Maine birds And MOAC mountainbiking

Wednesday, 31 July 2013

[Maine-birds] Maine RBA - July 30, 2013

Name: Maine Audubon Rare Bird Alert Reporting Period: July 24 – 30, 2013 Area: State of Maine Compilers: Doug Hitchcox Noteworthy Species Mentioned: Red-billed Tropicbird+ American White Pelican+ Least Bittern Tricolored Heron White-faced Ibis+ Little Gull South Polar Skua+ (+ Details requested by Maine Bird Records Committee) York County Up to three LITTLE GULLS continued to be seen throughout this week along the beach...

[Maine-birds] Sears Island osprey

A wonderful day for a hike around Sears Island. We were greeted by this osprey. http://photosbychance.zenfolio.com/p501323621/h658368e6#h658368e6 Later four different great blue herons lead us on for a mile or so before doubling back. I wonder if they were an adult with juveniles, or a group of juveniles. I've not previously observed more than one great blue at a time. Cheers, Dave -- -- Maine...

Tuesday, 30 July 2013

[Maine-birds] additional white pelican photos aroostook by Paul Cyr also in July Long Lake

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[Maine-birds] Quintessential Aroostook County

Aroostook County's immense charm may be summed up by the warm and friendly French/Canadien culture, Bill Sheehan, the iconic moose, little white churches, Aurora Borealis in the night sky, regiments of black pointed spruce, and, of course, pelicans flying low over vast expanses of rolling potato fields. WHAT! You doubt Pelicans over Maine potato fields. excuse me, but you must please click this link..you will note black...

[Maine-birds] White-Tailed Tropicbird

Spotted on Monhegan today in the harbor. It was seen by Rusty Spear. He is a reliable source and has a good eye and memory for detail with birds. -- -- Maine birds mailing list maine-birds@googlegroups.com http://groups.google.com/group/maine-birds https://sites.google.com/site/birding207 --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Maine birds" group. To unsubscribe...

[Maine-birds] Unity migrants

This morning after the fog cleared there was a fairly heavy movement of warblers and other birds here in Unity/Thorndike. Highlights included 14 warbler species (at least three Tennessees) and a Black-billed Cuckoo. Most of the warblers were adults in molt. Good birding,tom -- -- Maine birds mailing list maine-birds@googlegroups.com http://groups.google.com/group/maine-birds https://sites.google.com/site/birding207...

[Maine-birds] Re: Correction

Joel - was the skepticism due to geography or habitat? We've seen them on mudflats quite often. Not at Pinkham Bay but ...Steve On Monday, July 29, 2013 1:07:11 PM UTC-4, Joel and Sandy Wilcox-Fairbanks wrote:Hi All, Ebird was skeptical about my claimed Pectoral Sandpiper ("1 for sure") at the Pinkham Bay mudflats, so take that with a few grains of salt. I have to admit that I have always seen them before only...

Monday, 29 July 2013

[Maine-birds] Green Heron

Hi Everyone Just posting (late) that yesterday AM, low tide, there was a Green Heron in the cove at the end of Catherine Dr, In the afternoon at high tide I couldn't relocate it and couldn't find it this am. Nancy Scarborough Me -- -- Maine birds mailing list maine-birds@googlegroups.com http://groups.google.com/group/maine-birds https://sites.google.com/site/birding207 --- You received this message because you...

[Maine-birds] Correction

Hi All, Ebird was skeptical about my claimed Pectoral Sandpiper ("1 for sure") at the Pinkham Bay mudflats, so take that with a few grains of salt. I have to admit that I have always seen them before only in grassy fields (in FL). Joel WilcoxCherryfield -- -- Maine birds mailing list maine-birds@googlegroups.com http://groups.google.com/group/maine-birds https://sites.google.com/site/birding207...

Re: [Maine-birds] Baxter birding

Forgot to mention in my earlier post that we had Black-capped Chickadee and Boreal Chickadee as well. Skip Small Rockport Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android From: Carl Small <triton469@yahoo.com>;...

[Maine-birds] Hyannis to Hydrographer pelagic, 3 Aug, space available

I am forwarding news of space available for folks from the Brookline Bird Club (celebrating their 100th anniversary this year). This is out of Massachusetts, but Maine used to be an exclave of that state, so I'm taking the liberty of posting here ;-)Link to pelagic and BBC website: http://www.brooklinebirdclub.org/p/pelagics.htmlLouis BevierFairfield, The Brookline Bird Club will be running a dedicated pelagic birding...

[Maine-birds] AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN - Fort Fairfield, 7/29

Hey everyone: Bill Sheehan just called to say that he and Jerry Smith relocated the AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN at Christina Reservoir in Fort Fairfield. This is presumably the same bird that was seen earlier this month in St. Agatha from the 10th through the 12th. Good birding, Doug Hitchcox Hollis, ME -- -- Maine birds mailing list maine-birds@googlegroups.com http://groups.google.com/group/maine-birds https://sites.google.com/site/birding207 ---...

