Tag Archives: Sabattus Pond

Recent Highlights, 11/4 – 11/17, 2023

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It was sure nice of this Orange-crowned Warbler to sit still long enough for photos, but it sure would have been nice if it was on the other side of that stem! Cape Elizabeth, 11/12.

After a great late October for rarities, November has been incredibly slow for vagrants in Maine so far…unlike surrounding states and provinces. While my increased birding time these past two weeks did not produce any significant rarities, either, it was good to be getting out! And in doing so, I enjoyed some very good birding recently. Here are my observations of note over the past two weeks.

  • 1 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, 2 “Yellow” Palm Warblers, 3 Black-bellied Plovers, 42 Laughing Gulls, etc, Wolfe’s Neck Center, Freeport, 11/4 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).  While we are normally reticent to return to the same location two (let alone 4) weeks in a row, it has continued to be very fruitful, and the week-to-week ebbs and flows have been particularly insightful. More complete summaries are on the News page of our website.
  • 2 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, 1 “Western” Palm Warbler, 1 Eastern Phoebe, 1 Fox Sparrow (first of fall, finally), 1 Field Sparrow, etc, etc, Bailey Island, Harpswell, 11/6 (with Jeannette).
  • Sabattus Pond, Sabattus, 11/10 (with Dan Nickerson): 575 Ruddy Ducks, 290 Common Mergansers, 224 Mallards, 156 Lesser Scaup, 113 Greater Scaup, 82 American Black Ducks, 61 Buffleheads, 32 Hooded Mergansers, 24 distant scaup sp, 21 American Pipits, 15 Canada Geese, 9 Green-winged Teal, 6 Common Goldeneyes, 5 American Wigeon, 4 KILLDEER, 4 Common Loons, 2 Black Scoters, 1 Snow Bunting, 1 Swamp Sparrow, etc. 
  • 1 American Tree Sparrow (First of fall), Yarmouth Town Landing, 11/11 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • 1 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, Private property in Cape Elizabeth, 11/12 (with Jeannette).
  • Sabattus Pond, 11/16: 663 Ruddy Ducks, 442 Common Mergansers, 369 scaup sp, 217 Mallards, 102 Buffleheads, 92 Hooded Mergansers, 79 Greater Scaup, 14 Lesser Scaup, 14 Canada Geese, 12 American Black Ducks, 5 Common Goldeneyes, 2 American Wigeon, 1 Green-winged Teal, and 1 AMERICAN COOT.
  • 1 drake Wood Duck, North River Road, Auburn, 11/16.
  • 2 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, 25 Snow Buntings, and 1 Black-bellied Plover, Wolfe’s Neck Center, Freeport, 11/17 (with Dan Nickerson).
  • 22 Black-bellied Plovers, 91 Dunlin, etc, Wharton Point, Brunswick, 11/17 (with Dan Nickerson).
  • 2 “WESTERN” PALM WARBLERS, 1-2 Chipping Sparrows, 150+ Red-winged Blackbirds with a few Common Grackles, Pennellville Road, Brunswick, 11/17 (with Dan Nickerson).

Meanwhile, here in our Durham yard, the birdlife has become decidedly wintery. However, a few lingering/migrants of note recently included 2 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS on 11/4, two American Woodcocks through at least 11/4, and a Winter Wren 11/13-14.

Our feeders have been quite busy again, with varying numbers of all the expected species, but the number of American Goldfinches continuing to impress, with 30-50+ visiting daily. A few Pine Siskins have been mixing in with them as well, and we’re getting the sporadic Purple Finch or two. Our Njyer and hulled sunflower feeders are being emptied daily at this point. Under the feeders, White-throated Sparrows have been quite low, with only a max of 4 recently, while Dark-eyed Juncos have slowly but steadily increased over the past week. We’re down to just a couple of Song Sparrows, however.

Here at the store, we had a Common Grackle and a late Chipping Sparrow on the 15th. but we’re not seeing nearly the diversity or activity here as we are used to at the season – no doubt an indictment of the surrounding habitat.

ISSUES and ADVOCACY:

Our Statement in Opposition to a New Port on Sears Island in Searsport.

