Overall, it was a great week of sparrow migration, with a nice high count on 10/8 from Wolfe’s Neck Center of 125 Song, 100 Savannah, 75 Swamp, 25 White-throated, 2 White-crowned, and 1 Lincoln’s.
Sabattus Pond season is underway as well! On 10/8, I had early-season tallies of 76 Ruddy Ducks (first of fall), 33 Lesser Scaup, 18 Greater Scaup (first of fall), 2 Ring-necked Ducks, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers (first of fall), etc.
This Blue Grosbeak was among the highlights of an incredible weekend on the island.
“It was like the good ol’ days!” When every other bird you saw was a rare one, and you barely walked 10 steps before finding more birds. But this was not what we were expecting, and the weekend sure didn’t start out that way!
After a very rough boat ride, we were still putting ourselves back together when one birder said “Go back, there are no birds here.” Apparently, it had been a dreadfully slow week of little migration, but at least nice weather. This weekend, the weather wasn’t supposed to be very nice. So without many birds on the island, and quite a bit of rain on the way, were less enthused about arriving than usual…well, that might have had something to do with the boat ride.
And I am not sure if it helped that one of the first birds I looked at was a rare hybrid Herring X Great Black-backed Gull. I am not sure if anyone was ready to take in gull hybrids yet. Even more when we feared that this could be our best bird of the trip if the pattern held.
And sure enough, it was a very slow afternoon. But we did have good luck. We found a Sora that walked out into an open patch of mud, quickly caught up with the adult Lesser Black-backed Gull that has been hanging around, and after lunch immediately found the Least Sandpiper and Spotted Sandpiper at Lobster Cove that have been playing hard to get all week. There was also a good Northern Gannet show, which is always a treat. So at least we were seeing what was around, which sadly, really was not very much. But hey, it still hadn’t rained!
Least and Spotted Sandpipers – shorebirds are few and far between on the island.
A period of rain, heavy at times, fell overnight, but the band was much narrower and less heavy than forecast. It did not rain all night, and it even appeared that a light flight of migrants had developed on the radar after midnight. And sure enough, come dawn, there was a light Morning Flight overhead. It was mostly Yellow-rumped and Blackpoll Warblers, but hey, there were new birds around! And once, again, it was not raining.
A fly-over Dickcissel or two, a calling Gray-cheeked Thrush, and more. Birds! Yay!
Then, after breakfast, I went to spread some seed in my favorite corner to attract some birds for the group to enjoy this morning. Turning the corner near the famous “Chat Bridge” a shockingly bright flash of the most intense yellow you can imagine. And blue wings, and a flash of white in the tail. Prothonotary Warbler I exclaimed to no one around.
I raced back towards the group meeting point and sent them on their way. Kristen Lindquist took off running. I eventually made it back with the rest of the group and we divided to conquer. Kristen and about half the group spotted it repeatedly, while it remained tantalizingly out of view from where I and others were standing.
As other birders converged, a classic “Patagonia Picnic Table Effect” occurred. First, there were two Dickcissels, then I spotted a Yellow-breasted Chat making a short flight over the brush. While searching for that, Ilsa spotted a Yellow-billed Cuckoo that would sit still, preening, for well over and hour. It might have been the most cooperative cuckoo ever on the island! Another group had a brief look at a Clay-colored Sparrow.
Unfortunately, the Prothonotary Warbler was never seen again.
Yellow-billed Cuckoos don’t usually sit this still for this long. This bird was likely exhausted after just arriving on the island.In case you didn’t see it’s yellow bill.
It was already a pretty amazing day for one that we thought would be a wash-out. And it was still not raining. After our lunch break, we convened at the Monhegan House at 1:30, and spent the next hour and a half on its lawn, and going no where else.
One Dickcissel became two, and then four, and when the group finally took off together, we were shocked to confirm a genuine flock of 8 Dickcissels – exceptional, even for Monhegan. And there were not one, but two Clay-colored Sparrows! And other birds just kept arriving, as standing in one spot saw our list quickly grow: American Redstart, Brown Creeper, Warbling Vireo, etc, etc. One “Western” Palm Warbler became 4, a couple of Cape May Warblers paid us a visit, a Savannah Sparrow dropped in…
It was truly incredible! It felt like my first tours here 15 years ago. By now, a light shower was falling, but we didn’t seem to care. We finally pulled ourselves away as the action waned, wanting to see what the next hot corner would offer. After spotting at least 8 Baltimore Orioles along Pumphouse Road, the rain finally arrived in earnest by about 3:30pm. We called it quits, but considering the day we had, no complaints were to be heard. It was a really special day; one that will not soon be forgotten.
While it was more accurately “180-degree misorientation” and other forms of vagrancy and not “reverse migration” that brought us so many good birds, I brought a special beer out just in case we had a day like we did today!