[Maine-birds] Baxter birding

Four from the mid coast area headed to the Baxter area for whatever birds we could see. Birding around Neosourdahunk area we had: Mourning Warbler Chestnut-sided Magnolia Common Yellow Throat Blackpoll Nashville Northern Parula Palm Yellow-rumped Blue-headed Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Hermit Thrush Golden-crown Kinglet Swanson Thrush Great looks at Three American Bitterns Wood Ducks Common Loons Pied-billed Grebes Canada Geese Kingbird Yellow-bellied...

Sunday, 28 July 2013

[Maine-birds] is there more info on the Spotted Towhee report??

Hello Zak Pohlen, Can you give more information, where were you standing on Drakes Island, where was the bird? How long did you see it? Was it there when you left? Thankyou Andy Aldrich North Berwick Spotted Towhee (1 report)---------------------------------------------Thank you for subscribing to the <hourly> Needs Alert for Maine. The report below shows...

[Maine-birds] eBird Report - ME-ISS-45 Seawall Beach, Phippsburg, Plot 1, Jul 27, 2013

And so migration has begun, and it seems my summer has barely started! A fab day to spend on the beach counting birds. On salt marsh on the way in to the beach (Morse Mountain Bates/Colby conservation area) nice flock of 12 Glossy Ibis, also. > Date: Sun, 28 Jul 2013 14:46:42 -0400> From: do-not-reply@ebird.org> To: rrrobinson2010@hotmail.com> Subject: eBird Report - ME-ISS-45...

RE: [Maine-birds] Little Gulls

Bruce - I walked thru Laudholm Farm (Wells Reserve) to the beach then left (east) on that beach to the river mouth (Merriland River). High tide was around one that day - and I spotted the Little Gulls around 9:30 . They were in the river on a sand bar for about an hour. Once that small sand bar was overcome by water,...

[Maine-birds] Little Gulls

Thanks to those who commented on the photos from Iceland. My apologies there are no descriptors, as I only had time to load the photos. It's just summer in Maine when you have two grandchildren :). Might anyone have more detailed information on where to go in the Wells Esturay/Rachel Carson area to find the little gulls? Tidal stage when the birds were visible would also be appreciated.Thanks much, BAB--...

[Maine-birds] FW: eBird Report - ME-ISS-45 Seawall Beach, Phippsburg, Plot 1, Jul 27, 2013

[Maine-birds] Gilsland Farm shorebirds

I did a shorebird survey at Gilsland Farm in Falmouth this morning and there was a significant increase today in shorebird numbers and diversity. Below are the results of my last 3 surveys here, ending with today's. 7/14 - No shorebirds 7/24 - Semipalmated Sandpiper - 194 7/28 - Semipalmated Sandpiper - 647 Least Sandpiper - 7 (possibly more) ...

Re: [Maine-birds] Steuben shorebirds

Hi, Try incoming tide as the tide is bunching them up. Same could apply to outgoing tide although they may start feeding somewhere else if they are not roosting nearby. I used to get over a thousand birds in Pinkham Bay during the early 1980s. NormOn Sun, Jul 28, 2013 at 8:54 AM, Joel and Sandy Wilcox-Fairbanks <joelandsandy@gmail.com> wrote: Lots of shorebirds on the mudflats at Pinkham Bay about...

[Maine-birds] Some coastal sightings...

7/27/13 Three Puffins at the mouth of Isle au Haut harbor. Immature Bald Eagle flying 3 feet over the surface between Heron Neck (Vinalhaven I.) and in the general direction of Wooden Ball I. Great Cormorants on Shag Rock and Brimstone I. south of Vinalhaven. Small numbers of adult, subadult, and immature Gannets all along the 20 fathom line from the mouth of Penobscot Bay east to Frenchman...

[Maine-birds] Steuben shorebirds

Lots of shorebirds on the mudflats at Pinkham Bay about 1 1/2 hours before low tide this AM. I should have been there 30 minutes earlier, as they were already fairly distant, but I could make out Greater Yellowlegs ~20Lesser Yellowlegs ~40Pectoral Sandpiper 1 for sure, but probably moreSemipalmated Sandpiper ~250-300 (Maybe some leasts in the mix, though I did not see any yellow legs; but distance, shade from their bodies...

[Maine-birds] Veery

Essex Street Marsh continues to produce photo opportunities. I have not been able to see the sora yet this year, but have heard it on each visit. This veery popped out into the open and treated me to visual and acoustic entertainment for several minutes. I think there were several juvenile eastern kingbirds in range of my lens, but I'm not confident. Oh well, it was a fun outing. http://photosbychance.zenfolio.com/p501323621/h62c7de7c#h62c7de7c...

