Maine Audubon Rare Bird Alert: Jan. 18
January 19, 2008
Maine Audubon Rare Bird Alert
Reporting Period: January 12 – January 18, 2008
Area: State of Maine
Compilers: Eric Hynes and Stella Walsh
Of Special Note
This winter appears to be taking a toll on the surplus of BARRED OWLS in the area as there were a number of fatalities reported this week, not all of which were roadkills.
BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS, PINE GROSBEAKS and COMMON REDPOLLS continue to be encountered with exceptional frequency and numbers.
Standout species this week include BLACK VULTURE, THICK-BILLED MURRE, AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER, EASTERN TOWHEE and HOARY REDPOLL.
York County
A flock of 30 HORNED LARKS was at the end of the trolley track on the York side of Brave Boat Harbor in the Rachel Carson refuge.
A GREATER SCAUP was at East Point in Biddeford Pool.
Greater Portland
A HOARY REDPOLL was picked out of a flock of ~150 COMMON REDPOLLS visiting a feeding station in Gray on January 18.
A NORTHERN SHRIKE and a CAROLINA WREN were found along the East End Trail in Portland on January 17.
A PEREGRINE FALCON was perched along Black Point Road in Scarborough.
A CAROLINA WREN and a YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER continue sporadic visits to feeders at Pine Point in Scarborough.
A TURKEY VULTURE was soaring over Scarborough on January 17.
Single NORTHERN FLICKERS were reported this week at a feeder in Scarborough, at Falmouth High School and at Gilsland Farm in Falmouth.
Four BRANT were at Kettle Cove in Cape Elizabeth, while RAZORBILL sightings continue at Dyer Point.
Three ICELAND GULLS continue at Union Wharf in Portland.
A single female HOARY REDPOLL was among a flock of 30 COMMON REDPOLLS at feeders in West Falmouth.
A flock of 20 DUNLIN has been foraging off Lower Flying Point in Freeport.
Lewiston-Auburn
Unusual for this inland site, a GREAT CORMORANT was reported in the Androscoggin River in Lewiston, while a PEREGRINE FALCON continues to roost atop the St. Mary’s church steeple.
Midcoast
A BELTED KINGFISHER is fishing in a small patch of open water from the Bay Bridge Park in Brunswick, while a PEREGRINE FALCON continues to roost on the roof of Fort Andros Mill adjacent to the Topsham-Brunswick bridge over the Androscoggin River.
A RUSTY BLACKBIRD was seen at feeders in Phippsburg.
A NORTHERN FLICKER is coming to suet in West Boothbay.
A BLACK VULTURE was seen again on January 15 next to the turkey farm on Route 1 in Warren.
A NORTHERN SHRIKE and a flock of 45+ SNOW BUNTINGS were noted at Green Point Wildlife Management Area in Dresden on January 17.
Kennebec Valley (Augusta-Waterville)
A drake AMERICAN WIGEON was found in Messalonskee Stream in Waterville.
A NORTHERN GOSHAWK was in hot pursuit of birds at feeders in Benton.
A COMMON GRACKLE visited a feeding station in Gardiner on January 15.
A small flock of RUSTY BLACKBIRDS continues to be found along Hinckley Road in Clinton.
Central – Bangor
A BARROW’S GOLDENEYE continues in the Stillwater River in Orono.
A flock of 20 to 40 EVENING GROSBEAKS are coming to a feeder in Dixmont.
Penobscot Bay
A THICK-BILLED MURRE was in the channel between the wharf and Long Island in Blue Hill.
Eighty-eight RUDDY DUCKS were seen from Cape Jellison in Stockton Springs.
A flock of approximately 100 SNOW BUNTINGS was seen along Rt. 137 in Knox on January 17.
Downeast
A NORTHERN PINTAIL was in Ship Harbor on Mount Desert Island.
Northern Maine
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS were at Great Pond in Aurora.
AN AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER continues on Muscovic Road in Stockholm.
GRAY JAYS are visiting a suet feeder in Woodland.
An EASTERN TOWHEE continues in a yard in Sherman. This is believed to be only the third winter record for this species in northern Maine.
Report provided by:
Eric Hynes
Staff Naturalist / Gilsland Farm Center Manager
Maine Audubon
20 Gilsland Farm Road
Falmouth, ME 04105
207-781-2330 ext. 237
ehynes@maineaudubon.org
www.maineaudubon.org
Moving to Bath
January 12, 2008
The time has come to move on. My wife and I will be taking up residence in Bath, Maine next month. The situation here in Biddeford is deplorable at best. Since moving here two years ago, we have had no fewer than 4 thefts of our property. Drunks and young thugs decide that 2:00 a.m. is the best time to pound their fists on metal street signs, making enough noise to wake up the dead! The straw that broke the camels back was when we had a brand new stainless steel grill stolen from our porch in broad daylight while we were at work. We had the grill only 20 days before someone thought they needed it more than we did. Of course, no one saw anything…. whatever, good bye and good riddance Biddeford.
