Birding in Maine» spring

Birds of the Equinox 2009

John Briggs — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 23:06:00 +0000

Song Sparrow - First Day of Spring 2009 | Click for larger view

At 7:44 a.m. this morning, Spring began for those in the eastern time zone of the United States. Here at home, the weather said otherwise. The skies were clear but the temperatures were in the low 20′s throughout the morning and topped out at 34° this afternoon.

But the signs of spring are evident. Our snow pack is at 8″ with bare spots showing up here and there. The cove is now approximately 60% ice free. (The 40% that is ice covered is on my side of the cove.)

I volunteered for the Birds of the Equinox, a project to document bird life during the March 20 equinox.

I don’t know if I have ever specifically documented birds on the first day of spring, summer, fall or winter. With this project, there’s no better time to start.

So, without further ado, here are the birds that I recorded this morning on both sides of the equinox from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

Location: Bath, Maine (Home)
Observation date: 3/20/09
Notes: Partly cloudy, temp. 23° (begin 7:00 a.m.) and 25° (end 9:00 a.m.) Winds 8-11 mph NE gusting to 20 mph.
Number of species: 37

Canada Goose 63
Wood Duck 2
American Black Duck 64
Mallard 18
Green-winged Teal 8
Northern Pintail 4
Bufflehead 5
Common Goldeneye 17
Hooded Merganser 11
Common Merganser 31
Red-breasted Merganser 9
Common Loon 1
Bald Eagle 5
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Mourning Dove 6
Downy Woodpecker 3
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Blue Jay 10
American Crow 5
Northern Cardinal 3
Black-capped Chickadee 8
Tufted Titmouse 6
Red-breasted Nuthatch 4
White-breasted Nuthatch 3
Brown Creeper 3
American Robin 4
American Tree Sparrow 4
Fox Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 16
Dark-eyed Junco 11
Red-winged Blackbird 21
Common Grackle 5
Brown-headed Cowbird 2
Purple Finch 2
Common Redpoll 4
Pine Siskin 6
American Goldfinch 9

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2 http://ebird.org

Not a bad two hours at all! And if you need another sure sign that it’s spring, take a look at what was running around on the snow covered ground today.

Chipmunk - First day of Spring 2009 | Click for larger view

Happy birding!

Around the yard

John Briggs — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 22:46:29 +0000

Ice breaking up in the cove

Ever so slowly, more and more patches of water are showing up in the cove. At each rise and fall of the tide ice is being heaved and broken up, groaning and creaking as if some unseen sea monster is trying to break through. The night time popping and cracking is unnerving while trying to sleep.

What this brings to our little corner of the world is waterfowl, ducks, quackers, etc. Movement of Canada Geese, Black Ducks, Mallards, Bufflehead, Goldeneyes, Common, Red-breasted and Hooded Mergansers is picking up. And as these ducks congregate in the open pools of water, they get closer and closer to our yard. As I write this, a pair of Black Ducks are in a hole in the ice no larger than 2 feet across and only 10 feet off our back yard.

Yesterday, three male and 4 female Common Merganser were diving in a channel in the ice, but just a tad too far out to get good photos. As most of you already know, I received a blind for Christmas. Soon, it’s going to be put to good use. I plan to set it up at the bottom of our yard on the edge of the water and wait for these beautiful ducks to float on by. That is as soon as the ice goes away. And I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Mallards will nest again in the reeds just below the crab apple tree.

Canada Geese

I was out in the yard today trudging through the snow surveying the damage from old man winter. Tree limbs are everywhere. But the bright light at the end of the tunnel is patches of bare ground creeping up here and there. It seems as if the last time I saw bare ground was back in November!

The sweet music of birds filled the air. I heard countless Song Sparrows singing their melodies. Cardinals and Titmice were singing their hearts out. Several Chickadees were filling the air with their “Chicka-dee-dee-dee-dee; fee-beee” calls. A flock of Red-winged Blackbirds flew across the cove, while Dark-eyed Juncos and Tree Sparrows busied themselves in the ground feeders. Nuthatches could be heard calling in the spruce trees at the east end of the yard. WOW! It felt wonderful seeing and hearing all this activity!

The official start of spring is Friday March 20, 2009 at 7:44 am EDT. This is not to say that the snow is finished. We may get a few more snowstorms, but what falls will not last long as the sun light gets stronger and stronger everyday.

I leave you with a few photos taken this week of some of the beautiful birds that have visited our yard. Also included, a critter and more scenery. As always, clicking a thumbnail will enlarge to full size.

Happy birding!

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Longing For Spring

John Briggs — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 21:03:00 +0000

Doubling Point Lighthouse | Click for larger view

It has been a long, cold and snowy winter so far here in Maine. I love the snow, but I am ready for the sights, sounds and smells of spring.

I long for the view seen on the left, the Doubling Point Lighthouse as seen from our back yard in the spring. At the present time, our cove is choked with ice, and Arrowsic Island looks like a wintry landscape postcard scene.

After a while, I tire of the cold and gray days, the incessant howl of the wind and the layers upon layers of snow. When will I be able to open the windows and bring in some fresh air and hear the birds singing? Possibly when May comes around, or maybe a day or two in April when the winds are not blowing in from the sea.

I leave you with the reasons why I am so excited for Spring to come to Maine. The beautiful birds that grace our spring landscape.

Eastern Phoebe | Click for larger view

Nashville Warbler | Click for larger view

Northern Flicker | Click for larger view

Ruby-throated Hummingbird | Click for larger view

Snowy Egret | Click for larger view

White-throated Sparrow | Click for larger view

Happy birding!

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