Bird behavior
August 4, 2007 · Print This Article
Another week of hazy, hot and humid weather in Maine. The only relief from the heat was a line of severe thunderstorms in the northern part of the state which produced very heavy rain, golfball sized hail and a report of a funnel cloud. Here in Biddeford, not a drop of rain fell.
The birding however, was fantastic this morning. Once again, we took an early morning jaunt to Goose Rocks Beach near Kennebunkport. It was a morning to witness the behavior of many types of birds.
Shorebird peeps were displaying at each other, at times leading to an all out fight. As they fed on the mud flats, one peep would get a little too close to another. Displaying and being very vocal, it usually ended with one bowing to the dominance of the other. At other times, mid-air fights would break out, the loser being chased out of the area.
Fledged Least Terns dove for fish in the pools of water surrounding the mud flats. An adult Least Tern did not like the idea of a beach walker near his territory and gave him a good dose of guano, in which case the beach walker used a hand full of sand to remove the foul droppings from his leg. To make a long story short, the bird regained his territory very quickly.
There is always some excitement when you go birding, but for my wife and I, it was not a bird that caused a ruckus, it was a dog. A pair of tourists from New York were walking their two very big dogs on the beach and came near Sharon and I as we were sitting in the shade on some rocks. One of the dogs growled, then lunged and bit at me, all the while not being controlled by their owners. Believe me, if I would have not pulled my leg back in time, that dogs teeth would have been deep in my flesh. The dogs owner claimed that the canine was afraid of my camera. Give me a break!
I love dogs, but I will tell you what I think. If you cannot control your dog, leave it at home. What happened this morning could have been serious if I would not have moved so quickly. No thanks to the dogs owner who did nothing to control his pet. I also believe that a dog has no place in the middle of a shorebird habitat. That’s all I have to say, I’m going to bite my tongue before I make all those dog owners out there mad.
Backs to the birds, I have included several photos in this article of some of the bird behavior we seen this morning at GRB. Enjoy!
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Happy birding!
Technorati Tags: Maine, Biddeford, birding, Kennebunkport, birds, Shorebird, bird, photos
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It’s a shame that some people can’t control their dogs while out and about. People who don’t contain and control their dogs hurt the image of big dogs. I’m glad you had a good time despite what happened and your photos are fantastic!
You may make dog owners mad, but you make others of us very happy. Dogs shouldn’t be let run on beaches with shore birds, and many other places. My husband was fishing a mountain stream when these idiots let there dog out of their car, it ran up and down the stream chasing off all fish and the bird I was trying to identify. Rocky mtn park has notices everywhere about NOT letting dogs run lose but dog owners must be a largely illiterate group and they some how feel that their pet is the only living creature allowed on the planet. We’ve seen a dog attempt to kill a mountain sheep those people were fined $500. and evicted from the park, if the park rangers hadn’t been near the rest of us would have done it ourselves. I’ve told many pet owners who can’t read the large red lease law signs in the areas I bird they need to put that leash on that dog or I’ll call on them. It’s not about my popularity It’s about the safety of everyone there and the ducks and other birds that many dogs love to kill for the “sport”. Thanks for your site, your photos are really great.
Veery and Michele;
Thank you both for taking the time to visit our site and for your wonderful comments. It’s greatly appreciated!
Dog owners are a strange lot at times, but don’t get me wrong, most of them are very responsible. I have actually reminded people about leash laws and get looked at like I am crazy.
One episode that I actually have an article about, was at Eastern Point Santuary in Biddeford Pool. On the entrance gate to the sanctuary, there are two very prominent signs that state NO DOGS ALLOWED! But there are dogs in there with their owners every time we go there. One day, a very high ranking official from the city of Biddeford was showing everyone who was around what he thought of the rules, he took his dog into the sanctuary. If those who saw this thought, “well if he doesn’t have to obey the rules, why should I”? Nice role model, huh?
Other times I have seen dogs chase shorebirds on the local beaches, at the Scarborough Marsh, and various other locales that are sensitive bird habitats. If no one will enforce the laws, then why should anyone obey them.
Common sense people!!
Thank both of you for your input on this issue. Something needs to be done to keep already stressed birds from being stressed even more by irresponsible dog owners.
John Briggs
I love dogs but dog owners arecan be very inconsiderate to wildlife and other non-dog owners.-they often don’t pay any attention to signs-ATV’s are another group of people that can cause a lot of problems in certain areas.
I am a responsible dog owner and while walking my leashed dog at Scarborough Marsh had an off leash dog approach my dog from off the side of the trail. When I looked down the bank and told the owner that their dog had to be leashed their response was that , “it was swimming”!