Rain fell overnight again, and come dawn on Sunday (Day 3), dense fog had rolled in. There were a few Yellow-rumped Warblers overhead, especially during a short respite from the fog, but there were not nearly as many birds around as the day before. But, with fog overnight, we expected birds who were on the island to stay, which was good, because yesterday was awesome and there were still a few birds we had not yet encountered.
It might be a while before they are “countable” again, but the Ring-necked Pheasant population seems to be booming in town.
We delayed the start of the after-breakfast walk to let a batch of heavier rain clear through. We were stuck in such an odd fall weather pattern, with virtually no west-east progression of weather systems. But we had been so lucky with the timing of the rainfall so far, that a little delay was of no concern. Regrouping at 10:00, light showers gave way to just some lingering drizzle by 11, and it soon became apparent that there were new birds around. We had two Prairie Warblers, a Scarlet Tanager joining the growing flock of Baltimore Orioles, and a Blue-winged Teal joined a Green-winged Teal in the marsh. Two Cliff Swallows and a Barn Swallow foraged over Manana, and we had our second Yellow-breasted Chat of the trip – this one in the Island Farm garden on Pumphouse Road. And another Clay-colored Sparrow?
There was a really impressive number of Baltimore Orioles on the island over the weekend.
Pockets of Yellow-rumped Warblers here and there often contained another warbler species or two, and we had good looks at stuff all morning, even often-challenging birds to see with a group like Lincoln’s Sparrows.
And after lunch, the sun was out! We had the Lesser Black-backed Gull again, more looks at Clay-colored Sparrows, and finally the immature male Blue Grosbeak showed up for us, and show it did!
It wasn’t as birdy once the sun was out, but a light raptor flight, including at least 6 Peregrine Falcons helped make up for it.
On Monday, our last day of the tour, it appeared that little moved overnight on a light southwesterly flow aloft. But that had our daydreams going for rarities from our west and southwest. And sure enough, while some of us were dallying over breakfast, a Western Kingbird that Kristen Lindquist found earlier flew right over us at the Yew and alighted nearby!
After breakfast, we “cleaned it up” for the group when we relocated it at the cemetery, affording great looks for all. A slower day finally gave us an opportunity to head into the deeper woods. And while we expected fewer birds in the island’s interior, a couple of mixed-species foraging flocks finally put Red-breasted Nuthatch on the list, and we found the first Pine Warbler of the weekend.
“Look at my tail!” Just in case anyone had hopes of stringing it into a rarer western Tyrannus.
Jeannette joined us by lunchtime, and after lunch, we had a frustratingly brief glimpse of the original Yellow-breasted Chat, along with more great looks at Clay-colored Sparrows.
The tour came to a close with the 3:15 departure back to New Harbor, bringing our incredible four days together to the always-bittersweet end.
Jeannette and I birded the rest of the afternoon together, picking up a few things, like my first “Yellow” Palm Warblers of the weekend and a Solitary Sandpiper. Our walk to dinner yielded a second Pine Warbler, and at the harbor: a juvenile Ring-billed Gull (actually fairly rare out here in the early fall) and another view of the lingering Lesser Black-backed Gull.
On Tuesday, Jeannette and I enjoyed our day off on the island, and Kristen Lindquist joined us for most of the day. A diminishing light southwest wind overnight gave way to a little bit of northwesterly winds by dawn, but it didn’t appear that much had arrived on the island overnight.
At least two, if not three, different Prairie Warblers were around the island. Getting late, a few American Redstarts helped bump up our impressive warbler tally.
However, we soon located a Lark Sparrow found yesterday by Bryan Pfeiffer, the immature male Blue Grosbeak paid us a visit, and we heard the Sora briefly. We then found an Orange-crowned Warbler out past the Ice Pond, my 20th warbler species of the weekend! Unfortunately, we were sans cameras with a little light rain falling.
This Scarlet Tanager was often cooperative at the grape arbor. As per tradition with this tour report: at least one gratuitous “food porn” photo. Here’s the colorful and fresh avocado toast from the Trailing Yew. And here’s one of the island’s resident Black-capped Chickadees…just because.
After lunch, we were excited to find two Lark Sparrows sitting next to each other at the cul-de-sac, there were now two Ring-billed Gulls in the harbor, and yes, there were still at least 4 Clay-colored Sparrows and several Dickcissels around!
Just for a change of pace, we decided to walk the diffuse trail along the island’s southwestern end, but were soon distracted by something large in the water in the distance. Retrieving my scope, it was clear that it was indeed a dead whale, and eventually it floated close enough to identify it as a dead (and rather bloated) Minke Whale. A handful of gulls were around it, and briefly, a quick pass by a jaeger that was too far to claim the identity of. It was a fascinating, if not rather sad, end to our visit as by now it was time for Jeannette and I to head to the dock to return to the real world.
