Tuesday, 31 July 2018

[Maine-birds] commensal feeding observation

Greetings, birding/atlasing friends! Just wanted to quickly share a snippet of the joy and wonderment that I'm experiencing through participation in our Maine Bird Atlas. Like many of us, I'm scrutinizing bird plumage and behavior at every opportunity (you don't want to be in a moving car with me right now :-) in an effort to confirm late-season breeding. Last night I happened to be reading about commensal feeding among birds...
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Monday, 30 July 2018

[Maine-birds] More shorebirds at Flat Bay, Harrington

Migrating flocks continue to arrive. On this evening's low tide (8:05 to 8:15) there was a lot of active feeding behavior.  I counted approximately 200  Black-bellied Plover, 60 Short-billed Dowitchers, 200+peeps (getting too dark to identify well) and 7 Greater Yellowlegs.  This morning's tide also yielded good numbers of Black-bellied Plover, Short-billed Dowitchers, Lesser Yellowlegs and 300+ peeps (most likely...
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[Maine-birds] Scarborough Marsh Rt. 1 pannes Little Egret

Currently foraging on the Rt. 1 edge of the pannes.Cheers,Tim FennellSent via the Samsung Galaxy S7, an AT&T 4G LTE smartph...
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[Maine-birds] Seal Island NWR (Penobscot Bay) - Brown Pelican

Hi all,Yesterday evening we observed a Brown Pelican fly past the Seal Island NWR heading north toward Isle au Haut and then return heading south about 30 minutes later. Keep your eyes peeled.Keenan -- 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...
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[Maine-birds] Seabird activity, Eastport area

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Sunday, 29 July 2018

[Maine-birds] Re: Western Kingbird, La Grange

Attached are some much much better photos (cropped). I returned with a 400mm lens and the bird was still there. There's white on the outer retrix which I believe confirms a Western Kingbird. There's decent parking near a stone wall at the site, making the area a bit more accessible than I realized previously. The second time I returned,...
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[Maine-birds] Request for info on reporting a dead bird

Is there a person or place where I should report a dead bird? We weren't able to stop but there is a dead raptor on the side of I-95. It looked big enough to be an eagle. I suppose it could have been a turkey but the feathers looked black to me. Sent from my iPhone -- Maine birds mailing list maine-birds@googlegroups.com http://groups.google.com/group/maine-birds https://sites.google.com/site/birding207 --- You received this...
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[Maine-birds] Little Egret Scarborough Marsh

 The Little Egret is in Scarborough Marsh off of Route One. It is in the large panne south of Anjon's near the tree line. Right now it is roosting in a dead tree. It has been hanging out on the right-hand side  of the panne.   As I am writing this a Green Heron just flew by to the small group of trees between the panne and Anjon's.  A big thank you to Marian Zimmerman for stopping at the nature center...
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[Maine-birds] Little Blue Heron - Belfast 7/29

The bird is no longer in view as of 4:17. I lost sight of it around half an hour ago and was unable to relocate. It could have just slipped back into taller grass so it may be worth revisiting. Fyn -- 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...
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[Maine-birds] Western Kingbird, La Grange

Hi Folks,I observed what I think is a Western Kingbird today near La Grange. I documented some poor photos and videos (linked below) on my phone; however, I think those are enough to rule out the resident birds. I had great looks from 20-30 feet with great lighting for about 30 minutes, It was large gray bird with yellow extending from the middle of the chest back through the undertail coverts.  The bird had a gray back...
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[Maine-birds] Little Blue Heron - Belfast 7/29

Currently observing a Little Blue Heron off of the Little River Trail in Belfast. It's about 0.6 miles up the trail foraging in the vegetation revealed by low water level. This appears to be the first Waldo County record, going by eBird. Great looking adult bird that was originally associated with a Great Blue Heron, before the larger of the two departed. Good birding, Fyn (207) 323-8686 -- Maine birds mailing list maine-birds@googlegroups.com http://groups.google.com/group/maine-birds https://sites.google.com/site/birding207 ---...
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[Maine-birds] Shorebirds at Flat Bay, Harrington

Finally, a semi-fog-free morning to observe shorebirds on the morning low tide! First, no Whimbrels. The decreased disturbance in the commercial blueberry barrens may be drawing the birds off the mudflats and feeding on blueberries. I hope that's why we are not seeing them and not some other more depressing explanation.... We observed 55 Short-billed Dowitchers, 5 Lesser Yellowlegs, 20 Black-bellied Plover and approximately...
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Saturday, 28 July 2018

