Squirrels and Blue Jays
October 19, 2006
My feeders were quite busy today, but not with a lot of birds. Squirrels!
Two of them have been trying to raid the feeders for the past few weeks. This fella decided to help himself to the woodpecker feeder.
I watched as the squirrel would scurry to the ground and hide a seed under a leaf, tamp down the leaf with his little paws, and head back for more.
A few chipmunks have been keeping the seed cleaned up under the feeders, and it has been a chore shooing away pigeons.
These pictures were taken from the stairway window, which leads to the second floor of our home.
Blue Jays have been stuffing their bills with peanuts and sunflower seed. I have noticed at least 10 different Jays in our backyard at one time. They are very aggressive toward other birds, but the cardinals will have none of it. I saw a female Cardinal chase away 2 Blue Jays from the platform feeder. The male Cardinal sat nearby on a branch during all this, and then joined her when the Jays were gone.
Winter is near. Birds are fattening themselves up for the shorter days, the bitter cold, the howling wind and the blanket of snow that covers the land.
Please don’t forget our feathered friends this winter!
Happy birding!
Technorati Tags: woodpecker, squirrel, chipmunks, Birds, winter, birding
Sphere: Related ContentSupport Protections for Shorebird and Wading Bird Habitat
October 19, 2006
This was sent to me through the Maine-Birds Email List.
This is a very important issue concerning our shorebirds and wading birds here in Maine. There has been articles in the Portland newspaper and on local TV stations. It seems that real estate developers are trying to put a stop to this.
Please show your support by contacting one of the legislators at the end of this article.
Birding In Maine fully supports these rules.
Please Support Protections for Shorebird and Wading Bird Habitat
Maine Audubon Action Alert: http://www.maineaudubon.org/act/061017_swh.shtmlMaine rules protecting important coastal habitats for shorebirds and wading
birds have been in the making for decades but are just coming into effect.
The rules are reasonable and protect the last remaining feeding and resting
areas for migratory shorebirds as they travel from the Arctic circle to as
far away as Chile where they spend the winter. Some of these places, like
around Harrington and Addison, are nationally significant to shorebirds. But
the rules protecting these fragile habitats are not well understood and some
Maine residents are objecting to them.You can help protect shorebird and
wading bird habitat: click here for more info
http://www.maineaudubon.org/act/061017_swh.shtml . ACTION ALERT: http://www.maineaudubon.org/act/061017_swh.shtml Please Support Protections for Shorebird and Wading Bird HabitatMaine rules protecting important coastal habitats for shorebirds and wading
birds have been in the making for decades but are just coming into effect
but are not well understood. In fact, some Maine residents are objecting to
them.Because these fragile habitats (including mud flats and wetlands where birds
nest and feed) are vulnerable to disturbance, development, and environmental
contaminants, the rules require a permit to develop in or near those areas.The permit will ask that the development occur 250′ away from the habitat
when possible. When this isn’t possible, the landowner will be asked to
minimize impacts. If the lot is already developed, an expedited permit will
be available with limited standards.The rules are reasonable and protect the last remaining feeding and resting areas for migratory shorebirds as they travel from the Arctic circle to as far away as Chile where they spend the winter.Some of these places, like around Harrington and Addison, are nationally significant to shorebirds. In fact, in the 1980s, the coastal zone from Trenton Bay east to Perry was
identified as probably the most important fall migratory stopover area in the eastern U.S. for four species of shorebirds (semipalmated sandpipiers, semipalmated plovers, white-rumped sandpipers and whimbrels).Shorebirds are declining, and once these places are gone, there will be no where else for the birds to go—we risk losing them altogether. Shorebirds and wading birds desperately need this habitat, but we need it,
too—not only to maintain our quality of life, but also to keep drawing the
visitors who bring millions of dollars to Maine each year. It is extremely
important that Governor John Baldacci and your legislators know that there
is strong public support for protecting these special habitats.
YOU CAN HELP!1. Please thank Governor John Baldacci for his strong support of the rules.
Governor John Baldacci: governor@maine.gov / (207) 287-3531 / (207)
287-6548 (TTY) / (207) 287-1034 (FAX)2. Please tell your legislators that the rule is important, supported by
science, and reasonable.
For legislators’ e-mail addresses and home contact info, please visit
www.maine.gov or e-mail activist@maineaudubon.org with your name and
address. Or go to http://www.maineaudubon.org/act/061017_swh.shtml for
links.
THANK YOU.
More Information: go to http://www.maineaudubon.org/act/061017_swh.shtml
for links and background information.
Technorati Tags: shorebirds, wading birds, Maine, Birding
Sphere: Related ContentWestern Reef Heron Economics Report
October 12, 2006
A report by Jeannette and Derek Lovitch has been released on the economic impact of the Western Reef Heron on the town of Kittery, Maine. Here is an excerpt from the report:
The economic impact of birdwatching has been notoriously difficult to determine. Unlike other outdoor pursuits, like fishing and hunting, there is no tax levied on birdingrelated purchases so there is no concrete method by which to measure economic input. However, it is estimated that birdwatching is a $32billion industry nationwide. It is second only to gardening in numbers of participants (46 million), and growing rapidly. Of those 46 million birders, 18 million (40%) take trips away from home (LaRouche, 2003; U.S. Dept. of the Interior, 2001). Local businesses, from hotels, restaurants, and gas stations to car rental agencies and boat operators benefit directly from the birding visitors to Maine coming to view rarities or our charismatic breeders, such as the Atlantic Puffin. A number of individuals and organizations offer tours and/or private guiding services. Birders also pay entry fees at parks.
