Birding in Maine» Blog

BPW: Cedar Waxwing

John Briggs — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:52:17 +0000

Cedar Waxwing - Bath, Maine | Click thumbnail for larger view

I arose bright and early this morning to take the trash out for pickup. While walking out the drive, I heard the high pitched call notes of the Cedar Waxwing. I looked around and spied 15 of these beautiful birds in a maple tree along our property line. I slipped back into the house and grabbed my camera, hoping on the way back outside that the Waxwings were still around.

They were still there! I walked across the yard and positioned myself beside a spruce tree. Several of the birds flew away due to my movement and, unfortunately, two were Bohemian Waxwings. I felt like banging my head into the tree! The Bohemian Waxwing has eluded my lens since I began photographing birds. One of these days….

I took several photos of the birds before the garbage truck arrived and scared them away. As I walked back to the house, an adult Bald Eagle flew overhead and disappeared behind the ridge across the road. I heard birds signing everywhere: Northern Cardinals, Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, Blue Jays, and American Goldfinch. Two pair of male and female Purple Finch were at our feeders yesterday and we saw two Turkey Vultures flying high over the ridge. Spring is coming!

Another sure sign that spring is around the corner happened Saturday morning. I watched a pair of adult Bald Eagles doing a mating cartwheel display high above our cove. The display begins high in the air with the two birds darting and diving at each other, until they lock talons and drop in a spinning free fall, until the last possible moment before slamming into the ground, they separate. Talk about awesome! I can only hope that if I see this again in my lifetime, it will be close enough to capture some photos. Later in the afternoon, I watched another adult carry a branch to a tree directly across the cove from our backyard.

I love this time of year. Although we still get snowstorms well into April, and sometimes May, spring is just around the corner and migratory birds are on the move. Sugaring is going full throttle and the sugar houses are making maple syrup. It won’t be long and we will see buds on the trees and the first flowers of spring will sweeten the air with their aroma.

Cedar Waxwings - Bath, Maine | Click thumbnail for larger view

Happy birding!

Skywatch Friday: Snowy Birdhouse

John Briggs — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:24:28 +0000

Snow laden skies are my favorite. There is a unique beauty in snow falling from the sky. In its aftermath, the landscape is transformed into a work of art unknown to other seasons. The following image was captured last weekend in our backyard, near the edge of the cove.

Snow covered nest box - Bath, Maine | Click thumbnail for larger view

Skywatch Friday

Happy birding!

Great Backyard Bird Count

John Briggs — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 16:47:29 +0000

It’s unbelievable how little time I have these days. Can you say cholecystectomy? I am studying for three exams this week but I still found the time to participate in the 2010 Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). With a steaming hot cup of coffee in one hand and binocular in the other, I began tallying birds at 6:30 a.m. this morning. Surprise, surprise… Mr. Butterbutt continues to visit our suet feeders. He looks healthy and has a voracious appetite and defends his feeder from all other avian visitors.

The highlight of this morning’s count was a pair of adult Bald Eagles soaring above our frozen cove looking for for a meal. The Mergansers and Goldeneyes fled for their lives and went to parts unknown. I ended the count when a Red-tailed Hawk flew over our house and dove into the sumac near the edge of the cove. Suffice to say, that was the end of the bird activity for a while.

Here is an aerial view of the area around our home where the count was taken. Red pin denotes home.

Map of area around our home south of Bath, Maine. | Click thumbnail for larger view.

