Tag Archives: Morgan Meadow WMA

This Week’s Highlights, May 13-20,2022 (Spoiler Alert: It was Exceptional!)

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Confidently identifying Gray-cheeked vs Bicknell’s Thrushes on migration is always a challenge, but this bird I found at Biddeford Pool was vocalizing incessantly. It even posed – as far as these reclusive migrants go – for some snapshots. I believe that this is my first confirmed Bicknell’s Thrush
on the coastal plain of Maine during spring migration,

For much of this spring, I’ve been lamenting about a “slow” week of migration, or a “trickle” of migrants, etc.  That was NOT the case this week, as the floodgates finally opened. In fact, it was an incredible week of birding. The northern limits of a huge fallout greeted me on Monday morning. And then there was Friday at Biddeford Pool.  It was epic. Unforgettable.

My observations of note over the past eight days included:

  • 1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Evergreen Cemetery, Portland, 5/15 (with Down East Adventures Spring Songbird Workshop group).
  • 20 species of warblers, including 1 continuing Louisiana Waterthrush and 6 Bay-breasted Warblers (FOY), and led by 25+ Northern Parulas and 20+ Black-and-white Warblers, Morgan Meadow WMA, 5/16 (with Jeannette).  Incredible morning; definitely the best morning of spring to date. Interestingly, this appeared to be about the northern limits of what was a significant coastal fallout from at least Eastern Massachusetts into southern Maine.
  • 17 species of warblers, led by 18 Common Yellowthroats and 17 American Redstarts, Florida Lake Park, Freeport, 5/17 (with client from Maine).
  • 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet (getting late), Florida Lake Park, 5/17 (with client from Maine).
  • 1 pair Gadwalls, Pelreco Marsh, Scarborough Marsh, 5/17 (with client from Maine).
  • 16 species of warblers, led by 24 Yellow-rumped Warblers and 15 American Redstarts, Florida Lake Park, Freeport, 5/18 (with Jeannette).  This was the first morning this season where there were more female than male passage migrants.
  • 16 species of warblers, led by 24 Common Yellowthroats and 22 Yellow-rumped Warblers, Florida Lake Park, Freeport, 5/19.
  • Biddeford Pool, FALLOUT, 5/20!  This was insane. I was optimistic about conditions based on the overnight wind forecast and morning fog, but there was virtually nothing on the radar overnight. I almost didn’t go. I never expected to find this.  Birds were everywhere. Every tree had warblers. Swainson’s Thrushes and Lincoln’s Sparrows were hopping around manicured lawns. I can’t even begin to explain how amazing it was, but here are some of the highlights as I covered East Point, the neighborhood, and the Elphis Pond trails. All of my numbers are extremely conservative, as I attempted to judge the movement of birds between parallel streets, etc.
    • 20 species of warblers led by 53 Common Yellowthroats, 44+ American Redstarts, 44 Yellow Warblers, and 43 Magnolia Warblers. I know these numbers are particularly low.
    • Thrushes!  43 Swainson’s Thrushes (FOY) and 8+ Veeries, but also…
    • 1 BICKNELL’S THRUSH – shocking migrant vocalizing incessantly on path to East Point.  Was still calling 3 hours later. Voice recordings and poor photo above. Rarely detected in migration away other than Nocturnal Flight Calls, this might have been my first ever confirmation in spring along Maine’s coast. Seems a little early, too. Photo above.
    • 1 GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH (FOY). My settings were off on the camera and the overall tone of this bird is not accurate! When I looked down at the camera to adjust, it dropped out of site. Called once.
  • 1 SUMMER TANAGER, near Elphis Pond. Quick fly-by, and no red seen. Confident there was little or red on the upperparts. Not seen well enough to know if this was the bird that had been continuing in the area for a while or a different, possible female.
    • 1 male ORCHARD ORIOLE, Elphis Pond.  Often singing.
    • Amazing quantities of usually-uncommon migrants, such as: 15 Lincoln’s Sparrows, 15 Bay-breasted Warblers, and 11 Canada Warblers.
    • Other good tallies included 17 Black-throated Blue Warblers, 13 Least Flycatchers, and 4-6 Scarlet Tanagers.
    • Personal First-of-years also included 2 Cape May Warblers, 9 Tennessee Warblers, 3 Philadelphia Vireos, along with 2 Roseate Terns off Ocean Ave.
    • The bird that got away: an intriguing Empid that suggested Acadian in a brief view along Orcutt Ave. Could not relocate.

