Re: [Maine-birds] Northern Lapwing - Poland, 5/6; additional info

Hi folks,

To add to Doug's news about the lapwing, here is my account during the last twenty minutes of daylight.

The Northern Lapwing became restless about 8:23 (sunset 7:50, end of civil twilight 8:22 locally). It flew a short circuit around the field in which it had been foraging and landed again. Only a couple minutes later at 8:25 p.m. it flew in an erratic pattern upward, calling several times, until rising above the trees, whereupon it narrowed its course toward the northeast (bearing apx. 75-80°). I last saw it flying in and out of, and then disappearing through, a silvery gray cloud with lavender and deepening cobalt in the sky above. Our feeling was that the bird had commenced its onward migration at that time. Although that was our feeling, these birds do also make a local movements at night; so searches of the area might be worthwhile.

If it stays on course, however, it might pass over the rich farm fields of central Waldo County tonight and then over the Downeast coastline. If it keeps flying at 35 mph all night, then it could be in southwestern Nova Scotia by tomorrow morning.

This bird was solidly black in the face and breast with very long crest plumes. When it preened and flapped its wings while on the ground, we could only see a small tip of white on the outer 2-3 primaries. This suggests the bird is an adult male.

I shot some video and a few stills in the last rays of light (just to prove I could; these are horrible).
8 sec. video -- http://www.flickr.com/photos/lrbevier/8716738690/
30 sec. video -- http://www.flickr.com/photos/lrbevier/8715621825/
still taken shortly after 8 p.m. -- http://www.flickr.com/photos/lrbevier/8715615505/

Louis Bevier
Fairfield, ME

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