right at the edge of the lake. Long upturned, two toned bill, gray back and neck, white on the lores, black tail.
Danny Danforth


--
Loring M. Danforth
Charles A. Dana Professor of Anthropology Emeritus
446 College St.
Lewiston, ME 04240

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Read More :- "[Maine-birds] Hudsonian Godwit"