Meanwhile, my list of personal “first of years” this week before the Biddeford Pool fallout included the following:

  • 4 American Redstarts, Essex Woods and Marsh, Bangor, 5/13.
  • 2 Bobolinks, Essex Woods and Marsh, 5/13.
  • 1 Virginia Rail, Essex Woods and Marsh, 5/13.
  • 5 Wood Thrushes, Evergreen Cemetery, Portland, 5/15 (with Down East Adventures Spring Songbird Workshop group).
  • 1 Scarlet Tanager, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/15 (with Down East Adventures Spring Songbird Workshop group).
  • 3 Red-eyed Vireos, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/15 (with Down East Adventures Spring Songbird Workshop group).
  • 1 Black-crowned Night-Heron, Evergreen Cemetery, 5/15 (with Down East Adventures Spring Songbird Workshop group).
  • 1 Canada Warbler, Morgan Meadow WMA, 5/16 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER (a little on the early side), Morgan Meadow WMA, 5/16 (with Jeannette).
  • 4 Eastern Wood-Pewees, Morgan Meadow WMA, 5/16 (with Jeannette).
  • 2 Blackpoll Warblers, Morgan Meadow WMA, 5/16 (with Jeannette).
  • 6 Bay-breasted Warblers, Morgan Meadow WMA, 5/16 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 Alder Flycatcher, Florida Lake Park, Freeport, 5/17 (with client from Maine).
  • 1 BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO, Hidden Pond Preserve, Freeport, 5/17 (with client from Maine).
  • 40+ Least Terns, Scarborough Marsh, 5/17 (with client from Maine).
  • 4 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS, Pelreco Marsh, Scarborough Marsh, 5/17 (with client from Maine).
  • 20+ Semipalmated Sandpipers, Pelreco Marsh, 5/17 (with client from Maine)
This Black-and-white Warbler was among the multitudes of cooperative birds at Biddeford Pool on the 20th. But apparently, I didn’t take photos of any of the colorful ones! I was also having so much fun that
for the most part, I forgot I even had a camera.

This Week’s Highlights, April 16-22, 2022.

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Unlike last week, my birding was more limited this week, and coupled with less-than-conducive weather for migrants on most days, my observations of note were few.

  • ~50 Palm Warblers, ~25 Yellow-rumped Warblers, and 2 Pine Warblers, Florida Lake, Freeport, 4/16 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • 2 female BARROW’S GOLDENEYES, Eastern Road Trail, Scarborough Marsh, 4/17 (with Jeannette).
  • 7 Gadwall, Pelreco Marsh, Scarborough Marsh, 4/17 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 Fish Crow, Florida Lake Park, Freeport, 4/20 (my 168th species here!)

And my list of personal “first of years” and other new arrivals also showed the reduced time in the field and only one good night of migration this week:

  • 78 Glossy Ibis, Scarborough Marsh, 4/17 (with Jeannette)
  • 2 Lesser Yellowlegs, Scarborough Marsh, 4/17 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH, Morgan Meadow WMA, 4/21.

I hope to see you all on Monday when Jeannette and I will be presenting a program on Birding in Cuba for Merrymeeting Audubon at the Curtis Library in Brunswick at 7:00pm.

And don’t forget, next weekend is Feathers Over Freeport!

Derek’s Birding This Week, 4/24-30/2021

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I always say that Yellow-rumped Warblers would be everyone’s favorite warbler if they weren’t so common. Big personalities and easy to identify, and the spring males are just gorgeous. Even when photographed through drizzle and mist, as was this one at Legion Pond in Kittery on 4/30.

My highlights over the past seven days included the following:

  • 1 Great Cormorant, over the store with a flock of Double-crested Cormorants, 4/24 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk Group. Store Yard Bird #131).
  • 1 Savannah Sparrow, our yard in Pownal, 4/24 (Home Yard Bird # 130).
  • 19 Red Crossbills, Waterboro Barrens Preserve, 4/27.
  • 9 Fish Crows (low, tight, southbound flock) and 1-2 EVENING GROSBEAKS, Bradbury-Pinelands Corridor Trail, Pownal, 4/29.
  • 1 drake NORTHERN SHOVELER, 109 Yellow-rumped Warblers, numerous first of years, etc, Fort Foster, Kittery, 4/30.
  • 17 Harlequin Ducks, The Nubble, Cape Neddick, 4/30.

And my personal first-of-years and new spring arrivals included:

  • 3 LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSHES (FOY), Morgan Meadow WMA, 4/25 (first time I have had more than 2 singing males here).
  • 1 Brown Thrasher, feeders here at the store, 4/25.
  • 1 Field Sparrow, Waterboro Barrens Preserve, 4/27.
  • 1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird, our yard in Pownal, 4/29.
  • 3 Black-and-white Warblers, Fort Foster, Kittery, 4/30.
  • 3 House Wrens, Fort Foster, 4/30.
  • 1 Gray Catbird (FOS), Fort Foster, 4/30.
  • 3 BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS, Fort Foster, 4/30.
  • 5 Greater Yellowlegs, Fort Foster, 4/30.
  • 3 Northern Rough-winged Swallows, The Nubble, Cape Neddick, 4/30.
  • 1 Cliff Swallow, The Nubble, 4/30.