Tag Archives: Gilsland Farm

This Week’s Highlights: December 24 – 30, 2022.

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This Northern Fulmar graced Gloucester, MA harbor on 12/26. I originally found the bird in a short birding outing on Christmas Day. Details below.

My birding highlights this week were mostly from Christmas in Gloucester, Massachusetts.  I did very little birding, but in short outings, found two great birds!  The first was a NORTHERN FULMAR in Gloucester Harbor, during a short break from eating on Christmas Day. Although not a “rarity” in Massachusetts by any means, having one sit in the harbor was an exceedingly rare occurrence in New England.  I managed some lousy phone-scoped photos while hand-holding my phone to my scope with frozen fingers in 30mph winds.  We returned the next day where Jeannette greatly improved upon my photos (see above). Many birders enjoyed it through the 27th.

But that was trumped by a bona fide state rarity that Jeannette and I found while walking Bonxie on the 26th. This Eared Grebe we found off Niles Beach would be MA’s 20th record I believe. My phone-binned photos while out with the dog were the best we did, but many birders were finding it through week’s end.

We also had a THICK-BILLED MURRE off Niles Beach on the 25th (along with an intriguing distant grebe that was undoubtable the Eared we confirmed the next day) and I had 4 RED CROSSBILLS in the Eastern Point neighborhood on the 26th.

Meanwhile, here in Maine, my observations of note over the past ten days included the following:

2 female Greater Scaup, Yarmouth Harbor, 12/24 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).

1 Common Redpoll (FOS), our yard in Durham, 12/28-29.

1 continuing SAGE THRASHER, Gilsland Farm, Falmouth, 12/29. Great views and a prolonged period of observation with no one else present early in the morning. My photos were a little more distant than I would have liked (and backlit) but the quality time with this incredible rarity – unlike the brief view on my first visit – was most rewarding.

This Week’s Highlights: December 17-23, 2022

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This snazzy, fresh adult male Red-winged Blackbird at a feeder in Wells was one of the few highlights in my usually-very-productive “Moody Sector” of the Southern York County CBC.

T’was the week before Christmas and all through Wild Bird Supply, no one was birding much, even this guy.  Nonetheless, I found some great birds when I did get out this week:

  • 1 incredibly late NELSON’S SPARROW, 1 Savannah Sparrow, 1 Northern Flicker, 4 Snow Buntings, etc, Eastern Road Trail, Scarborough Marsh, 12/18.  I was unaware that the Portland CBC was being conducted that day, but apparently, the Nelson’s was a first count record! 
  • 1 THICK-BILLED MURRE (FOS), Pine Point, Scarborough, 12/18. Not in great shape; I first saw it on land fighting off a crow on land before eventually waddling into the water.
  • 20-21 continuing AMERICAN COOTS, 2 female GADWALL, 3 Ring-necked Ducks, 1 pair American Wigeon, 1 drake Northern Pintail, etc, Grondin Pond, Scarborough, 12/18.
  • “Moody Sector” of the Southern York County CBC, 12/19: 1538 individuals of 52 species (both quite low for me) with highlights including 4 American Wigeon (very surprisingly only a second count record!), 1 male Red-winged Blackbird, 2 Northern Harrier, and 18 Horned Larks.
  • 1 Great Blue Heron (late for inland) and 1 1st-winted Iceland Gull, Auburn Riverwalk, 12/22.
  • 1 SAGE THRASHER, Gilsland Farm, Falmouth, 12/22. 2nd State Record found earlier in the morning by Doug Hitchcox. I eventually had fantastic looks at it, including in flight, but I was on the wrong side of its favored tree for photographs, so this was the “best” I did!
  • Meanwhile, left off my weekly updates for the past four weeks has been my regular observation of one particular rarity right here in Freeport – Maine’s first ever Broad-tailed Hummingbird!  Here’s the full story.
Maine’s 1st Broad-tailed Hummingbird in Freeport (Nov-Dec 2022).