This Week’s Highlights, 4/22-28/2023

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As is often the case with prolonged cool, wet spells in early spring, Yellow-rumped (and Pine) Warblers descended on feeders. By week’s end, at least 14 were devouring suet, nuts, mealworms, and jelly in our yard in Durham.

Migration ground nearly to a halt for most of the week with a persistent onshore flow and lots of precipitation. Wednesday and Thursday nights, however, saw some good flights of passerines, with hawks moving once again on Thursday and Friday.  My observations of note over the past seven days included:

  • 1 female Evening Grosbeak, our feeders in Durham, 4/22.
  • 21 RUDDY DUCKS (FOY), 5 Horned Grebes, 33 Lesser Scaup, 6 Greater Scaup, etc, Sabattus Pond, Sabattus, 4/23.
  • 1 adult Lesser Black-backed Gull, Long Point Road, Harpswell, 4/24 (with Jeannette).

My other personal FOY’s this week also included:

  • 1 Blue-headed Vireo, Riverfront Woods Preserve, Yarmouth, 4/22 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group)
  • 2 Barn Swallows, Lisbon Falls waterfront, 4/23.
  • 1 “Eastern” Willet, Land’s End, Bailey Island, 4/24 (with Jeannette).
  • 2 Snowy Egrets, Tidewater Farm Preserve, Falmouth, 4/28.

TOURS AND EVENTS:

This weekend (April 29-30) is the 13th Annual Feathers Over Freeport that we sponsor with public and private partners at Bradbury Mountain and Wolfes Neck Woods State Parks. We have a full slate of events all day, each day once again. The entire schedule and more information can be found here. All events are free with park admission.

This Week’s Highlights: December 3 – 9, 2022

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The still-unfrozen waters of Sabattus Pond were fantastic this week. One of the highlights was this continuing drake Canvasback.

So-called “half-hardies” dominated my highlights away from a still-productive Sabattus Pond, as if often the case this time of year.

  • 1 adult Iceland Gull, Yarmouth Town Landing, 12/3 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • Sabattus Pond, 12/5: 1 continuing immature male EURASIAN WIGEON, 1 continuing drake CANVASBACK, 1 PIED-BILLED GREBE, 1 1st winter Iceland Gull, ~350 Ruddy Ducks, 3 Northern Pintails, 2 Ring-necked Ducks, 1 Horned Grebe, etc.  Full waterbird list here.
  • 1 Winter Wren, 1 Hermit Thrush, 1 Northern Flicker, and 3 Red Crossbills, Bailey Island, Harpswell, 12/5.
  • 1 Evening Grosbeak, our yard in Durham, 12/6.
  • 1 Fox Sparrow, feeders here at the store, 12/6-7.
  • 1 Gray Catbird, 3 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and 1 Swamp Sparrow, Saco Riverwalk, Saco, 12/9 (with Allison Anholt).

I take a lot of photos this time of year of birds with Multiflora Rose stems in front of their faces. Like this – and every other – Ruby-crowned Kinglet shot from the Saco Riverwalk on 12/9.

This Week’s Highlights: November 11 – November 18, 2022

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I found this presumptive BLACK-HEADED X RING-BILLED GULL HYBRID along Greely Road in Cumberland during steady rain in the late morning of the 13th. It looks very similar to the individual of this hybrid pair that wintered on the Falmouth waterfront for at least two years, 2019-20, and 2020-21. Could it be the same bird with a little more black on the head due to the earlier date?

Rarity season is upon us, but most of my birding this week was in and around our yard. Not that that wasn’t extremely enjoyable though!  A few forays afield did not produce those hoped-for November “Megas,” but I did see a few things of note over the past eight days including:

  • Evening Grosbeaks have been present daily at our feeders in Durham all week. 7 on 11/11 peaked at 32 on 11/12 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • 1 Lapland Longspur (FOF), over our yard in Durham, 11/11.
  • 1 RUSTY BLACKBIRD, our feeders in Durham, 11/12 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • 1 first-winter Iceland Gull (FOF), Thornhurst Farm, 11/13.
  • 1 PUTATIVE BLACK-HEADED X RING-BILLED GULL HYBIRD, Greely Road, Cumberland, 11/13. First distant observation in driving rain suggested a much, much darker head and mantle, but finally relocated closer to the road. Joined by Nick Lund and Reed and Laura Robinson. 
  • Red Crossbills have been regular fly-overs in our Durham yard this week, but 10 were feeding on Eastern Hemlocks on 11/17.
  • 3 continuing CANVASBACKS, 398 Ruddy Ducks, 320 mixed scaup (too far to reliably sort through, 1 Evening Grosbeak, 1 Winter Wren, etc, etc, Sabattus Pond, Sabattus, 11/17.

