Part of this fall’s incursion of Cattle Egrets into the Northeast, we caught up with this cooperative individual while birding in Vermont at the Goose Viewing Area of the Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area on 11/13.
After spending a long weekend in Vermont – including quite a few birding highlights – it’s been mostly catching up here at the store. Nonetheless, I did have a great morning at Sabattus Pond on Friday.
1 Winter Wren, Highland Road, Brunswick, 11/18.
Sabattus Pond, Sabattus, 11/19 – 16 species of waterfowl!
520 Ruddy Ducks
444 Mallards
251 Lesser Scaup
154 American Black Ducks
74 Green-winged Teal
48 Greater Scaup
41 Common Mergansers
19 Hooded Mergansers
18 Canada Geese
16 American Wigeon
13 Northern Pintails
8 Buffleheads
3 Common Goldeneyes
2 Surf Scoters
1 White-winged Scoter
1 Ring-necked Duck
X Mallard x American Black Duck hybrid
37 Turkey Vultures
1 Carolina Wren
This out of place Brant graced the Burlington Waterfront Park when we spent the morning strolling it on the 11/14.
Here’s the world’s worst photo of the Orange-crowned Warbler that appeared at Sandy Point on Tuesday. I drew an outline around it to (maybe) help you find it. It was my 8th ever here.
My non-Sandy Point observations of note over the past seven days included:
This truant Bobolink was at Wolfe’s Neck Center for our Saturday Morning Birdwalk, and was still present on the 13th when I snapped this photo through my binoculars.
A few additional non-boat and non-Sandy Point observations of for me over the past seven days for me included:
1 Vesper Sparrow, 1 Bobolink, 1 White-rumped Sandpiper, etc, Wolfe’s Neck Center, Freeport, 10/9 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk). Bobolink still present as of 10/13 (see photo above).
I counted exactly 59 Laughing Gulls at Wolfe’s Neck Center on both 10/9 and 10/13; a good count for this late in the fall.
1 Pine Siskin (first of fall), Green Point WMA, 10/12 (with Jeannette).
~70 American Pipits, Highland Road, Brunswick, 10/15.
The weekend will likely start off wet, but with several days of an extensive southerly flow originating all of the way from the Gulf Coast and Deep South, vagrants – like Blue Grosbeak, Hooded Warbler, Summer Tanager, and much more will be on our minds.
Similarly to last week, my birding time was woefully limited thanks to excuses including a trade show and a morning meeting. Therefore, my birding this week was mostly limited to our Saturday Morning Birdwalk and one great flight at Sandy Point.
Speaking of Sandy Point, I did not make it out for what was presumably a light flight on Monday morning, and of course a Clay-colored Sparrow – a long-overdue Patch Bird – was found. It wasn’t until Wednesday morning that I had a chance to look for it. While I didn’t find it, I did get a consolation prize. With a flock of about 400 Semipalmated Sandpipers in the cove on the north side of the point – the largest peep flock that I have seen here, I grabbed the scope. Among them was a single Sanderling, but also a single molting juvenile Dunlin – my 191st all-time species at Sandy Point!
There was a big movement of White-throated Sparrows this week however, augmenting productive feeder-watching. Granted, my extended period of afternoon feeder-watching on Monday was mostly limited to the entertainment of a constant dog-fight between a Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawk for backyard supremacy
Now, let’s hope the forecast for the weekend is a little drier than currently called for! That being said, the pattern that we are in looks really good for southern vagrants (see photo above), and especially after 5 days of poor winds for migration, once this mess clears, the migration could be huge!
Philadelphia Vireos have been particularly conspicuous this week at Sandy Point, especially because of their propensity for stopping by the trees right next to “my office” as they contemplate crossing.
I didn’t get out birding much this week, other than at Sandy Point (see tallies here), and when I did, it was mostly just enjoying the local, regular passerine migrants.
In fact, my only observation of note was a good evening at the Walsh Preserve in Freeport on 9/14 with Jeannette, where a great late-season array of shorebirds included: 1 juv. LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, 1 juv Dunlin (FOF), 76 Lesser Yellowlegs, etc,
Meanwhile, limiting most of my outings to local dog-walking patches and our two yards (home and the store), afforded the opportunity to enjoy lots of up-close migrants this week, including a Nashville Warbler that has been frequenting our dripper at home. Unfortunately, the LARK SPARROW that Will and Jeanne had here at the store on Monday, 9/13, has not returned.
Comparing my notes to last year, the first stages of the “super flight” of irruptives over the winter was already prevalent in these parts with many more Red-breasted Nuthatches and Purple Finches than normal, and the first Pine Siskins of the season. This year, Purple Finches have been in short supply so far, Pine Siskins have been virtually non-existent, and migrant Red-breasted Nuthatches have been limited (although it seems we had a good breeding season locally). Also at this time last year, a massive early flight of Dark-eyed Juncos and well-above normal numbers of White-throated Sparrows were around, likely signaling a low year of seed productivity. This year, those species are around in more seasonable numbers so far this season
I enjoyed three spiffy juvenile Baird’s Sandpipers this week, including this one that landed in front of my scope at Popham Beach State Park on the 10th.
In addition to the Sandy Point Morning Flight tallies posted to our store’s Facebook page – and elsewhere, my observations of note over the past seven – exceptionally productive and birdy – days also included the following:
3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Lubec Bar and Flats, 9/6 (with Allison Anholt, Cameron Cox, and Jeannette).
Pelagic from Eastport through Head Harbor Passage, New Brunswick, 9/7 (with Allison Anholt, Chris Bartlett, Cameron Cox, Beth Edmonds, Dan Nickerson, Andy Patterson, Erin Walter, and Jeannette): 1 Pomarine Jaeger, 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 30-35 Common Murres, 210 Razorbills, 1 Great Shearwater, 3000 Bonaparte’s Gulls, etc.
Bonaparte’s Gull
Whale Watch from Eastport through Head Harbor Passage, New Brunswick, 8/7 (with Allison Anholt, Cameron Cox, Beth Edmonds, Dan Nickerson, Erin Walter, and Jeannette): 1 Pomarine Jaeger, 1 ARCTIC TERN, 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, similar number of alcids but perhaps even more Common Murres, etc.
1 Great Egret, Machias Causeway, 9/8.
1 adult Lesser Black-backed Gull, Roque Bluffs State Park, 9/8 (with Jeannette).
A pair of Sandhill Cranes have become annual visitors in the fall to the fields along Mayall Road in Gray/New Gloucester, and I saw them for the first time on the 10th. No colt this year, unfortunately.
103 Common Nighthawks while driving between Pownal and Lewiston, 8/25 (with Jeannette).
50+ Common Nighthawks, over The Pub at Baxter, Lewiston, 8/25 (with Andy, Renee, and Anna Patterson and Jeannette).
Although I didn’t hit many prime spots for large numbers of shorebirds this week, a good variety – and lots of shorebirds at unusual places due to the rains of Tropical Storm Henri – produced the following high counts:
American Oystercatcher: 4 continuing (2 ad with 2 juv), Pine Point, Scarborough, 8/26.
Black-bellied Plover: 82, Pine Point, Scarborough, 8/26.
Killdeer: 68, Winding Brook Turf Farm, Lyman, 8/23 (with Nancy Houlihan, Pat Moynahan, and Jeannette).
LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER (FOY): 1 fairly early juvenile out of place at Wainright Field Rec Area, South Portland, 8/23. Video here: https://fb.watch/7CgydYWz1P/
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).
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/
Maine Birding Field Notes 