A much more pleasant boat ride back, this time to Port Clyde yielded a number of Common Loons and plenty of Northern Gannets, and a surprise of a small pod of Atlantic White-sided Dolphins. I’m not sure if I have seen this pelagic species from a Monhegan ferry before, or this close to land at all.
And finally, one last “good” bird: a pair of truant American Oystercatchers on Dry Ledges (off of Allen Island)! Interestingly, we had a pair on the same exact ledge on our way back from the island on October 5th of last year.
At least 8 Dickcissels, at least 4 Clay-colored Sparrows, 2 Lark Sparrows, and an Orange-crowned Warbler from the Midwest. A Western Kingbird from the West. A Prothonotary Warbler, 2 Yellow-breasted Chats, and a Blue Grosbeak from the South. 105 total species (102 with the tour) including 20 species of warblers. Yeah, that was a good trip – and the stuff that Monhegan legends are made of, at least sans fallout.
Four of a flock that grew to an impressive 8 Dickcissels, often found in the swale behind the Monhegan House throughout the weekend.
And finally, here is our birdlist from the extraordinary weekend:
9/24 = * denotes ferry ride only 9/27 = * with just Jeannette 9/28 = with Jeannette; *denotes ferry ride only
This Blue Grosbeak was among the stars of the show from an exceptional weekend of great birds on Monhegan Island.
I haven’t yet posted a Monhegan tour blog from last weekend, so I figured I’d at least post some of the highlights from our extremely exciting weekend chock-full of great birds!
9/24 (with Monhegan Fall Migration Weekend tour group):
1 adult GREAT BLACK BACKED X HERRING GULL HYBRID
1 adult Lesser Black-backed Gull
1 Sora
9/25 (with tour group):
1 adult PROTHONOTARY WARBLER. Found by me at “Chat Bridge” and refound nearby a short while later by Kristen Lindquist and part of my group. Only bird of the weekend not seen again.
1 YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
8 DICKCISSELS (in flock together at one point)
2 CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS (in flock with 8 Dickcissels).
It sure felt good to have a normal tour run, well, normally, in 2020! Other than the requirement of wearing masks all day – despite the annoyance of fogged glasses in the 100% humidity, and some logistical and safety changes at mealtimes, it was as close to normal as 2020 gets. And that felt good. The birding was great, too!
Most of Friday’s participants arrived with me on the early Hardy Boat out of New Harbor, and we sure hit the ground running! A strong flight the night before yielded tons of birds, and it was very birdy right off the bat. Yellow-rumped Warblers were still darting overhead and were in every bush. White-throated Sparrows virtually littered the ground in places. Small flocks of Purple Finches seemed to be everywhere.
Yellow-rumped Warblers were definitely the migrant of the trip, as they often are at the end of September. Only White-throated Sparrows seemed to give them a run for their money on most days.
A continuing juvenile Cooper’s Hawk (a very good bird out here) and a Dickcissel got us started, while in the afternoon we found two Lesser Black-backed Gulls (a juvenile and a really messy 2nd Cycle) and at dusk, a fly-by from a late Common Nighthawk. We ended up with 63 species on the day, which isn’t bad for arriving at 10:15, and likely there were many other species around; we just couldn’t see them through all of the Yellow-rumped Warblers and White-throated Sparrows.
This Lesser Black-backed Gull was not exactly a stunning specimen of fresh feathers, but it was a very instructive study subject.
But before you ask, I’ll let you know: No, you will not find the gratuitous annual photo of Novelty Pizza in this blog this year. It was different, and it was terrible. I was sad. But the handpies for lunch at the Trailing Yew made up for it (but I repeatedly remembered to take the obligatory photo only after it was rapidly consumed in its entirety).
But that evening’s sunset was absolutely delicious!
We awoke to very dense fog on Saturday morning, and with very light southerly winds overnight, only a very light migration had occurred. There was a decent amount of call notes overhead (mostly Yellow-rumped Warblers) at what was supposed to be the time of sunrise, but these birds could have just been moving around. Nonetheless, throughout the day we found plenty of Yellow-rumped Warblers and White-throated Sparrows once again, along with ample number of Purple Finches and Red-breasted Nuthatches. It was birdy, but the diversity remained rather low.
Ring-necked Pheasants were mysteriously common and conspicuous all weekend, once again.
By the afternoon, things had slowed down quite a bit, but we grew our triplist steadily with pockets of activity here and there. Two continuing Rusty Blackbirds put on a good show for us, as did an unusually cooperative Ovenbird. It’s always nice to see Indigo Buntings; we had two today. Although it seemed rather slow and lacking in diversity, our thoroughness accumulated 64 species by day’s end.
Rusty Blackbird at the Ice Pond.
We awoke to more dense fog on Sunday morning, with no detectable migration overnight on a southwesterly flow. But sometimes slower days allow us a chance to be more thorough, and by covering a good amount of ground today, we caught up with – and discovered – several very good birds.
Banded Tussock Moth caterpillar.