This Week’s Highlights: October 8 -14, 2022

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Northern Fulmar on our ½ day Pelagic on Tuesday.

My birding levels were closer to par for me this week, albeit concentrated on building our new yard list! The last two group tours of the year – both by boat – were conducted this week, with overall great success. It was also nice to have a few mornings to get some casual birding in before work. This is my favorite time of the birding year, afterall!

  • 1 Marsh Wren (in a dry patch of burdock!), our yard in Durham, 10/8.
  • 1 Bobolink, Wolfe’s Neck Center, Freeport, 10/8 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • 1 Long-tailed Duck (first of fall), 3 Snowy Egrets, 115 Surf Scoters, etc, Birds of Casco Bay Boat Tour, 10/9.
  • 1 Indigo Bunting in a very light morning flight at Sandy Point, Cousin’s Island, Yarmouth, 10/10 (total – 87 migrants).
  • ½ Day Pelagic out of Boothbay Harbor on 10/11: 1 Common Murre, 1 Parasitic Jaeger, 1 Pomarine Jaeger, 3 Northern Fulmars, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, etc.  Full trip report with photos and annotated checklist, along with my Stercorariidae mea culpa can be seen here.
Boothbay Mini-Pelagic Trip Report, 10/11/22
  • Sabattus Pond, Sabattus, 10/13: 158 RUDDY DUCKS, 84 Lesser Scaup, 56 Greater Scaup, 2 American Wigeon, 1 Spotted Sandpiper, 1 Ring-necked Duck, etc.

This Week’s Highlights, 11/20-26, 2021

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The Short-eared Owls were a little far for photographs under fading light,
but the sunset made for a nice backdrop to the evening’s observations.

My observations of note over the past seven days were as follows as birdlife become decidedly wintery very quickly!

  • 2 “Ispwich” Savannah Sparrows, Crescent Beach State Park, Cape Elizabeth, 11/21
  • 1 Brown-headed Cowbird, Private property in Cape Elizabeth, 11/21.
  • 2 SHORT-EARED OWLS, Brunswick Landing from Bowdoin Sand Plain, Brunswick, 11/21 (with Jeannette).
  • 3 Red Crossbills, Runaround Pond, Durham, 11/25.
  • 1 Rusty Blackbird, Route 9, Pownal, 11/25.
  • Sabattus Pond, Sabattus, 11/26 – 14 species of waterfowl:

344 Ruddy Ducks

279 Mallards

159 Common Mergansers

156 Canada Geese

127 Lesser Scaup

63 American Black Ducks

17 Green-winged Teal

63 Greater Scaup

11 Buffleheads

9 American Wigeon

4+ Mallard x American Black Duck hybrid

4 Hooded Mergansers

4 Northern Pintails

1 Common Goldeneye

1 continuing hen White-winged Scoter

  • 1 hen Wood Duck, Thornhurst Farm, 11/26.

This Week’s Highlights, 11/17-19, 2021.

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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.

Additional Highlights This Week, 10/16-22

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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:

  • ~60 American Pipits, Mayall Road, Gray/New Gloucester, 10/16 (with Saturday Morning Birdwalk group).
  • Sabattus Pond, Sabattus, 10/19 (with Jeannette). Choppy water made a thorough count challenging.

360+ Ruddy Ducks

173+ mixed Greater and Lesser Scaup

31 Mallards

15 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS

3 Buffleheads

2 Common Loons

  • 1 Nashville Warbler, 4 Red-throated Loons (FOF), etc, Peak’s Island, 10/22 (with Dan Nickerson).

Derek’s Birding This Week, 11/21-27/2020

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Pine Grosbeaks have already started to arrive in Southern Maine, such as this female at the Yarmouth Library on the 25th.

