Winters last stand

Although the calendar says April, it feels and looks more like December here along coastal Maine. A major snowstorm Thursday dumped 14″ of very heavy, wet snow on the area, causing downed trees and powerlines region-wide. Temperatures remain well below normal, with a threat of more snow later this week.

Out on Granite Point, my wife and I watched Robins, Grackles, Starlings and Killdeer root through the debris at the high tide line looking for morsels of food. The snowcover has made it hard for migrating birds to find food, and I have received reports of Bluebird deaths north of here because of the unusual weather.

Things were fairly quiet locally this weekend. I did get some pictures of a cooperative Red-Breasted Merganser at Pine Point, and watched six Great Blue Herons feed in a small marsh near Ocean Park.

My wife and I are heading to Pennsylvania Friday and will return Monday evening. No posts will be added this weekend, but be sure to check back the following weekend for a report on birding in the keystone state.

Enjoy the pictures I have taken this weekend. Simply click a thumbnail for a larger view. Comments and criticisms are welcomed!

Happy birding!

Technorati Tags: Maine, birds, Pennsylvania, birding

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Birding the Scarborough Marsh

Gorgeous back to back sunny days on a weekend is a privilege not too often experienced in early spring here in Maine, and when it does happen, you best take advantage of it.

Saturday, we traveled our regular birding loop.  We saw plenty of Ring-Necked Ducks, Green-Winged Teals, Common Eider, Hooded Mergansers, Red Breasted Mergansers, an adult Bald Eagle flying over Etherington Pond, and many songbirds. Their many beautiful songs were a welcomed reprieve from the quiet, cold Maine winter. 

Today, we rose before the sun, headed to the Scarborough Marsh, walked the Eastern Trail at sunrise and birded for over two and a half hours. Highlights include:

• Tree Swallows (including one who was checking out a nest box)
• Song Sparrows
• Tree Sparrows
• Hooded Mergansers
• Red Breasted Mergansers
• Willets
• Canada Geese
• Snow Geese (a fly-over of 6)
• Common Golden eye
• Bufflehead’s
• *Golden Crowned Kinglet (life bird for both of us!)
• Chickadees
• Goldfinches
• Black Ducks
• Mallards
• Mourning Doves
• Green-Winged Teal
• Common Loons

All in all, not a bad morning!

Afterwards, we drove to Pine Point. I had the good fortune to photograph Old Squaws (Long-Tailed Ducks) yet again! It amazes me seeing the behavior of these beautiful ducks. I could watch these creatures all day long.

As done last weekend, I laid down on the dock between some lobster traps and waited for the Old Squaw to come to me. At one point, a male was no more than 2 feet in front of me which led to focusing issues with my camera. I waited until he backed away and then fired away. The photos may be seen below.

To make myself perfectly clear, I did not approach these ducks. They approached me!

To end on a disturbing note, Biddeford has seen fit to post NO PARKING signs all along Granite Point Road. The only parking area to view the Granite Point piece of the Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge is a very small grassy parking area near the beginning of the refuge. One would be lucky to place three cars side by side in this parking spot. And if it is muddy, forget it.

From what I’ve heard from a Granite Point resident, last summer drivers parked on both sides of the road at the private beach at New Barn Cove. They did not pull off the road far enough, blocking the way so that a fire truck responding to an emergency call, had not been able to get through.

Because of this incident, the Biddeford Council decided to post no parking signs on BOTH sides of the road, for the entire length of Granite Point Road. To me, it would make more sense to post one side of the road, so people can enjoy the beauty of, and the wildlife in, the refuge. Now, with this nonsense, the only way to view the refuge is by doing a drive by, or hoping out-of-staters enjoying their stay on Granite Point don’t fill the 3 measly spaces the refuge provides for parking as their personal parking place. A really fun way to enjoy our free space! Thank you Biddeford, another wise decision.

I thought that the refuge was for everyone to enjoy, not just a select few.  If you have been following my postings, you would know that at least 75% of my pictures were taken at this wildlife refuge. Now if I want stop to take a picture or two, I may be arrested and/or fined. That also is true for the few people who like to park at the end of the road and read a book, or just enjoy the view and sound of the sea. Walking the road, which is 3 miles from beginning to end, is not an option for many who are unable to walk this distance. Yet another Maine coastal area where public access is being denied.

Now that my venting is over, I am going to contact the main office of the refuge and see what can be done about getting a small parking area at the end of Granite Point Road, on refuge property.

If you enjoy going to Granite Point, and would like to see more parking, please join me in emailing the refuge office and see what can be done. The email address is rachelcarson@fws.gov.

Below are photos of birds taken at various places while birding over the weekend. Click a thumbnail for a larger view. Comments and criticisms are welcomed.

Happy birding!

Technorati Tags: Maine, birded, photograph, photos, birds, birding

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Birding far and wide

My wife and I took a trip to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island in Massachusetts Saturday.

Anticipation of the trip led to a restless Friday evening and night. We rose from our slumber at 4:00 a.m., secured our home and headed south on I-95, discussing what birds we may see.

