[Maine-birds] Messalonskee Marsh Boat Landing

Hi folks,

 

I went to Messalongskee Marsh at lunchtime today for about a hour.  The woods and marsh were somewhat quiet with warbling vireos, yellow warblers and red-winged blackbirds vocalizing consistently. Oddly, no swamp sparrow songs or boisterous call notes were heard.   I started at the small road leading down to the marsh just before the old small visitor/welcome center on the right (coming from Augusta) about 1/4 mile before the old boat ramp.  Highlights were the larger number (for me) of black terns foraging together where the channel opens up and the group of purple martins foraging together in the outer narrow channel that runs parallel to the back shore.  I did not see or heard the sandhill cranes.

 

Visitor Center Road

 

2  Wood ducks

2  Black ducks

4  Green-winged teal

3  Warbling vireos (singing males)

2  Yellow warblers

1  Common yellowthroat

1  Am redstart

2  Red-eyed vireos

1  Alder flycatcher

1  Least flycatcher

1  Red-winged blackbird - May have been more as I was not paying close attention

1  Common grackle

1  Am goldfinch

1  Song sparrow

0  Swamp sparrows - Quiet

 

Boat launch

23 Black terns - 22 in one foraging group and an additional bird sitting on a channel marker; there may have been two birds on channel markers at the time

11 Purple martins - Feeding in a channel toward the rear of the marsh; one bird was a first spring bird; this is the most I have seen from the boat launch

6  Tree swallows

2  Barn swallows

10 Unidentified swallows

20-25 male red-winged blackbirds scattered throughout on territory

1  Pied-billed grebe

3  Yellow warblers

1  Common yellowthroat

1  Yellow-rumped warbler

2  Warbler vireos (pair); should have been more

1  Ruby-throated hummingbird

2  Am goldfinch

2  Am crow

1  Common grackle

1  Chimney swift

1  Song sparrow

0  Swamp sparrows - quiet

1  Veery - Call note next to car

2  Eastern kingbirds -  An additional pair opposite the train crossing location

1  Osprey

1  Gray catbird

1  Eastern phoebe

1  Very dead large snapping turtle along the shoulder of the road between observing locations

--

Norman Famous, Wetlands and Wildlife Ecologist

513 Eight Rod Road

Augusta, ME 04330

(207) 623 6072

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