I didn’t get very far afield much this week, but feeder-watching, local patches, and a visit to Sabattus Pond at week’s end made up for it.  My observations of note over the past seven days included the following:

  • 1 continuing LINCOLN’S SPARROW, feeders here at the store through 11/21.
  • 8 American Pipits, Highland Road, Brunswick, 11/21.
  • 1 Fox Sparrow, feeders here at the store, 11/21.
  • 1 Turkey Vulture, over the store, 11/24.
  • 100+ Horned Larks and about 40 Snow Buntings, Mayall Road, Gray/New Gloucester, 11/25.
  • 1 Common Grackle, feeders here at the store, 11/25 -present.

Sabattus Pond, Sabattus, 11/27:

  • It was a great morning as the fog lifted and the water was dead calm. Unfortunately, a high-speed fishing boat, several duck hunting parties, and two hunting Bald Eagles made it difficult to make an accurate count as birds were flushing in different directions.
  • 476 Mallards
  • 301 Canada Geese
  • 231 Ruddy Ducks
  • 174 Common Mergansers
  • 144 American Black Ducks
  • 44 Greater Scaup
  • 26 Hooded Mergansers
  • 18 Lesser Scaup
  • 8 Buffleheads
  • 5 GADWALL
  • 4 Green-winged Teal
  • 4 Common Goldeneyes
  • 3 Northern Pintails
  • 2 Common Loons
  • 1 drake American Wigeon
  • 1 probable hen American Wigeon (very brown-headed individual found last week by P. Moynahan and N. Houlihan. Spotted off South Beach but flushed by fishing boat. Refound on west shore and distantly phone-scoped, but flushed by eagle before I could get closer. Appeared to have white bar on upperwing greater coverts to rule out Eurasian, but not conclusively viewed…other details suggestive or ambiguous. Good luck ruling out a hybrid on a hen wigeon, however!)
  • 1 CACKLING GOOSE (FOY) – in distance from South Beach with large group of Canadas. Flushed by fishing boat before I could get to Riley Road to attempt phone-scoping. Very tiny bird with short neck and very short, stubby bill. Barely larger than the Mallards. Flew north, but not relocated, including searching of farm fields along eastern shore.
  • 1 Belted Kingfisher

The Finch-Tastic Fall festivities continue:

  • EVENING GROSBEAK: 9 continue daily at our feeders at home in Pownal; 1 (Highland Rd, 11/21); 2 (Martin’s Point Park, Sabattus, 11/27.
  • Red Crossbills: 3 (Highland Road, 11/21).
  • PINE GROSBEAK: 4 (Highland Road, 11/21); 3 (Yarmouth Library, 11/25).
  • Purple Finch: 0
  • Common Redpoll: scattered very few.
  • Pine Siskin High Count This Week: 6 (our feeders in Pownal, 11/22).

An Incredible 2017 “Fall Ducks and Draughts!”

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One of the most popular Birds on Tap – Roadtrips! is our annual “Fall Ducks and Draughts.” One of the original two BoT – Roadtrips! back in 2015, this popular outing visits Sabattus Pond near the peak of fall waterfowl migration with our partners, The Maine Brew Bus.

It rarely disappoints, but today it far surpassed expectations! We began at the south beach, where an American Coot was a surprise. However, more surprising was the flock of shorebirds littered around the south end. While many of the 30 or so Dunlin took off and kept going, about 10 White-rumped Sandpipers returned and landed right in front of the group, no more than about 30 feet away! We were able to carefully study the progression from juvenile to 1st winter plumage, with most individuals, such as these two, mostly still in colorful juvenile plumage (with one bigger, grayer Dunlin in the background).
WRSA_DUNL

With our focus back on waterfowl, we began to sort through the masses, starting with 6 spiffy Northern Pintails joining the Mallards nearby, while one lone female Green-winged Teal quickly paddled away. 18 Ring-necked Ducks loafed just a little further offshore, providing a good intro to the genus Aythya. Sabattus Pond is famous for its legions of Ruddy Ducks, and this cute little “stiff tail” was out in full force. We had a couple of hundred nearby, but a distant raft of many hundreds remained just a little too far to enjoy. We also began our comparison of Greater and Lesser Scaup, and took a moment to learn about the Chinese Mystery Snail that makes up a large percentage of the food source of all of the diving ducks we were here to enjoy.

