Tag Archives: Rough-legged Hawk

This Week’s Highlights: November 26 – December 2, 2022

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I found this rather cooperative, late Orange-crowned Warbler at Pond Cove in Cape Elizabeth – my 10th of the fall. Unfortunately, my camera was insisting it was the sticks I wanted a photo of, so this is the best I did.

Some of my highlights over the past seven days included the following. For the most part, my birds of note were decidedly more wintery than in the past weeks, although “late/lingering” oddities are making an appearance with the slow progression of the season and resultant concentration at seasonal hotspots.

  • 1 Red Crossbill, private property in Freeport, 11/24 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • 1 Hermit Thrush, private property in Freeport, 11/25.
  • 1 light morph ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (FOS), Hinckley Road, Clinton, 11/28 (with Jeannette).
  • 59 Green-winged Teal (late, especially for such a large number), 1 Wood Duck, 6 Lesser Scaup, etc, Sebasticook Lake, 11/28 (with Jeannette).
  • 4 drake BARROW’S GOLDENEYES (FOS), University of Maine – Orono Steam Plant Nature Trail, 11/28 (with Jeannette).
  • 1+ PINE GROSBEAK (FOS), Sunkhaze NWR, 11/29 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 immature Northern Shrike (FOS), Veazie Waterfront Park, 11/29 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 1st-winter Iceland Gull, Bangor Waterfront Park, 11/29 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER and 1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Pond Cove, Cape Elizabeth, 12/2.
  • 1 FIELD SPARROW, 2 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS, 1 imm. White-crowned Sparrow, and 1 Winter Wren, Private property in Cape Elizabeth, 12/2.
  • 4+ Red Crossbills, flying over the store, 12/2.

This Week’s Highlights, 12/11-17

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Despite taking photos of all four species of warblers along the Saco Riverwalk on 12/4, the only photo even marginally useful was this mediocre one of the continuing “Western” Palm Warbler. What I do like about it, however, is that it caught the “tail flick” in action.

It was a tough week in the Maine birding world with the loss of an icon, but she would have been upset with me if I didn’t get out to do any birding this week. My observations of note over the past seven days were as follows:

  • 1 Snowy Owl, Hill’s Beach, Biddeford, 12/11.
  • 1 Lapland Longspur with 12 Snow Buntings, Day’s Landing, Biddeford Pool, 12/12 (with client from Georgia).
  • 1 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (FOS), Wood Island, Biddeford Pool, 12/12 (with client from Georgia).
  • 16 Northern Pintails, The Pool, Biddeford Pool, 12/12 (with client from Georgia).
  • 2 Snowy Owls, Biddeford Pool neighborhood, Biddeford, 12/12 (with client from Georgia).
  • 1 Pine Warbler, Bailey Island, Harpswell, 12/13 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 continuing NASHVILLE WARBLER, 1 continuing ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, 1 continuing “WESTERN” PALM WARBLER, and 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler, Saco Riverwalk, 12/14.
  • Scattered single Turkey Vultures throughout the week.

Derek’s Birding This Week, 3/6-12/2021

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Lingering winter birds and arriving spring migrants. Here are my highlights over the past seven days:

  • 1 Red-winged Blackbird (FOY), feeders here at the store, 3/6. Small flocks around the area by week’s end.
  • 1 drake BARROW’S GOLDENEYE, River Road, Benton, 3/8 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 light morph ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK and 10 Horned Larks, Wyman Road, Benton, 3/8 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 Northern Shrike, Sunkhaze Meadows NWR, 3/9 (with Jeannette).
  • 3 continuing WILSON’S SNIPE, U of Maine-Orono Steam Plant, 3/9 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 Common Grackle (FOY), Veazie, 3/9 (with Jeannette…sure didn’t expect my FOY in Penobscot County, but numbers increased in southern Maine by week’s end).
  • 1 Killdeer (FOY), Highland Road, Brunswick, 3/11.
  • 2 Lesser Scaup, Mill Creek Cove, South Portland, 3/12.
  • 4 Brown-headed Cowbirds (FOY), feeders here at the store, 3/12.

