Tag Archives: Weather

Winter Feeder Bird Comparison, 2025 Edition.

*A Fox Sparrow, present at our feeders in Durham since mid-December has been a welcome addition*
*to our winter feeder watching sessions.*

After beginning a “feeder watching blog” while stuck at home from shoulder surgery in the winter of 2023 (here and here), I continued the tradition last year in an attempt to gauge the difference between the two winters. A lot of folks were commenting at the store at the time about how few birds there were at feeders in the winter of 2023-24, but this was changing by the time I collected my data in February of 2024.

In fact, I found more birds were at feeders – at least according to our Durham, Maine feeding station as a case study. Check out last year’s blog for a rundown of some of the conclusions that I reached, especially in comparison to the winter of 2022-23.

This year, a lack of feeder birds has most definitely not been the complaint. In fact, bird seed sales are through the roof in much of the East, and at our store, we are really, really busy. Most folks are commenting about how much birds are eating at their feeders. And while recent snowfall is part of that, this pattern began in the fall.

My perception, however, is that there is actually somewhat lower diversity at our feeders (especially the complete dearth of any “winter finches”), and perhaps the number of individuals at the feeders is a little lower than usual, but those species and individuals that are at our feeders are eating a lot more.

Let’s start with the numbers. Once again, I dedicated time to counting feeder birds at our feeding station in Durham each day for at least one hour. I was unable to dedicate the time on two dates, so I counted for 10 of 12 days between February 2^nd and February 13^th – a window that began three days earlier than last year. Like last year, I used the standard methodology of using “high counts” (maximum number of individuals seen at any one time, unless they were readily identifiable as being different).

February 2 – February 13(minus 2/8 and 2/11), 2025.

Species	Avg./day 2023	Avg./day 2024	Avg./day 2025	Average 3 years	Difference 24vs25	Difference 25 vs 3yr
Wild Turkey	0.2	0	0	0.07	0	-0.07
Mourning Dove	13.5	26.5	29.6	23.2	-3.1	+6.4
Sharp-shinned Hawk	0.4	0.2	0	0.2	-0.2	-0.2
American Goshawk	0	0.1	0	0.03	-0.1	-0.03
Red-bellied Woodpecker	1	1	1.2	1.07	+0.2	+0.13
Downy Wo-odpecker	2.4	2.9	2.5	2.6	-0.4	-0.01
Hairy Wo-odpecker	2	2	2	2	0	0
Pileated Woodpecker	1	0.1	0	0.37	-0.1	-0.37
Blue Jay	7.8	3.0	9.2	6.67	+6.2	+2.53
American Crow	0.7	0	1.8	0.83	+1.83	+0.97
Black-capped Chickadee	7.4	2.9	5.2	5.17	+2.3	+0.03
Tufted Titmouse	4	3	4	3.67	+1	+0.33
White-breasted Nuthatch	2	1.4	2.4	1.93	-1	+0.47
Red-breasted Nuthatch	0.7	0	0.6	0.43	+0.6	+0.17
Brown Creeper	0.4	0	0	0.13	0	-0.13
Carolina Wren	0.9	1	1.8	1.23	+0.8	+0.57
GRAY CATBIRD	0	0	0.1	0	+0.1	+0.1
European Starling	1.1	2.7	8.7	4.17	+6	+4.53
Eastern Bluebird	4.4	3	5.7	4.37	+2.7	+1.33
House Finch	2.1	0	0.4	0.83	+0.4	-0.43
Purple Finch	0.5	0.3	0	0.03	-0.3	-0.03
Pine Siskin	0	0.2	0	0.01	-0.2	-0.01
American Goldfinch	26.6	46.8	25	32.8	-21.8	-7.8
FOX SPARROW	0	0	1	0.3	+1	+0.7
American Tree Sparrow	8.0	4.2	6	6.07	+1.8	-0.07
Dark-eyed Junco	16.6	30.3	13.2	20.03	-17.1	-6.83
White-throated Sparrow	2	2.3	0	1.43	-2.3	-1.43
Song Sparrow	0	0.9	0.6	0.5	-0.3	+0.1
Northern Cardinal	5.2	3.8	6.7	5.2	-2.9	+1.5
Total individuals/day	110.9	138.6	127.5	125	-11.1	+2.5

Every year is different, and every yard is different. Controlling here for time and place, we can make some comparisons, however.

Once again, I am sure I undercounted Black-capped Chickadees, and likely Tufted Titmice and White-breasted Nuthatches as I think there could be two small mixed species foraging-flocks around. I also think there are more than one pair each of Hairy and definitely Downy Woodpeckers, but using the “high count” method, I only tabulated the maximum seen at one time.

Two seasonal rarities graced us with their presence this winter. Our Gray Catbird, present since January 2^nd, made it long enough to just make it on the list. Meanwhile, a Fox Sparrow that arrived in mid-December continues through today. I won’t expect either of these species to be at our feeders every year.

When our catbird first arrived, it was growing in most of its tail feathers. When it departed, the tail was mostly restored, it survived the coldest night of the season to date, and it coincided with the depletion of the last of the Winterberry in our yard – all a good sign that it simply moved on and did not perish. Here’s it’s taking a serving of semi-frozen grape jelly, but it mostly ate suet while it was here.

American Goldfinches were down from last year in our yard, but they were extremely abundant from the fall through early winter. The difference now is most of our birch catkin crops have now been consumed. Dark-eyed Juncos were way down for us this year, and we don’t have any White-throated Sparrows around. This is likely a direct function of increasing snow depths and the lack of dense coniferous cover in the part of our property that our home and feeders are in.

I’m not going to out a lot of weight into three-year averages, but a few early trends coincide with region-wide trends, such as the steady increase in Eastern Bluebirds and Northern Cardinals. I’m not liking this trend of rapidly increasing European Starlings in our yard, however. At least for now, this is only a winter occurrence for us, however.

*Eastern Bluebirds are no longer rare at feeders throughout at least the southern half of Maine in winter.*

The average morning low at our home during this period was a measly 6.5F. That was 13.1 degrees colder than the ten days I looked at last year. That’s a lot more calories that need to be burned each night! While total number of individuals is down this year from last, we are going through more seed than we were at this time last year, and the cold and snow is a part of this equation.

However, I think the biggest reason for the difference between the two years can be explained in three words: Eastern White Pine. Last year, our state tree had a “generational” mast; crowns of trees were absolutely covered in cones. This year, it’s hard to find any cones anywhere in the state. Therefore, last winter our local birds had such an overabundance of their most preferred food that they spent much less time at feeders. This year, they’re eating more because there is less natural food available. And with the weather – especially with recent snowfall and ice accumulations making some food resources harder to find – birds are taking advantage of supplemental food more often. The woods, away from yards with well-stocked feeders, are exceptionally quiet this winter.

While some Black-capped Chickadees and Red-breasted Nuthatches vacated the northern woods this year, it was not a major irruption. They, and Tufted Titmice and White-breasted Nuthatches did seem to have a good breeding season, perhaps having been supplemented by caches of all of that pine seed. Meanwhile, Blue Jays are around in good numbers thanks to a very good Red Oak acorn crop that has kept them here this winter.

Like last year (and as opposed to 2023), we didn’t have a lot of accipiter presence: I only glimpsed one unidentified accipiter back on the 4^th, but there were times without any birds at the feeders suggestive of an avian predator hanging around. It’s possible this might just have been due to a pair of regular Red-tailed Hawks in our yard. Despite having little interest in small birds, few birds are willing to take the chance.

Now, to really take this “study” to the next level, I would be keeping track of the amount of seed and other foodstuffs that we are putting out each year. But that’s getting to sound like work, and real research! We’re filling almost all of our feeders at least daily (often twice daily when we are home in another snowstorm), and that concurs with comments we receive at the store. But every yard is different, and not everyone has the same results. If your feeders have seemed comparatively slow, consider what you are feeding, and how fresh the seed and suet is. These are important and we can help you with that here at the store. It’s worth exploring some of my previous blog posts on the topic that discuss reasons why feeder activity ebbs and flows.

*American Goldfinches and Morning Doves were once again the most common birds at our feeding station.*

We’ve only lived at this location for three years, so it’s too soon to tell what an “average” winter is like in terms of volume and diversity. Furthermore, we are rapidly accelerating plantings and habitat improvement that should increase the number of birds our property sustains. Given that feeders are only a supplement to natural food supplies, I believe our habitat work will pay dividends for our feeder-watching in years to come.