We began with coffee in hand as we marched down to the Ice Pond to catch up with the three continuing Yellow-crowned Night-Herons which we had someone missed each of the previous two days. The drake Wood Duck – very close now to full-spiffiness (technical term!) added to the joy. Then, after breakfast we had the thrilling discovery (OK, Tom discovered it; he deserves the credit) of a Yellow-breasted Chat. Glimpses were fleeting, and through fogged glasses, were not always satisfactory. We then found a Marsh Wren at Lobster Cove, and continued to slowly add birds to the list, such as an Eastern Towhee, a few more warbler species, and the fog finally lifted enough for us to see the water and nearby islands to sort out Great Cormorants from Double-cresteds.
Yellow-crowned Night-Herons. Now, just about annual on Monhegan in fall. A Lobster Cove marsh stomp often produces a surprise or two, like today’s Marsh Wren.
On Monday, our last day of the group tour, we had significant turnover in participants from the weekend, but less turnover in birds. With another night with little to no nocturnal movement on persistent southerly winds and fog. Only a few Yellow-rumped Warblers were calling overhead at coffee pot o’clock, and it was very slow on our pre-breakfast walk. Northern Flickers were definitely moving around though, so it’s possible a few of these birds were new arrivals overnight.
Like all of Maine, Monhegan is desperate for rain, but of course we selfishly were hoping it would not fall on us! The forecast was looking good to get most of the day in, rain-free, but when we reconvened at 9:15, there was a steady light shower. It did not last long, however, and we continued on, unimpeded. Once again, we spent a lot of time sparrow-workshopping, as we regularly encountered fun mixed flocks all weekend of Song, White-throated, Savannah, and often one other species, be it Chipping, White-crowned, Swamp, or Lincoln’s. The side-by-side comparisons are very instructive, and as a guide, I tend to pivot to whatever the birds were offering, and this weekend, they were offering a chance to study, learn, and appreciate the diversity and beauty of sparrows.
We covered a fair amount of ground in the afternoon, checking in with two of the three Yellow-crowned Night-Herons, the continuing Wood Duck and 2 Rusty Blackbirds, and some blooming Fringed Gentian. At least 6 Baltimore Orioles were still present (we had a high of 9+ on Friday), and we had some really good looks at Cape May Warblers and others. Partial clearing in the later afternoon was just enough to get our first view of town from Lighthouse Hill. A mere 56 species by day’s end showed the lack of overall diversity after three full nights with some birds leaving, but very little arriving.
Autumn Meadowhawk (I believe) visiting Barb’s cap.
With the last boat of the day at 4:30, the Monhegan Fall Migration Weekend officially came to a close. However, one of Monday’s participants stayed on for a day of private guiding, so Kate and I continued on for a full day of birding on Tuesday. But, like the weekend, we awoke to more fog and another night of little to no migration on SSE winds. There was, however, some more swirling of Yellow-rumped Warbles around dawn, coming to and from Manana. It was very suggestive of zugunruhe (migratory restlessness) after four days of being stuck on the island with unfavorable winds. Or, it could have been some birds had indeed arrived overnight.
The extensive southerly winds had finally started to pay dividends, however, with the delivery of a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo. The Dickcissel continued, and we had our best look at it since Friday. With only two of us, we covered grown more quickly and efficiently, so we tallied several species that the group had not seen together, such as the two ridiculously cooperative Soras at the Pumphouse. We also found an unusually-cooperative Mourning Warbler, which is always a treat in migration.
Dickcissel.
With a storm a’brewing, Kate and I departed together on the 3:15 Hardy Boat, and were treated to a Cory’s Shearwater and a Northern Fulmar that materialized out of the still-thick fog. Once a rarity in these waters, the Cory’s was rather late in departing, while the fulmar was on the early side of their arrival. I don’t recall having seen both species on a boat trip on the same day before, and any tubenose is “good” in these nearshore waters.
So that officially brought the 2020 Monhegan Fall Migration Weekend tour to a close; ending on a real high note. Below, I will include Tuesday in the list, but I have separated out the species count for the four-day weekend for comparison sake. Please let me know if I missed something (it’s easy to do as I sit down and try to recall the day as the bed is calling my name!), but our tally for now was a solid 92 species – just two species below our average for the past 10 years.
However, the 12 species of warblers were well below our 10-year average of 18 species for the weekend. But given the accelerated migration season (food supply shortages due to drought and/or benign weather allowing migration to proceed relatively unimpeded), this was expected. And we made up for it with more sparrows than usual, and an impressive irruption underway. This was the most Purple Finches and White-breasted Nuthatches I can recall on the island, and along with a goodly number of Red-breasted Nuthatches and the first few Pine Siskins of fall, our island sample reflected what we are seeing on the mainland, and throughout the East.