Saturday, 27 July 2013

[Maine-birds] Brünnich's murre photos from Iceland

Hi,Spent a marvelous two weeks in Iceland in late May and early June. The birds I most wanted a photo of was the Brünnich's murre (thick-billed to the young crowd.) I was lucky enough to meet an ornithologist who pointed me in the right direction and you can see photos of this species on a lava cliff here: http://bbartrug.zenfolio.com/p534029824. Other photos include kittiwake, Eurasian oystercatcher, whimbrel,...

Re: [Maine-birds] Tern ID?

Your bird is a Common Tern--a 1-year-old called 1st summer in many guides. These are seen at breeding colonies and roost sites but are uncommon here during summer. They are routine, however, and an identification challenge if one is unfamiliar with them. This is a plumage that baffled ornithologists for a long time and has interesting connections to Maine. This plumage is also known as "portlandica" because a new species with...

[Maine-birds] Tern ID?

I am questioning my ID of this tern that I posted on my Flicker account yesterday. Roseate? Maybe not? What is it and what field marks lead to that conclusion? ...

Friday, 26 July 2013

[Maine-birds] Some birds on Laudholm Beach, Wells Reserve, 7/25/13

I spent a couple hours yesterday morning on Laudholm Beach - Wells Reserve, in Wells with camera in hand while enjoying the birding activity - Little Gulls, various Terns and their chicks, and a Piping Plover mother and her four chicks were the highlights of the morning. ...

[Maine-birds] Belted Kingfisher- Town Hill (Bar Harbor)

A belted kingfisher has spent the late afternoon perched on a power line near the Frenchman's Hill fire-pond.If your are interested in seeing the Hermit Thrush nest in the wet part of our back yard (photo taken a week ago) go to: http://acadiabirds.wordpress.com/ and select the "birds" in the archive, or just scroll down through the butterflies to find the nest. C. -- -- Maine birds mailing...

[Maine-birds] Bremen - Red-Bellied Woodpecker baby

What a thrill to look out and see a young Red-Bellied Woodpecker being fed by mom and another waiting to be fed. The Red-Bellied has spent two winters here and now has a family! Juanita Roushdy Bremen, ME -- -- Maine birds mailing list maine-birds@googlegroups.com http://groups.google.com/group/maine-birds https://sites.google.com/site/birding207 --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups...

Thursday, 25 July 2013

[Maine-birds] Burn Road

Sandra from Long Island started the day with zero Spruce Grouse on her life list, but ended with six. Weather on the Burn Road in Topsfield was ideal today. While some of this year’s harvest remains to be picked up, I noticed no current logging operations going on. My only human encounters were with presumed bear hunting guides (two) who were staking out their bear baiting prospects. Olive-sided Flycatchers were tending youngsters...

[Maine-birds] Gilsland Farm Birdwalk

Hello everyone:It was another gorgeous day for a walk around Gilsland Farm. Starting at 7 it actually felt chilly - almost a late September feel. By the time we made it to the North Meadow the sun had come out, warming things up just enough so we could add a few butterflies to the day list: Common Wood Nymphs (Cercyonis pegala alope) were especially abundant over the meadow and just a few Pearl Crescents (Phyciodes tharos) were...

[Maine-birds] Re: Phippsburg odd duck ID help ? Shoveler

I think that it is another juvenile Eider, but maybe a different age than the ones around it. To me, the bill looks right, albeit not fully developed yet. A dabbling duck, even a juvenile, would have a concave-curved culmen, while this bird's culmen is straight, consistent with Common Eider. The body coloring and shape of the head seem consistent to me as well.Cole WinstanleyConcord, MA / Kennebunkport, MEOn Thursday, July 25,...

[Maine-birds] Phippsburg odd duck ID help ? Shoveler

Phippsburg, Me Map 6 Totman Cove? is this a juv Northern Shoveler?looking for help with probably impossible ID or at least suggestions:Odd duck (that would be the bird in the water, not the one typing in the chair here) in company of flock of juv Common eiders. Link to series of images of bird in question below (images are poor - low light and distance). Bird was a dabbler not a diver1/2 the size of the eidersbill twice...

Wednesday, 24 July 2013

[Maine-birds] Maine RBA - July 23, 2013

Name: Maine Audubon Rare Bird Alert Reporting Period: July 17 – 23, 2013 Area: State of Maine Compilers: Doug Hitchcox Noteworthy Species Mentioned: Red-billed Tropicbird+ Brown Booby+ Tricolored Heron White-faced Ibis+ Black-necked Stilt Little Gull South Polar Skua+ York County Three LITTLE GULLS continued to be seen along the beach at Laudholm Farm in Wells this week. Presumably one of the Laudholm birds, a LITTLE GULL...