Results from 2.13.2010 for the 2010 GBBC:

Locality: 04530, Bath, Sagadahoc County, ME
Observation Date: FEB 13, 2010
Start Time: 6:30 AM
Total Birding Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Party Size: 1
Skill: excellent
Weather: excellent
Snow Depth: 2 – 4 in (5.1 – 10.2 cm)
Habitat(s):
deciduous woods
coniferous woods
rural
freshwater
salt water
Number of Species: 23
All Reported: yes
Checklist:
Common Goldeneye – 4
Hooded Merganser – 2
Red-breasted Merganser – 3
Bald Eagle – 2
Red-tailed Hawk – 1
Laughing Gull – 1 Confirmed
Herring Gull – 16
Mourning Dove – 4
Downy Woodpecker – 2
Hairy Woodpecker – 1
Blue Jay – 3
American Crow – 6
Common Raven – 1
Black-capped Chickadee – 5
Tufted Titmouse – 4
Red-breasted Nuthatch – 1
White-breasted Nuthatch – 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) – 1
Song Sparrow – 2
Dark-eyed Junco – 8
Northern Cardinal – 1
Purple Finch – 2
American Goldfinch – 16

Sharon and I will head to Popham Beach early Sunday morning to do a GBBC count. I plan to do a GBBC count Monday morning near Ft. Popham and the Atkins Bay area. The weather looks to be sunny and cold, perfect for counting birds.

Here is another look at Mr. Butterbutt.

Yellow-rumped Warbler | Click thumbnail for larger view

Happy birding!

Long-tailed Ducks

John Briggs — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:51:17 +0000

Friday was a beautiful mid winter day and I had no classes. What should I do for a few hours between studying? How about some bird watching! I drove to Pine Point near Scarborough, Maine to look for my favorite duck; the Long-tailed Duck. The dock at the Lobster Co-op is a favorite place of mine to see these comical, yet beautiful, ducks. The lower dock has plenty of stacked lobster traps to get behind to use as a sort of a blind.

Once I got settled in among the traps, I was hoping the ducks would be cooperative in short order. I quickly discovered that I was not dressed warm enough to last very long in the cold and blustery conditions. Winds were gusting in the 25 to 30 mph range and the temperature hovered around 15° F. Add to that a substantial snow pack and you having the makings for a very cold morning.

Fortunately, I didn’t have a long wait. A group of six ducks were approaching the pier, their calls echoing off of the boats anchored in the harbor. I took advantage of their diving for food to ready myself, and when they bobbed to the surface, I began taking photos of the little gems. After 20 minutes of taking photos, I had enough of the cold and headed back to the car. The only thought on my mind was finding a steaming, hot cup of coffee to warm my bones.

The following list represents the birds seen at Pine Point.

Long-tailed Duck – 16
Common Loon – 8
Horned Grebe – 5
Black Guillemot – 2
Common Eider – 41
American Robin – 15
Cedar Waxwing – 7
Black-capped Chickadee – 2
Northern Cardinal – 1
Blue Jay – 4
Downy Woodpecker – 1
3rd year Bald Eagle – 1
Red-tailed Hawk – 1

The following photos may be view full-size by simply clicking a thumbnail.

Happy birding!

Wayward January Bird

John Briggs — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 21:07:01 +0000

Here in Maine, winter has had a grip since late fall with snow, bitter cold and wind. Migratory birds have long gone on their trek to warmer climes. During the snowstorm last Saturday, I noticed a very puffed up bird feeding on a distant suet feeder. I thought for sure it was a warbler, but with a driving snow it was hard to positively ID even through binoculars.

Fast forward to today. Upon returning home after picking up this semester’s books in South Portland ($511.00 for books, unbelievable!), I noticed a puffed up bird on the feeders just outside our picture window. I grabbed my camera and went into our bedroom, lowered the upper part of the window, and took the photos below of a Yellow-rumped Warbler. I use the bedroom window as a sort of a blind when birds are at the feeders closest to our house.

Even now, as I write this post, the little fella is feeding at the wreath feeder in a lightly falling snow, puffed up to protect itself from the biting cold. The Warbler seems to prefer the peanut butter and seed pine cones. Once he has his fill, he flies into the Christmas tree that I put outside for the birds.

Enjoy these photo of our wayward Yellow-Rumped Warbler and a few photos of a Dark-eyed Junco. Clicking a thumbnail will open a larger sized view in a shadowbox.

Happy birding!