Tag Archives: Boreal Chickadee

This Week’s Highlights, 7/22-28/2023

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White-winged Crossbills were amazingly abundant in Northern Aroostook County during our visit last week (see below).

Returning back from a little vacation to the crown of Maine followed by some time in New Brunswick, I apologize for the late report. Last week was a busy and productive week of birding for me, with the following observations of note.

  • Seal Island Tour, 7/22:

15 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES inside of Saddleback Ledge; 1 1st summer Great Cormorant, Saddleback Ledge Light; 3 Razorbills still at Seal Island; 1 Great Shearwater on trip back. Dense fog impacted our birding all day, but we had a fantastic performance from Atlantic Puffins and Arctic Terns in particular, and the fog cleared enough to enjoy the number of juvenile Great Cormorants in the growing colony on the island’s south end.

  • 2 Red Crossbills, over our yard in Durham, 7/23. Interestingly, we didn’t have a single Red Crossbill in Aroostook County (unless they were all drowned out by all of the White-wings!). However, the Reds in our area seem to be focusing on coastal Red Spruce.
  • Aroostook County WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS, 7/24-7/27 (with Terez Fraser, John Lorence, and Jeannette).  Wow, incredible! Over three days of birding from Fort Kent to Stockholm, we conservatively estimated observing about 50 per HOUR while in appropriate habitat!  Our high count was 150-200 total along Square Lake Road in Sinclair on 7/26, with single flock of 70-75 individuals!
  • EVENING GROSBEAKS: just a couple heard here and there, including 1 on Nixon Siding Road, 7/24, 2 at Christina Reservoir, 7/26; and 2 at Square Lake Road, 7/26.
  • BOREAL CHICKADEES: Mostly heard, but some were unusually conspicuous, especially one (of 3) at Square Lake Road on 7/26 and 1 of 3 at Moscovic Road, Stockholm, 7/27 (all with Terez Fraser, John Lorence, and Jeannette).
  • Lake Josephine duck tallies (7/25 with John Lorenc and Jeannette): 125+ Gadwall (including juveniles of all ages); 1 drake American Wigeon, two family groups of Blue-winged Teal, 75+ Ring-necked Ducks, 1 American Bittern, etc.  Numbers were lower when Jeannette and I visited on the 27th, likely due to Bald Eagle presence. 
  • 3 adult Bonaparte’s Gulls, Arnold Brook Beach Recreation Area, 7/25 (with John Lorenc and Jeannette).
  • Additional species from Square Lake Road in Stockholm on 7/26 (with John Lorenc, Terez Fraser, and Jeannette): 1 Bonaparte’s Gull, 3+ Bay-breasted Warblers, 1 Mourning Warbler, 1 Olive-sided Flycatcher, 1 Lincoln’s Sparrow, etc.
  • 1 female American Wigeon with 10 chicks, Long Lake, St. Agatha, 7/26 (with Terez Fraser, John Lorence, and Jeannette).
  • 3 Common Nighthawks, over St. John River at dusk, Fort Kent, 7/26 (with Terez Fraser, John Lorence, and Jeannette).
  • 150+ Ring-necked Ducks, 6 Pied-billed Grebes, etc, Christina Reservoir, 7/27 (with Jeannette).

UPCOMING TOURS:

Most of the White-winged Crossbills we saw were in flight, or calling and singing in the distance. This male tee’d up nicely, albeit in unfortunate light. We also watched only one group feeding, and they appeared to be eating mostly buds of Tamarack (and maybe some young or old cones).

This Week’s Highlights: 6/3-6/9, 2023

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This Common Murre was a lucky find in the middle of nowhere as we traveled offshore during our ½ day Zeiss Pelagic out of Boothbay Harbor last Friday.

With 6 of the 7 days this week spent guiding in some shape or form, mostly in the Rangeley area, the weather presented a real challenge!  As a cut-off low spun offshore, activity was certainly reduced on many of my trips, and my birding time in between was rather limited. Therefore, my observations of note over the past seven days were limited to the following – in addition to all of our great local breeding specialty birds, of course!