[Maine-birds] Boreal birds

Any day that offers up sightings of American Three-toed Woodpecker, Black-backed Woodpecker, Gray Jay, Boreal Chickadee, and Spruce Grouse is a rare day. We didn’t get the grouse until 4:06pm this afternoon, so I was way off breaking my personal record of 8:50am, but I’ll take it. The first four were off the Telos Road west of Baxter. (It’s on private land, so I don’t feel comfortable revealing the exact spot without permission.)...

[Maine-birds] Yellow-throated Vireo at Unity Pond

Went to the boat ramp near the end of Kanokolus Rd. in Unity this morning and I was able to find a Yellow-throated Vireo as reported previously by Tom Aversa and others. Thanks for the reports. Also stopped nearby at the "Field of Dreams" park to see the Purple Martin Colony. My count of 48 birds was probably on the low side since many were in the martin house. Very nice to watch such an active group of birds. Good...

[Maine-birds] Turkey vulture

I got a nice close look at this guy while making my rounds at Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge this morning. A rather stunning looking fellow. http://photosbychance.zenfolio.com/p501323621/h620435d0#h620435d0 Cheers,Dave -- -- Maine birds mailing list maine-birds@googlegroups.com http://groups.google.com/group/maine-birds...

[Maine-birds] Bird data needed for Cobscook Bay Area IBA nomination

The Fundy chapter of Maine Audubon is putting together a nomination for a Cobscook Bay Region Important Bird Area (IBA), to be submitted to Maine Audubon at the end of August. We know our region is rich in birds, but we are not rich in data about birds--yet. And we need that data to support the nomination. We'll be focusing on these sites:Moosehorn NWR (both divisions)West Quoddy Head State ParkBoot Head PreserveSouth Lubec Mud...

[Maine-birds] Fwd: New Species --Bryan's Shearwater

Going through my old e-mails I came across this email sent to from a friend who has visited the famous Midway Island. Realizing that this is not a Maine post I do feel that it would be an interest to all. Especially we who do pelagic s. Skip SmallRockport Sent from my iPadBegin forwarded message:From: Narca <narca@vtc.net>Date:...

Tuesday, 23 July 2013

[Maine-birds] Webber Pond, Bremen

some shifting bird patterns this week--after I filled the feeders on Friday, I realized that the regulars had disappeared (except for the purple finches)--and that I hadn't seen or heard the red-winged blackbird for several days. I could hear the crows but they weren't visible and they didn't come for the scraps I put down on Saturday. The platform feeder wasn't touched till late Saturday. Today the crows were...

[Maine-birds] Purple Martins

5:45 pm - The PURPLE MARTIN colony on Route 43 in Corinna is doing well. There were about a dozen, male and female, and lots of chirping and baby feeding. Carlton and Aloyse Larrabee (luvbrds), Dex...

Monday, 22 July 2013

[Maine-birds] River Eider

An adult male common eider spent the afternoon snoozing on a rock in the Penobscot River below the Milford Dam in Old Town. I really couldn't believe my eyes, so I watched him until he moved, lest he be a decoy somebody had cleverly placed there. Considering how many eagles visit that section of the Penobscot, an eider snoozing on a rock is... ...wait for it... a sitting duck. Bob Duchesne -- -- Maine birds mailing list maine-birds@googlegroups.com http://groups.google.com/group/maine-birds https://sites.google.com/site/birding207 ---...

[Maine-birds] South Polar Skua

I'm a visiting birder from California, enjoying several days in Maine. Today I went on my second Whale Watch tour out of Bar Harbor, picking up some East Coast pelagics. Best bird was a very brief view of a South Polar Skua stealing a fish from a Herring Gull. This was on the way out from Petit Manan, this morning (7/22) at about 10:30 AM. I was able to capture a distant photo of the aerial acrobatics - http://www.flickr.com/photos/amaizlish/9347592540/Other...

[Maine-birds] Hundreds of Shorebirds at Seawall Beach

This morning on the incoming tide, hundreds of shorebirds were actively foraging all up and down Seawall Beach. The highlight was a group of 11 Whimbrels foraging along the wrack line. The birds were quite wary, and flushed often when approached by people. The flocks of shorebirds included and estimated 450 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 110 Semipalmated Plovers and 90 Sanderlings. It appears shorebird...

Re: [Maine-birds] RFI: Red-Billed Tropicbird, Seal Island

The tropicbird is still there and has remained in past years into early to mid August. Last week, something amazing happened. Keith Mueller from Connecticut had given John Drury a wooden decoy of a Red-billed Tropicbird last year. Keith carves remarkably detailed decoys as a hobby and made one as a present for John. This year John once again placed the decoy in the small harbor at Seal Island hoping to attract the tropicbird's...