Cold morning at Pine Point

I wrote yesterday that I thought Saturday morning was cold. This morning was colder yet! Temperatures were in the low 20’s with a light wind. Frost was light, but there was a light covering of ice on area ponds. This time, I was dressed for the weather.

Fall migrants are finishing their southward migration and new wintering birds are arriving every day. For the first time since moving to Maine, I had Pine Siskins visiting my bird feeders both yesterday and today. Last weekend, I had my first of the season Purple Finches visiting. If only I could get a Pine Grosbeak or an Evening Grosbeak to visit, I would be one happy camper!

Our bird watching travels today took us back to Pine Point. The wayward Hudsonian Godwit was absent and hopefully left for warmer climes. (If any other birders that were present at Pine Point this morning saw the H. Godwit, please let me know.) Quite a few Dunlin and several Black Bellied Plovers were feeding on the mud flats. One each of a Lesser Yellowlegs and a Greater Yellowlegs were seen near the dilapidated pier.

We later drove towards Camp Ellis. A pair of Horned Grebes and a single Red-Necked Grebe were seen off the pier at Camp Ellis, along with Surf Scoters and a White Winged Scoter. All of which are first of the season for us.

I have compiled the following species list through eBird:

Location:     Pine Point, Scarborough    Observers: John & Sharon Briggs
Observation date:     11/11/07
Notes:     Temperature: Low 20’s with light winds. Light frost although thin ice on area ponds.
Number of species:     34

American Black Duck     12
Mallard     2
Ring-necked Duck     6
Common Eider     2
Harlequin Duck     1
Surf Scoter     2
White-winged Scoter     1
Long-tailed Duck     3
Bufflehead     5
Red-breasted Merganser     3
Common Loon     2
Horned Grebe     2
Red-necked Grebe     1
Double-crested Cormorant     2
Great Cormorant     1
Great Blue Heron     1
Black-bellied Plover     4
Greater Yellowlegs     1
Lesser Yellowlegs     2
Dunlin     75
Mourning Dove     3
Downy Woodpecker     1
Blue Jay     1
American Crow     15
Black-capped Chickadee     3
White-breasted Nuthatch     2
European Starling     7
Yellow-rumped Warbler     2
Dark-eyed Junco     6
Snow Bunting     4
House Finch     6
Pine Siskin     2
American Goldfinch     4
House Sparrow     12

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2

These bird pictures were taken at Pine Point on November 10th and 11th, 2007. The Yellow Billed Cuckoo pictures were taken at Eastern Point in Biddeford Pool on November 4th, 2007.

Happy birding!

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Hudsonian Godwit

Making our birding rounds this morning, we strayed from the usual route and decided to bird Pine Point in Scarborough, Maine. Not really dressed for temperatures in the upper 20’s with gusty winds, I exited the warm confines of the car and walked out onto the beach at the Co-op. What a pleasant surprise to find a Hudsonian Godwit feeding along the waters edge!

Using the upside down boats on the beach as cover, I crouched and began photographing the wayward bird. Others began to arrive to view the bird, so I pulled back and went to the car. Suffice to say, the heater got a good workout.

Enjoy the photos of this unusual late season treat. I will return tomorrow with more photos of other birds and a complete species list of what we saw over the Verteran’s Day weekend.

Happy birding!

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Bird Feathers #3

The third in a series of occassional rundowns of what’s happening in the world of birds, birding and bird blogging.

• Dozens of birds killed, hundreds of thousands threatened by spill | The black oil spreading for miles from the Golden Gate is staining one of the richest wildlife regions on the Pacific Coast and threatening hundreds of thousands of birds as well as marine mammals and fish that feed around San Francisco Bay.
•  Worst breeding season for Britain’s migratory birds | The unusual weather conditions across Britain have taken their toll on the country’s resident and migratory bird populations – of 25 bird species monitored, seven had their worst breeding season ever.
• Bird watcher gets stuck in the mud | A 73-year-old man was stuck in the mud when his bird-watching trip went wrong.
• No one to be charged over shooting of rare bird on Queen’s estate | No one will be charged after the alleged shooting of two protected birds of prey on one of Queen Elizabeth II’s country estates where Prince Harry had been shooting, prosecutors said Tuesday.

A Bird Habitat Conservation Plan That Developers Support

Speaking at the Patuxent Research Refuge in Maryland, President Bush unveiled several new programs aimed at helping preserve the habitats of migratory birds.

Bush proposed to improve 200,000 acres of remaining bird habitat at existing wildlife refuges and to upgrade bird habitats in national parks.

A second initiative calls for a program of conservation easements. Under this program landowners agree not to develop their properties in return for a charitable deduction for the fair market value of the land.

A third program is called recovery credit trading. Under this plan landowners are given incentives to set aside or improve land for the benefit of migratory birds. These credits can be traded or sold on the open market.

While most environmental groups appear to back the president’s recovery credit trading plan, many developers see a silver lining. Real estate developers will be able to purchase these recovery credits from private landowners permitting them the opportunity to go ahead with projects that might otherwise be prohibited or delayed due to federal environmental regulations.

 

Until now there has been no single, comprehensive resource on the status of North America’s most threatened birds and what people can do to help protect them.

Birder’s Conservation Handbook is the only book of its kind, written specifically to help birders and researchers understand the threats while providing actions to protect birds and their habitats.

Find out more about this book | Birder’s Conservation Handbook

 

Happy birding!

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Bird ID Help

This bird has me so dumbfounded that I am getting a headache trying to figure it out. Look at the curved bill in the second picture. (sorry, a little blurry) That’s what is throwing me for a loop. Noticed the streaked patterned chest and the white under parts of the long tail. Pictures taken today at Eastern Point in Biddeford Pool, Maine.

Any ideas? Please let me know before I go crazy!

 Happy birding!

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Vote yes on Question 4

 

Birding In Maine supports question 4!

Do you favor a $35,500,000 bond issue to invest in land conservation, water access, wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation opportunities, including hunting and fishing, farmland and working waterfront and to invest in state parks, historic sites and riverfront, community and farm infrastructure to be matched by at least $21,875,000 in private and public contributions?

Vote yes in Maine’s Referendum Election on November 6th, 2007!

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