This Week in Finches:

  • EVENING GROSBEAK: 0
  • Red Crossbill: 9 (Type 10 fide Matt Young at FiRN, Viles Arboreteum, Augusta, 3/8 with Jeannette).
  • WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL:
  • PINE GROSBEAK: 1 (Viles Arboretum, Augusta, 3/8 with Jeannette).
  • Purple Finch High Count This Week: 0
  • Common Redpoll High Count This Week: 7 (continuing at Back Cove, Portland, 3/7 with Ian Doherty and Ilsa Tucker).
  • HOARY REDPOLL: 1 (continuing at Back Cove, Portland, 3/7 with Ian Doherty and Ilsa Tucker).
  • Pine Siskin High Count This Week:  1 (Cumberland Town Landing, 3/7).

Derek’s Birding This Week, 1/23-29,2021

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I like Rough-legged Hawks!

I stayed local this week, but that still yielded some fun winter birds. My observations of note over the past seven days included the following:

  • 300-400 distant Scaup, Maquoit Bay Conservation Land, Brunswick, 1/25.
  • 1 first-cycle ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, Pennell Way, Brunswick, 1/25.
  • 1 continuing RUDDY DUCK, 11 Lesser and 6 Greater Scaup (in close small group in flight) and 250+ distant scaup. I am sure the ratio of species in that close group of 17 does not reflect the makeup of the large group which will be mostly (at least) Greater. Simpson’s Point, Brunswick, 1/25.
  • 2 Turkey Vultures (FOY), Cook’s Corner, Brunswick, 1/25.
  • 1 female BARROW’S GOLDENEYE, Anniversary Park, Auburn, 1/26.
  • 1 Northern Shrike, Highland Road, Brunswick, 1/28

This Week in Finches, at least for the sake of continuing to organize mostly negative data, with the exception of another wave of Pine Grosbeaks hitting the immediate area:

  • EVENING GROSBEAK: 0
  • Red Crossbill: 6-8 continue on Merrill Road in Pownal.
  • WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL: 0
  • PINE GROSBEAK: 3-5 near-daily at the store through week’s end; 3(Route One, Brunswick, 1/25); 2 (Route One/Pleasant Street, Brunswick, 1/25); 25+ (Maine Street, Brunswick, 1/29), 16 (Topsham Fair Mall, Topsham, 1/29).
  • Purple Finch High Count This Week: 0
  • Common Redpoll High Count This Week: 0
  • Pine Siskin High Count This Week:  0

Derek’s Birding This Week, 1/2-1/8/2021

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My observations of note over the past seven days included the following:

  • 1 Hermit Thrush, several record high counts including White-breasted Nuthatch and Eastern Bluebird, Pine Grosbeaks and Common Redpolls, etc, Brunswick-Freeport CBC “West Freeport Sector,” 1/3 (with Jeannette).  Full list and analysis here.
  • 2 SNOWY OWLS, Biddeford, 1/5 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK and 5 Horned Larks, East Point, Biddeford Pool, 1/5 (with Jeannette).
  • 1 1st winter Iceland Gull, Portland Harbor, 1/8.

This Week in Finches. Although finch numbers are greatly reduced now, I’ll continue to post this section if only to organize my own notes, track any mid-winter waves, and perhaps be ready for a northbound flight in the late winter and early spring.

  • EVENING GROSBEAK: 0
  • Red Crossbill: 0
  • WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL:  0
  • PINE GROSBEAK: 8 Brunswick-Freeport CBC “West Freeport Sector,” 1/3 (with Jeannette); 2 (Memak Preserve, North Yarmouth, 1/7).
  • Purple Finch: 0
  • Common Redpoll High Count This Week: 3 singletons (Brunswick-Freeport CBC “West Freeport Sector,” 1/3; with Jeannette).
  • Pine Siskin High Count This Week:  2 (Webster Road, Freeport, Brunswick-Freeport CBC “West Freeport Sector,” 1/3; with Jeannette).