We had the good fortune of finding a home along the Kennebec River, with a marsh and the river in our lower back yard. Basically a dream home for us. The map shows the general location of where we will live.
We will miss our regular birding loop, but I am absolutely sure we will discover a new one. Our back yard should be a haven for waterfowl, raptors and other birds. We noticed today that there is a crab apple tree in the back corner of the lot that looks as if it has yet to be discovered by Grosbeaks.
The back yard is terraced to the marsh/river edge and has the opportunity to be a great spot for a blind. During foul or bitter cold weather, a tripod with our scope attached, will be in the living room at the picture window looking out over the river towards Doubling Point Lighthouse. Several feeding stations and a water feature will be placed throughout the back and side yards. A new yard list will have to begin, with what I am sure will feature birds that have never graced any of our other yard lists.
I have even played around with the idea of a live bird cam pointed at one of the feeding stations.
This blog, of course, will continue. Until we get moved and settled in, the posts may be few and far between for about a month. Rest assured, we will continue as long as these fingers can type and click a shutter.
As a side note, BiddefordWeather.com will cease to exist sometime during the middle of February. My new weather site will be BathMaineWeather.com and should be up and operating before the end of February.
For those of you out there that have birded the Bath area and would like to share some favorite birding spots, please let me know via email or by commenting in this or future articles.
Happy birding!
Sphere: Related ContentBird Feathers #4
January 1, 2008
The fourth in a series of occassional rundowns of what’s happening in the world of birds, birding and bird blogging.
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First pictures of the snowy New Year!
The last day of the year didn’t go quietly | Bird TLC admits it’s 502nd bird of 2007 for treatment, a Red-Tailed Hawk.
An outrage against hawks and falcons | Birder’s World Field of view reports that a pigeon breeder’s club in California, Oregon, and other states has been killing thousands of hawks and falcons a year in violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act — and bragging about it.
Volunteers needed to join international bird-feeding study | People who feed birds in the United States and Canada are invited to participate in a study on the feeding habits of birds. Project Wildbird is a landmark $1 million study of seed and feeder preferences of wild birds in the United States and Canada.
School construction may relocate chimney swifts | A 60-foot-tall chimney is one of the few known roosting sites left in Maine for the chimney swift, a songbird that migrates here each May from the mountainous regions of Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador.
Footing the bill could become problem in woodpecker hunt | If an ivory-billed woodpecker is not found in 2008, John Arvin worries federal funding for the search, and the support of the scientific and birding communities, could become as elusive as his quarry.
Thousands of loons dying in Great Lakes area | The loon, an icon of the North Woods, is dying by the thousands across a growing swath of the Great Lakes, victims of a bacterial disease that works its way up from the lake floor.
Threatened Birds May Be Rarer Than Geographic Range Maps Suggest | Geographic range maps that allow conservationists to estimate the distribution of birds may vastly overestimate the actual population size of threatened species and those with specific habitats, according to a study published online in the journal Conservation Biology.
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Female House Finch, first bird of 2008!
Happy birding!
Technorati Tags: birds, birding, bird
Sphere: Related ContentHappy New Year
December 31, 2007
Wishing all of you a very happy and prosperous New Year!!
I leave you with a few images of a Red-Tailed Hawk that we happened upon on the way back from Bath, Maine Sunday. My last bird photo of 2007. Click a thumbnail for a larger view.
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Happy birding!
Technorati Tags: images, Hawk, Maine, bird, birding
Sphere: Related ContentMaine Audubon Rare Bird Alert: Dec. 27
December 29, 2007
Maine Audubon Rare Bird Alert
Reporting Period: December 21 – December 27, 2007
Area: State of Maine
Compilers: Eric Hynes and Stella Walsh
Of Special Note
BARRED OWLS and NORTHERN SHRIKES continue to be found at an above average rate.
PINE GROSBEAKS, BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS and COMMON REDPOLLS remain numerous and widespread. Look for the grosbeaks and waxwings at fruiting trees, particularly ornamental crabapples. Redpolls are being seen frequently at feeding stations. To a lesser extent, EVENING GROSBEAKS are being reported statewide as well.
Other species of note this week include: SNOW GOOSE, BLACK VULTURE, SHORT-EARED OWL, NORTHERN HAWK OWL, SNOWY OWL, DOVEKIE, COMMON MURRE, BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER, RUSTY BLACKBIRD and HOARY REDPOLL.
York County
Birds seen out in Saco Bay included two DOVEKIES and one COMMON MURRE.
Greater Portland
A RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER turned up in a yard on Cousins Island on December 23.
An immature GLAUCOUS GULL has been frequenting the Lobster Co-op parking lot at Pine Point. Southwest winds and a high tide brought over 50 COMMON LOONS and more than 40 HORNED GREBES into the Pine Point harbor.
A SNOW GOOSE was seen with Canada Geese near 1685 Congress Street in the Stroudwater section of Portland.
