Daily Archives: August 18, 2023

This Week’s Highlights, 8/12-8/18,2023

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This juvenile Marbled Godwit posed nicely at Hill’s Beach in Biddeford early in the morning on the 17th.

I tried to squeeze in as much time with shorebirds as I could muster this week, resulting in the following tallies. 18 (and ½) species of shorebirds was a good week’s total, especially without a visit (due to high water) to the Eastern Road Trail.

  • AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER: 5 adults, Ocean Avenue, Biddeford Pool, 8/17 (with Noah Gibb); 1, Pine Point, Scarborough, 8/15; 1 Hill’s Beach, Biddeford, 8/17.
  • Black-bellied Plover: 151, Wharton Point, Brunswick, 8/14.
  • Killdeer: 21, Crystal Spring Farm, Brunswick, 8/14.
  • Semipalmated Plover: 392, Pine Point, Scarborough, 8/15.
  • Piping Plover: 5, Hill’s Beach, Biddeford, 8/17.
  • Whimbrel: 2, Pine Point, 8/15.
  • Ruddy Turnstone: 8, Ocean Avenue, Biddeford Pool, 8/17 (with Noah Gibb).
  • Sanderling: 17, Biddeford Pool Beach, Biddeford, 8/17.
  • BAIRD’S SANDPIPER (FOY) 1, Hill’s Beach, 8/17.
  • Least Sandpiper: 30++, The Pool, Biddeford Pool, 8/17.
  • White-rumped Sandpiper: 2, Pine Point, 8/15.
  • Pectoral Sandpiper: 1, Hill’s Beach, 8/17.
  • Semipalmated Sandpiper: 1600, The Pool, 8/17.
  • Short-billed Dowitcher: 34, Biddeford Pool, 8/17.
  • Spotted Sandpiper: 4, Ocean Avenue, 8/17 (with Noah Gibb).
  • Lesser Yellowlegs: 79, Walsh Preserve, Yarmouth, 8/12 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • “Eastern” Willet: 14, The Pool, 8/17.
  • “WESTERN” WILLET: 1 presumably continuing, The Pool, 8/17.
  • Greater Yellowlegs: 36, Walsh Preserve, 8/12 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).

A few non-shorebird highlights this week also included:

  • 6 Common Nighthawks, over Rte 136, Auburn, 8/15 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 3rd-cycle Lesser Black-backed Gull, Hill’s Beach, Biddeford, 8/17.
  • 2 White-winged Scoter, 2-3 Surf Scoters, 100+ Black Scoters – a rare mid-summer Scoter hat-trick!, Biddeford Pool Beach, 8/17.
  • 2 continuing adult RED-NECKED GREBES, Ocean Avenue, Biddeford Pool, 8/17 (with Noah Gibb).
  • 1 immature GREAT CORMORANT, East Point, Biddeford Pool, 8/17 (with Noah Gibb).
  • Passerine migration is really ramping up, for example, I had 3 Northern Waterthrushes on our Durham property on the morning of the 18th. They don’t breed here.

TOURS AND EVENTS:

  • Tomorrow is our Bird Safe Open House event, with everything from a birdwalk to a keynote speaker. No registration is necessary. Note the Saturday Morning Birdwalk that week meets in Durham at 9:00am.