Source:
- The Economic Impact of the Western Reef- Heron (Egretta gularis) on the Town of Kittery, Maine in August of 2006., Jeannette and Derek Lovitch 2006
For the full report go to Western Reef Heron Economics Report. It is in the pdf format.
Happy birding!
Technorati Tags: Western Reef Heron, Maine, birding
Sphere: Related ContentIslesboro, Maine Bald Eagle
October 10, 2006
Birding in Maine during the fall season has its strong points, some of these being the crystal blue skies and cooler temperatures. And most important of all, bug activity is very low!
Species of birds are coming and going and squirrels and chipmunks are storing food for the long winter ahead.
This Columbus Day weekend was no exception. Mornings were frosty and the days were just cool enough for a light jacket.
We departed early Saturday morning for Lincolnville to take the ferry to Islesboro. Fog rose from rivers and inlets due to the October chill over the warmer waters, making one wonder what was lurking in the autumn mist.
We arrived at the ferry terminal in Lincolnville and drove aboard the ferry at 7:50 a.m. There was no more room, so I thought, but the crew had us work our car around until they could squeeze one more in.
The 20 minute ride across Penobscot Bay was uneventful, as the waters were nearly smooth, with a light northwest breeze.
Upon arriving on the island, we drove north, admiring the beauty of the spruce trees, inlets, coves and bays.
Our first stop was along the narrowest part of the island, with a cove on the west side, and the bay to the east.
We disembarked from our car, and immediately heard and seen sparrows flying in and around the triple spruce trees along the road.
This is the spot I photographed the Savannah Sparrow. At the time, I had an idea as to what this species of sparrow was, but was not quite sure, hence I ask for proper identification. Again, I would like to express my thanks to those of you who helped in the identification of this species of sparrow.
The sparrows would take flight from a small meadow, and visit the spruce trees, but trying to photograph them was a chore.
I shot 24 pictures to get two good enough for identification purposes! These fellas would not sit still long enough, and if they did, they were deep in the spruce bows.
I was set-up with a good sturdy tripod, so when one finally came into view, I started firing off shots like there were no tomorrow.
I thanked the little fella and we continued on our way.
One point of note: not many waterfowl were encountered on this trip, as was the lack of shorebirds. We did manage to see a few Double-Crested Cormorants and some unidentifiable Shearwaters. Hawks were plenty, but the height at which they flew made identification somewhat a challenge.
We continued to drive around the island in a clock-wise fashion, my wife hoping to catch a glimpse of John Travolta who has a summer home on the island. (We saw neither him nor Kirstie Alley who also has a summer home here.)
On the east side of the island, just a half a mile north of the fire department, we saw a gentleman along the road taking a picture of something in a spruce tree. I asked what he saw and he proclaimed a Bald Eagle was there.
I retrieved my camera and tripod and set-up on a dirt lane about 150 feet from the spruce tree the eagle was perched on.
What was unbelievable was that this eagle did not seem to mind the commotion going on around it. Cars going by, a few people stopping with the oohing and ahhing and the distant hammering of an unseen carpenter.
The eagle sat there perched on the spruce for just over an hour looking around, preening, being harrassed, at a distance, by a Red-Tailed Hawk, and he even let out a sneeze that I just missed capturing on my camcorder. And as luck would have it, I missed his departure. I was taking the camcorder off of the tripod and replacing it with my camera.
You can view the Windows WMV format video of the Bald Eagle in the Birding In Maine Photo Gallery. I have other videos of this eagle that I will upload in the next several days.
I recommend Islesboro as a day trip for those who want to get away from it all for the day. I plan to return in the spring, during migration, which I am sure will be a hot spot.
The rest of our trip was mostly uneventful. We caught the ferry back to the mainland and went to Rockland to walk the breakwater and visit the lighthouse which sits at its end.
I will post larger versions of the pictures in this post in the Birding In Maine Photo Gallery in the next few days.
Happy birding!
UPDATE: Larger versions of the eagle pictures in this post are now available in the Birding In Maine Photo Gallery. The direct link is here: Raptors
Technorati Tags: Maine, birds, photograph, John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, Bald Eagle, videos, eagle, lighthouse, birding
Sphere: Related ContentVerdict: Savannah Sparrow
October 9, 2006
The unknown sparrow eluded to in the previous post is a Savannah Sparrow. I was leaning towards this species, but I was not sure. Add another bird to my life list!
Many thanks go out to all of you who responded here and via email.
Be sure to check back tomorrow for my report on our trip to Islesboro, Maine.
Included will be video footage and photographs of the Bald Eagle we watched for over an hour.
Happy birding!
Technorati Tags: bird, Maine, video, photographs, Bald Eagle, birding
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