Birding in Maine» bird watching

Winter Cardinal and Warbler

John Briggs — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 19:55:43 +0000

As you have probably noticed, I have been away from blogging for a while. The why and what for’s I will not get into right now. Never-the-less, I am still taking photographs of Maine birds, landscapes and architecture. I started a new website called Capture Maine which basically showcases my landscape and architecture photography.

I’ve pretty much given up on Facebook. I just don’t like what it’s turning out to be and I have a lot of issues with privacy concerns. You can still find my tweets on Twitter. Another social network that I frequent a lot and really like is Google+. The interaction with other photographers from all over the world is incredible! If you have an account with G+, you can add me to your circles by going to my Google+ Page. If you do not have an account, you can still follow my posts on my Plusses blog.

Now back to birds. We had a minor snowstorm yesterday and there were quite a few birds visiting our feeders. One particular bird, a Yellow-rumped Warbler, decided to spend the winter with us. He has been around since mid November and loves suet and peanut chips. Dark-eyed Junco’s are plenty as are American Goldfinches. We also saw 4 Bald Eagles flying around the cove, two adult and two second year.

Enjoy the photos below of the Northern Cardinal and the unusual wintering Yellow-rumped Warbler.

Northern CardinalYellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Happy Birding!

Photo of the Day: Broad-winged Hawk

John Briggs — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 16:34:40 +0000

Broad-winged Hawk – Buteo platypterus

Late Saturday afternoon, Sharon and I were driving along a decrepit logging road looking for wildlife. We saw two bull Moose on the other side of a large pond eating vegetation. I found it odd that these males were in such close proximity to each other because the annual “rut” begins in a week or two. While watching the Moose, we heard a Boreal Chickadee and several Gray Jays, but neither species were seen to our dismay.

We continued driving deeper into the woods, seeing the occasional Warbler, Raven, Chickadee, Spruce Grouse, etc. Just after rounding a sharp turn, I saw something in a tree along the road, but wasn’t sure what it was. I stopped, turned around in my seat and looked around. Just off the edge of the road, about eye level, was a Broad-winged Hawk perched on a branch.

Bird Photography: Broad-winged Hawk

The Hawk was preening and seemed completely oblivious to our presence. I took advantage of this and slowly got out of the car. Crouching down, I made my way to the front of the car and started taking photos of this beautiful raptor. To my amazement, the Hawk continued to ignore us. We watched it for several minutes, and then it took flight.

I haven’t had much experience with this Hawk, and actually didn’t know for sure which species it was. I want to say thanks to the folks in my circles at Google+ for help in ID’ing this Hawk.

Happy Birding!

World Bird Wednesday

Juvenile Ospreys – Ready to Face The World

John Briggs — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 17:28:59 +0000

This post will probably be the final update on the three juvenile Ospreys that I been watching all summer long. To refresh your memory, back in the spring, an adult pair of Osprey moved into the platform nest in the harbor just off Fort Road, on the campus of the Southern Maine Community College. Three eggs were laid and all successfully hatched.

Young Osprey grow very rapidly and are ready to fledge when they are about 50 days old. They continue to stay near the parents for another 50 days while they learn the hunting and flying skills that they will use for the rest of their lives. The family will go their separate ways just prior to fall migration. While Osprey nesting success is quite high, it’s after the young leave the nest when they will begin facing bigger problems. Major causes of post-fledgling mortality are electrocution, emaciation, gunshot wounds, and poisoning.

The Osprey migration is not due to the fact that these birds cannot survive Maine’s cold and snowy weather. They migrate because the cold winter weather freezes the rivers, creeks, lakes and ponds, making their food supply, fresh fish, inaccessible. Because these fish provide 98% of the Osprey’s diet, its unavailability would likely cause the Osprey to starve to death. To survive, the Osprey migrate south to Florida and South America.

The juvenile Ospreys that I have been watching leave their nest for short excursions around the harbor. I’ve spotted them on the rock jetty that leads to the Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse and on masts of sailboats at Spring Point Marina. The adult Ospreys still bring fish for the juveniles, as evident in one of the photos below. It seems that flounder is the food of choice for these growing birds.

It won’t be long until these birds leave the nest permanently. Some will migrate to Florida, where fish are abundant and the waters don’t freeze. Others will migrate to South America, a journey of over 4,000 miles. These young birds are ready to face the world and all of the dangers that lie in wait. If they survive, some of them may return to Maine in the spring, and possibly back to the nest they were raised in to raise a family of their own. I will miss them and wish them luck in their journey.

Bird Photography: Juvenile Ospreys

Enjoy these photos and an HD video of this Osprey family. They will soon be leaving for a warmer climate and all we will be left with is an empty nest and fond memories.