I enjoy this little project, and time permitting, I’ll plan on doing it again next year. It’s only one yard, but it’s a case study that can answer some questions or at least offer a little detailed context as to what others are reporting. How does our feeder activity compare to yours? Are you seeing anything different? Or do some of our observations and hypotheses fit with your observations?

Gulf of Maine Pelagic Birding by Cruiseship, Oct-Nov 2024.

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*Cruise ships are big, stable platforms that allow for pelagic birding in comfort and with the use of spotting scopes!*

In 2019, Jeannette and I took a cruise through the Gulf of Maine and northwestern Atlantic Ocean in the hopes of finding Great Skuas in particular. It was wildly successful, and if we could repeat this success, perhaps there would be a cruise-ship-based tour to offer. At least it would be more comfortable than last week’s attempt!

Therefore, on the evening of 10/26, Jeannette and I boarded Princess Cruises’s Enchanted Princess out of Brooklyn, New York. Our hope was to replicate the success of our 2019 trip. We were planning on a second scouting trip in the fall of 2020, but then COVID.

After finally feeling ready to consider a cruise again, we found the itinerary had changed, and we would need to spend seven days to get two full days offshore..we even needed to come back home first! But alas, we had pandemic-era credit that was going to expire, so off we went. Is this a reliable way to see Great Skuas in North America? Could I document a Barolo’s Shearwater this time?

*We started our birding, however, at Brooklyn’s Greenwood Cemetery, home of this massive Monk Parakeet colony.*

We departed New York Harbor with about an hour of usable daylight, picking up a single Cory’s Shearwater and plenty of Northern Gannets.

Arriving off Newport before dawn the next morning, we got the first shuttle to town, where our friends Bill and Jess picked us up for a lovely day of birding (Clay-colored Sparrow, Orange-crowned Warbler, late Nashville Warbler) before returning to the boat. About 45 minutes of deck time produced 8 Cory’s and a single Great Shearwater.

*“Western” Palm Warbler at Sachuest NWR.*

Unfortunately, this particular boat offered less-than-ideal viewing opportunities compared to our first trip, with the best deck space on Deck 7 (a great height) but way too aft. Even with our scopes on the steady platform, this was going to be a challenge.

Approaching Boston on the morning of 10/28, we checked the decks for passerines (none) before taking our place on Deck 7. There were a lot of Northern Gannets, 4-5 Cory’s Shearwaters close enough to identify as borealis, and a pod of Atlantic White-sided Dolphins. A Song Sparrow flew aboard just outside the outer harbor islands, but before that, our first real surprise of the trip: an American Woodcock appearing from the north and cruising alongside the length of the boat before disappearing. That’s not a “pelagic” we expected!

We birded Boston’s Greenway a bit, but returned to the boat well after dark. Sailing slowly overnight, we returned to Portland (the original itinerary had us visiting Bar Harbor), where a long, thorough check of the Eastern Promenade yielded two Orange-crowned Warblers and a very late Red-eyed Vireo.

Darkness reached us a tantalizingly-short distance to Cash’s Ledge, so we retired to rest up for the big day at sea tomorrow (finally!).

Waking up in Maine waters about 16.5 nautical miles southeast of Mt Desert Rock, I stepped outside well before first light at 6:05am. I immediately texted Noam, the other birder on board that we rapidly had become friends with, and I hustled Jeannette outside. With some drizzle arriving ahead of approaching light rain, we had ourselves a fallout!

Unexpected considering there were little to no birds on the Maine radars overnight, and with a south wind through most of the night, I was surprised to immediately hear the flight calls of several Yellow-rumped Warblers. Sparrows were scattered about on the open decks. Noam and I had to usher a Rusty Blackbird out of a foyer, while Jeannette had to steer a Dark-eyed Junco down a hallway.

*“Ipswich” Savannah Sparrow – that was an unexpected migrant, but makes sense considering we were southwest of Sable Island!*

Clearly disoriented by the obnoxiously superfluous lighting of the ship, dozens of birds were around…often being flushed by now-awakening crew and passengers. Luckily, few birds seemed to be in dire straits – only one Yellow-rumped Warbler looked to me to be thoroughly exhausted, thankfully. In fact, most birds were leaving the boat as the sun rose and they were able to reorient themselves. While some birds seemed to arrive in the 15 or so minutes after sunrise, just about all passerines had departed the boat by 7:30 or so.

*This photo, taken from off Eastern Point in Gloucester, MA the night before shows just how bright these ships are, and how disorienting they can be to birds.*

With birds circling the boat before dawn, calling continuously, and others hiding in corners before being flushed to another corner, it was tough to count, but I estimated and counted a bare minimum of 8 Yellow-rumped Warblers, 8 American Robins (mostly overhead), 7 European Starlings (surprisingly), 6+ Dark-eyed Juncos, 2 Purple Finches, 2 fly-over American Pipits, 2 Savannah Sparrows, and one each of Palm Warbler, Snow Bunting, White-throated Sparrow, Cedar Waxwing, and Rusty Blackbird. Additionally, Noam photographed a Pine Warbler.

The three of us were in place on Deck 7 by 7:30, but the passerine show continued. A flock of 12 Red-winged Blackbirds flew by, while a flock of 14 American Robins joined by two more red-wings flew alongside the boat for several miles later in the morning before overtaking us and heading back to Nova Scotia.

Throughout the day, other passerines appeared and disappeared, some of which could easily have been sheltering out of sight somewhere inaccessible on the boat. These included a few more robins, 3+ Yellow-rumped Warblers, 2 Dark-eyed Juncos, and one each of Palm Warbler, Song Sparrow, Cedar Waxwing, Snow Bunting, American Pipit, and Lapland Longspur.

But this was a seabird trip, and so we remained vigilant over the water. While we only had a few minutes in Maine waters once we began our vigil, the rest of the day was productive overall, although the afternoon was quite slow. As we passed the southern tip of Nova Scotia (we even spotted Seal Island Light that we were lucky enough to visit with a group of birders about 20 years ago), we finally called it quits at 5:45 pm when cloud cover accelerated the falling of darkness.

*Here’s our route (left pin to right pin) for the day, thanks to the Navionics Boating app by Garmin.*

From start to finish, our respectable – albeit not breathtaking – seabird tallies included oodles of Northern Gannets (including a steady southbound trickle almost all morning), and occasional southbound flocks of all three scoters and Common Eiders. Specific counts included:

47 Black-legged Kittiwakes
36 Razorbills
13 Northern Fulmars
10 Great Shearwaters
6 DOVEKIES (one flock landing off to the side of the boat)
3 ATLANTIC PUFFINS
3 American Black Ducks
3 unidentified large shearwaters
2 Harlequin Ducks
1 Greater Scaup

So all in all, not a bad day, but the passerines stole the show, and while Dovekie is one of the target birds of this trip, we didn’t see a skua…or even a jaeger, surprisingly.

The next day we awoke well within Halifax Harbor, but a sunrise passerine check yielded two birds: a White-throated Sparrow, and of all things, a rare Dickcissel!

Local friends Eric and Anne once again rescued us for a day of casual birding and good conversation, but the ship departed after dark; just more time to rest for our second full day at sea!

The morning of 11/1 found us between Downeast Maine and the northern corner of Georges Bank. The rest of the day would be in the same waters of our great success on our trip five years ago. After a passerine check which didn’t turn up anything (which meant nothing was disoriented by the ship overnight or desperate for a place to land come dawn, so this is never a bad thing), it was time to get to work in our usual spot.

Unfortunately, strong southwesterly winds and growing seas, with haze and light fog in the distance, made birding challenging. We worked hard though, but it was slow. We did have some excitement from two Dovekies that landed fairly close to the boat, and two Manx Shearwaters that, thanks to the lighting, I was absolutely sure were not Manx Shearwaters until we carefully reviews Noam’s photos later.

With glare and haze becoming problematic, we broke for an early lunch at 11:30, with the previous 4.5 hours of observation producing only the following, plus two Humpback Whales:

12 Northern Gannets
7 Great Shearwaters
6 Red Phalaropes
4 unidentified large shearwaters
2 DOVEKIES
2 Northern Fulmars
2 Manx Shearwater (after review)
2 Black-legged Kittiwakes
2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
2 unidentified large alcids
1 unidentified small black-and-white shearwater.

