Horned Grebe

Morning clouds gave way to crystal clear skies and bright sunshine, allowing for some fine birding.

I ventured to Pine Point and walked out on the pier, greeted by rafts of Common Eider, Old Squaw (Long-Tailed Duck), Common Loons and Mallards riding the receding tide.

The Horned Grebe did not seem to mind my close proximity, feeding and preening as I watched. (Note: By close proximity, I mean within 50 feet, and I did not harrass nor stress this bird. He was well out in the water. I was stranded on a dock.)

The Grebe played a game of hide and seek, diving and popping up on the other side of a small skiff that was tied to the dock. He then immediately scooted around the skiff towards me, as to say here I am. He played this game a few times, then continued his diving and feeding routine.

I share with you this beautiful creature, who seems to have an evil-like eye. Click a thumbnail for a full-sized view.

 

Happy birding!

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Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal

Northern Cardinals stop over in our Biddeford, Maine yard for a snack.

 

Happy birding!

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Trying out the new lens

This weekend, we took out our new Canon 100-400mm F4-5.6 L IS USM lens mounted on our Canon Rebel XTI DSLR for some birding. Our main objective was the Barrows Goldeneye that has been frequenting the Saco River, but it was uncooperative.

So instead, we traveled our regular loop, first starting at Cape Porpoise and finishing up at Biddeford Pool. Common Loons seemed to be the dominate species, followed by Common Goldeneyes and Common Eiders.

When coming up Water Street in Saco just before sunrise this morning, a very large Coon waddled across the street looking like he needed a few Weight Watcher sessions. This fella was no smaller than a medium sized dog and I estimate weighed between 40 and 50 pounds! We left him go his way without any photos because of the very poor early morning light.

We did spy the Barrows Goldeneye just above the dam near Pills Electric, but it was just to far away for a quality photo. I did snap a few pictures for positive ID purposes.

We met with Bob Malbon at Cape Porpoise, but the activity of the lobster men kept the birds at bay.

Our rounds brought forth the following pictures, which may be viewed full sized by clicking the corresponding thumbnail. I am very happy with the new lens and look forward to becoming more familiar with it and taking some fantastic photos to share with you.

 

A photography exhibit, Wildlife of York County, to benefit the York County Audubon, will be held at the Heart of Biddeford Gallery, 205 Main Street, Biddeford, Maine from March 16th through April 14th, 2007. Opening reception will be March 16th from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Hours of the exhibit is Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Saturdays 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Photography is by Bob Malbon and Mike Gerstner.

Happy birding!

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GBBC Maine Results

 

The 10th Annual Great BackYard Bird Count was a success nationwide as well as here in Maine.

Nationwide, a new record of 71,605 checklists have been submitted. 611 species were observed with a total bird count of 9,886,559 individuals to date. More checklist are being submitted and a final tally can be seen at the GBBC website on March 10th, 2007.

The most frequently reported bird was the Northern Cardinal, followed by the Dark-eyed Junco, Mourning Dove, Blue Jay and the Downy Woodpecker.

Here in Maine, 101 species and 714 checklists have been reported so far. 45,364 individual birds were counted. The highest count for a bird was the American Goldfinch, with 7126 individuals being counted, followed by the Herring Gull, Common Eider, Mourning Dove, and the Black-Capped Chickadee.

Some rarities for this years count include a Spruce Goose, Pied-Billed Grebe, Eastern Bluebird, Orange-Crowned Warbler and Belted Kingfisher.

The following map shows the GBBC participation in the state of Maine this year:

Happy Birding!

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Our Great BackYard Bird Count Results

My wife and I participated in the Great BackYard Bird Count this weekend, and I must say, we saw quite a few birds and had a lot of fun to boot!

 We did our counts at Biddeford Pool and Cape Porpoise, Maine. The following is our tallies:

Biddeford Pool:

Number of Species: 29
All Reported: yes

Canada Goose - 27
American Black Duck - 60
Mallard - 33
Common Eider - 19
Surf Scoter - 11
White-winged Scoter - 6
Long-tailed Duck - 44
Bufflehead - 11
Common Goldeneye - 21
Common Merganser - 6
Red-breasted Merganser - 4
Common Loon - 14
Horned Grebe - 3
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
Iceland Gull - 1
Great Black-backed Gull - 8
Mourning Dove - 15
Downy Woodpecker - 1
Blue Jay - 1
American Crow - 75
Common Raven - 5
Black-capped Chickadee - 7
Tufted Titmouse - 5
European Starling - 12
Cedar Waxwing - 1
Dark-eyed Junco - 5
Northern Cardinal - 4
House Finch - 4
House Sparrow - 21

Cape Porpoise:

Number of Species: 18
All Reported: yes

Checklist:
Canada Goose - 12
American Black Duck - 25
Mallard - 4
Common Eider - 6
Long-tailed Duck - 3
Bufflehead - 5
Common Goldeneye - 9
Common Merganser - 2
Common Loon - 11
Great Black-backed Gull - 6
Mourning Dove - 6
Downy Woodpecker - 1
Blue Jay - 2
American Crow - 15
Black-capped Chickadee - 7
Dark-eyed Junco - 1
Northern Cardinal - 2
House Finch - 6

As you can see, we had a great count! Added to the fun was some great opportunities to photograph some of the species listed above. Simply click on a thumbnail to view the full sized photo.

 

 

Happy birding!

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