25-Sep
26-Sep
27-Sep
28-Sep
29-Sep**
Wood Duck
0
1
1
1
1
American Black Duck
2
2
2
3
3
Mallard
12
15
12
16
16
Mallard x American Black Duck Hybrid
0
0
0
1
1
Common Eider
x
x
x
x
X
Surf Scoter
6*
0
0
0
0
Ring-necked Pheasant
7
15
18
18
9
Mourning Dove
6
4
14
16
10
YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO
0
0
0
0
1
Common Nighthawk
1
0
0
0
0
Sora
0
0
0
0
2
Black-bellied Plover
0
1
0
0
0
Wilson’s Snipe
0
1
0
0
0
Solitary Sandpiper
1
0
0
0
0
Black Guillemot
2*
0
6
3
6
Laughing Gull
0
1
0
0
2*
Herring Gull
x
x
X
x
x
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL
2
0
1
0
1
Great Black-backed Gull
x
x
X
x
x
Common Loon
0
0
0
0
1*
Northern Gannet
10*
6
2
4
8*
NORTHERN FULMAR
0
0
0
0
1*
CORY’S SHEARWATER
0
0
0
0
1*
Double-crested Cormorant
X
x
x
x
X
Great Cormorant
0
0
2
2
2
YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON
0
0
3
2
0
Osprey
0
3
0
0
0
Bald Eagle
1
1
0
0
0
Sharp-shinned Hawk
6
1
2
2
1
COOPER’S HAWK
1
0
0
0
0
Belted Kingfisher
1
1
1
1
0
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
20
8
8
8
15
Downy Woodpecker
0
0
2
1
0
Northern Flicker
40
20
15
20
15
American Kestrel
4
1
0
0
0
Merlin
10
6
6
6
2
Peregrine Falcon
6
2
1
0
0
Least Flycatcher
0
0
1
0
0
Eastern Phoebe
6
4
4
6
2
Red-eyed Vireo
8
6
4
4
3
Blue Jay
12
8
12
12
6
American Crow
x
x
x
x
X
Common Raven
4
2
1
1
1
Black-capped Chickadee
x
x
x
x
X
Red-breasted Nuthatch
15
15
20
20
15
White-breasted Nuthatch
3
4
5
7
8
Brown Creeper
1
0
0
0
0
House Wren
0
0
0
1
2
Marsh Wren
0
0
1
0
0
Carolina Wren
2
1
2
2
4
Golden-crowned Kinglet
2
6
2
0
8
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
0
2
1
0
0
BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER
0
0
0
0
1
Swainson’s Thrush
2
0
0
0
0
Hermit Thrush
1
0
0
0
0
American Robin
0
2
4
4
4
Gray Catbird
x
x
8
10
10
Brown Thrasher
1
1
1
1
1
European Starling
16
22
28
24
24
Cedar Waxwing
15
16
16
12
8
American Pipit
0
1
0
0
0
Purple Finch
20
40
40
40
40
Pine Siskin
1
0
1
1
1
American Goldfinch
2
8
6
6
3
Eastern Towhee
0
0
1
0
0
Chipping Sparrow
6
6
6
4
4
Dark-eyed Junco
4
8
4
4
1
White-crowned Sparrow
6
3
4
6
3
White-throated Sparrow
75
60
50
35
30
Savannah Sparrow
10
6
10
8
10
Song Sparrow
15
20
20
20
25
Lincoln’s Sparrow
2
2
0
1
2
Swamp Sparrow
4
1
0
2
2
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
0
0
1
0
0
Bobolink
1
1
0
0
0
Rusty Blackbird
1
2
2
2
2
Common Grackle
4
1
6
18
18
Baltimore Oriole
8
3
6
6
9
Ovenbird
0
1
0
0
0
Northern Waterthrush
1
0
1
1
2
Black-and-white Warbler
1
1
0
0
0
Common Yellowthroat
3
2
6
6
1
Cape May Warbler
1
1
4
4
0
Northern Parula
0
0
1
0
2
Yellow Warbler
1
1
1
1
2
Blackpoll Warbler
2
2
8
6
3
Palm Warbler
6
2
1
1
2
PINE WARBLER
1
0
0
0
0
Yellow-rumped Warbler
150
125
100
60
40
MOURNING WARBLER
0
0
0
0
1
Scarlet Tanager
1
0
0
0
0
Northern Cardinal
2
2
5
4
6
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
0
1
1
0
1
Indigo Bunting
0
1
0
1
1
DICKCISSEL
1
1
0
0
1
Day Total
67
65
63
58
65
*Denotes Ferry Ride Only. **Private Tour.
We enjoyed ample time to study many common species, such as separating young gulls. Here’s a juvenile Great Black-backed Gull (L) in the background showing its much whiter overall appearance with bold marbling above. Compare that to “the brown one,” the juvenile Herring Gull (R). It wasn’t the only one yawning from another gull lecture!