Driving into the refuge, we were greeted by the rising sun, which immediately began to thaw the heavy frost that nature had painted on the landscape. Killdeer struted along the road, allowing wonderful photographic opportunities in the morning light. A Northern Harrier was seen preening on a hillside. Northern Pintail, Black Ducks and Mallards fed in the pannes, and a lone Lesser Yellow Legs probed the muddy bottom for a delicious morsel.

As we approached the Hellcat Wildlife Observation Area, our excitement grew at what else was in store for us. And low and behold…. the gate was closed where the hard road ends and the dirt road begins! What on earth is going on, we thought. My wife was so excited about finding the owls that were reported in the area near Cross Hill Farm, and other birds that may be in the refuge. She was so disappointed, we almost turned around and went home.

We ended up walking the Marsh Loop at Hellcat, but that was very uneventful except for clumsy yours truly. While walking the narrow boardwalk through the marsh and woods looking all around for birds and not paying attention to what was in front of me, I stumbled not once but twice on seperate steps and just about ended up in the marsh. Believe me, when walking straight along and all of the sudden a step down appears and you are not paying attention, it feels like you are falling off the end of the world! At least Sharon thought it comical.

We talked to several birders who claimed the gate was closed because of the snow last weekend. Although all traces of snow were gone from the road, the gate remained closed well into late morning, and the barrier kept us from having a full day of birding on Plum Island.

We headed north via Routes 1 and 1A, looking for birds, any birds would do. In New Hampshire, near Ryes Beach, we saw a pair of Mute Swans. Red-Winged Blackbirds were everywhere. Common Eider and all types of Merganser were in the surf along the coasts of New Hampshire and Maine.

We stopped for lunch at Captain Simeons in Kittery Point, and I had the best fish sandwich ever. Sharon partook a spinach and mushroom quiche that was to die for. We shared stories with an old Englishman who came to this country after WWII, and had us both laughing with his anecdotes.

After lunch, we headed for Wells Harbor, and there we spied our first of the year Great Egret, standing in the marsh looking for unsuspecting prey. A Great Blue Heron glided to a landing in the distance.

Our last stop was Granite Point, and there we saw a Great Blue Heron in full breeding plummage. We promised to return in the morning hoping for better light and a closer view. We had a full day, and even with the disappointment at Plum Island, we had a very good birding trip.

This morning we rose to a fresh blanket of snow, clinging to the trees and lawns, but not the roads. The skies were cloudy, but the forecasters promised clearing skies later in the morning. Off to Granite Point we went.

A breeding pair of American Wigeons were in the pannes along with a Red-Breasted Merganser and plenty of Mallards and Black Ducks. Two pair of Hooded Mergansers were in the Little River just as we entered the refuge.

And in the distance we saw the flapping of a huge pair of wings, the Great Blue Heron was still there, but the lighting was horrible. Soon, we were rewarded with two more males, all in breeding plummage. A face off between two of the males happened before our very eyes, but no battle ensued, more than likely because no females were yet present in the marsh. We decided to come back when the sunshine was abundant to try and photograph these beautiful birds.

Later in the afternoon, we drove to Pine Point. There we spied several Old Squaw just off the pier. With plenty of sunshine and camera in hand, I made my way to the water-level dock, laid prone, and waited for them to come to me. And come they did! Some not more than 15 feet from me. I got some spectacular shots which can be seen posted below. The cropped images of these Old Squaw are much, much smaller than the original 10mb sized images, and believe me, the originals are far superior. I wish I could post the originals, but I would fill my bandwidth restrictions if I did this.

Leaving Pine Point, we headed to Camp Ellis, but the harbor was strangely devoid of any type of birds. So we decided to try Granite Point one more time before we loose the afternoon sun.

All three Great Blue Herons were present, but at too great a distance for photography. We parked and waited and low and behold, two of the males came to us! See photos below.

All in all a very productive birding weekend. Below are images of birds encountered during our journies. Simply click a thumbnail for a larger view. Comments and critiques are always appreciated!

 

Happy birding!

Technorati Tags: Massachusetts, birds, birders, New Hampshire, Maine, photograph, birding

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Ring-Necked Duck

Late this afternoon, we spotted a female Ring-Necked Duck behind the Pelreco building in Scarborough.

Enjoy!

Happy birding!

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Attacked

Today, Birding In Maine was attacked by comment spammers. 350 comments were submitted and every one was spam. But did they succeed?

No way no how! You see, what these idiots fail to realize is that I have to approve every and any comment that will appear on this site. With their pill popping, sex peddling links just itching to get onto this site, I did what I had to do…. marked every comment as spam and blocked the IP addresses of the spammers from ever coming to this site again. And the denial of service attacks will not work either, as I have special protection against this foolishness too.

I am protecting this site from the foul comments that are not fit for anyone to read. Birding In Maine is visited by birders of all ages, and I will not allow this filth to ruin what I have worked so hard to accomplish.

This message is basically for the lug heads who performed the actions against this site today. As you ill minded imbeciles can see, it does not work! GO AWAY!

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