Unfortunately, with increasing wind (that we were heading straight into) and seas growing up to 7-10 feet (barely noticeable on a ship this big though, thankfully!), the lower deck was closed off for safety. Later, even the upper decks were closed off due to the very high winds, which were now blowing nearly 30mph out of the southwest.

Luckily for Jeannette and I, we had scored a forward-facing room, and although we were high up on Deck 17, we could see forward. Haze and the angled window were problematic, but we could see birds close to the ship, and we could relax, remove layers, and even crack open a beer. This is pelagic birding in style!

From 1pm to 5pm, when we finally called it a day, the afternoon cabin-watch netted:

11 Great Shearwaters
9 Northern Gannets
5 Cory’s/Cory’s-type Shearwaters
3 unidentified phalaropes
2 Manx Shearwaters

And so our two days at seas concluded without a Great Skua, our primary target species for a future cruise..and perhaps a future tour. Alas, we’re only 1 for 2 in seeing skuas from the boat, and we would need a different class of ship (and, a shorter itinerary with more time at sea and less time in multiple ports) if we were to do this again. We’ll be keeping an eye out from other companies and other Princess ships to see if there’s a more skua-tactic itinerary in the future, but until then, our northeast Atlantic cruisin’ days may have come to a close.

Arriving in New York harbor before dawn, our last sunrise deck check yielded a single Dark-eyed Junco, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and White-throated Sparrow, bringing our more-productive passerine birding cruise to a close.

Sandy Point Morning Flights: September – October, 2024.

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For 2024, I decided to post my Sandy Point Morning Flight tallies here in one blog entry (instead of only to Facebook and the Maine Birds Google-group), or perhaps one entry per month. If nothing else, it helps me organize them, and my thoughts! Hopefully, you’ll enjoy reading them, too. A busy tour schedule this fall, a little personal travel, and the continued decline in the number of strong, sweeping cold fronts due to climate change are all conspiring to reduce the number of days I begin at “my office.”

The following lists are birds counted passing over and through Sandy Point Beach, Cousin’s Island, Yarmouth as part of the “Morning Flight” or Morning Redetermined Migration. For more information about this site, and my counts here, see Site C14 in Birdwatching in Maine: The Complete Site Guide (2024).

September 3^rd.

A light flight passed over and through this morning. It was my first visit of the season, as cold fronts have been few and weak so far this fall, so it was great to be back at my office. I was expecting a stronger flight, however. Perhaps the winds were just too westerly overnight, as the northwesterly component is so critical for pushing birds out over the bay and beyond, forcing them to reorient into the wind and concentrating here at the northwest tip of the island.

6:02-8:20am
48F, clear, light W increasing then decreasing.

105 Northern Parulas
88 Cedar Waxwings
56 American Redstarts
41 unidentified
12 Yellow Warblers
10 American Goldfinches
7 Red-eyed Vireos
5 Cape May Warblers
4 Magnolia Warblers
3 Eastern Wood-Pewees
3 Chestnut-sided Warblers
2 Nashville Warblers
2 Red-breasted Nuthatches
2 unidentified flycatchers
2 Black-capped Chickadees
2 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks
1 Black-throated Blue Warbler
1 Olive-sided Flycatcher
1 Black-throated Green Warbler
1 Baltimore Oriole
1 Black-and-white Warbler
1 Wilson’s Warbler
1 House Finch
1 Least Flycatcher
1 Bay-breasted/Blackpoll Warbler
1 unidentified Catharus
1 BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER (4^th Sandy Point Morning Flight Record).

Total = 351

2. September 10th Update.

Well, so much for this plan! A week has gone by and there hasn’t been a decent morning to try at Sandy Point. And, with a massive area of high pressure dominating our weather (and most of the Eastern US) for another week, the next possible day looks a long way off! While several nights have featured at least some northerly component, it has been dead calm by dawn. Most other nights have been calm, and while that’s great for migrants to make progress, it’s not so great for a concentration of birds along the coast. For example, a very weak – and mostly dry – cold front that passed on Monday night briefly changed winds, but they were mostly westerly, and were calm by dusk.

Good for the migrants, not great for the migration-watchers! Let’s hope for a change in the forecast; we need the rain, too!

3. September 11.

I probably should have gone this morning, just based on the huge flight that occurred overnight. But, as with most good nights of migration this season, winds were virtually calm. Maybe there was just enough of a puff from the west to make a count worthwhile, but alas, my schedule didn’t allow for a last-minute change. However, there were A LOT of birds in the air last night.

A huge flight overnight on 9/13-14 resulted in a lot of birds offshore, and while I couldn’t be at Sandy Point, I had an exceptional morning flight on Monhegan – dominated by Cape May Warblers – with my tour group that weekend.

4. September 18th Update.

Yup, another clear and calm night, with migrants passing high overhead. Fog at dawn, too. Another week with no morning flight. Goodness, this blog sucks!

5. September 25th Update.

OK, this is getting ridiculous! Another week with lots of nights of great migration, but with either calm conditions or a light north to northeasterly aloft, not one more was conducive to being on the bridge. Friday and especially Saturday look great though…but alas, I’ll be back on Monhegan. No complaints there. But I’ll go ahead and change this blog title to “September-October” and hope for better conditions next month!

6. October 2nd Update.

Two great flights over the weekend conducive to a good if not great flight at Sandy Point occurred, but my tour group on Monhegan once again reaped the benefits. Next favorable winds might not be until Sunday the 6th. Fingers crossed! Maybe I’ll have some real content for this blog then…and I really need my Sandy Point fix!

6. October 5 – Finally!

I was finally at “my office” on the bridge this morning. Unfortunately, with clouds in the eastern sky and a light northerly wind, only a light flight passed over and through the point this morning. Furthermore, the Caribou radar showed rain into the early night, and likely unsettled weather thereafter, reducing or even eliminating the arrival of birds from the north and northeast (the radar after midnight showed virtually nothing over northern Maine). Nonetheless, it was just good to be back!

6:45-8:45am
45F, partly to mostly cloudy, NNW 5.3-7.0 to N 6.7-8.2mph.

60 Yellow-rumped Warblers
15 Blackpoll Warblers
9 American Robins
7 Palm Warblers
6 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
5 unidentified
4 Golden-crowned Kinglets
4 Red-breasted Nuthatches
4 Chipping Sparrows
3 Northern Flickers
3 Dark-eyed Juncos
3 Common Loons
3 Hermit Thrushes
3 White-throated Sparrows
3 unidentified blackbirds
2 Rusty Blackbirds
2 Blue Jays
1 Blue-headed Vireo
1 unidentified kinglet
1 Tufted Titmouse (did not cross after 4+ false starts)
1 Hairy Woodpecker (finally crossed after 7 false starts)

Total = 140

7. October 10.

A moderately-strong flight overnight on variable W to NW winds suggested many more birds departed last night than arrived. With a light W wind by dawn, only a light flight passed through the point.

6:49-9:15
41F, mostly clear, W 3.5 to 5.0 to W 4.4 to 7.7mph.

116 Yellow-rumped Warblers
39 Blackpoll Warblers
24 White-throated Sparrows
21 American Robins
14 Palm Warbles
13 unidentified
8 Dark-eyed Juncos
8 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
8 Golden-crowned Kinglets
5 Black-capped Chickadees
3 Rusty Blackbirds
3 Hermit Thrushes
2 American Pipits
2 Common Loons
2 Nashville Warblers
2 Chipping Sparrows
2 Blue-headed Vireo
2 Eastern Phoebes
2 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers
2 Blue Jays
1 Red-breasted Nuthatch
1 Black-throated Blue Warbler
1 Northern Flicker
1 Northern Parula
1 Baltimore Oriole

Total = 285

8. October 11th.

With only a light to moderate flight overnight in southern Maine and little being picked up on the Caribou radar with continued unsettled weather, it was not surprising that such a light flight passed through Sandy Point. Or so I thought. But then I found this article…yes, the absolutely amazing and awesome Aurora Borealis this night before may have indeed minimized the number of migrants taking flight. An increasing number of diurnal migrants helped make up for it, however.

