Tag Archives: Richmond

This Week’s Highlights, 11/16– 11/22/2024

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After seeing the Spotted Towhee briefly a few times late in the morning on the 19th, Jeannette and I returned at the end of the day to see if we could see it better. That worked out perfectly, but the light was getting low for photos, as you can see here. See notes and musings below.

I enjoyed another great week of birding, searching for rarities, and catching up with perhaps an old friend! It’s been a great rarity season to date, and with a return to a more dynamic weather pattern, perhaps it’s only the start. 

  • 1 continuing Red-throated Loon, 287 Ruddy Ducks, 363 total Lesser+Greater+too distant Scaup, ~75 Snow Buntings, 2 Northern Pintails, 1 American Wigeon, etc, etc, Sabattus Pond, Sabattus, 11/17 (with Dan Nickerson).
  • ~100 Snow Buntings and 1+ Horned Lark, Plains Road, Turner, 11/17 (with Dan Nickerson).
  • 1 American Pipit, Pearl Road, Turner, 11/17 (with Dan Nickerson).
  • 1 YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, Beach Plum Farm, Ogunquit. 11/19 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 continuing SPOTTED TOWHEE, 1 continuing “Western” Palm Warbler, and 1 Pine Warbler, Seapoint Beach, Kittery, 11/19 (with Jeannette). Is this the same Spotted Towhee as I found last year at nearby Fort Foster? If so, did it return from a summer on breeding grounds? If yes, did it fly back to the actual breeding range of Spotted Towhees (likely near where it was born) or did it continue its navigational mistake and spend the summer distant from any potential mates? Or, has this bird been present locally since last winter? Considering its secretive nature and the amount of dense thickets with no birders between Fort Foster and Seapoint Beach, this is plausible as well. In fact, it being a different bird seems like the least likely scenario! Like all vagrants, it tends to produce more questions than answers, which is what makes vagrancy so fascinating! Photo above.
  • 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet and 1 Winter Wren, Fort Foster, Kittery, 11/19 (with Jeannette).
  • 30 Snow Buntings, Goranson’s Farm, Dresden, 11/21.
  • 1 Winter Wren, Green Point WMA, Dresden, 11/21.
  • 1 BALTIMORE ORIOLE, private property in Richmond, 11/21. A nice surprise bonus during a yard consultation appointment. Homeowner reports it has been present for three days.
  • An above-average number of species such as Northern Flickers, Hermit Thrushes, Swamp Sparrows, and Red-winged Blackbirds continue around the area.