The reports trickling out of Monhegan all week were not particularly tantalizing. Other than a few rare but regular vagrants and semi-vagrants, the birding was often dreadfully slow. This fall’s lack of strong, airmass-changing and northwest wind-producing, cold fronts have been sorely lacking, and the season on Monhegan to date had clearly reflected that. But we heard the butterflies were extraordinary!
The first half of our group arrived via the 9:00 Hardy Boat from New Harbor. Even the boat trip was unusually quiet: a handful of Northern Gannets were the only seabirds we saw; even gulls were relatively few and far between.
But it was simply gorgeous, and with clear skies, light winds, and unseasonably warm temperatures, we were not complaining upon our arrival. And we were immediately greeted with a plethora of butterflies, led by Painted and American Ladies, and Monarchs – lots and lots of Monarchs.
Our slow walk up Dock Road would yield our one measly warbler wave of the day, but the Island Farm gardens on Pumphouse Road immediately produced the “best” bird that was being seen on the island: a juvenile Blue Grosbeak. But now, there were 2. And two Dickcissels! And 3 Indigo Buntings! And then two Blue Grosbeaks sitting side-by-side with an Indigo Bunting on the wire for comparison, followed by a lovely look at a Lincoln’s Sparrow. Yeah, that’s a “slow” day on Monhegan in the fall!
After fueling up on Novelty Pizza as usual, we hit Burnt Head for a gannet and Peregrine Falcon show, but the afternoon was beyond quiet for birds overall. Not for butterflies, however! So. Many. Question Marks (as in the butterfly, not unanswered questions of course!) Question Mark
As we awoke on Saturday, light south winds had minimized nocturnal bird migration, and the Morning Flight over the Yew consisted of exactly one Great Egret (not a bad bird out here though). It was quiet, very quiet, as dawn rose…but we weren’t cold! And all of those Monarchs!
After breakfast, we decided to try and relocate a female King Eider that was reported yesterday and posted late at night. Since the seas were building on southwesterly winds, I decided to skip trying Lobster Cove and check the mouth of the harbor. And sure enough, there she was! The “Queen” Eider was an “Island Bird” for me, and an island bird for almost every birder on the island, if not a life bird for many in my group.
With the rest of the group arriving at 10:00am, we raced over to the dock, picked up the eider from the lawn of the Island Inn, and welcomed our new arrivals with a Queen Eider in the scope! How’s that for a greeting? I also realized I had a “lifer:” looking at a King Eider with shorts on!
There were now 3 Blue Grosbeaks in the garden, and a couple of us glimpsed a flash of a Yellow-billed Cuckoo near the Ice Pond. But it was irrationally slow all day. However, almost every bird we did encounter, we saw well, and there were very few instances of “better views desired.” And it was warm, and I don’t think I have ever spent a whole day out here in just shorts and a t-shirt. Again. Northern Gannet off of White Head.
A slow progression of clouds throughout the day finally arrived overhead by dusk, but rain stayed away. Unfortunately, the cold front that we were so anxiously anticipating did not switch the winds to the west (and then northwest) until about 2:00am, so migration really never got going. There was a little Morning Flight come dawn, mostly Yellow-rumped and Blackpoll Warblers as expected, but also several Cape Mays. The chatter, however, was the fact that no one found themselves in dire need of more blankets overnight! The next generation teaching the next next generation.
Once again, however, the warmth scattered roosting Monarchs, and the massive roosts of a thousand or more from the middle of the week were instead widely dispersed. They were still abundant, however, covering gardens and almost every patch of wild asters and goldenrods. This one likely had recently taught a Merlin to never try and eat a Monarch! Tattered Black Swallowtail departing dill
It was a day to look at everything, from flowers to caterpillars. Fringed Gentian Hickory Tussock Moth Everybody’s favorite caterpillar: Woolly Bears! White-faced Meadowhawk. Smeared Dagger Moth
An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull in the harbor helped start our day, and there were definitely some new birds around. Adult Lesser Black-backed Gull(R)with multiple age classes of Great Black-backed Gulls.
Our checklist slowly built with the likes of a Pine Warbler, a single Red-winged Blackbird, and finally, after almost 3 days: a couple of Red-eyed Vireos. The northwesterly breeze was also ushering in a good raptor flight, especially Merlins and American Kestrels, with a healthy dose of Peregrine Falcons, so we often found ourselves looking skyward.
Monarchs were also on the go, with many high overhead and taking off towards the mainland. Our butterfly list grew to a goodly 14 species. And we confirmed via photographs that there were a most-impressive 4 Blue Grosbeaks, a bona fide flock, and perhaps a record high for the state.
It was a great few days, and a lot of birds were seen. It was not the thing Monhegan legends were made of, however, but almost everyone on the tour had at least two Life Birds by the time the majority of the group headed home on Sunday afternoon. And it was still beautiful out. Complaints were few. And the family group of “re-introduced” (allegedly) Ring-necked Pheasants were a source of constant entertainment.