Re: [Maine-birds] Maine Bird Atlas - Weekend Challenges, 7/27

There are currently many fledgling Chipping Sparrows around the upper elevations and second (driving toward Cape Elizabeth) gate of Portland Head Light/Fort Williams Park, and their numbers are rivaled only by the breeding EASTERN BLUEBIRDS there this year.   Once during dusk about a month ago there were at least 20 adults and juveniles in one cluster in an oak tree, with 2 Crows doing weird head-bobbing movements on...
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Friday, 27 July 2018

[Maine-birds] Maine Bird Atlas - Weekend Challenges, 7/27

Hi everyone: Sorry for not getting a new set of challenges out last weekend but great to see all the checklists that have been pouring in. Before our new challenges, I wanted to share one note of caution as we get later into the nesting season: Be careful not to code juvenile birds wandering outside of the bock where they originated. I explain this concern in an article: "When Fledglings Become Juveniles" available here: https://ebird.org/atlasme/news/fledglings Before...
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[Maine-birds] This Week's Highlights, 7/21-27

Hi all,My sightings of note over the past seven days were limited to the following:- 1 continuing presumed TRICOLORED HERON X SNOWY EGRET HYBRID and 1 continuing adult WHITE-FACED IBIS, plus 7 species of shorebirds, Eastern Road Trail, Scarborough Marsh, 7/24 (with Jeannette).- 2 fly-over Glossy Ibis, here at the store in Freeport - our 121st Yard Bird, 7/25.- 24 Sanderling (FOF), Reid State Park, Georgetown, 7/27 (with friends...
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[Maine-birds] Essex Street Marsh

The Virginia rails were on the flats this morning. A black-capped chickadee foraging insect eggs from an apple leaf and several common yellowthroats showing off their new feathers. A red-eyed vireo showed up...I think it was on the same tree and branch last year!https://photosbychance.zenfolio.com/p432832521/hb2494327#hb2494327Cheers,Dave📷 -- Maine birds mailing list maine-birds@googlegroups.com http://groups.google.com/group/maine-birds...
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Re: [Maine-birds] Birding For Bruce (10-15 July)

I'm embarrassed to see that my email from 24 Jul was only sent to myself. Please read below and see the copied obituary for Bruce Barker:Bruce Clark Barker, 68, passed away on Friday, July 20, 2018 at his home in Dixmont, surrounded by the love of his family with a warm breeze and bird song drifting in the windows.Bruce was born in Portland, where he lived with his parents and brother Tommy until 1968 when he headed to the University...
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Thursday, 26 July 2018

[Maine-birds] Shorebirds at Flat Bay, Harrington

During yesterday's afternoon low tide, I observed: 14 Black-bellied Plover 7 Whimbrel 450 Semipalmated/peeps 20 Lesser Yellowlegs 2 Greater Yellowlegs 4 Short-billed Dowitcher Fog made scoping the mudflats difficult and the small peeps were on the other side of the bay -about a mile away. Merle Archie -- Maine birds mailing list maine-birds@googlegroups.com http://groups.google.com/group/maine-birds https://sites.google.com/site/birding207...
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Monday, 23 July 2018

[Maine-birds] Shorebirds on Flat Bay, Harrington

At last the southbound migrating shorebirds have arrived - albeit several days later than our records show for previous years. During this afternoon's low tide we observed 35 Whimbrel, 220 Semipalmated Sandpipers, many unidentified peeps over a mile away from our observation point and over 50 Black-bellied Plover.Anne Archie, Harrington -- Maine birds mailing list maine-birds@googlegroups.com http://groups.google.com/group/maine-birds...
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Friday, 20 July 2018

[Maine-birds] This Week's Highlights, 7/14-20

Hi all,My observations of note this week - beyond our puppy's growing life list - were as follows:- 9 Great Shearwaters, 4 Atlantic Puffins, 2 Northern Gannets, 2 Sooty Shearweaters, 2 Wilson's Storm-Petrels, etc, Hardy Boat from New Harbor to Monhegan, 7/16 (with Jeannette).- Monhegan Island, 7/16 (with Jeannette):1 MANX SHEARWATER (bathing off lobster Cove)3 juv. RING-NECKED PHEASANTS (continuing near Pebble Beach with Kristen...
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[Maine-birds] Re: Bar Harbor Whale Boat, 7/13

Hi again everyone,After talking over the ID of our slimmer jaeger with Marshall Iliff, I wanted to correct my report to Parisitic 0, Long-tailed 1. This is not an ID challenge I've spent a lot of time with, so thanks to Marshall. Neat bird!Good birding,Robert OstrowskiBangorOn Thu, Jul 19, 2018, 1:38 PM Robert Ostrowski <rjostrowski@gmail.com> wrote:Hi Everyone,Last Friday, my brothers and I boarded a whale & puffin...
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