204 American Robins
54 Yellow-rumped Warblers
28 Blackpoll Warblers
18 Blue Jays
15 Eastern Bluebirds
9 White-throated Sparrows
8 Chipping Sparrows
8 Cedar Waxwings
8 unidentified
5 Palm Warblers
5 Golden-crowned Kinglets
4 Nashville Warblers
3 Northern Parulas
3 Black-capped Chickadees
3 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
2 Tufted Titmice
2 Dark-eyed Juncos
2 Hermit Thrushes
1 Red-breasted Nuthatch
1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
1 HOUSE FINCH (rare migrant high overhead)
1 Black-throated Green Warbler

T= 385

9. October 17.

*This Hermit Thrush kept me company at the point, alternating between snacking on Pasture Rose hips and contemplating crossing the channel (with Catharus thrushes rarely do after sunrise)*

After a very slow start on a chilly morning, the flight picked up a bit in the second hour, but was still far lighter than I would have expected given the massive flight detected by the radar overnight. Even by 4:00am, the radar image was boomin’

6:59-9:15
31F, clear, NW 2.7-4.9 to W 1.2 TO 2.6mph.

114 Yellow-rumped Warblers
56 American Robins
44 Golden-crowned Kinglets
44 Blue Jays
17 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
14 Dark-eyed Juncos
9 Hermit Thrushes
8 Palm Warblers
7 Black-capped Chickadees (still did not cross after 14 “false starts”)
7 White-throated Sparrows
5 Unidentified
4 Nashville Warblers
4 Blackpoll Warblers
3 Swamp Sparrows
2 Purple Finches
2 Blue-headed Vireos
2 Tufted Titmice (did not cross after 4 false starts)
1 TENNESSEE WARBLER
1 Northern Parula
1 Eastern Bluebird
1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
1 Red-breasted Nuthatch
1 Northern Flicker
1 Savannah Sparrow
1 Common Loon
1 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER (in parking lot)

T=351

10. October 23rd.

With only a moderate flight overnight and very light winds, I didn’t have high hopes today for much of a flight. However, with the forecast for the next few days followed by a trip, this very well may be my last chance of the season, so off I went. Well, I was correct…there wasn’t much.

7:10-8:30
43F, mostly clear, NNW 2.7-3.2 to calm.

10 Dark-eyed Juncos
10 Yellow-rumped Warblers
4 Golden-crowned Kinglets
4 Hermit Thrushes
3 Savannah Sparrows
2 Palm Warblers
1 American Rpbin
1 Purple Finch
1 Black-capped Chickadee
1 Blue-headed Vireo
1 Chipping Sparrow
1 Red-breasted Nuthatch
1 Blackpoll Warbler

Total = 42

11. November 6^th.

I had every intention of trying one more morning at the bridge after we returned from vacation. Sunday the 3^rd may have been the day. But, avoiding the painful early wake-up call of the end of Daylight Savings Time, I decided to twitch the Common Gull in Rockland instead. I feel a little guilty, but ya know, every now and then I like a little chase, and besides, it was kind enough to stick around until we returned, so I felt I owed it.

It wasn’t a great season for me at “my office,” as this was certainly a record low number of visits. And to not catch any big flights is of course disappointing. But it was a good fall for birding – and an especially good fall for birds with little to impede their migration – and I enjoy every chance I can get to be at Sandy Point. And with a lot less pain this year than last year when I was still recovering from complications following shoulder surgery.

So with that, the 2024 Sandy Point Morning Flight season is officially closed. Still plenty of migration left, but it’s mostly diurnal migrants now. There will be a Dark-eyed Junco flight or two, some great flights of American Robins, and likely one last little push of Yellow-rumped Warblers. However, Rarity Season is now in full swing, so it’s time to focus on other birding locations. See you in August! (If there are any real cold fronts).

(And now it’s time to see what Yarmouth’s plans are for the walkway repair and improvement. I’ll need to make sure birding opportunities are improved and vegetation is protecting. Stay tuned…I might need your help)

Recent Highlights, 4/1– 4/10/2024

Are There Actually Fewer Birds at Feeders in the Winter of 2023-24?

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Using our Durham yard as a case study, I wanted to check to see if there were indeed fewer birds this winter than last year, as some (but no longer a majority) of folks have continued to mention to us at the store.

Stuck at home last winter while recovering from shoulder surgery, our feeding station provided my primary source of entertainment. I occupied my time with mugs of tea and enjoying the activity, and occupied my mind with figuring our exact counts, keeping tallies, and watching behavior closely. I wrote about my counts and observations in a pair of blogs, the first one is here, and the second one is here.

This past fall, everyone saw a very slow fall at feeders in Maine, and throughout the East, as discussed here. That was changing for a lot of people – but not all, by December, which I talked about in this follow-up blog.

In January, a series of strong storms, unseasonable heavy rain and flooding, a few cold spells, and eventually, by month’s end, solid snowcover helped change the narrative. Winter food resources were being consumed, ground-feeders were being forced out of the woods, finches were moving about, and so on. Furthermore, I believe that those strong storms knocked a lot of cones – especially those of Eastern White Pine – to the ground where they were subsequently consumed and/or buried.

At least here at our feeders in Durham, a slow start to the winter was a thing of the past, as we were filling almost all of our feeders daily by the end of January. Some impressive tallies included over 70 American Goldfinches and over 50 Dark-eyed Juncos at the end of the month.

American Goldfinches have been absolutely ravaging Nyjer at our home this winter. Fresh Nyjer makes all of the difference!

While some factors remain true from the fall – an abundance of natural food overall, relatively limited snowcover, low movement of irruptive species, etc – clearly most people were reporting to the store that things were “back to normal” or “tons of birds all of the sudden,” and so on. Our seed sales more than doubled by the end of January from what they were at the beginning of the month (by overall poundage).

Just how “normal” have things returned to, and what anomalies are out there? While our home in Durham is only two years old, and we’re a long way away from baseline data or long-term averages, we can at least compare February of 2024 to February of 2023. And since I had nothing better to do last winter, I already had some data to compare to.

So, for the last 10 days (not including the two that we were out of town for), I have once again returned to the window for dedicated sessions of feeder-watching and counting. Like last year, I used the standard methodology of using “high counts” (maximum number of individuals seen at any one time, unless they were readily identifiable as being different), and I was sure to count for at least one hour a day each day.

February 5 – February 15 (minus 2/12 and 2/13).

*Species*	Average per day 2023	Average per day 2024	Difference
Wild Turkey	0.2	0	-0.2
Mourning Dove	13.5	26.5	+13
Sharp-shinned Hawk	0.4	0.2	-0.2
American Goshawk	0	0.1	+0.1
Red-bellied Woodpecker	1	1	Same
Downy Woodpecker	2.4	2.9	+.5
Hairy Woodpecker	2	2	Same
Pileated Woodpecker	1	0.1	-0.9
Blue Jay	7.8	3.0	-4.8
American Crow	0.7	0	-0.7
Black-capped Chickadee	7.4	2.9	-4.5
Tufted Titmouse	4	3	-1
White-breasted Nuthatch	2	1.4	-0.6
Red-breasted Nuthatch	0.7	0	-0.7
Brown Creeper	0.4	0	-0.4
Carolina Wren	0.9	1	+0.1
European Starling	1.1	2.7	+1.6
Eastern Bluebird	4.4	3	-1.1
House Finch	2.1	0	-2.1
Purple Finch	0.5	0.3	-0.2
Pine Siskin	0	0.2	+0.2
American Goldfinch	26.6	46.8	+20.2
American Tree Sparrow	8.0	4.2	-3.8
Dark-eyed Junco	16.6	30.3	+13.7
White-throated Sparrow	2	2.3	+0.3
Song Sparrow	0	0.9	+0.9
Northern Cardinal	5.2	3.8	-1.4
Total individuals/day	110.9	138.6	+27.7

*Addendum: I guess I should have continued the study for a few more days! By 2/17, we had a whopping 72 Dark-eyed Juncos and an increase to 13 American Tree Sparrows, and by the next day,
the American Goldfinch flock returned to well over 60 birds!*

Every year is different, and every yard is different. Controlling here for time and place, we can make some comparisons however. It was much colder in this period last year, with an average morning low of 19.6. This year, the average morning low for the ten days was 23.9 and there is a lot less snow on the ground, even after the fresh inch and a half Friday morning; there were three light snowfall events during the “study period” last year.