Now, no birder is every really ready to leave Monhegan, but those who had to go to work or school the next day were especially upset. But of course, we had high expectations for a big day on Sunday, and that did not materialize.
On Monday morning – I am happy to say for those who remained, but I am very apologetic to those who had to depart! – the birds that did not show on Sunday had arrived. A huge flight overnight on clearing skies and a moderate northerly wind had ushered in a massive wave of birds. By breakfast we had as many species of warblers as we had seen all weekend so far. Black-throated Green Warbler
Palm Warblers and Savannah Sparrows seemed to be everywhere, at least where there wasn’t a Yellow-rumped Warbler. New arrivals included many of the birds we had somehow been lacking so far, such as Blue-headed Vireos and Brown Creepers, but we also enjoyed a host of “late” migrants, such as Bay-breasted Warbler, Alder Flycatcher, several Magnolia Warblers, and – sorry Anna! – a great look at a Philadelphia Vireo. Although a truant Warbling Vireo late in the day was the “best” vireo of the weekend. Palm Warbler Savannah Sparrow
The morning alone had more species, and likely more individuals, than the three previous days combined. While all of the Blue Grosbeaks had departed, the Queen Eider was still present, as was 1-2 Dickcissels, and in a late-day feeding frenzy of Harbor Porpoise at the mouth of the harbor, we picked out a juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull. Today was a day for both quantity and quality – and we walked about 30% less than any of the previous three days! It was a very good day.
Jeannette had arrived on Monday, and it was just the two of us for a day off on Tuesday. Fears of a wash-out were not realized. Instead, an early morning shower on Trap Day did little more than nicely tamp down the road dust for a good part of the day. Winds were increasing from the southeast, and there was little to no migration overnight on cloudy skies and light southerly winds.
Therefore, there was once again virtually no morning flight, but there were some new birds around, starting with a Marsh Wren singing at dawn from the meadow, and 3 female/immature Wood Ducks in the Ice Pond before dawn (alas, I never did catch up with the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron that others spotted into the weekend).
The morning was quiet overall, however, with scattered pockets of migrants here and there. It wasn’t quiet as slow as Saturday, but we were once again covering a lot of ground to not see many birds. But it felt like a day with something “really good” around, and as we returned to the Ice Pond, I was shocked by a hen Northern Shoveler! Migrant dabblers are rare out here due to the lack of habitat, and there are not many shovelers in Maine or Maritime Canada to end up here. I am sure that if there were birders out here in April and October, this species would be detected, but based on the historical record in the Vickery checklist and recent records from eBird, it turns out that this is a First Island Record! (EDIT: A previous island record has come to light, and sure enough, it was from April!)
While it wasn’t the Mega I was hoping for, it was a great bird for the island list, and joined by a stunning adult male Wood Duck, it added some excitement to an otherwise dreary day. We took the time to have a leisurely lunch, enjoy the Queen Eider, and grab one last beer. We also ran into the Lark Sparrow that showed up the day before. But it was remarkable how many fewer butterflies were around: the Monarchs had mostly departed on the northerly winds of the previous day, and the cloudy skies kept most everything else under cover. Lark Sparrow with immature White-crowned Sparrow
With the first of the morning’s lobster traps already being hauled up, we knew our birding season out here was drawing to a close, unfortunately. Fortunately, however, the seas were much tamer than had been forecast, and we had less concerns about comfort on the ride home. Another Harbor Porpoise and gull feeding frenzy developed in the mouth of the harbor.
But Monhegan had one more surprise in store for us. As we pulled away on the 4:30 ferry to Port Clyde, I spotted a Black Skimmer circling Nigh Duck. I alerted the other birders on the boat, and those of us topside had views of it seemingly considering sitting down on the island, but we had picked up steam and were cruising away. This appears to be the second record of Black Skimmer for Monhegan – another incredibly good bird for my island list, and another reason why you never stop looking!
Three “Island Birds” for me, “life birds” for most of my group, beautiful weather for the tour, and lots of good food and conversation made for a heckuva weekend. And perhaps best of all, I had three kids under 15 on my tour! Besides a rare occurrence for a birding tour, their enthusiasm was contagious, and it gave us hope for the future of birds and birding!