I had set the over/under for waterfowl species at 13.5, and our list quickly began to grow: Buffleheads, Hooded Mergansers a’plenty, but surprisingly only one Common Merganser and a mere three Canada Geese. American Black Ducks and a single hen American Wigeon made for a tally of 13 species of waterfowl; just falling short of covering the spread…in part because we never did make it to our third stop!

Over at Martin’s Point Park on the southwest side of the pond, we worked the dabbling ducks and enjoyed stunning Hooded Mergansers. Then, I finally had a nice, close group of the two scaup species in perfect light to give us a lesson in how to identify this challenging species-pair.

We began to walk closer, I began the lecture, and then I heard a call note from the trees that stopped me dead in my tracks. It was not a Yellow-rumped Warbler – the only expected warbler species at this season – and it’s sharp tone was very suggestive. I knew it wasn’t supposed to be here, whatever it was, and my suspicions of its identity were soon proven correct when a gorgeous Yellow-throated Warbler popped out!
YTWA1YTWA2

Sticking close to the trunk of some large Eastern White Pines, it foraged within a small mixed-species foraging flock of Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatches, and Golden-crowned Kinglets before eventually disappearing towards the neighborhood.

This is a real rarity in Maine, and because of the white in the front of the supercilium, we know it is of the interior subspecies albilora, and therefore not likely the result of the recent storm system. While there was unprecedented three together on Monhegan earlier in the month, this is quite the rarity, especially so far inland, and especially in Androscoggin County (I couldn’t help but wonder if there has ever been a record of this species anywhere in the county).

Unfortunately, in the meantime, some fisherman came to the shoreline, and the closest scaup departed. We did have a slightly farther raft to work through, but I ended up having to employ my rudimentary artistic skills to explain how to differentiate the two species!
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It was truly hard to leave the pond today, and I of course couldn’t help but wonder what was around the next corner, but it was time to switch gears, turn our attention to Dawn – our driver and beer guide today – and make our way over to Baxter Brewing Company, you know, to celebrate our vagrant warbler discovery!

At Baxter, housed in one of the beautifully restored mills down by the Androscoggin River, we enjoyed five samples of their most popular beers. We learned about their philosophy and history – including the noteworthy fact that they were the first 100% canning brewery in Maine – and sampled some of their best selling beers, such as Pamola pale, Tarnation lager, Per Diem stout, and the venerable Stowaway IPA. We also sampled Ceremony Green Tea IPA which surprised a lot of people and showed off the creativiTEA (sorry, I couldn’t help myself) of the brewery.
Baxter1

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We stepped outside of the brewery and were once again greeted by the local Peregrine Falcon atop the steeple of the Franco-American Heritage Center. After a few minutes of enjoying it through the scope, we hit the road, and discussed the beers we had just sampled. People’s favorites were rather evenly divided, aligning with their preferred style of beer, showing that Baxter really does offer something for everyone.

We followed the Androscoggin River towards the coast, and soon arrived at Maine Beer Company. MBC needs no introduction – at least if you are into IPAs or hoppy pales – but with so many folks on the trip today from “away” and/or making their first visit to this popular destination, we started things off with none other than their Peeper – their first brew that got it all started.
MBC

Spenser came out to introduce the beers and tell us all about how MBC is dedicated to “do(ing) what’s right.” And that philosophy transcends the beer.
MBC-graintruck

They graciously offered everyone a choice of their next samples (I of course followed Lunch with Another One) and then Spenser really rolled out the red carpet for us, taking the group on a rare behind-the-scenes tour of their brewhouse…including a sneak peek at the massive new expansion that is underway. Clearly, Spenser’s excitement was evident and the group came out of this special tour absolutely bursting with MBC enthusiasm, and lots of promises to be back soon.

Thirteen species of waterfowl, many up close and personal. A most-unexpected rarity that no one in the group had seen in Maine before – and for some, a “life bird.” Urban Peregrine Falcon. Baxter Brewing Co and Maine Beer Company. Yeah, this is what Birds on Tap – Roadtrips are all about!

There are still some spaces left for the 10th and final Roadtrip of 2017, “Farms and Fermentation” coming up on Sunday, December 10th. And stay tuned – we’ll soon be announcing all TWELVE BoT Roadtrips for 2018!