Clearly, there are plenty of birds at our feeders at least! And, contrary to conventional wisdom, we actually have more birds overall than last year! The dearth of feeder birds from the fall is no longer true for us. Similar conclusions can be reached from comparing data on our feeder birds at the store, and from conversations with friends and customers. Therefore, I believe the overall pattern fits what many are observing throughout the area.

As discussed in the aforementioned feeder blogs from the fall, Black-capped Chickadees are in low numbers. I saw 4.5 fewer per day at the feeders than last year. This goes with the idea that our local residents were not augmented by irruptives from points north, but also suggests that they did not have a great breeding season. Same for Red-breasted Nuthatch and Blue Jays.

But native sparrows are in larger numbers than last year, especially Dark-eyed Juncos (and elsewhere, like our store, significantly more White-throated Sparrows with a new winter record of 24 on 2/16). My guess is because the mild fall, abundant seeds from a productive growing season, and benign start to the winter kept those around to be pushed to feeders as the season wore on.

And yes, there are indeed a lot of goldfinches around! But very few other finches – at least at feeders. I am not sure where these European Starlings came from, however, and I’m not overly pleased by it!

Raptors are another part of the equation. This time last year, we had more consistent presence from two different Sharp-shinned Hawks. This winter, we only recently confirmed the presence of a single Sharp-shinned Hawk (seen on 2/15 and 2/16, but she likely took a Mourning Dove on the 14^th). There was also an all-too brief fly-through of an immature American Goshawk on the 6^th. Also this winter, a Red-tailed Hawk has been more frequent around the feeding station, but its focus is primarily the squirrels and voles. So we’ve had enough native predator presence both years that it shouldn’t be a huge factor in comparing feeder counts.

There you have it. 2024 does not have fewer birds at feeders compared to the same period in 2023, at least not in our yard as a single case study. With continued improvement of our yard’s habitat (most of which was put on hold this year due to my shoulder issues) planned, we would hopefully be increasing our yard’s carrying capacity, as feeders remain only a supplement and a relatively small percentage of a bird’s diet, even in the depths of winter.

Next winter, we also might not find a single Eastern White Pine cone in the entire state, and a lot fewer Red Oak acorns and Balsam Fir cones. And if that’s true to our north, perhaps this will increase the amount of irruptives around the area. But we’ll see! And maybe I’ll repeat this exercise next year, if I can force myself to sit still long enough!

Last winter, we had a male Red-bellied Woodpecker nearly every day, while this winter it has only been this female. We hope they find each other!

Hurricane Lee Birding in Maine FOMO – or not!

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As Jeannette and I boarded our plane at the Portland Jetport on Thursday the 14^th, I had a sinking feeling of future regret. While I was very much looking forward to attending my cousin’s wedding, seeing family, and spending some time in Philadelphia, I could not help but wonder if I was about to miss the birding event of a lifetime in Maine.

While concern about lives, property, and environmental damage of course reign supreme, birders can repress that as the “rarity fever” symptoms surge and dreams of vagrants and storm-tossed seabirds dance in our minds. As with any storm, safety comes first, but as soon as it’s reasonably safe to venture outside, birders hit the ground. Birders along the Gulf Coast and Florida are used to gearing up for this. We here in New England are not.

Hurricanes are rare this far north – at least for now – and few have been as big as Hurricane Lee. Lee was barreling straight for Downeast Maine as of Thursday morning, with a possible direct hit on Washington County or the Bay of Fundy. Had I not had family obligations (family first! Although, yes, I did wonder for a second if I should claim COVID and run out of the airport) I would have been heading to Lubec this weekend without a doubt. I’ve never done a bonafide storm (bird) chase, and this would be the chance.

While an upper-level trough could still push Lee well to our east, it seemed clear we would be seeing some impacts here in Maine regardless. Be that a strong northeasterly wind producing exceptional -but perhaps rarity-free seawatching – or first state records from a direct hit (White-faced Storm-Petrel anyone?), I would have liked to be in position to find out.

Instead, I’ll watch from afar as events unfold, and hope either 1) I have less regrets, or 2) a vagrant or two stick around until Tuesday!

Several friends and I had been discussing the possible rarity potential of Hurricane Lee, and Luke Seitz immediately pointed out the similarity to the track of Hurricane Fiona that slammed into eastern Nova Scotia in September of 2023.

Making landfall in the early morning hours of September 23^rd between Canso and Guysborough, Fiona caused unprecedented damage throughout a large portion of Atlantic Canada. It also yielded some unprecedented birding.

The summary of the storm’s windfall (pardon the pun) is summarized by this American Birding Association blog post.

Hurricane Fiona Report 2022

But there are two particularly epic eBird checklists, here and here, that captured the moment.

Was this about to happen in Maine? Would I be missing it? Arrgh!

While birding at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge on the outskirts of Philly on Friday morning helped take my mind off of it, my thoughts were often wandering to my friends Downeast. First and foremost was their safety and well-being. A distant second, however, was the birding. By Saturday morning, when we took a walk around Independence National Historic Park, I waited for my phone to blow up.

And then…crickets.

Before making landfall, Hurricane Lee had transitioned to a post-tropical cyclone over the Gulf of Maine. It also had shifted slightly east – making a direct hit on Nova Scotia now seem more likely. The storm was now absolutely massive in size, with tropical storm-force winds from New Hampshire to Cape Breton. A little wobble in the stormtrack in the late morning shifted the center of the storm into the Bay of Fundy, skimming Nova Scotia’s southwest coast.

But I heard nothing from back home, so I just couldn’t take it anymore and began checking in via text messages. Chris Barlett was stationed on the seawall at Eastport, where he spent “5 hours watching the ocean…during the worst weather on Saturday in hopes of seeing just one rare bird. Torrential rain and 60mph gusts rocked my vehicle. Dozens of Bonaparte’s gulls and up to 20 common terns flew against the wind and fed in the waves beside my truck, but no rarities joined the fray. We lost power at home for about 12 hours. “

Luke and cohorts were heading east into New Brunswick. Evan Obercian was out checking for grounded shorebirds in the Mid-Coast. Nova Scotia birders were repositioning. I decided to drown my expected sorrows in cheese whiz.

With a strong northeasterly wind, seawatching along Maine’s southern coast was about average for the conditions. No rarities; just a few more pelagic species closer to shore than normal – although all within the expected birds for a good onshore blow. And while there were a few more shorebird reports inland than average, nothing was suggestive of a major grounding.

By Saturday afternoon, with the storm making its landfall Nova Scotia (officially on Long Island), a few reports started to make it in – but nothing of even a remotely tropical nature in Maine. In southern Maine and the mid-coast, winds were already whipping out of the northwest, ushering any seabirds further from shore. Seawatching was a bust. In other words, it was a non-event.

In New Brunswick, Luke reported “a few storm birds on the Saint John River in the afternoon and on Sunday Morning” but just the regular Bay of Fundy species and not in any unusual numbers, and rare bird reports from the province were non-existent.

It remained a non-event in Maine through Sunday morning. Here’s Chris’s report from Eastport: “I went back to the breakwater on Sunday morning and watched the sunrise as I scanned the waters between Campobello Island , NB and Eastport, Maine. There weren’t many birds flying and low tide was around 7am (no rips), so I decided to launch my little skiff. At 9am Doug Hitchcox and I took a cruise through choppy seas in Head Harbor Passage. We found a few hundred Bonaparte’s gulls and a handful of common terns feeding in the tidal rips but, alas, no rarities. I kept an eye out throughout the day for vagrant seabirds while I was cleaning up the yard and mowing the lawn. Oh well, at least there wasn’t widespread damage!” Seawatching elsewhere was similarly uneventful.

There weren’t even a lot of reports of concentrations of common birds during the storm. An exception was the group of 50+ Snowy Egrets seeking shelter in a small pond in Freeport.

In Nova Scotia, however, birders were finding a few things thanks to the more eastern arrival of the storm, including a couple of tropical Bridled and Sooty Terns (the expected and hoped-for low-hanging fruit of tropical waifs). A Least Tern and a Gull-billed Tern were intriguing, as Lee never skimmed a coastline where these birds would be expected to be picked up from. Leach’s Storm-Petrels were being reported from a number of locations, especially in the afternoon.