Swamp Sparrow
Daily Checklist:
* denotes ferry ride only
27-Sep
28-Sep
29-Sep
30-Sep
10/1 (with Jeannette)
Wood Duck
0
0
0
0
4
American Black Duck
0
2
2
2
2
Mallard
4
16
12
10
10
NORTHERN SHOVELER
0
0
0
0
1
Green-winged Teal
0
0
0
1
0
KING EIDER
0
1
0
1
1
Common Eider
x
x
x
x
X
Surf Scoter
0
0
0
3
7*
Ring-necked Pheasant
3
7
5
5
6
Mourning Dove
6
8
6
6
10
YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO
0
1
0
0
0
Killdeer
0
0
0
1
0
Lesser Yellowlegs
0
1
0
0
0
Black Guillemot
X
x
x
x
X
Laughing Gull
6*
0
2
0
0
Ring-billed Gull
2*
0
0
0
0
Herring Gull
x
x
x
x
X
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL
0
1
1
0
Great Black-backed Gull
x
x
x
x
X
BLACK SKIMMER
0
0
0
0
1
Common Loon
1*
0
0
2
2
Northern Gannet
30
30
10
8
20
Double-crested Cormorant
X
x
x
1000
500
Great Cormorant
0
6
1
3
2
Great Blue Heron
0
1
2
2
1
Great Egret
0
1
0
0
0
Osprey
3
1
7
4
2
Bald Eagle
3
2
3
4
2
Northern Harrier
0
0
0
1
1
Sharp-shinned Hawk
1
2
4
4
3
Belted Kingfisher
0
1
1
1
1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
3
3
4
40
30
Downy Woodpecker
0
1
1
2
0
Northern Flicker
3
4
6
20
15
American Kestrel
0
0
8
1
4
Merlin
3
3
15
8
5
Peregrine Falcon
6
2
10
6
3
Eastern Wood-Pewee
0
0
0
2
2
Alder Flycatcher
0
0
0
1
0
Least Flycatcher
0
0
0
1
0
Eastern Phoebe
1
0
0
6
4
Eastern Kingbird
0
2
2
0
0
Blue-headed Vireo
0
0
0
6
2
Warbling Vireo
0
0
0
1
0
Philadelphia Vireo
0
0
0
1
0
Red-eyed Vireo
0
0
2
25
10
Blue Jay
4
10
14
8
6
American Crow
4
6
4
6
8
Common Raven
1
2
2
2
2
Horned Lark
0
0
0
1
0
Black-capped Chickadee
x
x
x
x
X
Red-breasted Nuthatch
1
0
0
0
0
White-breasted Nuthatch
0
0
0
0
0
Brown Creeper
0
0
0
8
4
Winter Wren
0
0
0
3
0
Marsh Wren
0
0
0
0
1
Carolina Wren
0
1
0
0
0
Golden-crowned Kinglet
0
10
0
15
20
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
0
0
0
10
5
Swainson’s Thrush
0
0
0
1
0
American Robin
2
1
0
0
1
Gray Catbird
6
4
0
4
4
Brown Thrasher
0
0
0
1
0
Northern Mockingbird
0
1
1
0
0
European Starling
20
24
20
20
16
American Pipit
0
0
0
1
0
Cedar Waxwing
20
40
80
60
50
American Goldfinch
2
0
4
6
6
Black-and-white Warbler
0
1
0
2
0
Tennessee Warbler
0
0
0
4
2
Nashville Warbler
0
0
0
6
5
Common Yellowthroat
2
2
4
6
3
Cape May Warbler
2
2
6
3
4
Northern Parula
2
0
0
10
3
Magnolia Warbler
0
0
0
4
0
Bay-breasted Warbler
0
0
0
1
0
Blackburnian Warbler
0
1
0
2
0
Yellow Warbler
1
1
1
4
1
Chestnut-sided Warbler
0
0
0
1
1
Blackpoll Warbler
4
2
0
2
1
Black-throated Blue Warbler
0
0
0
2
0
Palm Warbler
0
0
0
60
20
PINE WARBLER
0
0
0
1
0
Yellow-rumped Warbler
8
15
40
200
50
Black-throated Green Warbler
1
0
0
5
1
Wilson’s Warbler
0
0
0
1
0
Chipping Sparrow
2
0
3
6
19
LARK SPARROW
0
0
0
0
1
White-crowned Sparrow
0
0
1
0
1
White-throated Sparrow
1
0
0
25
15
Savannah Sparrow
0
0
0
50
30
Song Sparrow
x
x
x
x
X
Lincoln’s Sparrow
1
1
0
2
2
Swamp Sparrow
0
0
0
7
4
Northern Cardinal
4
4
8
6
8
BLUE GROSBEAK
2
3
4
0
0
Indigo Bunting
3
2
2
1
2
DICKCISSEL
2
0
1
2
0
Bobolink
0
0
0
6
3
Red-winged Blackbird
0
0
1
0
1
Rusty Blackbird
0
0
0
5
1
Common Grackle
10
10
10
10
10
Baltimore Oriole
0
1
1
2
2
(Rarities seen by others by not the group as a whole: Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Red-headed Woodpecker, and Yellow-breasted Chat).
Butterfly list:
Monarch
Painted Lady
American Lady
Question Mark
Cabbage White
Clouded Sulfur
Red Admiral
Orange Sulfur
Common Buckeye
Mourning Cloak (1)
White Admiral (1-2)
Black Swallowtail (1)
Bronze Copper (1)
Great Spangled Fritillary (1)
Maine Birding Field Notes 