  • 2 Willow Flycatchers (FOY) and 2 Glossy Ibis – my 152nd Patch Bird here! – Old Town House Park, North Yarmouth, 6/3 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • 2+ Red Crossbills and 1 migrant Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Hedgehog Mountain Park, Freeport, 6/6.
  • 2 adult CANADA JAYS, 20 Red Crossbills, etc, Hunter Cove Wildlife Sanctuary, 6/7 (with Down East Adventures Rangeley Birding Workshop tour group).
  • 2 adult and 2 juvenile CANADA JAYS,  11+ Red Crossbills, 1 Palm Warbler, etc., Boy Scout Road, Rangeley, 6/8 (with Down East Adventures Rangeley Birding Workshop tour group).
  • 1 BOREAL CHICKADEE, 20 Red Crossbills, etc, Quill Hill, Dallas Plantation, 6/9.
  • 1 adult Great Black-backed Gull, Lakeside Park from porch of Lakeside & Main, Rangeley, 6/9 (with Birds on Tap! Event for Rangeley Birding Festival group.

Meanwhile, as I slowly catch up on trip reports, here’s my travelogue from Memorial Day Weekend on Monhegan, including daily trip lists and lots of Jeannette’s photographs. For those waiting for the daily birdlists, I apologize for the delay.

2023 Monhegan Spring Migration Tour Report

This Week’s Highlights, June 25 – July 1, 2022

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A displaying pair of Northern Gannets stole the show at Machias Seal Island on our visit there on 6/22.
Atlantic Puffins, Machias Seal Island, 6/22.
Razorbills, Machias Seal Island, 6/22.
Arctic Tern, Machias Seal Island, 6/22.

I had a rather busy week, but not as busy with birding as I would have liked. Therefore, this mostly to share Jeannette’s photography from our visit to Machias Seal Island last week. However, a few observations of note over the past seven days included the following

  • 1 female ORCHARD ORIOLE and 1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Green Point WMA, 6/27 (with Jeannette).
  • 1+ BOREAL CHICKADEE, East Royce Mountain, White Mountains National Forest, 6/26 (with Jeannette).
  • 1-2 LITTLE EGRET X SNOWY EGRET hybrids, Falmouth, 6/30. One bird spotted from the Martin’s Point Bridge appeared to have at least one long, Little Egret-like plume. It was not close enough for photos, but the plume – as well as overall structure was distinctive. After flying upriver with the incoming tide, I found a hybrid at Gilsland Farm (photo below), but no head plumes are visible. Note the greenish-yellow lores (looked darker in the field than this poor, phone-scoped photo), very long and fine bill, and spindly neck.  It’s slightly longer legs and overall slightly larger size was apparent when it joined a distant Snowy. However, did I imagine the plume in the earlier view? Did it fall off in transit? Or, are there actually two again this year?
This presumptive Little Egret x Snowy Egret Hybrid was along the Presumpscot River in
Portland and Falmouth on the 30th. See notes above.

Derek’s Birding This Week: 8/14-20, 2021

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Semipalmated Plovers and Semipalmated Sandpipers waiting out the high tide
off of Biddeford Pool Beach on 8/20.

My observations of note over the past seven very productive days included the following:

  • Migrants on Monhegan Island, 8/15 (with Evan Obercian) included: 6+ Cape May Warblers, 1 Bay-breasted Warbler, 2 Least Flycatchers, etc.
  • 1 immature Great Cormorant, Outer Duck Islands, Monhegan, 8/15.
  • 1 Surf Scoter, Simpson’s Point, Brunswick, 8/16 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Middle Bay Road, Brunswick, 8/16 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 of 2 continuing TRICOLORED HERON, Pelreco Marsh, Scarborough Marsh, 8/16 (with Jeannette) and 8/19 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop tour group).
  • 2 BOREAL CHICKADEES, Albany Mountain Trail, White Mountain N.F., 8/17 (with Jeannette). Very surprising in mixed woods at 1624ft. Even more surprising since the 1900+ ft summit is not very boreal. Molt migrant and/or post-breeding dispersal? 
  • 1 of the 2-3 continuing Red-necked Grebes, Ocean Avenue, Biddeford Pool, 8/20.

And, with many of the species now peaking (and some of the adults already past peak), my shorebird high counts for a goodly 19 species this week were as follows:

  • American Oystercatcher: 4 (2 ad with 2 juv), Pine Point, Scarborough, 8/16 (with Jeannette) and 8/19 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop tour group). Plus 1, Ocean Avenue, Biddeford Pool, 8/20.
  • Black-bellied Plover: 93, Wharton Point, Brunswick, 8/16 (with Jeannette).
  • Killdeer: 24, Colonial Acres sod farm, Gorham, 8/20.
  • Semipalmated Plover: 261+, Pine Point, 8/16 (with Jeannette).
  • Whimbrel: 1 each at Pine Point, 8/16 (with Jeannette) and 8/19 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop tour group); The Pool, Biddeford Pool, 8/19 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop tour group).
  • HUDSONIAN GODWIT: 43!!!, The Pool, 8/19 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop tour group).  Horrific video and details here: https://fb.watch/7vL0DY756z/
  • Ruddy Turnstone: 18, Outer Duck Islands, Monhegan, 8/15.
  • Sanderling: 23, Biddeford Pool Beach, 8/20.
  • Least Sandpiper: 100+, Eastern Road Trail, Scarborough Marsh, 8/19 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop tour group).
  • White-rumped Sandpiper: 10+, Pine Point, 8/19 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop tour group). 
  • BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER (FOY): 1, Colonial Acres sod farm, Gorham, 8/20 (with Phil McCormack).
  • Pectoral Sandpiper: 1, Eastern Road Trail, Scarborough Marsh, 8/19 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop tour group).
  • Semipalmated Sandpiper: 500+, Pine Point, 8/19 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop tour group). 
  • Short-billed Dowitcher: 25, The Pool, 8/19 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop tour group).
  • Spotted Sandpiper: 9, Biddeford Pool area shoreline, 8/20.
  • Solitary Sandpiper: 9, Monhegan Island, 8/15 (with Evan Obercian).
  • Lesser Yellowlegs: 39, between Spear Farm Estuary Preserve and Yarmouth Town Landing, 8/14 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • “Eastern” Willet: 10, The Pool, 8/19 (with Down East Adventures Shorebird Workshop tour group).
  • Greater Yellowlegs: 12, Spear Farm Estuary Preserve, Yarmouth, 8/14 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
Common Eiders, Semipalmated Plover, Semipalmated Sandpipers, and Sanderlings
at Biddeford Pool Beach on 8/20.

Derek’s Birding This Week: 7/24-30, 2021

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This fledgling Winter Wren on the trail at Burnt Mountain was not my rarest sighting of the week,
but it sure was the cutest!

My observations of note over the past seven days included the following:

  • 1-3 BICKNELL’S THRUSHES and 2 BOREAL CHICKADEES, Burnt Mountain, Carrabassett Valley, 7/26 (with Brian Bartlett).
  • 1 American Bittern, Carrabassett Valley Snowfluent Ponds, 7/26 (with Brian Bartlett).
  • 3 continuing female Black Scoters, Simpson’s Point, Brunswick, 7/27 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 immature YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON (FOY), Pine Point, Scarborough, 7/30: flew over the co-op pier from the direction of Stratton Island and landed in the Jones Creek Marsh on the am outgoing tide.
  • 3 adult Red-necked Grebes, Ocean Avenue, Biddeford Pool, 7/30.

And, with southbound shorebird migration now in full swing, my high counts this week were as follows (no upper marsh at high tide visits this week):

  • American Oystercatcher: 4 (2 ad and 2 juv), Pine Point, Scarborough, 7/30 plus 1, Ocean Avenue, Biddeford Pool, 7/30.
  • Black-bellied Plover: 5, Wharton Point, Brunswick, 7/27 (with Jeannette) and Pine Point, 7/30.
  • Killdeer: 11, Highland Road, Brunswick, 7/27 (with Jeannette).
  • Semipalmated Plover: 105, Pine Point, 7/30.
  • Piping Plover: 3, Pine Point, 7/30.
  • Whimbrel (FOY): 1, Pine Point, 7/30 followed by 3 in The Pool, Biddeford Pool, 7/30.
  • Ruddy Turnstone: 1, Pine Point, 7/30.
  • Sanderling: 33, Hill’s Beach, Biddeford, 7/30.
  • Least Sandpiper: 1, Highland Road, Brunswick, 7/27 (with Jeannette).
  • White-rumped Sandpiper (FOF): 1, Pine Point, 7/30 and Hill’s Beach, 7/30.
  • Semipalmated Sandpiper: 182, Pine Point, 7/30.
  • Short-billed Dowitcher: 8, The Pool, Biddeford Pool, 7/30.
  • Spotted Sandpiper: 3, Carrabassett Valley Snowfluent Ponds, 7/26 (with Brian Bartlett).
  • Solitary Sandpiper (FOF): 4, Carrabassett Valley Snowfluent Ponds, 7/26 (with Brian Bartlett).
  • Lesser Yellowlegs: 4, Pelreco Marsh, Scarborough Marsh, 7/30.
  • “Eastern” Willet: 92, The Pool, 7/30.
  • Greater Yellowlegs: 7, Simpson’s Point, Brunswick, 7/27 (with Jeannette).