The 42 participants in the Portland CBC on December 22 tallied 91 species. Noteworthy birds included a SHORT-EARED OWL at Two Lights State Park, a GLAUCOUS GULL at Pine Point, a DOVEKIE from Dyer Point and another from Prout’s Neck, and a RUSTY BLACKBIRD in a Scarborough yard. New record high counts were recorded for fifteen species, likely resulting from this winter’s invasion and the deep snow concentrating birds at feeders.
Midcoast
Highlights from Popham Beach State Park in Phippsburg on December 23 included an immature ICELAND GULL at the mouth of the Morse River, a SHORT-EARED OWL hunting over the dunes, a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK and BARRED OWL over and on the marsh off Route 209, an AMERICAN KESTREL, 75 SNOW BUNTINGS, over 78 HORNED LARKS in several small flocks, two LAPLAND LONGSPURS, an AMERICAN PIPIT, a NORTHERN SHRIKE near the entrance road, a RUFFED GROUSE, and four RED CROSSBILLS heard overhead.
A dark-phase ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was seen at Popham on December 26.
Two first winter ICELAND BULLS are reliable at the Sebasco Resort property in Phippsburg.
December 23 proved to be an excellent day at Reid State Park highlighted by 227 RED-NECKED GREBES, a SHORT-EARED OWL, 2 BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES, two HOODED MERGANSERS, plus 66 SNOW BUNTINGS, 15 HORNED LARKS, and 24 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS.
Two RUSTY BLACKBIRDS were seen at feeders on Indian Point Road in Georgetown.
A BLACK VULTURE continues at a turkey farm on Route 1 north of Moody’s Diner in Warren, where good numbers of BALD EAGLES are also being seen.
A SNOWY OWL was by the church on Monhegan Island and another SNOWY OWL was found in Port Clyde.
Lewiston-Auburn
Preliminary figures from the Lewiston-Auburn CBC on December 22 indicated at least 42 species seen. Highlights included an AMERICAN WIGEON at the North Bridge, 109 PINE GROSBEAKS with 50 in one flock seen closely off US 202 south of the Auburn Turnpike exit, 140 SNOW BUNTINGS in one large flock, and new records of over 200 WILD TURKEYS and five PILEATED WOODPECKERS.
The PEREGRINE FALCON at the old St. Mary’s church was seen on count day chasing two of the 14 BALD EAGLES seen.
Other irruptive species recorded including 3 NORTHERN SHRIKES, a single flock of 15 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS, and 109 COMMON REDPOLLS.
A NORTHERN GOSHAWK was found outside a home in Monmouth.
Kennebec Valley (Augusta-Waterville)
A YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER was vocalizing along Eight Rod Road in Augusta where a GREAT HORNED OWL was also calling.
BARROW’S GOLDENEYES continue at Fort Halifax in Winslow, joined this week by a drake RING-NECKED DUCK and a pair of COMMON MERGANSER.
A ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK sailed over the Tiffany Road in Sidney.
Central - Bangor
One hundred and fifty BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS with 18 PINE GROSBEAKS were seen at the botanical garden at University of Maine in Orono on December 24. This is a historically reliable spot for these species.
Penobscot Bay
A SNOWY OWL has been seen on Beech Hill on South Street between Rockville and Beech Hill Roads in Rockport.
Among the birds seen from the Maine State Ferry from Rockland to Vinalhaven this week were 42 COMMON LOONS, six BALD EAGLES, 45 RAZORBILLS, one BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE, 70 BLACK GUILLEMOTS, and 50 BONEPARTE’S GULLS.
Downeast
A HOARY REDPOLL was seen at a feeder in Eastport on December 23.
Highlights from the Eastport CBC included two GREATER SCAUP, a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, at least two MERLINS, six RED PHALAROPES, two GRAY JAYS, and 16 BONAPARTE’S GULLS.
Northern Maine- Aroostook County
A truly exceptional species for northern Maine in the winter was the RUSTY BLACKBIRD that showed up at a feeder in Presque Isle.
A pair of BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS were heard and seen on the Ouellette Crossroad in T17R5 near Dickey Brook on December 22.
A report of a NORTHERN HAWK OWL came from the Christina Reservoir area in Fort Fairfield on December 19, but has not been relocated since.
In Presque Isle, a hearty TUFTED TITMOUSE continued to show up at the feeder where it has been seen for over a month.
Unusual anytime of year, but exceptional in winter was a FIELD SPARROW reported at a feeder in Presque Isle.
A few lingering DARK-EYED JUNCOS and AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS have also been seen in Woodland, Caribou and Presque Isle.
A number of NORTHERN CARDINAL reports in northern Maine stand out in a season in which one cardinal is a rare treat.
A HOARY REDPOLL was among a flock of COMMON REDPOLLS at a feeder in Mt. Chase.
Report provided by:
Eric Hynes
Staff Naturalist / Gilsland Farm Center Manager
Maine Audubon
20 Gilsland Farm Road
Falmouth, ME 04105
207-781-2330 ext. 237
ehynes@maineaudubon.org
www.maineaudubon.org
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