The following photos were taken with a Canon 7D and a Canon 400mm f/4 L IS lens. Simply click one of the thumbnails below for a full-sized view, and then use your arrow key to navigate through the rest of the photos. ©2011 John Briggs Photography | All Rights Reserved

Dimension: 560×480 | Video bit rate: 1000Kbps | length: 50 seconds
Playback: Click Play Button | Broadband Connection Recommended
Video: Juvenile Osprey eating Flounder | ©2011 John Briggs Photography

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZq1ka4G0As

Happy birding!

World Bird Wednesday

Fight of the Hummingbirds

John Briggs — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 18:31:11 +0000

While most of the birds that visit our backyards only defend a breeding territory, Hummingbirds are one of the few birds that will defend a food source. Just about anywhere that a Hummingbird finds food, it will fight to defend it even along its migration route to Central America.

The long drawn-out territorial fights can sometimes lead to injury or death, either from exhaustion or from the fighting techniques used by the aggressor. These delicate little birds will sometimes attack larger birds, such as Cardinals and even Crows.

Bird Photography: Hummingbirds Fighting

Wednesday was a beautiful day featuring bright blue skies and cool temperatures. I cleaned and refilled our ten Hummingbird nectar feeders and took them outside to hang them back up. Once back inside the house, I watched the Hummers fill themselves with fresh nectar. All seemed to be happy with four female and five male Hummingbirds divvying up the feeders among themselves.

Suddenly, a male came streaking through the air and knocked another male from its perch on one of the feeders. The aggressor then made himself comfortable on the feeder hanger and began to preen. I quickly grabbed my camera and went to my favorite spot for photographing Hummingbirds, our bedroom window.

It wasn’t long and another male came by the feeder and the fight was on! Twirling, chattering and tumbling end-over-end in mid air, the pair fell to the ground. As they lay there in the grass, the male Hummingbirds used their bills just like they were swords. It wasn’t long until the dominant male had the other male flat on the ground, standing on top of it and stomping and clawing at the poor soul.

I couldn’t believe that this was happening within a few feet of where I stood and well within range to get photos of the altercation, and even video footage. I snapped away as if there were no tomorrow, hoping that my camera setting were close enough for at least half decent captures.

There were two separate fights between these two Hummingbirds. The first lasted about 30 seconds, and once the aggressor finished stomping the crap out of the other bird, they both flew away. The second fight lasted much longer. This time, the aggressor stomped and clawed at the other for about a minute and a half. I began to worry as the Hummingbird that was laying flat on its back stopped moving.

I thought about intervening, but just left nature take its course. Finally, the aggressor flew away, but the poor bird laying on the ground looked like it was dead. I slowly walked toward the motionless bird, quietly asking “Are you okay little fella?” When I was about six feet away, I noticed some movement and I stopped and watched the Hummingbird. Suddenly, with a chatter, the bird flew up into a nearby maple tree where it began preening its ruffled feathers.

I’ve watched Hummingbirds fight in mid air and tumble around on the feeders, but I have never witnessed these birds driving each other into the ground. I was completely awe stricken, with emotions ranging from wonder to worry thrown into the mix. I just couldn’t grasp the fact that these little jewels could be so violent.

Enjoy the photos and video from this incredible encounter, which I call the Fight of the Hummingbirds.

The following video shows the aggressive Hummingbird giving the other a good stomping and then both flying away. I have other video clips showing the stomping and clawing in greater detail, which I will post on my Google+ page sometime this weekend.

Dimension: 560×480 | Video bit rate: 1000Kbps | length: 17 seconds
Playback: Click Play Button | Broadband Connection Recommended
Video: Fight of the Hummingbirds | ©2011 John Briggs Photography

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4j9f7bbFe4

Happy birding!

World Bird Wednesday

Photo of the Day: Hummingbird Elegance

John Briggs — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:10:15 +0000

The elegance of a hummingbird is amazing and wonderful to watch. These “flying jewels” are endlessly fascinating because of their iridescent beauty, gracefulness and unique physical qualities. I never tire from watching these gems. Occasionally, I get the opportunity to study our Ruby-throated Hummingbirds up close and personal.

Bird Photography: Ruby-throated Hummingbird

I watched this male Ruby-throated Hummingbird preen while on a branch near our feeding station. He seemed completely oblivious to my presence as I was only three or four feet away. Lucky enough to have my camera in hand, I captured this photo of the hummingbird preening and it’s gorget and head showing its beautiful iridescent colors.

Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird preening

Happy birding!

World Bird Wednesday