By Sunday morning, Nova Scotia birders were out in force, with seawatching being productive. “Tons” of seabirds were passing the Cape St. Mary’s lighthouse on the southwest coast of Nova Scotia according to one report, as birds were pushed up against the shoreline on that side (as opposed to Maine) by the strong westerly wind. A few Leach’s Storm-Petrels were being found, included one found grounded on a lawn in Bedford and one passing the Cape D’or lighthouse near the head of the Bay of Fundy. While I did not do an exhaustive search, displaced tropical or even true pelagic birds remained very few and very far between.

Even as of Monday, Leach’s Storm-Petrels were still being reported from the shore in Nova Scotia. A Gull-billed Tern continued in Grand Pre. So birds were definitely displaced by the storm, but they were mostly non-tropical in nature…and nothing like Fiona.

There were however, a lot of uncommon to rare passerines being reported in Nova Scotia since Sunday morning (such as a White-eyed Vireo and a Golden-winged Warbler), but without a careful analysis of radar images and broader-scale wind maps, I am unconvinced these birds were somehow entrained or displaced in the storm all the way from the open ocean south of Bermuda. Possible, for sure, but could it also have been nothing more than “detection bias” with some many birders out looking because of the hope for storm-blown vagrants? I’ll leave this debate for another time Furthermore, a little spate of “good” southern warblers on Monhegan could also be related~~, or it could just be Monhegan being Monhegan as usual.~~ 9/28 edit: As reports of North American passerines (aka “Yanks”) continue to pour in from Great Britian, it seems clear that Lee displaced countless numbers of Neotropical migrant songbirds. Enough that it even made the NY Times! I retract my earlier skepticsm (I wasn’t alone at least!) in being wary of this, but presumably birds were displaced ahead of and around the massive storm after encountering it as they headed south while over the open Atlantic.

But back to seabirds…Sure, some hotspots were closed or inaccessible in southern Nova Scotia during the peak of the storm, and conditions often made viewing impossible as the storm came ashore, but there were just so few sightings of note anywhere, despite the massive size of the storm. I heard little from Grand Manan, however, and observations during the storm from there would be most interesting.

While the storm was too far east to be of major consequence to Maine and New Brunswick, the lack of tropical birds in comparison to Fiona was remarkable. While every storm is different, and we’re far from understanding exactly what makes for a great birding storm, a very detailed comparison of these two systems would be a worthy endeavor.

Granted, it’s not over yet: a Brown Booby at Quaco Head in New Brunswick on the morning of the 18^th could have been lingering from storm displacement, so maybe there are a few birds yet to be found. Also, the winds following the passage of the storm are perfect for producing Northern Wheatears in the following days and weeks after the storm (one was seen at Peggy’s Cove in Nova Scotia on the 17^th), so you know I’ll be back looking…now that I am back in the state!

But in the meantime, I wanted to learn more about what happened with Lee. I reached out to my friend Meteorologist Mallory Brooke, in part to understand what happens when the tropical system undergoes its transformation to an extra-tropical, cold-core system, as happened with both Fiona and Lee: “When that (transition) happens, the core of intense wind spreads out rapidly; hence why a landfall in Nova Scotia was creating high wind in New Hampshire. In addition, the precipitation shield usually expands as well, but we didn’t see so much of that with Lee.” Lee had basically become a massive Nor’Easter.

I wondered if this transition was when we lost the entrained birds. Mallory suggested“…perhaps the timing to landfall made the difference – the transition took place very close to landfall for Lee whereas Fiona still had some distance to travel” Was this the reason for the lack of tropical rarities? Did they escape, or perhaps even perish as the eye collapsed and/or the core transition occurred? Would a close analysis, far beyond the scope of this blog, comparing the timing and location of the transition and the eye wall collapse between Lee and Fiona explain something? Was it time (or lack there of) spent in the Gulf Stream waters where the likes of White-faced Storm-Petrels reside?

While birds – especially strong-flying seabirds – are pushed ahead of a storm, especially by the strong winds in the northeast quadrant, we now know that birds riding the calm of the eye has a lot to do – if not more – with transporting birds far distances in tropical systems. The phenomenon, as well as some of the variables that could be at play in this case, are well-explained in this article.

In the case of Lee, the eyewall collapsed over the Gulf of Maine before landfall (at which point the eye structure had briefly returned)…perhaps if birders were in the middle of it (no thanks!) at the time we would know.

Regardless, it is interesting to speculate on what could have been. And I am sure others, especially in Nova Scotia will analyze the storm and its sightings in more detail. But it’s still worthwhile the exercise, if only to prepare for where to be when the next storm approaches. With more tropical storms expected in the Gulf of Maine due to climate change, we will have to be prepared to be in place for the next one (and I am out of cousins who are yet to be married).

So in the end, I wasn’t lamenting what I had missed. The “fear of missing out” was not realized. While I would have enjoyed the chase and collecting more “negative data,” I had no lingering regrets…except, perhaps, from all of the cheese whiz.

Thanks to Chris Bartlett, Mallory Brooke, and Luke Seitz for their assistance and insight while writing this essay.

Exceptional Morning Flight at Sandy Point, 9/29/2021

Derek’s Birding This Week: 9/18-23, 2021

Gray-Cheeked Thrush, Hooded Warbler, and Other April Rarities thanks to this Storm.

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While outdoor enthusiasts, those with yardwork to do, Zane at the Bradbury Mountain Spring Hawkwatch, and many others bemoaned the coastal storm that made for inclement weather from Tuesday through Friday morning, birders from the Mid-Atlantic to Nova Scotia were gearing up.

With the large (if not overall strong) area of low pressure riding up the Atlantic seaboard in late April when numerous species are now on the move, “Rarity Fever” symptoms were reported widely. As if recent “Megas” like Vermillion Flycatcher and Fieldfare here in Maine weren’t enough to stoke the fire, friends in Cape May began posting their “wish list” of possibilities. Storms such as these, sometimes called “slingshot” events can deposit birds further north than usual, facilitate the arrival of record-early migrants, and perhaps produce some astounding vagrant.

This far north, I simply had daydreams of southern “overshoots” that occur in most years – but especially following such storm systems – such as Blue Grosbeak, Summer Tanager, and Hooded Warbler. But I also started thinking about things from further afield like Swainson’s Warbler, all sorts of terns, and maybe even something from even further away like a South American Fork-tailed Flycatcher who overshot its goal and then got caught up in the system. Maybe a Magnificent Frigatebird? Or perhaps something else on one of my predictions lists for next birds for Maine, and myself.

While weather isn’t truly the ultimate cause of many vagrants, it certainly facilities their arrival in far-flung places. And weather can certainly impact migrants and displace them slightly further afield than they usually range. And storms like this, moving out of the Bahamas, strengthening in the South Atlantic Bight, and marching up the coast has quite a history of producing some great birding. (I wrote more in depth about some of these factors and causes of vagrancy in Chapter 4 of my first book, How to Be a Better Birder).

Here are the wind maps and surface maps from Tuesday through Thursday.
surface map, 4-25-17
wind map, 4-25-17

surface map, 4-26-17
wind map, 4-26-17

surface map, 4-27-17
wind map, 4-27-17

So, I cleared my schedule, kept an eye on the listserves to our south during the rain on Wednesday, and hit the field on Thursday, starting at Biddeford Pool. A few years ago, one similar (but stronger) storm system yielded a Summer Tanager, Blue Grosbeak, and Hooded Warbler in the neighborhood, and I had similar hopes for this morning.

I got really excited when one of the first birds I saw was a Magnolia Warbler (very early, perhaps by as much as 10-14 days!). Surprisingly, it was the ONLY warbler I saw all morning, and its early arrival is undoubtedly related to the storm. My first House Wrens were right about on schedule, however, and my first Veery was only marginally early.

However, in the same yard on Third Street, and loosely associating with said Veery, was not a bird I expected at all! In fact, I have a rule that I like to instill on my birdwalk participants: if it’s April in Maine and you see a dark-spotted Catharus thrush, it IS a Hermit Thrush. This was the exception to the rule.
L1090495_GCTH1 L1090520_GCTH3

There’s no doubt it was either a Gray-cheeked or a Bicknell’s Thrush, but those birds can be very challenging to ID. Generally very secretive in migration, getting good looks – let alone good photos – is often impossible. And neither is expected to be walking around front yards in a neighborhood!

