Birding in Maine» maine

Juvenile Bald Eagles

John Briggs — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 21:10:46 +0000

Bald Eagle -- Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Since mid spring, I’ve been watching a successful Bald Eagle nest not much more than a stone’s throw from where we live here on the peninsula south of Bath. The nest is some 40 feet off the ground and it’s impossible to see inside. I knew there were chicks in the nest, because the adults brought food on a regular basis, and I could hear the chicks calling when the adults were not around.

While taking a break from my studies this weekend, I finally got to see the young, pre-flight Bald Eagles. Just before sunrise Saturday morning, I set up my tripod and camera and waited. I could see wings flapping in the nest, and I heard a few calls, but nothing worth photographing. Finally, after an hour or so wait, one of the juvies hopped out of the nest onto a branch. Lovingly named Butchie and his other brother Butchie by Robin Robinson over at The Back Story -- My Controlled Chaos, I expect them to take their first flight any day now. Many thanks Robin, for giving me the heads up on the nest! I can only hope I will be nearby when they take their first flight.

The young Eagles were very cooperative for nearly an hour. I filled a 16gb CF card with many photos and videos of the pair; capturing preening, head and chin scratching, yawning and several wing stretches. While I enjoyed the Eagles, plenty of other birds were on the move. Cedar Waxwings and Red-winged Blackbirds were everywhere, the forest floor seemed alive with Chipping Sparrows, and I caught a brief glimpse of a Black-crowned Night Heron in flight. All and all, it was a great morning to enjoy Mother Nature!

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Dimension: 560x480 | Video bit rate: 1000Kbps | File Size: 24.6mb
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Video: Juvenile Bald Eagles | ©2010 John Briggs Photography
Watch in full-sized HD at YouTube by clicking video screen after playback begins.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCmTukjjezA

Happy birding!

Wings on Wednesday: Over the Water

John Briggs — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:37:30 +0000

My first entry for the Wings on Wednesday genre, the original creation of Kevin Doxstater at NaturalVisions. These photos were taken on our trip to Eastern Egg Rock over the 4th of July holiday weekend. You all know the story of the rocking boat in the previous post, so without further adieu….

Click thumbnails for a larger shadowbox view.

Black Guillemot in flight

Common Tern in flight

Laughing Gull in flight

Happy birding!

Atlantic Puffins at Eastern Egg Rock

John Briggs — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 15:21:30 +0000

The Hardy III - New Harbor, Maine

When it’s was too hot and humid to stand in the blazing sun for activities such as the Bath Heritage Days festivities on Saturday afternoon, we looked for a way to cool off and still be able to enjoy the great outdoors.

Sharon and I booked a trip on the Hardy III out of New Harbor, Maine for a Puffin cruise to Eastern Egg Rock. Eastern Egg Rock is an approximately 7 acre island located in the outer reaches of Muscongus Bay, about 7 miles east of New Harbor. The island is ringed with granite boulders that provide nesting habitat for Atlantic Puffins and Guillemots. It is also the home to nearly 4,000 pairs of nesting Terns, Laughing Gulls and Common Eiders.

The island is owned by the Maine Deptartment of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and is managed by the National Audubon Society. The island is home to the Adopt-A-Puffins program.

Since 2000, breeding birds recorded on the island include Atlantic Puffins, Black Guillemots, Arctic, Common and Roseate Terns, Laughing Gulls, Common Eiders and Leach’s Storm-petrels.

Eastern Egg Rock

Puffins were wiped out in Maine waters during the 1800′s by a combination of hunters, feather collectors and gull predation. Before the restoration, the last nesting Puffin was in 1885. The wonderful conclusion to all of this is that the island is the world’s first restored seabird colony. In 1973, in an effort to restore the Atlantic Puffin population in Maine waters, 1,000 young Puffins from Newfoundland were translocated to Eastern Egg Rock in the hopes that when the birds left the island in late summer, they would return the following spring to nest. Decoys were used to make the island more inviting and in 1981, five pairs of Atlantic Puffins settled on the island to nest. As of 2008, 101 pairs are nesting on the island.

Tern restoration was also implemented and with the help of gull management and decoys, Terns began nesting in 1980. Today, the colony has more than 1,350 pairs. Included in this count are 150 pairs of endangered Roseate Terns, more than half of the Gulf of Maine population.

We departed New Harbor at 4:45 p.m. for the trip out to the island, and it was a choppy ride, but the breezes coming off the cooler Atlantic waters made it worthwhile. Air temperatures on the water were in the upper 60′s, while inland, it was a very warm 83° F. The one-and-a-half hour trip included a half hour ride out to the island, slowly circling the island for half an hour and the half hour return trip. For those interested in the Puffin Cruise, contact Hardy Boat Cruises out of New Harbor, Maine.

Audubon naturalist showing posters of birds nesting on Eastern Egg Rock

Audubon naturalists tell the history of the island and the restoration efforts to bring the seabird colony back into existence. The naturalists are also very good at pointing out sightings of seabirds using the clock system. Over the loud speaker, you hear them say, “Roseate Tern at 11 o’clock!” and so on.

We wished for a little smoother ride, but still captured some great photos. For those who haven’t experienced trying to take photos on a rocking 60′ boat, it’s akin to trying to photograph a bird while jumping on a trampoline! Don’t get me wrong, we enjoyed every minute of the trip, including one particular wave that caused several of us to go sprawling across the upper deck of the boat.

As we circled the island, we recorded Atlantic Puffins, Common, Arctic and Roseate Terns, Black Guillemots, Laughing Gulls and Common Eiders. On the way out, I spotted a whale spouting water from its blow hole approximately 300 yards off the port side of the boat.

All in all, we were happy with the trip. Out of over 450 photos taken, around one hundred were usable. Believe me folks, it’s not easy photographing a football sized Puffin while a boat is rocking and rolling. We will take the cruise in the future, but check on wave heights before we book the trip.

Enjoy the photos! Simply click a thumbnail to view the full-sized view.

Happy birding!

Photo of the Day: White-breasted Nuthatch

John Briggs — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:39:42 +0000

White-breasted Nuthatch – Sitta carolinensis

A robust family of White-breasted Nuthatches have been visiting our feeders since the young fledged from their nest cavity last week. This is one bird that is hard to photograph when the youngsters chase ma and pa around for a morsel of food. Usually during the evening hours, they calm down enough that I can get a few pictures of these little gems.

Northern Cardinal, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Gray Catbird and Downy Woodpecker fledglings have been visiting our feeding stations. I am still waiting for the Baltimore Oriole fledglings to come, and that should be any day now.

I’ve been busy with my studies and don’t have much time to photograph birds these days. But there is a three day weekend coming up and I plan on taking advantage of it. The weather is to be spectacular!

Happy birding!

Wordless Wednesday: Ruby-throated Hummingbird

John Briggs — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:06:11 +0000

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Ruby-throated Hummingbird | Click thumbnail for larger view

Get Wordless over at Wordless Wednesday.