[Maine-birds] Additional Highlights This Week and Goose Fields Update, 10/5-9

Hi all,

 

Some additional sightings of note from me in the past five days included:

- 125 Song, 100 Savannah, 40 Swamp Sparrows, etc, Wolfe's Neck Farm, Freeport, 10/5 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).

- 1 CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, Biddeford Pool neighborhood, 10/6 (photos).

- 9 Red-necked Grebes, Ocean Avenue, Biddeford Pool, 10/6.

- 1 White-rumped Sandpiper, 26 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 78 Dunlin, and 18 Sanderlings, Biddeford Pool Beach, 10/6.

- 26 Red Knots, 83 Black-bellied Plovers, 37 Ruddy Turnstones, 15 Dunlin, 10 Sanderlings, and 7 peeps, Saco River Jetties from Hill's Beach, 10/6.

- 229 Semipalmated Sandpipers (nice late-season count, esp. here), 29 Dunlin, and 20 Semipalmated Plovers, Wharton Point, Brunswick, 10/7.

- 1 hen Northern Pintail (first of year) and 1 Spotted Sandpiper (getting late), The Nubble, Cape Neddick, 10/8 (with Jeannette).

- 1 DICKCISSEL (Jeannette photo), 1 Indigo Bunting, 1 Field Sparrow, etc, Beach Plum Farm, Ogunquit, 10/8 (with Jeannette).

- 15 Great Egrets, 14 Snowy Egrets, and 1 Green Heron, etc, Harbor Road, Wells, 10/8 (with Jeannette).

- 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, 3 Pectoral Sandpipers, 36 Greater Yellowlegs, Harbor Road, 10/8 (with Jeannette).

- 5 Nelson's Sparrows (ssp. subvirgatus), Community Park, Wells, 10/8 (with Jeannette; photos).

 

Goose Fields Update:

As with everywhere to our south, the resident, non-migratory population of Canada Geese is burgeoning in southern Maine.  This resident population begins to coalesce in the fields of Yarmouth, Cumberland, and Falmouth in early August, and by the middle to end of September, the flock includes a sizeable percentage of the local breeders.  The percentage of local breeders that are in the fields on any given day increases with the onset of early Canada Goose hunting season in early September.

This year, the number of geese among all fields has varied between 200-300 total birds since early September. This number of pre-migrant birds has grown steadily over the past five years in particular.  This week, the first real influx of geese arrived, presumably from some points north.  It is the flock of resident geese that know the safe fields (no hunting, less Bald Eagle activity) and travel corridors to and from the bay where they roost that attract the migrants, including those occasional rarities.

 

My high count this week of 445 Canada Geese today was my highest tally since the spring.  A couple of Eastern Meadowlarks and up to 8 Killdeer were also present at Thornhurst Farm this week, and Eastern Bluebirds have been rather widespread. A Pied-billed Grebe was once again in the pond on Woodville Road in Falmouth, as is often the case at this time of year.

-Derek

 

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Jeannette and Derek Lovitch
Freeport Wild Bird Supply
541 Route One, Suite 10
Freeport, ME 04032
Ph: (207)865-6000/Fax: (207)865-6069
www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com
Visit our E-store http://store.freeportwildbirdsupply.com/