It is also incredibly early, as neither of these species is usually detected in Maine (if at all, especially Gray-cheeked) until the third week of May, and sometimes not until even later. This was beyond early, and certainly suggests its arrival here was at least partially influenced by the storm system.

The overall cool gray appearance without any hints of reddish-brown anywhere (no matter what light angle I viewed it in) immediately suggested Gray-cheeked Thrush, but the date and circumstances warranted careful study. I even posted the photos online, sent them directly to friends, and added them to at least one forum, hoping for additional feedback.
L1090565_GCTH6

However, other than the seemingly “dumpy” shape of the bird, nothing here suggests Bicknell’s Thrush to me. There’s just nothing warm anywhere in this bird’s plumage, and the cheeks are finally streaked gray, not more even washed warmish-brown as in most Bicknell’s. There’s no contrast within the wings, or especially between the uppertail and the rump, either.

Although this bird’s bill is fairly extensively pale, it isn’t as bright yellow as many Bicknell’s – although I can admit to not really being a fan of this fieldmark – and even has a hint of pinkish.

In other words, as several commenters mentioned, this really looks like a “classic” Gray-cheeked Thrush, with perhaps the appearance of a smaller size and more compact shape suggestive of the subspecies minimus that breeds mostly in Newfoundland and Labrador (it’s also the subspecies whose breeding range makes the most geographical sense to appear in Maine in spring). Of course, without measurements or vocalizations, there is still a little tinge of doubt in coming to a conclusive identification.

Now, a Bicknell’s Thrush, wintering somewhere in the northern West Indies or perhaps Cuba, beginning its trek to the mountains of the northeast, could have been entrained or “slingshot” by this storm. In fact, it would make a lot of sense. But Gray-cheeked Thrushes winter mainly in northern South America, and head north through Central America. That route would not seem to be effected by this storm. Perhaps it’s just a coincidence, and the storm was only a proximate cause of its arrival in Biddeford Pool.

Anyway, elsewhere in Maine, a White-eyed Vireo was in Cape Elizabeth (present through Friday) and a Summer Tanager was reported in Southwest Harbor. Early migrants included a Scarlet Tanager in Ogunquit and one found deceased in Cape Elizabeth, along with a few scattered Indigo Buntings as far inland as North Yarmouth.

Meanwhile, to our south, birders in Cape May had a White Ibis (and, even more excitingly, a –our!? – Little Egret, a first state record that may not have anything to do with the storm); a Red Phalarope and a smattering of birds just beyond their normal range, such as Summer Tanager, were in Manhattan, and a Kentucky and Yellow-throated Warbler were on Cape Cod among some of the widespread reports of “early” migrant arrivals.

During the day on Thursday, the low pressure system continued to weaken and dissipate over the Gulf of Maine, with a snotty easterly and drizzly onshore flow continuing. A weak, slow-moving cold front finally cleared things out mid-day on Friday.
surface map, 4-28-17
wind map, 4-28-17

In the dense fog on Bailey Island in Harpswell early Friday morning, I found pockets of migrants (mostly Yellow-rumped Warblers and White-throated Sparrows) but also several surprises, led by 1 male Hooded Warbler and a White-eyed Vireo, both along Elden Point Road – the kind of southern “overshoots” we have come to expect here in Maine from these type of storms.
L1090659_WEVI,BaileyIsland,4-28-17_edited-1

There were quite a few other migrants around, as well. A total of 9 Blue-headed Vireos included a flock of 6 together, and there were scattered other migrants such as Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrushes, and Savannah Sparrows.

An early Yellow Warbler was also present, as were marginally-early (based on the current progress of the season) included 1 Common Yellowthroat and 1 Great-crested Flycatcher, while other personal FOY’s included more on-time Black-and-white Warbler (7) and Ovenbird (1-2). 11 Palm Warblers were my seventh species of warbler on the morning (plus Pine Warblers singing at home).

Elsewhere, another Hooded Warbler was found at Timber Point in Biddeford, and smattering of other early migrants included a Warbling Vireo on the Eastern Promenade (where a goodly number of birds were reported in the fog this morning)

I can only imagine what might have been found if every peninsula and island was covered over the past few days! So, with more birders hitting the field this weekend, and more people home from work to check on their feeders, I wonder what will be found. Maybe a Painted Bunting at a feeder? A Purple Gallinule in a marsh? But you know what I would like the most? A Swallow-tailed Kite over Bradbury Mountain during my hawkwatch workshop as part of the annual Feathers Over Freeport events!

Reference:
Clement, Peter. 2000. Thrushes. Princeton University Press: Princeton, NJ.

2016 Rarity Season Part I

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In my last blog, I predicted some great birding was in store for us here in Maine. Our entry into “Rarity Season” coupled with an active weather pattern was undoubtedly going to make for some exciting birding in the near future. It certainly started off with a bang!

Immediately following the Nor’Easter that drenched us on Friday, October 28th…
surface-map-10-28-16

…a Sabine’s Gull was discovered on Sabattus Pond.
l1080338_sagu1_edited-1 l1080346_sagu2_edited-1
l1080280_sagu3_edited-1

This gorgeous gull was my 373^rd species in Maine, and while I knew I was going to see one sooner than later, I expected to finally get one in Maine waters during my Washington County Weekend tour (we were close!), and not well inland on a small lake!

Whether blown inland by the strong winds or “grounded” as it cross-cut over land, this pelagic is not what one expects while scanning the ducks at Sabattus. An early 1^st Winter Iceland Gull (later, two), and a rare-inland sweep of all three species of scoters (9 Surf, 4 Black, and 1 White-winged) were all related to the weather as well.
l1080288_icgusabattus10-29-16_edited-1

Similarly, an adult Black-legged Kittiwake out of place in a pond at Fortune’s Rocks Beach on Sunday was likely storm-related. Although regular to downright common offshore, this is not a bird we usually see onshore in southern Maine.
l1080409_blkifortunesrocksbeach10-30-16_edited-1

One can only imagine what else was on the 2,600+ lakes in the state of Maine during and immediately after the storm! Jeannette and I did check a few spots around Sebago Lake on Halloween, but it was surely too long after the storm, and the only birds of some note we turned up were single Dunlin and Black-bellied Plover (fairly rare inland, especially this late) at Raymond Town Beach.

I bird hard this time of year, doing my best to finish projects and keep my schedule as clear as possible to afford as much time in the field during these fruitful weeks. While I skipped birding in Portland, I did cover a lot of ground, and searched for odd birds in odd places, as well as focusing on the seasonal “migrant trap” hotspots.

In doing so, I found a few good birds, including this Lark Sparrow (always a treat away from Monhegan) at Pott’s Point in Harpswell on 11/10:
lasp1pottspoint11-10-16-edited

As for wayward vagrants seen around the state by others, there were quite a few from the south: a Blue Grosbeak in Portland on 10/31, a couple more Yellow-breasted Chats were found here and there, and most surprisingly, a Blue-winged Warbler in Saxl Park in Bangor on November 7^th – this early migrant simply has to be a reverse-migrant or 180-degree misoriented migrant from points south; right? And the headlines, from the southwest, as a Cave Swallow reported from Cape Elizabeth on the 12^th.

From the west (and/or mid-west) came a Clay-colored Sparrow at Two Lights State Park on 11/6 and a few scattered Dickcissels around the state (but where are the Western Kingbirds this year?). A Cattle Egret in South Thomaston on 11/6 and another in Pittston on the 13^th could have come from either direction.

But it’s not just rarities that make this time of year so much fun. There are all of the regular migrants that are still “lingering.” Some of the late birds that I have seen in the past weeks included a Red-eyed Vireo along the Saco Riverwalk and 1 Semipalmated Sandpiper at Biddeford Pool Beach on 10/30, a Red-eyed Vireo at Sandy Point on 11/1, a Pine Warbler and a late-ish Winter Wren on Bailey Island in Harpswell on 11/4, a slightly tardy Yellow-bellied Sapsucker with Jeannette at Beaver Park in Lisbon on 11/8, a Turkey Vulture over Falmouth on 11/11, two Winter Wrens on Peak’s Island on 11/14, and a smattering of Hermit Thrushes.

