[Maine-birds] Gilsland Farm Thurs. 7AM bird walk (April 25, 2013)

Greetings, birding friends! I filled in for Mike Windsor this morning, hosting the weekly Thursday morning bird walk sponsored by Maine Audubon at its Gilsland Farm headquarters property. The weather is lovely at the moment, but this morning at 7AM it was raw and blustery out on Falmouth Foreside. Nevertheless fourteen rugged Maine birders braved the brisk conditions in search of spring migrants. Many of the passerines spotted on last week's walk (e.g., Pine Warblers and Ruby-crowned Kinglet) were not in evidence this morning. Nor did we spot a Eurasian Wigeon or other hotline-igniting glamour birds. In total we had 40 species + Mack Duck/Blallard (eBird report follows) with raptors and shorebirds stealing the show. Our best bird was "almost certainly" a Great Horned Owl, glimpsed briefly by several of us as it flew up from the ground and over a rise out of view at the start of the North Meadow Trail (we couldn't in good conscience rule out Barred Owl). A Bald Eagle, American Kestrel, Cooper's Hawk and Osprey (2+) also blew by. Shorebird flyovers included Wilson's Snipe in the North Meadow and Lesser Yellowlegs; a Greater Yellowlegs stood uncharacteristically still for scope views at the edge of the mudflats by the blind. Also notable was a sizable movement of Double-crested Cormorants, flying out the mouth of the Presumpscot River and up the estuary in a steady stream. I was a tad cheezed off to miss common birds like Mallard and European Starling, not to mention Eastern Phoebe and the entire warbler family. 

Mike Windsor will be back next week to lead the walk and no doubt greet throngs of returning warblers and other migrants. To join the fun just show up at 7AM at Gilsland Farm on Route 1 in Falmouth. 

Peace & good birding,

Scott Cronenweth

Cape Elizabeth, ME

scott@naturalpathwalks.com

www.naturalpathwalks.com

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Gilsland Farm Audubon Center, Cumberland, US-ME
Apr 25, 2013 7:00 AM - 9:15 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Comments:     Filling in for Mike Windsor on Maine Audubon's regular Thursday AM birding walk at Gilsland Farm
40 species (+1 other taxa)

Canada Goose  2
American Black Duck  16
American Black Duck x Mallard (hybrid)  1
Common Eider  21
Bufflehead  30
Red-breasted Merganser  6
Double-crested Cormorant  50
Great Egret  1
Osprey  2
Cooper's Hawk  1
Bald Eagle  1
Greater Yellowlegs  1
Lesser Yellowlegs  3
Wilson's Snipe  1
Ring-billed Gull  10
Herring Gull  30
Great Black-backed Gull  1
Rock Pigeon  4
Mourning Dove  1
Great Horned Owl  1     Probable GHOW glimpsed flying up from the ground and over the rise on the North Meadow Trail
Belted Kingfisher  2
Downy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker  3
American Kestrel  1
Blue Jay  1
American Crow  9
Tree Swallow  5
Black-capped Chickadee  5
Tufted Titmouse  2
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
Eastern Bluebird  3
American Robin  6
Chipping Sparrow  5
Savannah Sparrow  2
Song Sparrow  20
White-throated Sparrow  3
Northern Cardinal  2
Red-winged Blackbird  25
House Finch  1
American Goldfinch  15
House Sparrow  1

View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S13877081

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)