Other birders also reported the usual slew of truant migrants, such as a smattering of Baltimore Orioles, a couple of Scarlet Tanagers, and a decent variety of late warblers here and there. There’s still a Marbled Godwit, 4 American Oystercatchers, and 2 Red Knots at Hill’s Beach in Biddeford Pool; I enjoyed them on the 30^th, but they continued to be reported through at least 11/2 with the godwit still being reported as of 11/12! A few Long-billed Dowitchers were reported, with the one at Sabattus Pond on 11/5 being at the most unexpected location.

The winner, however, is the immature female Ruby-throated Hummingbird that appeared at a feeder on Cousin’s Island in Yarmouth on November 10^th! I viewed it the next morning and it continues through today, the 14^th. Although the photos taken by the homeowner looked good for “just” a Ruby-throat, I hoped I was missing something from the still images. Any lingering questions/hopes I had were dashed however.

That being said, it’s still a great record. Through our store we have been promoting keeping up hummingbird feeders into November for over a decade, and our database of observations after early October is growing. When I first got a call yesterday, I was sure this was going to be “a good one.” It was Nov 10th after all!

Amazingly, this is the same house that hosted a Selasphorus hummingbird last fall! In other words, it sure does pay to keep those feeders out, even if it’s “just” a Ruby-throat!
rthu_cousins_island11-10-16phil_bunch_edited-1

Other, more seasonal, highlights for me over these two weeks included the following. Jeannette and I had 100 Horned Larks along Mayall Road in Gray/New Gloucester on 10/31; 18 Snow Buntings and 13 Horned Larks flew over Bailey Island on 11/4; a Lapland Longspur with 6 Horned Larks were at Stover’s Point Preserve in Harpswell on 11/10; two Ruddy Turnstones were at Winslow Park in Freeport on 11/12 with the Saturday Morning Birdwalk group – one of only two or three places in the state we regularly see them during the winter.

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This Barred Owl on Bailey Island on 11/4 was a treat. Any day with an owl is a good day!

Meanwhile, the new arrivals – including many species that will be spending the winter with us – continue to arrive, my “first of seasons” this week included 2 Common Goldeneyes at Sabattus Pond on the 29^th, 2 “Ipswich” Savannah Sparrows at Timber Point in Biddeford on 10/30…
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…lots of Horned Grebes arriving all over, 2 Harlequin Ducks at East Point in Biddeford Pool and 3 Purple Sandpipers at Hill’s Beach on 10/30.

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There were also plenty of Dunlin and Sanderlings around this week, such as this one Dunlin nestled amongst the Sanderlings on Biddeford Pool Beach on the 30^th.

Waterfowl migration is in full effect, and not just at Sabattus Pond (although that is certainly one of the top spots in the state). Scoters, Long-tailed Ducks, Red-breasted Mergansers are all piling in, and dabblers are also on the go, such as the single drake Northern Pintail and American Wigeon at Great Pond in Biddeford on 10/30. Common Mergansers are also now arriving; I saw my first migrants at Sebago Lake on 10/31.

Jeannette and I visited Sabattus on a gorgeous, warm day on the 8^th, with glass-calm conditions allowing for careful combing through the masses: 649 Ruddy Ducks, 510 Mallards, 176 Lesser and 119 Greater Scaup, 104 American Black Ducks, 73 Buffleheads, 69 Hooded Mergansers, 40 Common Mergansers, 13 Northern Pintails,11 Common Goldeneye, 8 Green-winged Teal, 5 White-winged and 1 Surf Scoter, 4 American Wigeons, 4 Common Loons, and a very-rare-inland Red-necked Grebe.

On 11/13, I returned with a Birds on Tap – Roadtrip! tour with our partners at the Maine Brew Bus. Although I didn’t count everything as carefully as I do when on my own, “Fall Ducks and Draughts” did record 600+ Ruddy Ducks, 3 Gadwalls, AND 2 White-winged Scoters amongst the 14 species of waterfowl present.

The “Greater Yarmouth Goose Fields” have been slow this year so far, likely also due to the mild weather and lack of early snowfalls to our north. In fact, the only “good” goose so far has been a “Blue” Snow Goose that showed up during the week of October 17^th continuing through at least 11/11. Canada Geese numbers remain rather low however; I have still not surpassed even 600 total birds this season.

There’s still some passerine migration a’happening, as well. For example, my last two days at Sandy Point for the season yielded 221 birds on 10/31 (led by 123 American Robins and 18 American Crows) and 131 on 11/1 (led by 59 Dark-eyed Juncos and 44 American Robins). Common Grackles and a smattering of Red-winged Blackbirds are still heading south, although their numbers are greatly reduced over the past week.

Sparrows also continue to move through, with lots of Dark-eyed Juncos and White-throated Sparrows on the move, and my first American Tree Sparrow arriving at the Yarmouth Town Landing on 11/5 during our Saturday Morning Birdwalk, followed by more as the weeks progressed. A White-crowned Sparrow at Biddeford Pool on 10/30 was getting late, but there are still scattered Chipping Sparrows here and there as usual, including one still here at the store’s feeders.
cistmontanus_type_dejuyard11-6-16 cistmontanus_type_deju_yard211-6-16

This junco on our back porch on November 6^th appears to be of the inter-mountain subspecies/hybrid swarm often labeled as “cistmontanus.” It’s definitely not a pure “Oregon” Dark-eyed Junco, and the curved hood with buff of the sides traveling up to below the fold of the wing, however, suggest that this is not a pure “Slate-colored” Junco either.

And speaking of feeder birds, a recent spate of Evening Grosbeak reports (I have heard or seen several 1’s and 2’s recently, but 6 were at Old Town House Park on 11/3), along with an uptick in Purple Finches and Pine Siskins are suggestive of a decent winter around here for at least some of the finches. I also had a few single Red Crossbills fly over in a handful of locations recently. And the first Northern Shrike reports have started trickling in.

But overall, we’re off to a fairly slow start to the November Rarity Season. My guess is the lack of cold fronts early in the fall ushered fewer birds east (e.g. Western Kingbird) but also it remains fairly mild. I’m just not sure birds have begun concentrating yet in places that birders find them (like coastal migrant traps, city parks, etc). But as temperatures continue to drop, this might change. Afterall, after a very slow November last year (also very mild), December was simply incredible.

As the shorter days get colder (maybe), I would expect more birds to begin turning up, especially at feeders and along the immediate coast. The coming weeks always produce something remarkable.

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A blast of cold, Canadian air finally arrived this past weekend, as evidenced by the wind map of 11/11.

However, it might be hard to top the incredible and unprecedented White Wagtail that showed up in Rye, New Hampshire on 11/2 through early the next. You know I’ll be trying though!

	Wally Sumner on This Week’s Highlights, 12/6 –…
	Derek on This Week’s Highlights 11/29 –…
	Kris on This Week’s Highlights 11/29 –…
	Derek on Virginia’s Warbler on Peak’s I…
	This Week’s Highligh… on Virginia’s Warbler on Peak’s I…

Maine Birding Field Notes

Trip Reports, Essays, Rare Bird Reports, and More from Derek Lovitch's and Freeport Wild Bird Supply's birding in Maine and beyond.

Tag Archives: Weather

Winter Feeder Bird Comparison, 2025 Edition.

Gulf of Maine Pelagic Birding by Cruiseship, Oct-Nov 2024.

Sandy Point Morning Flights: September – October, 2024.

2. September 10th Update.

3. September 11.

4. September 18th Update.

5. September 25th Update.

6. October 2nd Update.

6. October 5 – Finally!

7. October 10.

8. October 11th.

9. October 17.

10. October 23rd.

11. November 6^th.

Recent Highlights, 4/1– 4/10/2024

Are There Actually Fewer Birds at Feeders in the Winter of 2023-24?

Hurricane Lee Birding in Maine FOMO – or not!

Exceptional Morning Flight at Sandy Point, 9/29/2021

Derek’s Birding This Week: 9/18-23, 2021

Gray-Cheeked Thrush, Hooded Warbler, and Other April Rarities thanks to this Storm.

2016 Rarity Season Part I

2. September 10th Update.

3. September 11.

4. September 18th Update.

5. September 25th Update.

6. October 2nd Update.

6. October 5 – Finally!

7. October 10.

8. October 11th.

9. October 17.

10. October 23rd.

11. November 6th.

11. November 6^th.